Sigma 18 - 250 (Page 2): I have one on my Pentax K3 and I love it! I almost never take it off. I got mine at Amazon.com which offered the best price at the time. The only negative is...

Mgpfonner

I have one on my Pentax K3 and I love it! I almost never take it off. I got mine at Amazon.com which offered the best price at the time. The only negative is the zoom function is so smooth and friction free that the lens will "open up" if you hold it lens side down for a while. It has a lens lock switch if you are Just carrying the camera between locations, but you have to remember to flip the switch when you are ready to shoot (which I sometimes forget to do, lol).

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

Mgpfonner wrote:

I have one on my Pentax K3 and I love it! I almost never take it off. I got mine at Amazon.com which offered the best price at the time. The only negative is the zoom function is so smooth and friction free that the lens will "open up" if you hold it lens side down for a while. It has a lens lock switch if you are Just carrying the camera between locations, but you have to remember to flip the switch when you are ready to shoot (which I sometimes forget to do, lol).

Try a wide, strong rubber band to preventing the opening up. Works on my Canon 18-200. Definitely a design flaw with these lenses.

HowardPepper Loc: Palm Coast, FL

I bought the Sigma 18-250 for my Rebel T3i. It does make a good walk-around lens (at least as good, if not better, than the two kit lenses that the T3i came with). As Bob said, it is somewhat soft, especially at full zoom, but as long as you realize this, and don't expect tack-sharp photos from it, you won't be disappointed.

Btw, that lens hasn't been off of the T3i in at least 10 months. My wife uses the T3i constantly, and has no problems with the softness. I consider that money well spent.

aginzu

This lens comes in two versions. The newer one is labeled "Macro" and is lighter in weight and sharper. I have been using mine on a Nikon D5100 and love the portability and performance. I find it plenty sharp for most uses.

Mr PC Loc: Austin, TX

The 18-250 I've got is lighter. It just came out this year. Make sure you get the newer one, they've made some improvements to it...

brow3904 Loc: Upstate South Carolina

Thanks for the infofmation.

frankie c Loc: Lake Havasu CIty, AZ

I had one. I gave it away. Very soft focus was annoying. It's weight (really heavy). I have several Sigma lenses. The 18-70 macro is sharp and the close focus is awesome. My favorite (older model) Sigma 18-200 without whatever there version of vibration reduction is, Is awesome. Also, an older version the Sigma 70-300 might be the best glass I ever used. I don't ever want to see that 18 - 250 again. There are better choices for less money.

gsconsolvo Loc: Ruidoso, New Mexico

I just got the newer "Macro" lens from B&H at the $349.00. I've had it about 3 weeks and I like the range of it for all-around purpose. It is certainly not an "L" class lens but for what it is and the price, I like it very much.

wolfd Loc: Vancouver, Canada

brow3904 wrote:

Is this a good investment for an all-around lens?

I have had one for about 2 yrs and am happy with it. Its a great walkabout lens. For that price I would buy it.

MarkD Loc: NYC

Sigma just announced a new 18-300 coming out in October. It may be worth waiting for. It will sell for around $579. That may be why the 18-250 is so inexpensive now. If you go for the 18-250 you can tell the newer version by its 62mm filter size. The older version takes 72mm filters. For some reason B&H lists their 18-250's as having 72mm filters, but that's probably a typo.

The problem with asking people about image quality (IQ) is that different people have different levels of acceptable or good IQ. While IQ can be measured objectively, acceptable or "good" IQ is subjective.

brow3904 Loc: Upstate South Carolina

Thanks for the information. I had noticed r that they were different sizes.

JoeBiker Loc: homebase: Houston, TX

I'll second that. I have this lens, and find it to be soft.

I even sent it back to Sigma to have it "tuned" to my camera, but it is still soft.

Bob Yankle wrote:

I bought the Sigma 18-250mm to replace a Canon 18-200mm I have loaned to my sister. By comparison, it is very soft. In fact, in reading reviews of this lens, it is not noted for its sharpness. Had I known that, I would have forgone the purchase.

FM Loc: near Syracuse, NY

I have an 18-250 Sigma, and agree with others, like Bob Yankle, that it is soft, especially at the tele end, however, for the money, it is a good investment until you are able to afford better glass. Now that Nikkor 18-200 lenses can be had refurbished for around $400 I wish I could justify dumping the Sig- but for the last year I've been rewarded with images that I wouldn't have w/o lens change. Another "economy" lens that I have is the Nikkor 35 1.8, which is plenty sharp, but I use the Sig more as my walk around.(but heavy) My advice to you would be to look for an E+ nikkor 18-250, a little more money than the Sig. Buy the best glass you can afford- I keep telling myself that anyway.

FM Loc: near Syracuse, NY

I just read the post about a new sig 18-300- That lens might be worth trying
out when it is available, and the good comment about the Sig 70-200 is worth
exploring--so many options in glass, but one of the things that makes Photography a challenging and interesting pursuit.

Reinaldokool Loc: San Rafael, CA

brow3904 wrote:

Is this a good investment for an all-around lens?

Oops. I didn't see the Sigma name. I had one and found it too soft for my taste. It also suffered from zoom creep.

But the 18-250 Tamron is more to my liking. KEH has used ones and I just bought a used one as a birthday present for my daughter. Before giving it to her I put it through its paces.

I like this lens. It is pretty tight and doesn't do the zoom creep. It is also quite sharp except at the extreme. Even then sharper than the Sigma.