The Sigma 18-200 OS lens was made shortly after the release of the Nikon 18-200 VR lens. Sigma made this lens for Sigma
At that time, the Nikon 18-200 VR lens created a lot of buzz in the Nikon community which makes many Canon user jealous (they have not made the 18-200 IS lens at that time).
This is why this lens was initially born. It was born to satisfy the Canon user’s itch to have a super zoom lens.
Given the price that Sigma offer and their sales pitch, it is hard to resist the temptation of getting this lens.
So, how well does this lens perform? Will it be able to satisfy Canon user’s appetite for a super zoom lens?
Read the full Sigma 18-200 OS review below to see how this lens perform.
Specs • Performance • Sample Image • Conclusion • Where to Buy
Sigma 18-200 OS Specs
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Official Name:
Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS
Focal Length Markings:
18, 28, 35, 50, 80, 135, 200mm
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.
Full Technical Specs (from Sigma’s website):
| Technical Specifications | |
| Groups / Elements | 13 / 18 |
| Angle of View | 69.3 – 7.1 |
| Number of Blade Diaphragm | 7 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/22 |
| Minimum Focusing Distance | 17.7in. (0.45m) |
| Filter Thread | 72mm |
| Weight | 21.5oz. (610g) |
| Dimension (Diameter x Length) | 3.1 x 3.9in. (79 x 100mm) |
| Macro Magnification Ratio | 1:3.9 |
| Available for | Sigma, Nikon, Canon |
Optical Performance
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Sigma 18-200 OS Sharpness
This lens is very sharp on the center at any focal length and aperture.
Border sharpness is a bit disappointing at 35mm and 100mm. At 35mm, it is very soft at f/4.5 and f/5.6. You need to stop down to f/11 to get sharp borders!
At 100mm, borders are weak only at f/5.6. At apertures above this, it is very sharp.
At other focal lengths, border sharpness are great at any apertures.
The optimal aperture on this lens is at f/8. Shoot at this aperture if you want to get the maximum sharpness from this lens.
See the full sharpness test table below.
Sharpness Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Excellent
(4) Great
(3) Good
(2) Fair
(1) Poor
Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS Center Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/3.5-4.5 | f/5.6-6.3 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 18mm | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| 35mm | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| 50mm | n/a | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| 100mm | n/a | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| 200mm | n/a | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS Border Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/3.5-4.5 | f/5.6-6.3 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 18mm | Great | Great | Great | Great |
| 35mm | Poor | Fair | Good | Great |
| 50mm | n/a | Great | Great | Great |
| 100mm | n/a | Good | Great | Great |
| 200mm | n/a | Great | Great | Great |
Distortion
Barrel distortion is apparent at 18mm. At other focal lengths, there is a very slight pincushion distortion, but it will not be apparent and will not affect the image quality at all.
See the distortion test for each focal lengths below.
Vignetting
Vignetting is apparent at 18mm f/3.5 and 200mm f/6.3. At other focal lengths and apertures, it is minimum and can be ignored.
See the vignetting test results below for each focal lengths and apertures.
Chromatic Aberration
Chromatic aberration is surprisingly well handled on this lens. It is very low at any aperture and focal length and can be ignored in most shooting conditions.
See the full chromatic aberration test results below.
Chromatic Aberration Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Negligible
(4) Very Low
(3) Low
(2) High
(1) Very High
Sigma 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS Chromatic Aberration
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/3.5-4.5 | f/5.6-6.3 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 18mm | Low | Low | Low | Low |
| 35mm | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low |
| 50mm | n/a | Very Low | Low | Low |
| 100mm | n/a | Negligible | Very Low | Very Low |
| 200mm | n/a | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low |
Build Quality
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Materials
Although not an EX lens, the build quality is pretty good. There is no wobbling on this lens.
Zoom Ring
The zoom ring is a bit stiff but the lens does not suffer from zoom creep. To prevent this further, Sigma included a zoom lock mechanism just in case.
The lens dimension will extend when zoomed towards the telephoto range.
Focusing
Unlike the zoom ring, the focusing ring is pretty smooth to operate. The front element of this lens does not rotate so you can use a polarizing filter easily here.
Although Sigma still uses an old autofocusing motor, it is quite fast and accurate.
Note that this is not an HSM lens which means it will not autofocus when used with entry level Nikon DSLR such as Nikon D40, D40x, D60, D5000, D5100, D3000 and D3100.
Image Stabilization
The OS or Optical Stabilizer works very well on this lens. I can get up to 3 f-stops on this lens. It does not have multiple OS mode but it can detect panning.
Compatibility
Being a DC lens, this lens is only compatible with cropped sensor DSLR camera. It is not compatible with full frame DSLR cameras or film SLR camera.
Sample Image
Back to: Menu • Introduction
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
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Below I will conclude this Sigma 18-200 OS review.
Drawbacks
- Soft borders at 35mm (first 3 apertures) and 100mm (f/5.6)
- Barrel distortion at 18mm
- Vignetting at 18mm f/3.5 and 200mm f/6.3
Positives
- Excellent sharpness on the center at any focal length and apertures
- Good distortion control at focal lengths above 18mm
- Vignetting is good apart from 18mm f/3.5 and 200mm f/6.3
- Excellent chromatic aberration at any focal length and apertures
- Good build for a non-EX lens
- Quick and accurate autofocus
- Excellent value for money
Good For
- All around macro photography shooting
- Portrait lens when used with cropped sensor DSLR
- Normal, walk around lens when used with full frame DSLR
Not So Good For
- Anything that requires fast focusing such as sports photography
What Others Are Saying…
by “Baltic Books”
We’ve been using this Sigma AF 18-200 lens for a couple of months now. Recently we compared the Sigma with Canon’s 28-135mm image stabilized lens on a Canon 30D. We shot side by side…
Click here to see the full review
by “Ozarkhawk”
This was shipped to my office yesterday, so I naturally had to play with it. I have an old Nikon D50, and had gotten use to the kit lens that was on it. This Sigma is CONSIDERABLY larger and…
Click here to see the full review
Where to Buy
Support this site, buy the Sigma 18-200 OS 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) or Adorama (Sigma, Nikon, Canon)
To see more related Sigma zpom lens lens review, check out the following post below.
Hope you’ve enjoyed my Sigma 18-200 OS lens review and I will catch you in the next one!
The Sigma 18-200 OS lens was made shortly after the release of the Nikon 18-200 VR lens. Sigma made this lens for Sigma, Nikon and Canon DSLR …
The Sigma 18-200 OS lens was made shortly after the release of the Nikon 18-200 VR lens. Sigma made this lens for Sigma, Nikon and Canon DSLR …
| Lens Score | |
|---|---|
| Optical Quality | |
| Build Quality | |
| Value for Money | |
| Overall | |
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