When you consider its price, it's hard to argue with the value that the excellent Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM ($499) delivers. Its aperture is wider than the run-of-the-mill 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens that ships with most entry-level D-SLRs, and it covers both a wider and longer field of...

Sharp; 4.1x zoom range; 1:2.9 macro magnification; Optical stabilization; Wide aperture; Compact and light; Available for multiple camera systems; Compatibility with Sigma USB dock and mount conversion service

Some distortion; Edge softness at 70mm

Former professional photographer looking for a "walking around lens". Something to keep on my Canon 7D (or any crop sensor camera) for most shooting situations. The expanded focal length at the wide end (17mm vs 24mm) is perfect for crop sensor cameras.

Wide focal length

It has been used mostly for videos. The HSM motor for video is excellent. There is no noise when lens autofocuses. I have several Sigma HSM lenses and all work as well or better than advertised. I've used them on commercial video shoots and they have been excellent.

Consistent Output; Durable; Easily Interchangeable; Lightweight; Nice Bokeh

Heavy

Far better than the kit lenses! Very nice bokeh for close ups of flowers and the like, and excellent for portraits. Very slightly soft at the corners at 70mm, but this isn't a biggie.

The wide F2.8 aperture and image stabilisation has has allowed me to do some no-flash indoor work without using a tripod.

If you're looking to upgrade from the 18-55 kit lens but don't want to break the bank then this is the right lens for you. It has a wider aperture of f/2.8-4, which means you'll get 50-200% more light to your camera and shallower DoF. 70mm definitely makes a difference over 55mm.

The Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM is designed as an upgrade to the 18-55mm kit lenses supplied with most SLRs, and offers an interesting middle ground between fast zooms of the 17-50mm F2.8 type, and extended-range zooms in the 16-85mm class.

Useful combination of zoom range and relatively fast aperture; Very good image quality across most of the range; Compact size; Reasonably fast and near-silent autofocus; Effective image stabilisation

Somewhat weak image quality at wideangle (soft corners and chromatic aberration; Macro shooting a little impractical (very short working distance

I tested the lens taking many pictures with my D7000 and D600. The pictures were not as good as I expected

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Flipkart, as usual, delivered it before the delivery date. So I am a happy customer. I am now using the lens for many days now. It feels sturdy. It is sharp throughout the focal length and aperture wide open. It doesn't lose contrast even on heavily backlit scene.