Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 EX DC APO OS HSM Lens Review

Sigma 50-150mm f/2.8 EX DC APO OS HSM Handling and Features

Weighing around 1.3kg, this lens is quite hefty, even though it is more compact than similar lenses designed to cover full-frame sensors. High quality plastics with a matt finish have been used for much of the lens barrel, which provides a good feel to the lens and a metal lens mount adds to the overall robustness of the lens. However, Sigma make no claims about this lens being resistant to dust and moisture. The lens balances well on the Nikon D300 body used for testing, and handling is aided further by the addition of a vertical battery grip. Care may need to be taken if pairing this lens with a more compact camera body as that may result in quite a lens-heavy combination. 


A HSM motor powers autofocus, resulting in quick silent focus and the ability to apply manual focus adjustments at any time. The manual focus ring is well damped, which makes applying manual adjustments a pleasure. Focusing is performed internally, so the 77mm filter thread does not rotate, making this lens ideal for use with polarising and graduated filters. The close focusing distance of 80cm is fairly typical of this kind of lens.

The optical stabilisation system fitted to this lens promises to allow sharp images to be taken at shutter speeds slower than would be possible without the system enabled. With care, sharp images can be produced around half the time with shutters speeds as low as 1/30sec at 150mm, which is roughly three stops slower than the usual rule of thumb would dictate necessary, so long as a couple of seconds are allowed for the optical stabiliser to settle before taking an image.

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