Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 EX DG HSM - an old, cheap, and... great wide-angle lens!
Wednesday, February 01, 2012 Lens Review
DxOMark continues its exploration of the past with this very good wide-angle lens that Sigma first produced for Canon mounts in 2003, and while we’re at it, we’ll use this opportunity to compare it with one of the most best-known lenses on the market, the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM.
First of all, let’s take a look at the results for the Sigma lens by itself:
Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 EX DG Aspherical HSM Canon mounted on a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III
With a DxO Mark Score of 20, this wide-angle zoom is indeed a good-quality lens.
| Strong points | Weak points |
| Good sharpness | Significant vignetting at maximum aperture |
| Good correction of chromatic aberration | Rather weak transmission |
| Very reasonable price | |
| An acceptable weight |
Comparison
Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 EX DG Aspherical HSM Canon vs Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM mounted on a Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III
Both lenses achieve the same DxOMark overall score of 20. When looking at the results a bit more closely, the Sigma’s quality seems actually somewhat lower (see also the DxOMark score map).
In fact, the Sigma’s performance drops off a bit for the greatest focal lengths (starting at 28 mm), due to the fact that the Sigma doesn’t maintain a constant f/2.8. To compensate for the loss of brightness, one must augment the ISO sensitivity - and consequently, noise goes up as well.
Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 EX DG Aspherical HSM Canon
| The advantages | The disadvantages |
| Homogenous sharpness in the field at maximum aperture | An aperture that varies depending on the focal length |
| Good correction of chromatic aberrations | Very heterogenous optical quality |
| A truly affordable lens in terms of price |
Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM
| The advantages | The disadvantages |
| Homogenous optical quality | Good sharpness only in the first third of the field |
| With a constant aperture, the Canon is brighter | Very strong chromatic aberrations chromatiques in the corners at 16mm |
| High price |
Conclusion
The Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 EX DG Aspherical HSM Canon is a very good lens for the price. While each lens has its strong and weak points, the Sigma quite frankly manages to hold its own against its pricier Canon rival.
Comments
Further readings for the Sigma 17-35mm F2.8-4 EX DG HSM - an old, cheap, and... great wide-angle lens!
To provide photographers with a broader perspective about mobiles, lenses and cameras, here are links to articles, reviews, and analyses of photographic equipment produced by DxOMark, renown websites, magazines or blogs.