Sigma Zoom Super Wide Angle AF 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro Autofocus Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras

Comments about Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro Lens for Pentax Digital Cameras:

I started out with the newer Pentax and was not at all happy with the soft pics. I returned the Pentax [...]Wow! the Sigma is night and day better! Did I have a bad Pentax? maybe. But I've had a few too many bad Pentax lens as of late! I really wanted the USD focusing Pentax to work. I can live with this lens even with the screwdriver focus, because it's so [*] sharp! It's border line Prime performance with the ease of use of the zoom. 100% pleased.

Comments about Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro Lens for Pentax Digital Cameras:

Do a lot of Landscapes all around country. This was a perfect choice for me. After testing: sharpness, color and contrast are excellant. Made sample 20" print to check and it was great. I would like it to be a bit wider.

Comments about Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro Lens for Pentax Digital Cameras:

I bought this lens for indoor shots.So far no problems. I have not taken this lens off my camera,its been a real joy so far!

Comments about Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro Lens for Pentax Digital Cameras:

Quick and accurate AF, though a bit noisy. It has zoom lock just for the future if it wears out. Balances and handles very nicely on a large SLR such as the K10D. It seems the lens hood could be a little more solid, but the build quality of the lens feels excellent. The glass is beautiful, and image quality is comparable to any fine prime lens. The 17-70 zoom range is very useful, and it's great to have f/2.8 available, even if only at 17mm. At the wide end, it's a bit soft in the corners and vignetty wide open, but for the relative price, it's efficiently designed, and it feels solid. More lenses should be made like this Sigma.

Comments about Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro Lens for Pentax Digital Cameras:

Have only had this lens a few weeks, but already I know that it is going to be one of my favorites. Used it on a cloudy day in Issaquah, WA, at a garden show tour and was pleased with the results . . . rich, accurate colors and sharp macros. Used it last weekend for a 50th Wedding Anniversary event and was impressed again with the colors . . . this time a couple of hundred images made accompanied by a Pentax AF360 flash. Then used it at a church reception for a new associate yesterday, and again the lighting was very low. However, combined with the Pentax flash and just a touch of Elements 6.0, I was very satisfied with the results. I don't think I realized how much sharpness I was missing until I used this lens. For me, it's the perfect match for my Pentax K10D. Am looking forward to discovering how well it performs in other settings. Anticipating it will be great as a walkabout lens, especially in the beautiful area where I live with all the photo opportunities presented daily.

Comments about Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro Lens for Pentax Digital Cameras:

Bulkier and heavier than the 18-50 "kit" lens but thats the price you pay for faster glass and a better zoom range. A great all round standard zoom producing crisp images across the zoom range. It lives on my K10D until I really need the 10-20mm.

Comments about Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro Lens for Pentax Digital Cameras:

How you use the product: general use, from landscape to portrait, some macro too.

Things that are great about it: the price, I would say at first ;-) , good zooming, having a large-aperture lens is great for inside shots, and a really sharp focus. Someone would say that it's a heavy lens, but in my opinion it's an advantage.

Things that aren't so great about it: the macro function isn't so efficient but it's good for a beginning.

Comments about Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro Lens for Pentax Digital Cameras:

I got this lens about a month ago. (read a piece in a mag. by a pro who uses it)
Used it from wide to short tel. and macro. Every pic sharp at all ranges and aps. Even at large crops. Really glad I bought this lens. It's a little on the heavy side but I like the older bulker cameras anyway.

Comments about Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro Lens for Pentax Digital Cameras:

I've owned this lens for roughly two years now and it never comes off my camera, despite the fact that I have three other lenses. It is astonishingly good. Not just astonishingly good for the money, but astonishingly good. A friend has a Canon 24-105mm L lens and I used it for a few days when I went backpacking at Big Bend and I swear this one is just as sharp.

DO NOT OVERLOOK THIS LENS!

Comments about Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro Lens for Pentax Digital Cameras:

I purchased this lens for my Pentax K10D, and it works quite well. The zoom range is just right for most applications and the semi macro performance is handy. Performance wise it is very sharp, low CA, low vignetting and low distortions. At 17mm the performance sags a little with some distortion and when wide open some vignetting. In most cases I haven't had a problem. At 17mm, however, the distortion gets pronounced at distances less than 3 feet (1 meter), so take a few steps back if possible. Aluminum construction is nice.
Overall highly recommended!