Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM Lens Announced
Sigma has announced the new 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM lens at CES 2014 show in Las Vegas. Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM is a superzoom lens for APS-C and DX format SLR cameras added to the part of the “Contemporary” line-up.
This updated and redesigned version is smaller and lighter than the previous one. The lens provides a 28-300mm equivalent zoom range. With exceptional performance, this 18-200mm camera lens does not sacrifice image quality for versatility. Having the ability to shoot from wide angle to telephoto is highly useful particularly for travel photography, landscape photography, street photography, portrait photography and nature photography.
An improved minimum focusing distance of 14.7 inches paired with the use of Special Low Dispersion glass, the 18-200mm excels at bringing out great detail in close-up photography as well. A Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) ensures quiet, accurate and fast autofocus and an optical Stabilizer (OS) helps compensate for camera shake.
Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM Lens
The lens will be available in Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Sigma, and Sony mounts; as usual the Pentax and Sony versions won’t have optical stabilisation.
| Buy Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM C Lens | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM [Canon] | $399.00 | Amazon | Adorama |
| Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM [Nikon] | $399.00 | Amazon | Adorama |
Sigma 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM Lens Features
1. Contemporary line that covers a wide range of photography
SIGMA is organizing all its interchangeable lenses into three product lines; Contemporary, Art and Sports. Among the three, the Contemporary line is a high performance line which incorporates the very latest technology making it possible to accommodate both high optical performance and compactness for use in various photography situations. Sigma has solved the difficult problem of keeping the size and weight down without compromising optical performance and function with the latest technology. This lens covers frequently used wide-angle to tele-photo, as well as macro photography.
2. New standard zoom up to 200mm
SIGMA has always been producing a high performance standard zoom lens, dedicated for digital DSLR cameras, that covers up to 200mm by reflecting the latest technology.
In 2005, SIGMA released 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC as a smallest and lightest all-rounder lens in class that covers from wide-angle to tele-photo range. SIGMA, in 2007, incorporated OS (Optical Stabilization) functionality, and in 2011, has successfully made the size of the lens even more compact.
Now, this new lens has been redeveloped as the standard zoom lens from SIGMA’s new product line, which has higher performance, is even smaller and lighter-weight, and on top of that, includes “the macro feature”. As an entry level interchangeable lens, it is capable of many photographic scenes.
3. Diameter reduced by 4.6mm compared to its predecessor
We pursued the compactness as an ideal everyday lens. From an early stage of development, SIGMA was determined to make the lens size compact, for example, by incorporating double-sided aspherical lens elements and downsizing the motor. As a result, while the predecessor had a diameter of 75.3mm, this lens has reduced it to 70.7mm, which has the difference of 4.6mm. It also achieves -11% in volume ratio compared to its predecessor. It is one of the smallest in its class of lenses with more than a 7x zoom ratio, and is more comparable in size to a generic standard zoom lenses.
4. High rendering performance throughout the entire zoom range
With our Contemporary line, the lens is required to fulfill the maximum potential while achieving a compact and light-weight construction. This lens incorporates SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements that have a high refractive index, and corrects chromatic aberration at the telephoto-end very well. Moreover, aspherical lens elements, including double-sided aspherical lenses, ensure a compact size and excellent correction of distortion. This also helps to produce superior rendering performance throughout the entire zoom range from wide-angle to tele-photo and macro photography.
5. Close-up photography
One of the biggest features of this lens is that it is possible to shoot subjects as close as Macro lenses. This lens features a minimum focusing distance of 39cm and a maximum magnification ratio of 1:3. It offers the versatility for shooting close-ups of fashion accessories, cuisine, flower arrangements and much more without changing the lens. Its working distance is 14.7cm, and it is suitable for shooing images with natural light as it keeps the shadows of camera and lens off of the image. On its lens barrel, it indicates the maximum shooting magnification at each focal length, and it is so convenient for a photographer that the size of the object in the image sensor becomes easily recognizable. Uncompromising in every aspect of lens design, Sigma has even chosen to engrave the product name on the front of the lens to prevent reflections of the letters during close-up photography.
6. Incorporating new composite TSC
In product development of cameras and lenses, it is crucial to lay out main components, metal parts and polycarbonate, to optimize and ensure each feature. This lens has incorporated TSC (Thermally Stable Composite) that has the same level of thermal shrinkage as aluminum and little elasticity, especially in temperature changes. Since thermal shrinkage is low, it has a high affinity to metal parts that contributes to high precision in product manufacturing. It also results in slimmer mechanical parts, such as the zoom ring and scaling.
