Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM C Lens Review

Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM C Handling and features

This lens weighs around 465g, which is reasonably lightweight. Despite not being heavy the build quality is very good, and the lens mount is made of brass. The lens balances well with the Canon EOS 600D used for testing as a result. The lens is finished in matte black with a wide rubberised grip for the zoom control.

A silent HSM focusing motor powers the focusing mechanism, which focuses the lens quickly and accurately. Even though this lens has a silent focusing motor, it doesn't allow manual focus adjustments to be applied at any time. The focus ring rotates during focusing and the edge closest to the zoom ring has a smooth finish to prevent it from dragging on your fingers during use.

Closest focus is 22cm from the sensor plane at any focal length, which is great for shooting in claustrophobic environments, or for frame filling close ups at the telephoto end of the zoom range with a maximum magnification of 1:2.8.

With optical stabilisation enabled, sharp hand held shots are possible around half the time at shutter speeds as low as 1/5sec, which is roughly four stops slower than the usual rule of thumb would allow.

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