3 Penguins Design

It’s now over a decade since Sigma’s original 70-200mm F2.8 APO design first saw the light of day, and after three successive makeovers, the company clearly felt it was time to start again from scratch. The result is this: the 70-200mm 1:2.8 EX DG OS HSM, which despite its similar-sounding name is a completely new design. It was announced back in February alongside four other lenses, as Sigma stole the show at an otherwise-quiet PMA 2010. The ‘OS’ stands for ‘Optical Stabilizer’, this being is the first image-stabilized fast telephoto zoom to emerge from a third-party lens maker. Indeed the combination of in-lens stabilization and Sigma’s ultrasonic-type ‘HyperSonic Motor’ (HSM) focusing is sure to make a compelling package for a wide range of users – it’s considerably cheaper than Canon and Nikon’s similar options, while offering the option of optical stabilization to Sony and Pentax users for the first time in this type of lens. [read]