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I bought this lens to use with a new Nikon D7200. As with all third-party lenses, you take the risk of compatibility issues and I seem to have run into a small one here. However, it is not really a deal breaker.

The lens itself is nice and sharp. The AF is decently fast and the fast f2.8 aperture is welcome when shooting indoors. Optically, I am very happy with this lens. The OS (optical stabilizer) seems to be working fine.

When using the lens, you have to be aware that this is a slightly older model, and the focus ring rotates during autofocus. In addition, you have to move the switch to manual focus if you want to manual focus. You cannot override the AF by just turning the focus ring. This also results in a somewhat irritating situation if you happen to have your fingers on the focus ring during autofocus. Since the ring turns, you'll hear a whine when it fights your fingers. So, try to keep your fingers off the focus ring when using AF.

Next, the image metadata from my Nikon D7200 does not correctly note if the image stabilization is on or off. This is a minor thing, but is one of those compatibility things you should be aware of.

I've saved the biggest compatibility issue for last. The OS system of the lens stays awake for a full minute, keeping the camera from going into standby for a whole minute (I have mine set for 6 seconds). I have yet to shoot through a whole day using the lens so I cannot provide an accurate number regarding how much this affects battery life. However, from other sources I have read, this can reduce effective battery life by 10-20%. My workaround is to turn off the camera when I have completed a sequence of shots. I have read that a Sigma service center can update the firmware on the lens to deal with this issue. I have not tried that yet.

My overall thoughts?

This lens is great optically. It is also much more affordable than the comparable Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED Zoom Lens with Auto Focus for Nikon DSLR Cameras, which costs over twice as much. The compatibility issues are relatively minor, and if you carry a spare battery or two with you on long shoots, will not result in major issues. I am happy with the lens because it gives me good optical quality at an affordable price. I'm removing a star because of the compatibility issues, but that is not going to stop me from using the lens.

This lens is everything I imagined! It is a great all around lens with a wide range of capabilities! I took this on my most recent backpacking trip and it's great for (almost) everything: soft water, astrophotography, portraits, landscapes! The lens has a nice weight to it and sturdy build! The auto focus is fast and if I do say so myself I think this is an absolutely georgeous lens! If you're looking for a high quality all around good lens, then I would highly recommend this!

I am an aspiring concert photographer, and this is generally my go-to lens. It's basically the crop sensor equivalent of the 24-70mm 2.8 lens that I would love to have but at a fraction of the price. I'm sure the other is a much nicer, sharper lens, but this one gets the job done. It's a great lens for the money! It sometimes has difficulty autofocusing in the super dark venues, but it does very well as long as there is even a little bit of light on my focal point.

The nice thing about modern DSLR's is that they come with a kit lens that covers most of the focal lengths you would typically need. The bad thing is that these kit lenses aren't very good unless you shoot jpeg's in Auto.

My trusty Sony Rx100 m2 had fallen into disuse, so I opted to sell it back to Amazon recently. I think it makes more sense to focus on a single camera when you want to improve your fundamentals, and at any rate, my S7 is light-years ahead of my old iPhone in terms of the camera, so I was reaching for the RX100 less and less. The plan was to acquire a new lens for my Nikon D5500 that would be versatile enough for portraits of my daughter and landscapes as well as walking around Chicago or Madison, and I was considering a few. The most important feature was a constant aperture, followed by image stabilization.

Nikon's own 16-80mm is prohibitively expensive for someone who isn't a professional photographer. I suppose I could have bitten the bullet, but all of the reviews said the same thing: decent image quality, but not a good value proposition. If I'm gonna spend $1000, it had better be a GREAT value.

Tamron offers a 17-50mm f/2.8, but again, the reviews put me off. Everyone seemed to prefer the older model for IQ; not what you want to hear for a $500 lens.

So I looked into the Sigma 17-50mm. In terms of IQ, it beats both the Nikkor 16-80 and the Tamron. It's just over 1/3 of the price of the Nikkor, and at the time I was shopping it was about $100 less than the Tamron. Every review singled out its stellar build quality, and IQ was very good to great at all focal lengths.

When I got the package I was surprised at how heavy it was. This lens is HEAVY. It's a bit unbalanced on my D5500, but I expect to upgrade to a more advanced DX body in the next year or so, and I imagine a larger body will solve that issue.

In terms of IQ, the only lens I have that can beat it is my Nikkor 50mm AF-S F/1.8. If I owned a full-frame camera I would probably never use another lens. That being said, a 50mm FX lens (75mm equivalent on a DX body) is not very versatile. Ditto my Nikkor AF-S 35mm F/1.8; phenomenal IQ, but not all that versatile on vacation or a day trip.

I would highly recommend this lens for anyone who wants an upgrade over their kit lens. It performs well at all focal lengths, its fixed f/2.8 aperture makes it extremely versatile, and in terms of value for your money, I don't think you can find a better option.

I do photography for both business and pleasure. I bought this lens for weddings and social events. I have Canon L series lenses which are amazing and this lens performs right up there and for half the price. I researched this lens and I've seen the pros and cons. If your that concerned about any of the cons this lens may have then your better off using a prime lens rather than any telephoto lens as they all have cons. Nature of the beast. Great lens, great price!!

I have been using this lens extensively for the past 3 months, have taken it to our tour to Ladakh. I am happy to say that it came out in flying colors...and satisfied my every requirement. I used a D5300 body along with it. I will list few PRO/CON that I found along with some shots

PROs:
1. Useful range for all round photography, 17mm is perfect for landscapes/wide group shots. While 50 mm with f/2.8 will behave quite like a 50mm prime and provides great bokeh for potraits.
2. F/2.8 is fabulous for low light photography, I included a night sky photo taken at wide angle with fully open aperture. The F/2.8 aperture allowed for plenty light to enter (so that you can keep ISO and shutter speed at a optimum level).
3. Fast autofocus on my D5300. I took plenaty of shots from inside of moving vehicles, the shots came out sharp.
4. Focus meter is quite accurate, and is useful for manually focussing at infinity for those night sky photos.
5. Metal mount, far far better than those plastic mount in kit lenses.
6. Sharp.. but as all enthusiasts are well aware, it is a little soft wide open at f/2.8.. but when around f/4 to 5.6.. It is really sharp. A little softness and vignetting happens (not noticeable without 100% crop) at 17-30 mm, but after that its sharp everywhere.

CONs:
1. Heavier and chunkier than kit lens, but thats expected as it is a constant aperture lens.
2. No continous Autofocus/manual focus button...so every time you have to switch to manual focus if you want to fine tune the focus manually a bit.
3. There is some clunky noise which can be felt, when you shake the lens, even with the OS off.
4. The zoom lens moves opposite to normal NIKON lens, which might feel weird for new users... and its not very fluid.

Overall verdict: I own 18-55 Nikon kit lens, Tamron 70-300 VC and NIKON 35 mm prime and now this has become my goto lens for most cases. Its a good lens, and a perfect fit for travel lens (where you can not travel with many lenses). I wholeheartedly recommend this.

NOTE 1: A close contender of this lens was Sigma 17-70 VC (with variable aperture) but I found that lens, although newer, lacked the sharpness of this lens. If you have the budget for 1 or 2K more, and can afford to lose few mm of zoom to gain overall better pictures - go for the 17-50.

NOTE 2: It is for NIKON D5300 users, there is a problem of zooming in while in playback mode, even you have the so called "D5300 compatible" version of the lens. This a minor issue anyway.

Aufgrund der tollen Schärfe und hohen Lichtstärke fotografierte ich bislang am liebsten mit Festbrennweiten. Dazu habe ich mir aus dem Canon Sortiment Linsen zwischen 24mm und 100mm zugelegt. Tolle Schärfe, tolles Bokeh! Der Nachteil ist, dass man mit einer Festbrennweite nicht so flexibel ist wie mit einem Zoom-Objektiv. Man kann eben nicht alles haben.

Genervt von der häufigen Objektivwechselei (wenn man unterwegs ist) schaute ich mir das Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 im Internet näher an. Die Lichtstärke von 2.8 reicht mir meist aus, z.B. um Porträts zu machen, bei denen der Hintergrund zumindest noch ansatzweise erkennbar ist. Die Meinungen im Netz sowie in den bekannten Foren gehen etwas auseinander. „Geniales Objektiv“ bis hin zu „Fehlfokus…Autofokusprobleme usw.“…

Da ich ein "Immerdrauf" wollte, das ich sowohl für Landschaft / Städte als auch für Porträts nutzen kann, ohne ständig wechseln zu müssen, bestellte ich kurzerhand das Sigma bei Amazon. Optik und Verarbeitung haben mich von Anfang an zu 100% überzeugt! Es gibt sogar die Möglichkeit, den Zoom zu arretieren, damit das Objektiv nicht automatisch ausfährt, wenn die Kamera nach unten hängt. Etwas, das mich am 15-85mm immer genervt hat!

Getestet mit meiner 750D und 80D stellte ich aber leider einen leichten (aber eben vorhandenen) Fehlfokus fest. An der 80D hätte ich es ggf. justieren können, ich wollte das Sigma aber hauptsächlich an der 750D betreiben, die keine Fokusfeineinstellung hat. Amazon bot mir einen Austausch an, den ich dankend annahm. Der Support bei Amazon ist einfach klasse! Leider hatte das zweite Exemplar einen noch ausgeprägteren Fehlfokus ☹ Sehr enttäuscht schickte ich daraufhin beide Exemplare zurück mit dem entsprechenden Hinweis!

Da das Sigma aber durch die Bank gelobt wird, ließ es mich nicht wirklich los. Es kann doch nicht sein, dass andere das Objektiv so toll finden?! Ich überlegte, ihm noch eine Chance zu geben. Nach drei Monaten bestellte ich das Objektiv also erneut (und ja, ich habe ewig überlegt!)…und was soll ich sagen…bereits der erste Test hat mich umgehauen!! Die Linse ist SCHARF! Nun wusste ich, dass die beiden ersten Exemplare definitiv nicht okay waren.

Ich testete das Sigma an meinen beiden Crop Kameras. Es ist einfach nur perfekt! Der Fokus sitzt genau da, wo er hingehört. Der Autofokus arbeitet schnell und einwandfrei! Der Bildstabilisator ist hörbar, aber absolut nicht störend (mein 100mm L 2.8 Macro ist ein Traktor dagegen). In Sachen Schärfe kommt es verdammt nah an meine Festbrennweiten heran…zumindest in der Bildmitte. Leichte Unschärfen zum Rand hin im Weitwinkelbereich sind aber absolut normal. Im direkten Vergleich zum 15-85mm von Canon ist das Sigma deutlich schärfer, auch zum Bildrand hin! Das 15-85mm habe ich direkt verkauft, das Sigma klebt förmlich an meiner Kamera fest

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