Sigma 24-105mm F4.0 Art DG OS HSM Lens for Canon

I've had this lens for a month or so now. I took it to Tokyo and Kyoto on a trip and took nearly 1000 shots with it. I must say, I am thoroughly impressed with this lens. The image quality is superb. I shoot with a Nikon D7100, and it is very sharp corner to corner on a DX body from 24-80mm. Above that to 105, image quality may start to soften slightly, but it's negligible. I've never shot the Canon 24-105 or the Nikon 24-120 to be honest, but after extensive research and reviews, I settled on this over the Nikon 24-120, and I'm very happy with it. The build quality is tops. The lens is a bit on the heavy side, but you're getting quality glass, and I had no issues carrying it around all day with my BlackRapid sling. A couple things to be aware of... first, the lens focuses backward (counterclockwise, like Canon) compared to the normal Nikon clockwise focusing fashion. It was a little weird at first but you get used to it, no biggie at all. Second, there's been reported issues with Sigma lenses and the Nikon D7100 (and maybe other Nikon's as well) concerning image review. With the Sigma lens attached, you cannot hold the arrow button down to pan around an image for review, it requires clicking each time. Also, if you have a screen timeout set for 4 seconds, the image review will stay on for about 1 minute with this lens on. Once a Nikon lens is put on, your image review functions go back to normal, even when looking at images taken with the Sigma lens. It's a known issue, and apparently Sigma isn't planning to release a firmware update for it (I have no idea why...). It's a minor nuisance, and in my opinion, the quality of the lens outweighs those cons. I'll be interested to see if the problem persists with my new D610 when it arrives. Regardless, I still think the lens is a very worthy standard zoom that can outclass both the Nikon 24-85 and the 24-120 in both image quality and construction quality, and also the aging Canon 24-105! Do yourself a favor and check one out!

Ah, the good old 24-105mm fallback. This is Sigma's latest answer to the call, and a good one at that. It's undoubtedly superior to the old Sigmas that you might have jeered at in the past, but at the same time not exactly in the same league as some of the other lenses in the same product line. Ultimately it's a good alternative to the now-aging Canon 24-105 L lens at a slightly lower price point.IMAGE QUALITYI'll keep this brief since others already have detailed explanations. As expected, the lens performs best around the midrange e.g., 50mm. It's decently sharp at 24mm and acceptable at 105mm. Your 105mm pictures will look ok until you zoom in, at which point focus suffers - but this is expected for a lens at this price point (including the Canon lens that begs for comparison). Pincushion is fairly minor throughout the range. I've noticed that picture will pick up the dark corners due to the sun shield/hood.BUILD QUALITYAs one of Sigma's new lenses from their Global Vision restructuring, the 24-105 Art lens is much more refined than the old one I had from 2007. It's all black with white lettering, giving it a serious look, and feels similarly built. Next to the Canon with which it competes and my old Sigma, this one is light years ahead. The shell isn't metal like my bigger Canon L lens - looks like high-impact plastic to me - but you'll still feel good holding it. The hypersonic motor is also nearly silent - a big leap from the DC motor in my old Sigma. The 82mm filter size also makes it seem more substantial than the other 77mm filter-threaded 24-105 lenses.FIELD SURVIVABILITYThe lens isn't weather-sealed in case you need that capability. However, mine survived 0 Celsius rain(?!) in Korea and 35 Celsius + 80% humidity weather in Taiwan, and now California drought, so I think it's safe to say it will survive most normal trips.PRICING AND FINAL THOUGHTSList price for this glass is $900, but availability is limited. The list price for the Canon 24-105L hovers around $1000 but you can usually find it for cheaper. While I did think about price despite the minor difference, I ended up going with the Sigma because of the improved build quality. In terms of image quality the Canon and Sigma are nearly the same - if you want much better I suggest looking at the 24-70mm category (though you lose some reach).

Very nice lens! A bit heavy due to the amount of glass in the lens (compared to other 24-70mm lenses and my current 18-135mm), it is not enough to be uncomfortable and in action, hardly noticeable. This is a magnificent walk around lens. The 24mm is a great wide angle size for many landscape situations while the 105mm adds that extra reach needed (I originally compared this to the 24-70mm Canon) for some close-up and portrait shots. It is a near perfect walk-around lens when traveling. The lens is quick, quiet and well built. I love the manual focus ring and how sharp you can dial in for shots, even though the auto-focus will be more than adequate for most users. This is my first "upgrade" from the kit lens that came with my camera and although the range 24-105mm is not as great as the kit 18-135mm, the quality of the lens and the results of the shots are exceptional.