I recently got my hands on the Sigma 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 DC MACRO OS HSM | C. I have been using this lens for the past two weeks, so I thought of sharing my experience by writing a review post.
This lens by Sigma is a versatile piece of optics, as it can be used for Travel, Landscape, Nature & Wildlife and Sports & Action photography needs. Is it the best in the market? Let’s find it out.
Focal Length
The Sigma 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 DC MACRO OS HSM | C lens allows you to go from 18mm to 300mm by rotating the zoom ring. So you can dump your two kit lenses (18-55mm and 55-200mm/55-250mm) and carry this 585g lens in your camera bag to avoid switching between lenses. As this Sigma lens is designed for APS-C cameras, it provides a focal length range equivalent to 27-450mm.
As this Sigma lens is designed for APS-C cameras, it provides a focal length range equivalent to 27-450mm. This focal length range is perfect for travel photography, as it allows you to click wide as well as telephoto photos using a single lens.
Optical Stabilizer (OS)
To my surprise, this lens works exceptionally well when used at telephoto focal length range of 200-300mm. While using the lens to click telephoto, I found that there was hardly any shake (considering you are using fast shutter speed) in the images I clicked between 200-300mm.
I would rate the optical stabilization in this lens as 8/10.
Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM)
Sigma claims that the optimized hyper sonic motor (HSM) ensures quiet and fast focusing, thus resulting in better video recording and accurately focused images.
Well, while testing this lens I did feel that the focusing was quiet, but not that much as I was expecting it to be. Though I was happy with the focusing speed of this lens as I managed to click photos at a faster rate with accurate focus.
I would rate the Hyper Sonic Motor in this lens as 7.5/10.
Macro Performance
The Sigma 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 DC MACRO OS HSM | C lens offers 1:3 macro ratio, which is a bit disappointing for macro photography enthusiasts. But if you like to click macro photos as a hobby, the output will please you. Though you can get 1:2 magnification by using the Sigma AML72-01 close-up lens which can be purchased separately.
While manually changing the focus to click macro photos at 300mm, I did find the focus ring was not that smooth. But by moving the camera back and forth I managed to get decent quality macro photos.
Chromatic aberrations are well controlled, though I observed minor purple fringing at the edges, which can be overcome by increase the aperture value by 1-2 stops.
The focus lock feature lets you lock the focus of the lens at 18mm, in case you do not want to change the focal length throughout your shoot or do not want the lens to expand while it is resting near your waist.
Conclusion
If you are looking for an all-purpose lens which is light and easy to carry and is less expensive as well, then the Sigma 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 DC MACRO OS HSM | C lens is a great option to go for. This lens also lets you click macro photos at 1:3 ratio as well.
Sharing some clicks captured using the Sigma 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 DC MACRO OS HSM | C lens: