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A closer look at Sigma's high-end telephoto zoom lens (pictures)

A look at the Sigma APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM telephoto zoom lens and some of the shots it's good for.

Stephen Shankland
Stephen Shankland worked at CNET from 1998 to 2024 and wrote about processors, digital photography, AI, quantum computing, computer science, materials science, supercomputers, drones, browsers, 3D printing, USB, and new computing technology in general. He has a soft spot in his heart for standards groups and I/O interfaces. His first big scoop was about radioactive cat poop.
Stephen Shankland
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1 of 14 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Into the sun

The Sigma APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM does pretty well shooting into bright light. 1/200 sec., f2.8, 128mm
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2 of 14 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Sigma 70-200mm bokeh

The lens is sharp -- reasonably so at f2.8 -- generally with nice bokeh to smooth out backgrounds. Vignetting is noticeable at f2.8, unsurprisingly.
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3 of 14 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Sigma APO 70-200mm mount

The Sigma APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM lens has a metal mount for durability.
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4 of 14 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Sigma APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM

The Sigma APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM has side-mounted switches to choose between manual focus and autofocus and to pick the image-stabilization mode.
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5 of 14 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Sigma APO 70-200mm objective lens

The Sigma APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM is coated to cut down on internal reflections.
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6 of 14 Stephen Shankland/CNET

100 percent crop on tree branches

This shot of trees silhouetted against a bright overcast sky shows the lens' sharpness and lack of chromatic aberration when you pixel peep at the cropped portion of the shot, below. 1/100sec, f8, 97mm
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7 of 14 Stephen Shankland/CNET

100 percent crop at 200mm, f2.8

Wide open, the lens is sharp, too. The sun is fuzzy from atmospheric distortion, but the crop shows the water ripples to be sharp in sunrise shot. Note also the lack of flare despite shooting directly into the sun; in other circumstances, the lens produces flare, however. 1/2000sec, f2.8, 200mm
Sigma-70-200mm-Beauvais_crop.jpg
8 of 14 Stephen Shankland/CNET

100 percent crop at 70mm, f2.8

At f8, the Sigma APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM is nice and sharp. Below are several 100 percent crops of Beauvais Cathedral in France on a sunny day. 1/320 sec., f8, 70mm
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9 of 14 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 at f10

Lilypads, Sigma APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM, 1/1000 sec., f10, 168mm
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10 of 14 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Sigma 70-200mm F2.8 at f7.1

Royaumont Abbey, France, Sigma APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM, 1/160 sec., f7.1, 86mm
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11 of 14 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Sigma APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM

The Sigma APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM comes with a petal-shaped lens hood and removable tripod mount, and though it's not bulkier than other f2.8 lenses of this zoom range, it's not small.
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12 of 14 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Sigma APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM

The Sigma APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM is sharp enough to capture lots of detail at 200mm, 1/320 sec., f10, 200mm
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13 of 14 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Sigma APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM

The Sigma APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM autofocus is generally fast enough to help catch difficult subjects such as this quadcopter moving in dark conditions. 1/250 sec., f2.8, 119mm
20121021_Sigma_70-200mm_shots_006.jpg
14 of 14 Stephen Shankland/CNET

Sigma 70-200mm bokeh

Nice bokeh at the Bois d'Arcy, France, Sigma APO 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM, 1/1000 sec., f3.2, 91mm

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