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It's fast, it's silent, it's sharp - my new Sigma 17-70mm, 1:2.8-4.0 with OS

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Holger Bargen

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Dear all,

Long time I was searching for a replacement for the kit lens of my K10D (it was the 18-55AL and not ALII - thus, not best quality).

Original Pentax was too expensive for me even though I would have prefered it as I always was glad with my Pentax lenses.

I finally decided to buy the new Sigma 17-70mm OS and ordered it - and received it today.

A first test for front/back focussing with focus on a card between the keys of my piano took a load off my mind: no front- or back-focussing.

After a long very cold period with lots of snow we have a few a little bit warmer days at the moment. I took this photo a few moments ago outside my house.

Conditions were not the best for taking photos (the sun was just "figthing" with high fog) - but maybe you get an impression of my new lens (and its macro capabilities!)

The photo was shoot in RAW and transfered via RawTherapee 2.4 into jpg wih settings set to default.





Best regards
Holger
 
congrats on your new lens. yep. the sigma HSM is pretty good. i have the 50-150 and 18-50 and love the HSM.

17-70 is not yet available here. looking forward to more sample shots from this lens.

btw, is it 70mm at all distances or is it 70mm only at infinity?

regards,

jordan

--
'when 900 years you reach, look as good you will not'
-- master yoda

http://jordanpaw.zenfolio.com
 
At different focal lengths, and different aperture... specially, wide open.
Not interested myself... but I suspect many pentaxians are.
--
Alan Schamber

Progress is not possible without deviation from the norm - Frank Zappa
 
Dear Jordan,

you asked if the 70mm range is only infinity - no, I made the experience that you have all focal ranges for from very near to infinity. And very near IS very near by! If you try to fix the focus with your lens even at 70mm then the object you try to focus on is almost touching your lens - there are only a few cm between your lens and the object.

I will try to add some more photos - but the weather report tells me that we will have lots of rain the next days and so I won't have much chance to take some nice photos.

Best regards
Holger
 
How in lens OS coexist with in-body ones. Which give better stabilization and what happens if both activated at the same time. Would you dare to make some experiments? I am sure plenty of readers here would be very interested.

Cheers
 
Dear KSV,

you asked for some tests on the image stabilisation system of Sigma and how it works together with the system of my K10D. I was curious, too - and so I did a little test.

I'm not a professional - so I took some toys from my kids, placed it on the table, moved away the curtain a little - and started shooting.

These are the results. Photos were take with same settings (at 1/6 second, f=5.6) and I publish the JPGs right as they came out of my K10D without any post-processing.

First: no image stabilisation at all:





With 1/6 second and 70mm focal range almost no chance to get a shar image.

Second turn - Pentax IS:





Maybe a little bit better than without any IS - but the system is beyond its limit!

Now the test with the Sigma OS from the lens:





Wow - that's a difference for sure! I think it can't be much better. The limits of the photo are not due to the lens or a bad IS-system but due to me and the suboptimal light and conditions for a good photo.

Now the most intersting thing - can both IS-systems working together improve the situation?

Pentax IS and Sigma OS set to "on":





No, that was not what I did expect. Both systems together are poor in comparison to the Sigma system working alone.

The test was done with the objects half a meter or 1 meter away from the camera - macro conditions. Maybe we would get different conditions with distance set to infinity.

So far by now. To me these results are rather interesting!

Best regards
Holger
 
Just wanted to confirm this.

If so, this is interesting indeed. And it looks like Pentax needs a per-lens way to disable body SR unless they can figure out a way to make it work together...
 
Hallo,

Did I switch off Pentax SR?
Answer: I made all combinations, which are possible.

There is a little paper at the bottom of the photos indicating which image stabilisation is on. For the first picture all image stabilisations are switched of. The second: Pentax image stabilisation is on an Sigma OS is off, third picture: Pentax image stabilisation is off an Sigma OS is on and last picture both image stabilisation systems are switched on.

Best regards
Holger
 
Hi Peter,

but we should keep in mind that the test was done with K10D and not K7 or K-x.

K10D was the first DSLR Pentax was offering with SR (image stabilisation. I think that the system was optimized. Even K20D should be better than K10D.

It would be nice to have these cameras tested, too. I don't have one of these, but I'm looking forward to K5 (or whatever the name will be).

Best regards
Holger
 
Dear Holger,

How pronounced is softness at longer 50-70mm end, reported by lenstip.com, in real world conditions?

http://lenstip.com/223.4-Lens_review-Sigma_17-70_mm_f_2.8-4.0_DC_Macro_OS_HSM_Image_resolution.html

Could you please take a few shots at 50 and 70mm at F16 (or F22) first and then at F5.6. If you go for really detailed macro type shot (preferable) it's better to use a tripod. In both cases in lens OS needs to be ON and in body IS - OFF.

I would really appreciate, if you provide this quick test - I kind of stuck choosing between Sigma 17-70 older version vs. new HSM OS version, Tamron 17-50 (non VC), and coming Sigma 17-50, F2.8 to replace my K-x kit lens. I prefer wider range and "Macro" ability of 17-70, but the softness at longer end concerns me.
Thank you in advance
SG
 
Holger Bargen said:
Dear all,

Long time I was searching for a replacement for the kit lens of my K10D (it was the 18-55AL and not ALII - thus, not best quality).

Original Pentax was too expensive for me even though I would have prefered it as I always was glad with my Pentax lenses.

I finally decided to buy the new Sigma 17-70mm OS and ordered it - and received it today.

A first test for front/back focussing with focus on a card between the keys of my piano took a load off my mind: no front- or back-focussing.

Best regards
Holger
Click to expand...
is that the new HSM version or the older one?
--
Pablo M.
http://loneshooter.blogspot.com/
http://www.snapgalaxy.com/Pablom
 
Hi Pablom,

the 17-70 mm lens with OS and Pentax mount was sold yesterday for the first time - so I'm sure its the most actual design Sigma offers at the moment.

Best regards
Holger
 
Holger Bargen said:
Hi Peter,

but we should keep in mind that the test was done with K10D and not K7 or K-x.

K10D was the first DSLR Pentax was offering with SR (image stabilisation. I think that the system was optimized. Even K20D should be better than K10D.
Click to expand...
It was actually the K100D, but they were not released too far apart. And yes the K20D is better than the K10D in SR. I use both. still. I think in lens can produce a 1 stop advantage. Then again, I shoot regularly with a fast prime normal lens, which has no OS alternatives in whatever mount you look.
Holger Bargen said:
It would be nice to have these cameras tested, too. I don't have one of these, but I'm looking forward to K5 (or whatever the name will be).

Best regards
Holger
Click to expand...
 
Thanks for posting that. And although results is not that much scientific, they are practical and IMHO most interesting indeed. They confirm what I suspected ages ago - that in-body stabilization works to some extend (we all know this already), but optical in-lens stabilization (even quite budget offering from Sigma!) is far superior - and many disbelieve in this with religious fanaticism. My suspecting came from "feeling" after using in-lens stabilization in Panasonic Lumix and in-body one in K10D. While Lumix one prove to be quite effective, I found that K10D works, but rather get limited usage. I almost never using mine anyway.

Cheers and YMMV
 
And i have it too with my Kx.
Great lens i'm enjoying it sofar.
Bought the Kx, with 2 lenses, sigma 17-70 hsm os and pentax 55-300.

Both are great!

Regards, Rob.
 
KSV said:
How in lens OS coexist with in-body ones. Which give better stabilization and what happens if both activated at the same time. Would you dare to make some experiments? I am sure plenty of readers here would be very interested.
Click to expand...
Both IS systems seem to work in the micro 4/3 system . . . at least with the newest Olympus, the E-PL1 and a Panasonic Lumix 45-200 OIS lens.

I did this test a couple of weeks ago using this combo (this is the actual camera-lens I used).



All shots taken handheld at 200mm (400mm at 35mm equiv.), f:5.6, 1/60 sec, ISO 1600:

First shot with in-body IS only:



Second shot with in-lens IS only:



Third shot with both in-body and in-lens IS turned on:



I don't know why, but I didn't take a shot with no IS, but I did this test several times all with the same result.

All of that being said, having both IS systems on at the same time doesn't seem to be any better than one IS over the other, but it does seem to work!
  • Pentax IS . . .
And, if I may add, I have never been all that happy with the IS in my K10D, so I have been shooting with it off lately and have noticed much sharper images.

I typically shoot with either my Tamron 70-300 Di LD or Pentax 80-320 (99.9% sure this is made by Tamron) at full zoom on the K10D.

I personally think that the K10D's IS has been adding blur to my images . . . not taking it away.

I will say that the IS in my Olympus E-510 seems to be much more effective than the IS in my K10D.

--
J. D.
Colorado
 
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