Photo Review Reviews section

Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 APO EX DG OS Lens

9 Rating

A fast, stabilised, medium-telephoto lens that can be used with ‘full frame’ and APS-C sensor DSLR cameras and supports hand-held shooting in low light situations.Sigma has been producing fast tele zoom lenses for hand-held photography since the late 1980s and, although the new 70-200mm f/2.8 APO EX DG OS lens claims to be a second generation model, we estimate it’s the sixth in a line that reaches back to the original AF 70-210mm f/2.8, which was designed for 35mm film SLR cameras. Interestingly, the main difference between the new lens and its immediate predecessor is the addition of the company’s Optical Stabilisation (OS) system.

Sigma 50mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro Lens

8.5 Rating

An affordable, high-performing macro lens that is also ideal for copying.Sigma’s 50mm f/2.8 EX DG has the shortest focal length and lowest price of the four macro lenses in the company’s current line-up. Designed for use with full frame digital SLR cameras, it can also be fitted to DSLRs with smaller APS-C size sensors, where it covers a similar field of view to a 75mm lens in 35mm format with Nikon, Pentax and Sony cameras or 80mm with Canon cameras.

Sigma 180mm f/3.5 APO EX DG HSM Macro Lens

8.5 Rating

A capable and value-priced macro lens with a good working distance for close-ups of invertebrates and other small subjects.Sigma’s 180mm f/3.5 APO EX DG HSM Macro is the only lens in its macro range with an HSM autofocusing motor – but only on the Sigma, Nikon-D and Canon mounts. Designed for use on full frame digital SLR cameras, but can also be fitted to DSLRs with smaller APS-C size sensors, where it covers a similar field of view to a 270mm lens when fitted to Nikon, Pentax and Sony cameras with 1.5x crop factors or 288mm with Canon DSLRs.

Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro Lens

8.8 Rating

An affordably-priced true macro lens with an ideal focal length for portraiture.The 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro sits in the middle of Sigma’s range of 1:1 true macro lenses. Keenly priced, it is designed for use with full frame digital SLR cameras, but can also be fitted to DSLRs with smaller APS-C size sensors. It covers a similar field of view to a 158mm lens in 35mm format when fitted to Nikon, Pentax and Sony cameras with 1.5x crop factors or 168mm with Canon DSLRs.

Sigma 10-20mm 1:3.5 DX USM Lens

8.5 Rating

A fast, almost silent wide-angle zoom lens that is well-built and relatively flare-resistant.Sigma’s new 10-20mm 1:3.5 EX DC HSM replaces an earlier, slower ultra-wide zoom lens that was released late in 2004. Designed specifically for DSLR cameras with ‘APS-C format’ sensors, it is offered in mounts to suit Sigma, Nikon, Canon, Sony and Pentax models. As well as having a wider maximum aperture, this lens is distinguished from the earlier model by providing a maximum aperture of f/3.5 throughout the entire zoom range.

Sigma DP2s

8 Rating

A compact, advanced digital camera with a large Foveon X3 Direct Image Sensor and few automated functions.There’s very little difference between the Sigma DP2, which was released in April 2009 and the DP2s, which was announced in February 2010. The sensor and lens in the new camera are the same as the earlier model and the rather quirky user interface is unchanged. According to a company press release, there’s a new AF algorithm for faster autofocusing and a Power Save mode to enable more shots per charge. The rear panel buttons are more clearly labelled, and the camera ships with the latest raw file processing software.

Sanyo Xacti VPC-J4

[ia] Available in orange, black or silver, Sanyo’s VPC-J4 has a dual Basic/Expert shooting menu system and talking navigation guide that announces the selected mode when the camera is switched on. A vertical slider selects between stills, video and playback. The flash button doubles as an erase button in playback mode. The arrow pad adjusts exposure and focus modes.

Sanyo VPC-FH1 Xacti HD Dual Camera

8.5 Rating

A compact, Full HD camcorder that can also record high-resolution still photographs.Sanyo dubs its VPC-FH1 a ‘Dual Camera’ because it fulfils two purposes. With its 8-megapixel sensor and 10x optical zoom lens, it’s usable for shooting stills but it also supports Full HD video recording with a stereo soundtrack. Announced at the end of January with the similarly-featured VPC-HD2000, the FH1 has the traditional camcorder form factor and ergonomics while the HD2000 sports a pistol grip.

Samsung L74 Wide

8 Rating

A well-built digicam with touch-screen control and on-board tour guide.With its matte black body, slim lines and huge LCD touch-screen, Samsung’s 7.2-megapixel L74 Wide is an attractive looking digicam which, as its name suggests, sports a wide zoom lens. The 3.6x optical zoom range starts at the equivalent of 28mm in 35mm format and extends to 101mm, a useful range for everyday photographers.

Samsung L74Wide

8 Rating

A well-built and affordable slimline digicam with a wide zoom lens, large LCD and capacious internal memory.Samsung’s slim L74 Wide digicam stands out from the crowd in several ways. Most obvious are its 3.0-inch touch screen LCD and wide zoom lens, which encompasses an angle of view equivalent to 28 mm at the wide setting. More revolutionary is the provision of 450 MB of internal memory and some interesting functions that will appeal to travellers, including the ability to load a built-in Tour Guide with information covering 4,500 regions in 30 countries. Users can also store additional data, such as maps and directions in the camera to help them en route.