Sigma 50-100mmF1.8 DC HSM Art ($1,099) is a high-end telezoom lens designed for photographers using APS-C SLRs. The same design principles as the 18-35mm F1.8 DC HDSM Art zoom ($659.95 Amazon) makes it a popular choice for photographers working with APS-C SLRs. The bright, wide-angle lens maintains an aperture of f/1.8 throughout the range. This makes it a great choice for prime lenses. This lens is heavy and requires a lot of glass. Although it lacks image stabilization, the lens is very expensive. However, its optical performance is excellent. This is a great option if your APS/C SLR needs a wide-aperture telezoom.
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Design
Amazon's 50-100mm F1.8 (Opens in new window) is an impressive lens. The lens measures 6.9 by 3.7 inches (HD), is 3.3 pounds and can support 82mm front filters. It is made of a mixture of metal and plastic, and has a tripod collar which rotates to lock it into place every 90 degrees. The package includes a reversible lens cover, front and back caps, and a carry pouch.
Overall, the package is professional-grade. The heft of it makes it a good choice to pair with a more expensive APS-C-SLR. The entry-level Nikon D3400 (499.99 USD at Dell Technologies) (Opens in new window) is small and lightweight and will not pair well with large, heavy lenses like the 50-100mm. The 50-100mm works well with larger bodies such as the Canon 80D (Opens in new window), and the Nikon D500 (975.99 at Amazon). Sigma offers the Sigma 50-100mm lens for Canon, Nikon and Sigma SLRs. At this moment, Sony and Pentax versions are unavailable.
The lens can be paired with an APS-C digital camera to provide a view field roughly equal to a 75-150mm full-frame zoom. That's not a lens you usually see—pro-grade full-frame zooms are typically 70-200mm designs, like the Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM ($1,249.00 at Amazon)(Opens in new window .
Although I did not miss the telephoto reach I was able to use, I do wish Sigma could have added wide angle coverage to its zoom. The 50-100mm and Sigma 18-35mm can be paired together to make a strong two-lens kit. If the wider end of the 50–100mm was close to 35mm, it could reduce lens swaps in the field. If you are an event photographer who uses a two-camera kit but have not yet moved to full-frame, the 50-100mm can be used for portraits.
Two control rings are included with the lens. One controls zoom, and one allows you to manually focus. The zoom is internally controlled, meaning that the focal length can be adjusted without extending. It is located in the middle of your barrel and has a textured rubber cover. The markings on the zoom ring are 50-60, 70, 85 and 100mm.
Just behind the front element is the manual focus ring, which is also finished in the same material. The focus ranges from 3.1 to 0.95 meters, and can capture images up to 1:16.7 magnification. This is not a macro zoom. If you are looking for macro capability, it may be worth pairing with the Sigma 1770mm F2.8-4 DC Macro OS (Amazon) (Opens in new window).
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Image quality
The 50-100mm was tested with the Canon EOS 7D Mark II (20MP Canon EOS 7D Mark II) ($598.95 Amazon). (Opens in new window). Focus is very quick—the 50-100mm takes advantage of the 7D's high-speed shooting capabilities. The 50-100mm test copy was slightly out of focus at 100mm. However, a quick adjustment using the Sigma USB Dock (Amazon: $54.99) fixed the problem. You can fine-tune the performance of selected Sigma lenses with this inexpensive accessory.
The 50mm lens is f/1.8 and scores 2,236 lines for each picture on Imatest’s (Opens in new window) centerweighted sharpness testing. This score is better than the 1,800 lines that we seek in images. The image quality is consistent from one edge to the other, although the score at the edges of the frames is about 200 points higher than the average.
A slight improvement is seen at f/2 (2/412 lines), but more noticeable increases are noted at f/2.8 (2.512 lines), 2/539 lines, and 5/5.6 (2/519 lines). At narrower settings, diffraction can cause sharpness to appear, beginning at f/8 (2 414 lines). It's not an issue at f/11 (2.177 lines) or f/16 (1.780 lines).
The lens isn't quite as crisp at 75mm f/1.8—it shows 2,062 lines there, with edges that are just above our sharpness cutoff (1,861 lines). The lens shows a slight improvement at f/2 (2139), however, the average (2473 lines) as well as edge (2112 lines) score scores are more impressive at f/2.8. After improving at f/4 (2.579 lines), the lens drops in fidelity at both f/11 (2.219 lines), as well at f/16 (1.833 lines).
The zoom's 100mm focal length scores f/1.8 at 2,214 lines. It also has strong performance up to the edge of the frame (2 062 lines) As with wider focal lengths, there's improvement as you stop down—2,254 lines at f/2, 2,464 lines at f/2.8, 2,580 lines at f/4, and 2,595 lines at f/5.6. The same drops occur when you reduce the aperture to f/8 (2.505 lines), or f/11 (2.240 lines) and f/16 (1.860 lines).
The distortion is controlled. At 50mm, distortion is less than 1%. At 100mm you will see 1.4 percent of pincushion distortion. This can give straight lines an inwardly curled appearance. Although it is not significant enough for many images, architectural photographers need to make certain to correct the profile in Lightroom ($9.99/Month Adobe) to remove any slight distortion.
The corners are dark, approximately 2.2 stops (-2.2EV), behind the middle of the image at f/1.8 throughout the zoom range. At f/2, the deficit drops to about 1.5EV. It isn't relevant for field conditions with narrower apertures. Lightroom can correct the slight vignette effects by using a lens profile and/or via the Vignette Control.
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Conclusions
Sigma's 50-100mm F1.8 DC DC HSM Art lens is unrivalled. Most APS-C telezooms have narrow aperture designs. This includes the 55-300mm f/3.5-55.6 variety that comes with basic SLR kit. The standard or wide angle zooms are the best, because they offer a greater quality than kit-option options.
The 50-100mm is the only one on the market. The wide aperture allows for almost as good control of depth-of-field when using an APS camera than you'd get from a comparable f/2.8 zoom with a full frame system. Although it's an excellent performer, we don't like that the camera doesn't have image stabilization or offer as wide a coverage as we would prefer. If you are dedicated to an APS - C SLR system and want a telezoom that covers events, allows you to frame portraits and gives you some flexibility, then the Sigma 50-100mm fixed f/1.8 lens and sharpness are great.
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