[Pirate!!]

Ahoy!

(THIS IS BASED ON SONY/MINOLTA MOUNT)

I ordered the above from Warehouse Express late on Friday. Delivery would've been Monday, but ParcelForce decided to send it to the Ipswich sorting office instead of Bournemouth. Enough about geography and literacy.

It landed today (hurrah). After slicing through 6" of bubble wrap and tape . . there it was. All in good order. On lifting the box, it felt reassuringly 'weighty', so then dove-in. All paperwork present and correct and lens/hood individually wrapped. Moviong on.

The lens has a very nice weight to it. It feels substantial without being 'heavy'. Second thing I noticed (apart from the petal shaped hood) that the overall appearance didn't look like a standard DC lens. Actually, this lens looks and feels like an EX lens. The finish is identical (IMHO).

Fitting it onto the Alpha A700 was straight forward. The mount is metal, so ought to last a lifetime. On the side of the barrel is a zoom lock switch which for panoramas will be very useful (it's also used for transportation purposes and macro). A quick flick and the lens starts to 'do it's thing' and the barrel extends/retracts.

I didn't notice any 'lens creep' either. This lens I think is one that punches above it's weight.

Focus is internal, so using a CPL or other filters will be real easy as the barrel doesn't rotate, though it extends, but not overly far. The AF motor isn't too noisy. Pretty average AF speed. I would call it 'competent' as far as AF speed and lens motor is concerned. Not too shabby, but not stellar. Sony version isn't fitted with HSM, so cannot make any direct comparison there.

Notwithstanding image samples, I think this is one of those lenses that's been re-worked insofar as you take a kit lens and make it better. Sigma I think have done a super job with this version (I'm no great fan of theirs BTW).

Having fired off a few frames to check operation and IQ, I found the lens to be very tactile. The zoom ring felt just right in terms of torque. The few test frames I took were nice in colour and sharpness, though I didn't test throughout the range and at different apertures.

The macro (pseudo) means you can put this lens right next to a subject (literally) and still focus (the lens can be literally on the subject and it still focuses)! Handy to a point, but a dedicated macro would be preferable if you intend to shoot ultra-close. That said, the macro/focus distance is very good and is almost 1:2, so pretty much as good as it gets without being a dedicated lens.

Professional reviews will show all the 'techno' stuff, but I will post a few image samples in due course and you can judge for yourself. In a sort of conclusion, a very worthy candidate for a kit lens replacement without really busting the bank (until the prices go up that is) and will give the CZ 16-80mm a good run for it's money (at twice the price). Tamron 17-50mm is also highly regarded.

[bodoman]

Congrats on choice of lens Pirate, when i bought my A100
18 months ago (actually boss paid for it) i chose just the body and the Sig 17-70, without really knowing anything about the lens, only that it seemed a good focal range for
most shots.
Although since then i have bought and sold a few lens and upgraded to a couple of G primes, i still keep and use the 17-70 its a great everyday lens thats useful for landscapes and portraits alike and excellent value for money.
Enjoy your purchase Pirate, you wont regret it