Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM A Lens Review

Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM A Handling and features

Even though this lens sports a fast f/1.8 maximum aperture throughout the zoom range it still weighs only 665g, which isn't as much as you might think. Build quality is very solid with high quality plastics used for much of the lens barrel. This lens feels right at home on the Canon EOS 600D used for testing and would balance even better on cameras with a slightly larger finger grip. The lens is finished with a metallic glossy finish in parts and both zoom and focusing rings are very smooth to operate, which reinforces the quality feel of the lens.

A silent HSM focusing motor powers the focusing mechanism, which is very quick to confirm focus and accurate, even on this pre-production sample. If your sample of this lens does exhibit focusing errors, this lens supports Sigma's new USB Dock accessory, which allows focus adjustments and firmware updates to be applied to the lens, quickly and easily. Focusing and zooming are performed internally, so the 67mm filter thread does not rotate, making this lens ideal for use with polarising and graduated filters.

Full time manual focus can be applied by simply adjusting the focus ring at any time. Manual focusing is a pleasure as the focus ring is quite heavily damped, and very smooth to operate. Closest focusing is 30cm from the sensor plane, which is great for shooting in claustrophobic environments, although the maximum achievable magnification of 1:5.2 may make this lens less suited to frame filling close-ups of smaller objects.

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