| Brand: | Sigma | ||
| Average Rating |
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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. For the camera have anti-shake function in the camera body, this lens’s Hybrid Optical Stabilizer provide not only anti-shake function for the camera body compensation, but also provide the function to compensate the image shaking in the view finder of the camera like anti-shake compensation built in 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. more info
{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
Goodby frustration
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Sturdy, good looking, effective. A winner! No more fumbling with 2 lenses which deterred me from getting that key picture at the right time. This baby will stay on my camera most of the time.
Excellent outdoor lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
With this lens, I have taken over 3000 photos in places like theme park exhibition, air show, zoo and baseball game. The lens performs very well under good lighting. The OS function helps too freeze sharp images of fast moving subjects. Sometimes, I get soft images at long focal lengths. This is because this is not a fast lens. It is f6.3 at the maximum focal length. You cannot fairly compare picture quality with those taken with an f2.8 lens.
Considering its wide zoom range, HSM AF function, OS and relatively small when compared with other long zoom lenses, this is an excellent choice for taking outdoor pictures under good lighting.
Best bang for your buck
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Very minimal nuance with my Canon L lens if you ever notice it at all. No wonder this is the Best Entry Level Lens: Sigma 18-250mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM and has a TIPA award for 2009. Quick AF and razor sharp pics!!!! Anyone now can become a playboy photographer.
Great all around
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I was looking for an all around lens with some good extra features and this worked out great. I’m no pro (only did some side work), I use a Sony 350, and wanted something to give me a great walk around lens for vacation. I will say I take a lot more photo’s than any one else I know and so far the pics with this lens are great. Fast and Sharp would be two things that come to mind. If your tired of having to switch out lens all the time when your out places, this is a must have.
Great All-In-One SLR lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
We got the Sigma 18-250mm lens for our Nikon D40 and it works great without any problems. It is a great all-in-one lens that can go wide and zoom pretty far in, has optical stabilization features, and even has a zoom lock function that isn’t even on Nikon’s current 18-200mm lens (the replacement model has one, though). Focusing does not rotate or extend the barrel of the lens so it won’t throw off polarizing filters or accidentally hit objects that are close to the lens like when taking pictures through a window. While its visual quality won’t match that of the more expensive Nikon lenses, you do get more bang for your buck and you probably won’t even notice the difference. The only drawbacks I see with using this lens are that it is a little on the heavy side, and that its length will create a shadow when using your SLR’s built-in flash at the widest focal length, but zooming in to at least 24mm or using an external flash will solve that problem. The f/6.3 aperture at maximum zoom might also cause problems for some, but it’s a compromise you have to live with given this lens’ price.
Perfect for what it should be
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
So no super-zoom lens you buy is going to be as good as any comparable prime lens. With this is in mind, I compared this lens to the Nikkor 18-200mm. Some reviews on the web will compare a Nikkor 50mm prime to the Sigma’s 50mm setting…of course the Sigma will lose (just about anything will lose, in my opinion).
The question became for me: does the picture quality between the Nikkor and the Sigma justify the cost differential. I bought both and compared the shots side by side, and I gotta say the Sigma holds up just fine. Sure, the Nikkor gets a little bit brighter colors if you zoom things up to 200 or 300%, but does this matter? This lens is for walking around and taking nice pictures. You’re not going to do studio work with it…of course.
The extra zoom is nice. The build quality is fine. The optic stabilization is OK, but I like the stabilization in the Nikkor better (but if you’re shooting in bright conditions or have a decent flash, this doesn’t really matter).
The only bone I have to pick is that the zoom ring turns the opposite way that I’m used to, so sometimes I’ve missed the shot of my kids running around cuz I zoomed in when I meant to zoom out. This may just be due to my own mental shortcomings, but it’s annoying nonetheless.
Bottom line: buy the Sigma (shoot, buy the Nikkor too — and return it when you agree with me!)
Sigma 18-250mm lens
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I have had this a few weeks, I purchased it for its range as I am shooting a friends wedding next month. Thus far I have found its range a tremendous benefit for indoor group events.
Sigma 18-250 Canon Mount – good quality/price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I was hesitant when it came to this lens. I have had Sigma lenses for >10 yrs and liked them, but found little to know information about this lens and was leaning toward the Tamron 18-275. The Sigma was about $30 less and I have never had trouble with my 3 other lenses. I even had Sigma replace one whose chip did not play well with my 20D, so I feel some loyalty to them. On preliminary use, it is about a pound and feels solid, and well made. Some complained about the mechanism being tight about half way from 18-250, I did not find it any more tight then my 28-70 or my 70-300 both by Sigma. The images are sharp generally except for the extremes on either end, so I will just avoid the very end of each side of the zoom range. I have not put the stabilization to the test yet, from what I can tell it does add about 2 stops and makes the hand held shots passable at longer focal lengths that would not have worked with out it. The other bonus is the rapid focus and quiet operation of the HSM.
The one trade off and the reason for 4 vs. 5 is the weight. I have an 18-200 that does not have stabilization and the images at full or near full zoom are not so crisp (not the fault of the lens, but my not so steady hands). I always keep a monopod with me to minimize the shake, but this is not so convenient, so theOS is the reason behind the new Sigma. I understand the trade off for sharp pictures is some extra mechanics, but, it Sigma is reading this, shedding a little weight in the next version will go a long way. My only other comment is the f6.3 make it a bit dark at the high end of the zoom, again, trade offs are needed. If you use this outside you should be fine, but inside at a school play you may still need the monopod (got mine from REI – it is walking stick that has a removable head where you can attach your camera for about $60! REI Hiker Shock Light Staff) Over all I am very happy with another Sigma lens. and my next lens will be a 30 mm f1.4 prime sigma!
Follow up 30 May 2009 – I had some more time to use the lens and found the OS works very well. I will post some images, but hand held at 1/15 gives a nice crisp image at f5.6. I don’t have the most steady hands in the world and these shots at 250 mm would never have been worth anything before the advent of OS for hand held shots. Other shots in the 18-80 range are nice and sharp from about f5.3 and up. Very happy and with 17th St. Photo as well, very fast shipping and easy to deal with. Great lens for the money
Excellent but slightly heavy
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought this lens before a recent trip to Australia. I’ve been using the 18-55mm that came with my EOS and a Canon 22-200mm. The 18-55mm suits 80% of my needs normally but I find that I use the telephoto a lot when traveling. So this lens replaces them both. I still brought the 18-55mm with me but 90% of the time I had the Sigma on the camera. It worked very well. The zoom is smooth and the autofocus worked well. The few times I needed to use manual focus I found the focus ring fell right at hand and worked well. I took 2000 pictures in a variety of conditions and the images look great. It was especially handy for wildlife shots.
One downside is that it’s a relatively slow lens (f-stop). I can’t really call it a complaint because I knew what I was getting and a faster lens is quite a bit more expensive. The 10% of the time I used the 18-55mm lens was in low-light situations where f/3.5 just wasn’t cutting it.
The image stabilization seems to work well. I have not tried any comparisons with it on or off yet–I left it on the entire trip. However I did take several hundred pictures during a whale watch cruise. The seas were rough and the boat was moving and I was at maximum zoom taking photos of whales breeching. Everything worked a treat. Of course some were blurry but most were razor sharp.
The only ‘complaint’ is that the lens is heavy. There’s a lot of glass in it, so that’s understandable, but it gets to be a pain in the neck (literally) after a while. I’ll be looking for a better strap next. When carrying the camera, the lens ends up hanging down. After a while it loosened up enough that it would extend on its own. I started using the zoom lock and have begun to build up the muscle memory to unlock it when I bring the camera into position. Unfortunately, the lock button is very close to the autofocus button and on several occasions I flipped that while trying to lock or unlock the lens. Not a big deal, though.
Overall I’m very happy with the lens and the pictures it took and the price was quite reasonable.
sigma 18-250
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I first tried the 18-200, it took great pictures of horrible ones. Returned it and got the 18-250. A far better lens. Worth a few bucks more. TI love the range and the build quality. The Tamron felt too plastic for something I wanted to pay so much for and drag all over the world. After two weeks of heavy usage no lens creep yet. (if it does I will update the review)
The focus can hunt in low light when you are on the long end. The f/6.3 can be a drag but seeing as no other lens does much better it must be a optical limitation for this type of lens. But 95% of the time this lens is dead on.
I would recommend this lens, if you are looking for a single lens to cover a wide range. If you are a pro looking for something for stick on the end of you new D3x this is not it(but you would know that).
so far, so good!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Just got the Sigma 18-250mm and am happy with it so far. Tried a variety of indoor/outdoor shots, and all are very sharp. See no difference in sharpness compared to my Nikon lenses. Focuses very fast, feels very solid. Was worried it would be heavy (it is heavier than the Tamron 18-270 and Nikon 18-200, according to specs), but it barely seems heavier than the 18-105 lens that came with my D90. Not much bigger, either. I tried it on my D60, and with that smaller camera, the lens made the whole camera feel unbalanced (lens-heavy). But with the D90, it feels balanced. Notice very slight zoom creep in the 80-135 range so far, but no big deal. Hope I will still be happy with it after my upcoming travels.
Decided on this lens (vs. Tamron 18-270 or Nikon 18-200) because of price, and also because the Sigma has less distortion at 18mm than the others. So far it seems like a great deal, especially given its price relative to the Nikon.
If you have a D40 or D60, besides the unbalance issue mentioned above, be aware that if you use this lens with the built-in flash with a focal length of 18 to about 22mm, the lens will cast a weird shadow in your images. The D90 — to my surprise — does this too, though it is not nearly as bad and could be cropped (at 22mm it is very slight). This same problem would happen with the Tamron and Nikon with the D40/60, but not sure about the D90. The Nikon is about .2 inches shorter than the Sigma, and I bet this makes a difference.) Anyway, chances are, you will not be using this lens at 18mm with the built-in flash very often. If you use an external flash, then there will be no shadow.
Do research, and you’ll find that the Nikon, Sigma, and Tamron all have their strong points. For me, the distortion of the Nikon and its much higher price, as well as some negative reviews about the focusing of the Tamron, made me choose the Sigma.
Poor All-In-One lens…
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
The reason I bought this Sigma 18-250mm are probably like most people. I want to replace two lenses I have (18~70mm + 70~210mm) and the Nikon is cost too much. Amazon had this one for Nikon mount priced $509 last month, so I decided to give it a try. After two weeks of ownership, I am disappointed and sending it back. This is my second Sigma lenses. My first one is Sigma 30mm f1.4 which I like it, but this Sigma 18~250mm OS, just cannot serve the purpose.
What I like about this lens:
1. It’s much cheaper than Nikon one and have huge focus range.
2. Solid built and it is “Made in Japan”.
3. Optical Stabilizer does work.
4. Fast auto focus.
5. NO zoom lens creep.
What I don’t like about this lens:
1. Images are not sharp at all. I’ve compare it to my more than 10-years-old Nikkor (70-210mm f/4.5-5.6), it’s not even close.
2. It focuses fast, but I do find it somehow backward focus every now an then.
3. Less contrast and the color are not very saturated.
4. The pop-up flash would cast a shadow at 18~24mm even without the len hood on it.
5. The AF stuck few times. I have to switch the AF button to fix it.
I don’t care much about the weight, HSM and distortion since I have hand strap and shoot more people than buildings. The sharpness is what I care the most. This lens is also useless indoor. I’ve trid turn on the OS, increase the ISO to 800, but none of the images come out what I expected. There are not that many reviews on this lens yet. The one I found is at [...]. The author had it compare to Nikon 18-200mm VR very thoroughly. He was impressive about this Sigma, but I think he return it after owning it for 6 weeks. It works fine on tripod for comparison, but not that great in real application.
While it is not sharp enough for outdoor shots, and useless indoor, I see no reason for keeping it. Others’ reviews are “Great all-in-one…”. I would say “Poor All-In-One lens”.
Great everyday lens
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is a great everyday lens. Two lenses in one. I get great clear shots. The only negative I have about this lens is lens creep. It is bad. Any downward angle when using a tripod, it slides. It does not hold its position. Maybe this is true with all lenses of this size, I don’t know. But if it is then I think that is a major flaw that companies can work to fix. Because of the lens creep I give a 4 star rating and not 5 star. I do recommend this lens if lens creep is ok with you.
Great Lens for a fantastic price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This lens combines both a wide angle and a zoom capability, a must have for a photographer who is continuously on the move and do not want to carry with them many lenses for every occasion or purpose, its versatility is perfect in every kit. The picture quality is fantastic, I use it with my Sony A380, and soon enough with my Sony A900 (awaiting delivery).
If you want a lens for every day use this is what you need. My friend owns a Nikon D300s, after he used my camera with this lens, he decided to get one for his own.
Excellent Lens…
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Actually my review is somewhat similar to the previous review by W. Cooper. I, like him, didn’t find much resources about this lens, but was confused between the Tamron & the Nikon long range lenses, I was about to go with the Nikon 18-200mm because I felt that the Tamron 18-270mm lens didn’t really get good reviews and I didn’t like the fact that it was slow in focusing. And boy am I glad that I waited for this one. I think I gambled (being an early adopter) and it worked.
Its really a great all around lens which is exactly what I was looking for (I hate changing lenses). The best thing about it is that its really pretty fast in focusing at 250mm, maybe even faster than my D90 kit lens the Nikon 18-105mm. It really is a HSM equipped lens, I saw a few threads in forums about ppl debating this fact, so rest assured it has a motor. The OS is working as it should at maximum zoom as well so no issues here. I have been using it for a couple of days only to be fair, but I’m very excited about it and about the quality of the images I have took so far. I’m taking it out for a full test in the next few days, if I feel that things weren’t perfect I will update this review. I didn’t notice a lens creep (yet!), but in any case there is a lock switch on the lens, this switch will only work when the lens is at 18mm. I noticed that when you are trying to shoot close-ups at 250mm, the lens wont focus properly if you are too close to the subject, manual focus will still work though and you can take a clear sharp picture. The make and the body of the lens feels nice and durable as well, it doesn’t feel cheap at all.
In the end I have to say that this baby will beat the Tamron 18-270mm lens hands down, and surely the Nikon 18-200 if you want a bigger zoom. And the price is surely worth it and acceptable.
Update: I think I was wrong about close-up focus, it still focus pretty well and fast at close range while at maximum zoom.
Update 2: I have uploaded some pics in Picasa, plz see comments for link. The images don’t look good after uploading to Amazon.
Update 3: I have to confirm again my initial statement that sometimes it fails to auto focus at close range (according to my tests), I would have to use manual focus. Going back to auto focus it would then work, it seems it needs a reset from time to time!
Update 4: It weighs around 650g or 1.43 pounds.
Sigma 18-250mm lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
There were two reasons why I chose this lens and not the Nikon 18-200mm lens. (1) Reviewers of the Nikon lens reported a stalling problem (i.e. lens extends by itself under gravity when camera points down, or lens retracts by itself when camera points up), and (2) The cost of the Sigma lens is much cheaper. After receiving the Sigma lens today, I found there was no stalling problem in it. I think the Sigma engineers solved a problem that the Nikon engineers could not solve. In fact, I found the lens a bit stiff when I tried to zoom it in and out. The cost of the Sigma lens was more than $300 less than the Nikon lens while the quality of the pictures is comparable to that of the pictures taken by the Nikon lens. I have gotten some pictures taken from a Nikon lens for this comparison. Quality is difficult to define. I compared the sharpness, the brightness, and the colors of these pictures and judged by my own eyes. I used a Nikon D90 camera. I consider myself an average person, not a professional photographer. I am quite happy with this Sigma lens after playing with it for a day. I do not know if I need to revise my comments some days later. I hope I don’t have to. I think the Sigma 18-200mm lens will soon drop in price after this Sigma 18-250mm becomes available at about the same price. If you are considering buying an all purpose lens, I hope these help.
It was fun until…
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I got my lens last week and I had lots of fun with it, until I noticed the AF started getting buggy. After turning on for a few minutes it would work fine but then I noticed that when I was focused on something far and tried to focus on something closer, the AF would get jammed or something. I had to nudge the focus ring a little bit for my camera to take the picture. I’m sure switching it to manual focus would have worked, but I don’t want to use that for the rest of my time with the lens. I tried it on my brother’s D80, and still the same problem so I’m sure it wasn’t my camera. I decided on returning the lens and I’m deciding on whether I should by the Nikkor 18-200 or the 18-135 and the 35mm f/1.8 af-s. I’m pretty sure I had a bad copy of the lens, but it’s because of this I’m going to stick with Nikon lenses from now on. I know Sigma makes good lenses, but I switched from the Sigma 18-200, then went to the 18-250. I’m pretty sure I’m going to grab myself the Nikkor 18-200. Oh I’m an amateur photographer using a D40, and I liked the pictures that were produced. Not super sharp, but sharp enough. Another thing, the lens was pretty heavy. At first I liked the way my tiny little D40 was kinda heavy, but as I write this review, my right wrist is in pain. If you have a D40,D40x,D60, or even the D5000 and you have this lens, I would recommend getting a battery pack to go with it to even out the weight. I’m sure I would have kept this lens if I didn’t have that problem, but now it’s going to be Nikon lenses. Good luck to you if you plan on purchasing this lens. Hopefully you don’t get a bad copy like me.
Sigma 18-250mm for Nikon – 3 stars
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The first thing I noticed is that the sigma is much heavier than other comparable lenses (like the Tamron). Nikon owners should know that the barrel is large enough that it will cast a shadow when using the popup flash on a D40 and it zooms with an opposite twist than the Nikon lenses. The zoom action is fairly stiff (hard to turn) and I didn’t experience any lens creep unless I shook the camera fairly hard as it was pointing down.
Compared to Nikon 55-200mm VR: The Sigma lens focuses faster and quieter than the 55-200. It seems the OS is more effective as well. However, the Nikon image quality is far superior throughout the range. Chromatic aberrations from the Sigma are very noticeable compared to the Nikon. The Nikon seems a bit brighter. If you don’t need the 18-55 range or macro, the Nikon is by far the better lens (and 1/2 the cost).
Compared to the Nikon 18-200mm VR: Sigma is quieter and heavier. Image quality of the Nikon is similar to the 18-105 (below). On image quality alone, Nikon wins here. On value – it is too close to call.
Compared to the Nikon 18-105mm VR: First impression is that the center sharpness is better on the Sigma from 18-35mm or so, but the Nikon is better from 55mm to 105mm. Both seem to focus at about the same speed, but the Nikon is a tad more accurate. Both are quiet and built solid – the sigma like a tank. Geometric distortions are similar. Chromatic aberrations may be a little worse on the Sigma (the Nikon isn’t too good either), originally I called it a draw overall, but after shooting some more I found I rarely had sharp shots with the Sigma. I believe it is partially the focus compounded with the soft optics since static scenes were a little sharper. The Nikon is almost always spot on. Winner was clearly the Nikon. I’d change the Sigma rating to 3 stars… but Amazon doesn’t allow it. I’ve sent the Sigma back.
Value for money, average quality.
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
This lens is exactly what you pay for. If you have a little more budget, rather go for Nikon 18-200mm VR.
What I loved about this lens:
1. Huge focus range. 50mm more than Nikon’s equivalent 18-200mm and at much lesser price.
2. Optical Stabilizer. (However, in my sample the OS was not very effective)
3. No zoom creep, unlike Nikon’s older version of 18-200 VR(I)
4. Not too heavy.
But why I prefer Nikon over this one? Here you go ~
1. Aperture becomes 6.3 at the long end. Where as it’s f5.6 in Nikon’s 18-200mm VR
2. Very less contrasty. The pictures look very dull without editing if you crop or print large size. I personally do not like using photoshop. Nikon’s 50mm f1.8 gives me a lot better natural contrast compared to this lens at 50mm.
3. Sharpness is not good at all. Trust me, you will be disappointed.
4. AF is SLOW. On top of that, AF gets stuck at times. You need to switch back to manual focus and then again back to AF. Then only it works. This is a known problem in many sigma lens’.
5. The body looks cheap, so as the lens cap.
All around winner for an all around lens.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I just recently bought this lens primarily for its Optical Stabilization technology.
My past lens the Sigma 28-300 was a great all around lens but it didn’t have the image stabilization that this lens does. This lens with the range of 18-250 actually works better for an all around lens. I was a bit skeptical about the OS (IS Canon) technology but after using a Canon 70-200 2.8 IS. I couldn’t go back to my sigma 28-300 without OS. I mean the difference was and is well worth the extra cost. I zoomed in all the way with the OS and without the OS on a rusted mailbox. The OS showed all the rust particles, the Non-OS showed blurred particles. That convinced me it was worth it. That extra crispness makes all the difference. Also, the price for this lens was outstanding when compared to the closest competition. I didn’t really want the Tamron, and I wasn’t about to pay 2,300 for the Canon 28-300 IS 3.5-5.6 that’s nuts. Closer to 1,000 I might have. But this lens as far as I can tell is just as good as the Canon for a lot less expensive. I have NEVER and I repeat never had a problem with my previous Sigma lens. I had the 28-300 for about 3 or more years. And the image quality was always right up there with my Canon lens. I work with a 24-70 2.8L and a 70-200 2.8L IS, as well has 16-35 2.8L, my sigma photo quality kept up with if not is equal to them. Though the L series are built very heavy duty and are really great lens all around. The image quality is not all that superior if any. With the OS on this new lens the only advantage to a L series Canon would be the better build and better dust and weather resistance. But by all means the Sigma 18-250 is a all around winner for anyone wanted an all around lens.
Fast, Quite, Zoomy, Sharp
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I must admit, I had only one day to try this lens before I had to send my Nikon D5000 for recall. The 30 photos I took impressed me when I compared it to results from Nikon 18-55 and 55-200. The lens has a solid built, the zoom is bit tight but i don’t mind it to prevent creep. 72 mm face feels big and the lens is bit heavy. The lens is super quite, to the extent that I doubted if it was working fine. The lens is noticeably faster than 18-55 and 55-200 Nikon. I moved my hand purposely while taking photo at 250 mm and looks like OS worked just fine to take care of it. I tested it in challenging light just to make sure the HSM is working and you can hear it for less than sec before it locks focus and shoots. The picture at 18 mm and 250 mm was sharp enough to please eyes. I was tired of constantly switching back and forth b/w 18-55 and 55-200. Hopefully it will stay on my camera for a long time. I will update this post after using it a bit more.
Sigma 18-250mm is a good lens at a great price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
With lack of reviews on this product, it was a difficult decision to purchase this lens instead of the Nikon 18-200mm or Tamron 18-270. Since I was very happy with my Sigma 10-20mm lens, I thought it would be worth the risk–and it was, I am very pleased with all my test shots and look forward to taking it on my next outdoor adventure. This “super zoom” lens has great range, appears to have fairly sharp edges, low barrel distortion, and low bokeh effect. It is a good, solid lens with minimal zoom creep, and consistent feel throughout the zoom range. It focuses fairly quickly with the Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM), and the vibration reduction system (OS) comes in handy on those long range shots. This lens will probably spend 95% of it’s time on my Nikon D60 camera. When combined with the Sigma 10-20mm, almost all my lens range needs will be met in a 2 lens kit.
Great lens for the price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Bought this lens as I can not imagine myself carrying two lenses and changing lenses in dusty outdoors. I was comparing this lens with Canon 18-200 and Tamron 18-270. Bought this for these reasons:
1. Cheaper than the other two.
2. Lowest barrel distortion
3. Better build quality compared to canon
4. Has HSM. No USM on canon
5. Hood included
6. Highest number of SLD glass elements
Had it for 2 months now and used it in variety of conditions. Very happy with the result. I can only compare it with canon 18-55 kit lens. Surprisingly, sharpness of this lens is better than the kit lens. It has faster and quieter focus too (due to HSM). The OS works flawlessly. At 250mm I can see the image stabilize in the viewfinder after abt 1/2 second. Build quality and grip feel is very good. Hood is pretty solid too. Hood and filters do not rotate while focusing. Due to its weight I still use 18-55 indoors.