A few years back we used to *sigh* when a Sigma lens found its way into our labs. However, these days are gone really. Nowadays we are usually wondering in how far Sigma is going to embarrass the competition once more and the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM | A ("Art" Series) was no exception here.

When Sigma announced the 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM lens, it made big headlines all over the Internet. Being the first-ever f/1.8 zoom lens, it caught a lot of attention from media and instantly became a success story for Sigma.

During Photokina in 2012, Sigma officially announced a re-structuring of their entire lens lineup, declaring that all future lenses would each be part of one of three new product lines: "Contemporary" for affordable consumer lenses, "Sport" for fast and weather-sealed telephoto lenses, or "Art" for...

Constant F1.8 aperture throughout zoom range; Excellent build quality throughout the lens' construction; Large focus and zoom rings are perfectly dampened and easy to find and grasp; Capable of shallow-depth of field wide angle portraits; The only fast and wide angle solution for Pentax's many...

Not weather-sealed despite excellent build quality and both internal zoom and focusing; Dreadful autofocus accuracy when using PDAF (looking through viewfinder; Bokeh can be jarring with highlights; producing "frog-egg" or "donut" ring bokeh; Stark color; temperature; and contrast shift from wide...

The Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM was announced to widespread excitement, if only for the company's sheer ambition in making such a fast zoom. But this inevitably came with a degree of scepticism - it's hard enough to make an F2.8 zoom that's really sharp wide open, so could an F1.8 zoom possibly work?

Super fast constant F1.8 maximum aperture; Excellent optics; even wide open; Fast; silent autofocus; Solid build quality without being over-heavy; Compatible with Sigma's USB dock and Optimization Pro software

Restricted zoom range; Needs detailed AF microadjustment for best results; Inconsistent autofocus in difficult conditions even after microadjustment; Physically rather large for a standard zoom

The Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM is an extraordinary lens, offering prime-level image quality in the fastest zoom ever made for SLRs. Its 28-50mm equivalent range is a little limiting though, and inconsistent autofocus means that it can be difficult to make the most of the excellent optics when shooting at large apertures.

Enthusiast APS-C users looking for the very best image quality available from a normal zoom, and willing to spend a bit of time setting up autofocus micro-adjustments or using live view focusing for the sharpest results.;

Photographers who like to travel light, or need a wide-ranging zoom;

More like an iPhone 13S. The generational upgrades for the iPhone 14 are limited to a few subtle changes. At the same time, however, the base price climbs to 800 USD, while the only true innovation happens inside the iPhone 14 Pro series.

excellent OLED display, dust- and waterproof, fast Wi-Fi, wide range of supported frequencies, great camera, very fast performance, good battery life

display limited to 60 Hz, charging rate limited to 20 watts, no macro lens, wide notch

When sigma announced that it was developing the world's first zoom lens to feature a super-fast, fixed aperture of f/1.8 throughout the focal length range, the news certainly turned some heads in the photography world.

Fact of life: fast lenses are expensive, and fast zoom lenses are expensive and heavy. While we can't do anything about its bulk, as long as Sigma's $799 price for its 18-35mm f1.8 doesn't rise to the $1,160 currently in strikethrough type on Sigma's Web site, this lens will remain a great bargain...

The Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM lens currently occupies a unique spot as a wide-aperture zoom lens built specifically for APS-C mounts.

Lacks optical stabilization

As long as it stays at a sub-$1,000 price, the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM lens will be a great deal for photographers using APS-C dSLRs.

Lacks optical stabilization

This is a really fantastic lens. If I owned it, I'm certain that it would get a ton of use. I could absolutely envision it as being my "walking around" lens that is attached to my camera most of the time.