2010-06-21
By Gautam Datta (USA)
The picture quality is good... the vividness is not so good.... The control for apareture and shutter is very easy with Nikon D40..... I am using it for quite some time.... and the performance is good..... Its a good buy....
2010-07-14
By Doc73
This lens has several positive features. It is quite well-constructed, with a solid feel. The extended zoom range makes for a very handy lens, as well. Autofocus is rapid and quiet.
My initial testing demonstrated that image quality suffers if you try to push the lens to its limits. At wide apertures and long focal lengths, pictures are noticeably soft, especially around the edges. Under those circumstances, my Canon 28-150mm zoom is much sharper. The image stabilization feature is fairly good, but will begin to fail at long focal lengths and slower shutter speeds.
I used the Sigma 18-250mm zoom lens exclusively during a recent trip to coastal Maine. It was very easy to frame up shots, and as long as I took care to keep the unit in its comfort zone around f/8, the results were quite pleasing. I'm glad that I made the purchase.
2010-07-11
By allysmom
Just received my brushes and LOVE them! I just washed them and they held up excellent. A couple bristles came out of the big powder brush but nothing crazy. I think these blow my drugstore brushes out of the water. I used the angled eyeliner brush and was amazed at how close I was able to get to my lash line. AMAZING! The large powder brush is incredibly soft and I think these brushes are worth every penny.
2010-06-12
By Scotty (Virginia)
I wanted the Tokina f2.8 for my Nikon D200 but they were never available when I would try to obtain one. So, I settled for the Sigma. It doe's it's job well. I don't really use it too often. Only when shooting large group shots or when I want to purposely distort perspective for effect. So, it serves my purposes for it.
2010-06-21
By Gautam Datta (USA)
The picture quality is good... the vividness is not so good.... The control for apareture and shutter is very easy with Nikon D40..... I am using it for quite some time.... and the performance is good..... Its a good buy....
2010-06-24
By B. Beiter (Pennsylvania)
I bought this to replace my NIkkor 55-200mm, for my D40. I don't think the auto focus was nearly as fast and couldn't keep up with simple action shots that I needed to zoom in on. The shots were crisp and clear, once I got them. The auto focus also had a hard time locking in on a complicated background when zooming, for example a butterfly on a leaf, if there was any foreground, it kept focusing on that. I had to switch to manual to get the shot, something I never had to do with the nikkor.
I could never get the macro to work correctly.
I had read complaints about the motor noise, I did notice the difference, but it wasn't bothersome.
Mine my have been defective, since other reviews I read were more positive. I ended up returning this lens, spending extra and buying another nikkor 55-200.
2010-06-17
By Amanda X. Huang
I received the order very quickly--The packaging is beautiful and in excellent condition. The color is lovely and the brushes are so soft! I would definitely recommend it to a friend, and I'm super excited about using them.
2010-05-27
By D. Wolford (CA)
This easy to read speedometer is great for the price--large numbers, good basic features--speed, time elapsed, maximum speed, trip distance as well as total time and distance. My only complaint is that the button to switch from one view to another takes a rather hard push.
2010-06-14
By A. Dayen (NYC)
Got this lens today and got it to tests and to work 20 minutes later. It's easily wins over Canon 50mm 1.4 if you play your ISO right and know how to focus. Mono-tri-pods are recommended as always. I also recommend to use CLEAR digital filter with it.
Good luck!
2009-12-02
By J. Sarte (Manhattan, NY)
I've been shooting with 35mm, 120, and Canon full-frame digital SLR's for a long time. I've never used a Foveon based camera prior to owning this DP2. I can honestly write here that I'm astounded at the image quality coming out of such a tiny box! In fact, I'm so impressed that I've made up my mind to pick up Sigma's SD15 once it becomes available for purchase. The pictures are just that good.
The camera itself is a bit quirky. I won't go into technical detail here. If you're after a technical review, check out the DP Review. I will note what I've found odd or inconvenient. First, the lens is great - sharp corner to corner with no CA and minimal distortion BUT it's slow. It's faster than the DP1's wider lens, but slow compared to some of the lenses I'm used to working with (50mm F1.2 Canon prime for example). This makes shooting in low-light conditions problematic, especially when it comes to focusing or using low ISO's to minimize image noise. If you want to shoot in low light, use a tripod.
Another gripe is that the AF system is slow and loud. The loud I don't mind so much, but its slowness relegates the camera to shooting mostly static subjects. In other words, dynamic street photography (for which this camera's physical size would be perfect for) can be an exercise in futility. The AF accuracy on the other hand has generally been very good when it does lock on. I haven't noticed too many OOF pictures, even in low light.
The LCD screen could definitely be improved as well. Manual focus using the screen can be a bit tricky due to its low resolution. On the other hand, it works pretty well outdoors contrary to what some have said, and I find its color and contrast rendition to be pretty decent as far as tiny LCD's go.
The DP2's battery life can also be improved. I've only shot in raw mode, and as such only manage to get 70 or so captures before the camera tells me to recharge. I think a second battery is definitely a need.
Finally, high ISO performance can still be improved. 50 to 400 ISO are definitely usable. 800 ISO can work depending on conditions. 1600 to 3200 ISO are useless for color photography, but can yield some interesting results when converted to black and white.
Now I've mentioned what I thought needs improvement. Here's what doesn't: Image Quality. The IQ is stupendous. I haven't seen this level of color accuracy come out of a digital camera before. Ever. Foveon's X3 sensor lives up to its claim when it comes to color detail and rendition. The images coming out of this camera are very close to film. If you've shot a lot of film before and miss that look, then you should definitely consider trying one of these cameras out. You'll be pleasantly surprised.
Below are a few links to sample images I've taken with this camera:
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Please stop by my gallery and check out the rest of the pictures. I'll be sure to add more DP2 images in the weeks to come. Thanks for reading my review and happy shooting!