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

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...

Prior to the introduction of the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM ($799 direct) lens shutterbugs with APS-C D-SLR cameras had to make a choice when it came to lens functionality. You can go with a zoom lens and cover a range of focal lengths, but even top-end models only opened up to f/2.8.

Sharp; Wide aperture; Reasonable price tag; Available for several camera systems

Big; No optical stabilization; Some wide-angle barrel distortion.

The Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM delivers on its promise; it boasts the speed and sharpness of a prime lens, along with the convenience of a zoom. (4.5 out of 5) Editor's Choice Pros Sharp Wide aperture Reasonable price tag Available for several camera systems Cons Big No optical stabilization Some...

Sharp; Wide aperture; Reasonable price tag; Available for several camera systems

Big; No optical stabilization; Some wide-angle barrel distortion; Modest zoom ratio

Gary Wolstenholme reviews the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM A standard zoom lens.

Excellent sharpness; Constant f/1.8 aperture; Low falloff for an f/1.8 lens; Good build quality; Reasonably priced

No real issues to report

We are a little late with this review but finally here it is ... our test of the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM "Art" (Canon mount, Nikon will follow eventually). The lens produced quite some buzz when it was released earlier this year.

When it was announced roughly a year ago, Sigma's 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art lens was the first of its type with a constant f/1.8 maximum aperture. Designed exclusively for cameras with APS-C sized sensors, it covers the 35mm equivalent of 29-56mm on Canon DSLRs and 27-52mm on other bodies.

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.

Ground-breaking f/1.8 maximum aperture wide-angle zoom for APS-C DSLRs gets a workout

f/1.8 maximum aperture; Excellent image quality; Full-time MF option; Very good sharpness

Not full-frame coverage; Somewhat weighty; Modest 2x zoom range