I will be posting the Sigma 24-70 HSM review here. This lens is an update to the Sigma 24-70 lens. Sigma made this lens for Sigma
Like its predecessor, this lens is a lens offered for full frame DSLR owners that are looking for a walk around, professional, fast lens
All camera manufacturers including Nikon, Sony and Canon offer such a lens in their lens lineup. However, they can be quite expensive.
Sigma tried to fill the gap here by offering a cheaper lens in this league. They did so with the old 24-70mm and in this new version, they added the HSM motor which will make this lens compatible for autofocusing with Nikon entry level DSLR camera.
The old version (non-HSM) is still offered for sale at the time of this writing.
Although this lens is made for full frame camera, it is exceedingly popular as well for cropped sensor DSLR camera. People love the f/2.8 fast aperture as well as the longer reach for telephoto shooting or portraiture.
I will be testing this lens with my Nikon D300 camera.
Let’s begin this Sigma 24-70 HSM review and see how this lens perform.
Specs • Performance • Sample Image • Conclusion • Where to Buy
Sigma 24-70 HSM Review – Specs
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Official Name:
Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 IF EX DG HSM
Focal Length Markings:
24, 28, 35, 50, 70mm
Features:
EX – Excellent – Sigma’s designation for their high end lenses.
DG – Digital Full Frame – Sigma lenses with this geek term can be used for both full frame and cropped sensor DSLR camera. Can also be used with film cameras well.
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 / 14 |
| Angle of View | 84.1 – 34.3 |
| Number of Blade Diaphragm | 9 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/22 |
| Minimum Focusing Distance | 15in. (0.38m) |
| Filter Thread | 82mm |
| Weight | 27.9oz. (790g) |
| Dimension (Diameter x Length) | 3.5 x 3.7in. (88.6 x 94.7mm) |
| Macro Magnification Ratio | 1:5.3 |
| Available for | Sigma, Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax |
Optical Performance
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Sigma 24-70 HSM Review – Sharpness
Center is very sharp at any aperture and focal length except at 70mm f2/8. It gets a bit soft here.
Border sharpness is weak at f/2.8 at any focal length. Stop down to f/4 or smaller aperture and you will get much sharper borders.
The optimal aperture on this lens is at f/5.6. Shoot using this aperture if you want the sharpest results.
See the full sharpness test table below for each focal lengths and apertures.
Sharpness Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Excellent
(4) Great
(3) Good
(2) Fair
(1) Poor
Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 IF EX DG HSM Center Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 24mm | Great | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| 35mm | Great | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| 70mm | Good | Great | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 IF EX DG HSM Border Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 24mm | Fair | Great | Great | Great | Great |
| 35mm | Fair | Great | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent |
| 70mm | Fair | Great | Great | Excellent | Great |
Distortion
There is a slight barrel distortion at 24mm, but this should not be a problem in most shooting condition. At 35mm and 70mm, distortion is very low and can be ignored.
See the distortion test result for each focal lengths below.
Vignetting
Tested on a cropped sensor DSLR, vignetting is extremely controlled on this lens at any aperture and focal length.
It is so low that you can pretty much ignore it.
See the vignetting test result below for each aperture and focal lengths.
Chromatic Aberration
Chromatic aberration is handled flawlessly on this lens. It is very low at any aperture and focal length and can be ignored completely.
See the full chromatic aberration test result below.
Chromatic Aberration Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Negligible
(4) Very Low
(3) Low
(2) High
(1) Very High
Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 IF EX DG HSM Chromatic Aberration
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/2.8 | f/4 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 24mm | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low | Low | Low |
| 35mm | Negligible | Very Low | Negligible | Negligible | Very Low |
| 70mm | Negligible | Negligible | Negligible | Negligible | Negligible |
Build Quality
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Materials
Just like the EX name implies, the build quality of this lens is Excellent. It is made with the nice and typical crinkle finish.
There is no weather or dust sealing on this lens though.
Zoom Ring
Zoom ring is smooth to operate and there is no zoom creep on this lens. The zoom ring works in the same direction as Canon, which is opposite of Nikon.
There is no wobbling whatsoever in this lens as well.
The lens will extend when zoomed towards the telephoto end and is shortest at the 24mm focal length.
Focusing
The focusing ring also operates smoothly on this lens. There is an internal focusing design on this lens which makes the front element does not rotate during autofocusing.
This will make using a polarizing filter very easy. However, you might spend a lot of money to buy the polarizing filter due to the large filter size.
Autofocus motor is very fast and silent. You can override autofocus with manual focus anytime.
This is an HSM lens which means that it will autofocus when used with entry level Nikon DSLR such as Nikon D40, D40x, D60, D5000, D5100, D3000 and D3100.
Image Stabilization
There is no Optical Stabilization built into the lens.
Compatibility
Being a DG lens, this lens is compatible with both full frame and cropped sensor DSLR 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
Alright, we have arrived at the conclusion of this Sigma 24-70 HSM review.
Drawbacks
- Center is a bit soft at 70mm f/2.8
- Soft borders at f/2.8 at any focal lengts
- Slightly visible barrel distortion at 24mm
Positives
- Very sharp on the center apart from 70mm f/2.8
- Great border sharpness above f/2.8
- Negligible distortion above 24mm
- Superb vignetting control at any focal length and apertures
- Negligible chromatic aberration at any aperture and focal lengths
- Great EX build
- Fast and silent autofocusing mechanism
- Good value for money
Good For
- All around professional lens for full frame DSLR
- Moderate wide angle to telephoto lens for cropped sensor DSLR camera
Not So Good For
- Shooting anything that requires you to have sharp borders at f/2.8
What Others Are Saying…
by “N. Bridges”
I have owned and used this lens professionally for over a year now and after a minor focus issue that was resolved very quickly by Sigma’s excellent service department I have to say this is the…
Click here to see the full review
by “J. Martin”
I had read quite a few reviews of this lens before buying it for my D300. Some were great and others not so great. I picked it up to use as a portrait lens for location shoots. I haven’t…
Click here to see the full review
Where to Buy
Support this site, buy the Sigma 24-70 HSM 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 lens review, check out the following post below.
Hope you’ve enjoyed my Sigma 24-70 HSM review and I will catch you in the next review!
I will be posting the Sigma 24-70 HSM review here. This lens is an update to the Sigma 24-70 lens. Sigma made this lens for Sigma, Nikon, Cano…
I will be posting the Sigma 24-70 HSM review here. This lens is an update to the Sigma 24-70 lens. Sigma made this lens for Sigma, Nikon, Cano…
| Lens Score | |
|---|---|
| Optical Quality | |
| Build Quality | |
| Value for Money | |
| Overall | |
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