Long reach, few dollars
Written: Jul 05 '06 (Updated Jul 05 '06)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Compact, lightweight, very inexpensive, mechanical focusing ring
Cons: Slow lens, soft images at telephoto unless stopped down significantly
The Bottom Line: This lens will hold you over until you can buy the Olympus 50-200mm. If you shoot at wide apertures, you're better off with the 40-150mm and cropping your shot.
|
|
|
| rfman's Full Review: Sigma 55-200mm f/4.0-5.6 DC for Olympus |
When I purchased my first digital SLR, I bought into the Olympus E-system because of the advantages I felt it had over the competition, one of which was really great optical performance from the Zuiko digital lenses. And anyone would be hard-pressed to say that the Zuiko Digital lenses aren’t top notch. The only downside is that such quality is expensive, and affordable lenses are few and far between.
As I reported in my Olympus E-500 kit review, the Zuiko Digital 40-150mm that comes with the two-lens kit is a very good lens, much better than would be expected from a kit lens. It’s certainly not one of those “throwaway” kit lenses that other manufacturers tend to bundle in kits. To get further reach in the telephoto range involves moving to the ZD 50-200mm f/2.8-3.5 however, which is undoubtedly a great lens, but at 800$, the price can be a bit steep for many.
So Sigma stepped in to fill a void in low-cost telephoto lenses by adapting its 55-200mm f/4.0-5.6 lens to the 4/3 mount for Olympus (and now Panasonic) digital SLR cameras. At a price of around 150$, this lens is very reasonably priced and within reach of virtually all 4/3 DSLR owners. But how would this lens perform, considering the compromises that had to be made to make a lens at such a low price point?
Out of the box, the very compact size of this lens is striking. This Sigma 55-200mm is actually smaller than the Olympus 40-150mm in both length and diameter. This can be partially attributed to rather small maximal aperture that reduces the overall diameter of the optical elements. It’s also quite light, and for a 200mm lens, it’s very easy to carry around mounted on the camera.
The lens is finished in a black matte textured finish with the focusing distance scale and zoom range scale printed directly on the lens body. The zoom ring is quite firm, but operates smoothly. A slight annoyance is that the zoom ring operates in the opposite direction than the Olympus Zuiko Digital lenses. While I would have likes to see both brands operate the same way, it’s understandable that they could not change this however, with this lens being adapted from the Canon and Nikon versions.
Build quality is average, and I’d say it’s a notch lower than that of the Olympus Kit lenses. It doesn’t feel like it came out of a CrackerJack box, but there is a little bit of play in the front element (less than 1mm). I’m sure it will last for a long time, but I’m not a professional that’s going to subject it to heavy use.
As opposed to the Zuiko Digital lenses, the sigma 55-200mm has a mechanically coupled focusing ring, which I prefer over the electronic “focus-by-wire” system of the ZD lenses. There is a switch on the lens to alternate between manual and auto focus, which saves me from having to go into my E-500’s menu to change focusing method. The front element of the lens rotates during focusing, which may preclude the use of certain filters that are orientation-sensitive, such as linear polarizers. Most lenses in this price range are built like this however.
The first obvious compromise of this Sigma lens is that it is rather slow. With a maximum aperture of f/4 at the wide end and f/5.6 at the telephoto end, you’re going to need a lot of light to use this lens at fast shutter speeds. Indoor photography is not its strong point, and it’s better left for outdoor shooting. Granted, with a monopod or tripod, it can produce good results in low light, but I find myself often fighting with the lens to get a good indoor shot.
To compound this problem, the lens tends to produce soft images at the telephoto end when operated at its widest aperture. To get the sharpest images out of this lens, I’ve mostly had to use it between f/8 and f/11, which makes indoor use almost unthinkable without a tripod (and for static subjects only).
That being said, this sigma lens can produce very nice images when used within its limitations. I have placed a few sample shots here for those interested in seeing for themselves:
http://rfman.ca/gallery2/v/lens_samples/55_200/
Considering the bargain-basement price of this lens, those images aren’t bad at all. Granted it’s nowhere as good as the Olympus Zuiko digital 50-200, but the Sigma is 1/6th the price. Even the Olympus 1.4x teleconverter alone is much more expensive than this lens.
Outstanding Features
To be honest, there are no real outstanding features to write about here. It does the job if used within its limits. Perhaps the very low price of the lens is its most prominent feature. Most other lenses for the 4/3 system will outperform this Sigma in many conditions, but they also cost much more.
Problem Points
The biggest problem point for me is that the lens produces soft images at the telephoto end at wide apertures. This limits its use to outdoor photography in good sunlight or with a tripod and long exposures. Forget about shooting sports with this lens, it cannot handle it at all.
The lens is also somewhat slow even at its widest aperture, but considering the above problem, this is only an issue at the wide end. I also suspect that most photographers will be using the Olympus kit lens for wide angle shots rather than the Sigma, since it’s smaller and is a better quality lens.
Who Should Get This
If you need a 200mm lens but don’t have 800$ at hand, this is pretty much your only option for an Olympus digital SLR. The Olympus lens is better in all aspects, so if you do have the funds, skip over this one entirely.
It does work quite well for landscapes and static subjects when mounted on a tripod or monopod, where small apertures and longer exposures will give the best results.
Who Should Avoid This
If you want the best quality lens you can get, this one is not for you. Go buy yourself an Olympus 50-200mm f/2.8-3.5 (around 800$) or better yet, a 90-250mm f/2.8 (around 6000$).
If you need to shoot in low-light environments or need fast shutter speeds, you will always be fighting this lens and much frustration will ensue. This lens just can’t keep up with the action well.
In Conclusion
I think that for most Olympus SLR owners, this lens is a temporary solution. Many will buy this lens until they can afford to purchase the 50-200mm. The Sigma 50-500mm is also goinf to be released for 4/3 soon, and although it’s a very large lens, it Is reported to be quite good optically. Pricing should be close to that of the Olympus 50-200mm. In the meantime, the Sigma 55-200mm performs well if you work within its limitations. But by all means, if you can get the 50-200mm, skip over this one completely.
Recommended:
No
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
rfman
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Member: Luc Delorme
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Reviews written: 103
Trusted by: 15 members
About Me:
Electrical Engineer, amateur photographer, car buff, technophile, video game player and collector.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.