The Sigma 18-125 lens belongs to the Sigma super zoom lens lineup. Sigma made this lens for Sigma
This lens has less zoom ratio compared to the Sigma 18-200 lens. I think Sigma do this to provide the user with better image quality and lighter lens (we shall see if this is true on the review below).
This lens is a DC lens, which means it is only compatible with cropped sensor DSLR camera. The focal length will be equal to 29-200mm in the full frame equivalent which makes this an ideal travel, vacation or all in one zoom lens. At 18mm, this lens is very compact and this makes for an ideal travel lens.
Sigma also seems to have installed newer optical design on this lens to minimize the chromatic aberration.
Enough said, let us see how well this lens perform in the Sigma 18-125 lens review below.
Specs • Performance • Sample Image • Conclusion • Where to Buy
Sigma 18-125 Specs
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Official Name:
Sigma 18-125mm f/3.8-5.6 DC OS HSM
Focal Length Markings:
18, 24, 28, 35, 50, 70, 100, 125mm
Features:
DC – Digital Crop – Sigma lenses with this geek word can only be used for cropped sensor DSLR camera. Don’t ever use this lens with a full frame DSLR or film SLR otherwise you’ll get the ugly vignetting effect.
OS – Optical Stabilization – Sigma’s technology to counter camera shake. Great if you’re shooting without a tripod.
HSM – HyperSonic Motor – Sigma’s smooth and fast autofocusing technology. Very similar to Canon’s USM. Lens with this designation can autofocus with Nikon’s entry level DSLR such as D40, D40x, D5000, D3000 and D3100.
Full Technical Specs (from Sigma’s website):
| Technical Specifications | |
| Groups / Elements | 12 / 16 |
| Angle of View | 69.3 – 11.4 |
| Number of Blade Diaphragm | 7 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/22 |
| Minimum Focusing Distance | 13.8in. (0.35m) |
| Filter Thread | 67mm |
| Weight | 17.8oz. (505g) |
| Dimension (Diameter x Length) | 2.9 x 3.5in. (74 x 88.5mm) |
| Macro Magnification Ratio | 1:3.8 |
| Available for | Sigma, Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax |
Optical Performance
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Sigma 18-125 Sharpness
This lens is very sharp on the center at any focal length and apertures. This is true even at the widest aperture of each focal lengths.
On the borders, the results are a bit mixed. Border sharpness at 18mm and 35mm are great at any aperture.
At 70mm, the borders are soft at f/5.6. Stopping down to f/8 will help greatly.
At 125mm, the borders are soft at f/5.6 and f/8. You need to stop down to f/11 at this focal length to get the sharpest borders.
The optimal aperture on this lens is at f/8.
See the full sharpness test table below.
Sharpness Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Excellent
(4) Great
(3) Good
(2) Fair
(1) Poor
Sigma 18-125mm f/3.8-5.6 DC OS HSM Center Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/3.8-4.5 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 18mm | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| 35mm | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| 70mm | n/a | Great | Excellent | Great |
| 125mm | n/a | Great | Excellent | Great |
Sigma 18-125mm f/3.8-5.6 DC OS HSM Border Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/3.8-4.5 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 18mm | Great | Great | Great | Great |
| 35mm | Great | Great | Excellent | Great |
| 70mm | n/a | Good | Great | Great |
| 125mm | n/a | Good | Good | Great |
Distortion
Unfortunately, distortion is not a strong point on this lens. At 18mm, there is visible barrel distortion. At the other focal length, pincushion distortion will kick in. This is true for the 35mm, 70mm and 125mm focal length.
You can fix those distortion using programs such as Photoshop, but I prefer a lens to have a minimum distortion.
See the distortion test result for each focal lengths below.
Vignetting
Vignetting is only visible at 18mm f/3.8 and 125mm f/4.5 which is typical for a zoom lens like this. Stopping down by one stop here will greatly reduce vignetting.
At the middle focal length (35mm and 70mm) vignetting is very well controlled and can be ignored at any apertures.
See the vignetting test results below for each focal lengths and aperture.
Chromatic Aberration
I was quite surprised by the chromatic aberration control on this lens. It is very low at any focal length and aperture, which is very unusual for a zoom lens in this range.
This is a very good news for Sigma because it proofs that their new optical design works!
See the full chromatic aberration test result below for each focal length and apertures.
Chromatic Aberration Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Negligible
(4) Very Low
(3) Low
(2) High
(1) Very High
Sigma 18-125mm f/3.8-5.6 DC OS HSM Chromatic Aberration
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/3.8-4.5 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 18mm | Very Low | Low | Low | Low |
| 35mm | Very Low | Very Low | Negligible | Negligible |
| 70mm | n/a | Negligible | Negligible | Negligible |
| 125mm | n/a | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low |
Build Quality
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Materials
This is a budget super zoom lens, but the material is quite decent here.
Zoom Ring
Zoom ring has a bit of a friction on this lens. There is a dedicated zoom lock function that can prevent zoom creep on this lens (very helpful especially during transport).
The length dimension will extend when you zoom towards the telephoto end.
Focusing
Unlike the zoom ring, the focus ring operates smoothly. The autofocus speed is fast, but is a bit noisy. It is accurate as well.
The focus ring rotates in autofocus mode which is a bit outdated for today’s standard.
The front element on this lens does not rotate so you can use a polarizing filter easily.
This is an HSM lens which means it will autofocus when used with entry level Nikon DSLR such as Nikon D40, D40x, D60, D5000, D5100, D3000 and D3100.
Image Stabilization
The Optical Stabilization on this lens operates quite well. I can get up to 3 stops extra when using the OS.
Compatibility
Being a DC lens, this lens is only compatible with cropped sensor DSLR camera. It is not compatible with full frame DSLR or film SLR camera.
Sample Image
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The following are some images taken with this lens. Click any of them to enlarge the image.
Get the best price online from Amazon: Sigma
Conclusion
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Alright, we have arrived at the conclusion part of this Sigma 18-125 lens review!
Drawbacks
- Soft borders at 70mm (f/5.6) and 125mm (f/5.6 and f/8)
- Poor distortion control – barrel at 18mm, pincushion at 35mm, 70mm and 125mm
- Visible vignetting at 18mm (f/3.8) and 125mm (f/4.5)
Positives
- Very sharp on the center at any aperture and focal lengths
- Border sharpness is good at 18mm and 35mm at any aperture and focal lengths
- Good vignetting control above f/5.6
- Superb chromatic aberration control
- Good value for money
Good For
- Walk around lens
- Travel or vacation lens
Not So Good For
- Architecture photography
- Professional portrait photography due to distortion
What Others Are Saying…
by “S. Florio”
After buying my Canon xSi I quickly concluded that I was not going to be satisfied unless I had a zoom of some kind to go with it. For a walk around lens, the modest 18-125mm range that this zoom offered…
Click here to see the full review
by “Taylor”
If you are like me and want a bit more reach than the standard 3x kit zooms (17-50, 18-55, etc) but don’t like the price, weight, or optical compromises of a superzoom (18-250) then this is a…
Click here to see the full review
Where to Buy
Support this site, buy the Sigma 18-125 lens from Amazon (best price online):
If the mount you’re looking for is not available on Amazon, check out B&H Photo (Sigma, Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax) or Adorama (Sigma, Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax)
To see the related Sigma zoom lens review, check out the following post below.
Hope you’ve enjoyed reading my Sigma 18-125 lens review and I will catch you in the next one!
The Sigma 18-125 lens belongs to the Sigma super zoom lens lineup. Sigma made this lens for Sigma, Nikon, Canon, Sony and Pentax DSLR camera.
…
The Sigma 18-125 lens belongs to the Sigma super zoom lens lineup. Sigma made this lens for Sigma, Nikon, Canon, Sony and Pentax DSLR camera.
…
| Lens Score | |
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| Optical Quality | |
| Build Quality | |
| Value for Money | |
| Overall | |
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