Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM | S

£1179/$1379 Big is beautiful with this upscaled 70-200mm

Sigma’s long-running 70-200mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM lens was a popular, budget-friendly option. The replacement Sports edition is redesigned, with a new optical path that features 24 elements in 22 groups, incorporating nine FLD elements and one SLD element.

The AF system can be switched to Auto-priority or Manual-priority modes, and features three customizable Af-hold buttons on the barrel. The new optical stabilizer has switchable static and panning modes, the latter working in landscape, portrait and even diagonal orientation. Two ‘Custom’ modes can be set up via the optional USB Dock, for example to increase or decrease the effect of stabilization in the viewfinder image, or to alter the autofocus range limiter distance.

Performance

Sharpness and contrast are scintillating across the zoom range, even when shooting wide-open at f/2.8. AF is rapid and accurate, and while stabilization isn’t as effective as in the Tamron G2 lens for static shots, it proved better for panning in our tests.