Sigma AF 55-200mm f/4-5.6 DC - Review / Lab Test Report - Analysis
Lens Reviews - Canon EOS (APS-C)
Article Index
Introduction
Analysis

Page 2 of 2

Distortion

The level of distortion is Ok with slight barrel distortion at 55mm changing to quite pronounced pincushion distortion at 105mm and 200mm.

55mm:

105mm:

200mm:

The chart above has a real-world size of about 120x80cm.

Vignetting

Typical for most true APS-C lens there's some vignetting (~0.65EV) at wide-open aperture throughout the range but it's not quite as pronounced as with other APS-C lenses that we've seen here lately. As usual it helps to stop down a little to improve the issue.

MTF (resolution)

The lens exhibited a surprisingly good performance regarding resolution. It is already very good at wide-open aperture throughout the range. At 55mm and 105mm the lens did even manage to reach excellent levels at medium aperture settings.

Please note that the MTF results are not directly comparable across the different systems!

Below is a simplified summary of the formal findings. The chart shows line widths per picture height (LW/PH) which can be taken as a measure for sharpness. If you want to know more about the MTF50 figures you may check out the corresponding Imatest Explanations

Chromatic Aberrations

The lens produced a varying degree of chromatic aberrations (color shadows at harsh contrast transitions) at the image borders. At 55mm the issue is basically non-existent and at 105mm it's still quite well controlled. However, at 200mm the problem is more pronounced with an average CA pixel width of around 1 pixel. Please note that CAs can be (auto-)corrected via imaging tools.

Verdict

The Sigma AF 55-200mm f/4-5.6 DC is a budget lens and it shows in some aspects such as small max. aperture combined with a limited zoom range and some mechanical shortcomings (rotating front element and coupled focus ring). Nonetheless the lens is also capable to deliver quite impressive resolution results. So if you can live with its shortcomings and you just can't spend more for a faster or longer tele zoom the Sigma is a viable option.

Optical Quality:    
Mechanical Quality:
Price/Performance:
      
   What does this mean ?

Disclosure: When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network and Google Adsense.