The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the launch of new SIGMA 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM.

The SIGMA 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM incorporates Sigma’s original anti-shake compensation function, with a 13.8 times zoom ratio. As opposed to having an anti-shake function in the camera body, this lens’s Hybrid Optical Stabilizer provides not only an anti-shake function for the camera body, but also compensates for image shaking in the view finder as the Optical Stabilizer is built in to the lens. Incorporating four Special Low Dispersion glass elements and three aspherical lens elements provides excellent image quality throughout the entire zoom range. This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 45cm (17.7 inches) at all focal lengths and a maximum magnification of 1: 3.4 reproduction ratio, making it ideal for close-up photography. An inner focusing system eliminates front lens rotation, making it suitable for use with circular polarizing filters and the supplied petal-type hood. Incorporating super multi-layer coating reduce the ghost in the backlight photography.

Read more at Sigma

Reviews

Sigma 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM review by DPReview (Andy Westlake, February 2010)

Ultimately, with superzooms, the choice comes down to a game of ‘pick your favorite compromise’, as there’s inevitably a penalty to be paid for the undeniable convenience of carrying around such a large zoom range in a single lens. If you tend to share your pictures by posting downsized versions to photo-sharing websites, or making small prints to show around friends and family, the 18-250mm’s relative lack of sharpness won’t be much of a problem, and its low distortion will be a positive virtue. Likewise if you’re after an all-in-one travel lens, and want to be able to grab quick snaps of friends or children, that HSM autofocus system may well prove to be beneficial. As always, the choice is yours.