My wife loves this lens, 18-200 is great for walk-around shooting, it gives you good range from wide angle to decent zoom. It feels solid, and has a nice grippy texture. It's almost always on the D-reb, except when she wants to shoot portraits, in which case she goes with the 50mm f/1.8 ($94.83 shipped), which is also fantastic, and they're both EF lenses.
IS version is available at 47th St. Photo for $364.95, possibly +shipping, or $399.92 shipped at Amazon.
I paid $330 for mine, my search pulled up a range from $305-439 shipped, but 319 was the lowest I saw from a reputable vendor. Bonanzle has it for $305, if saving 15 bucks is worth the potential hassle, but I'd stick with Amazon or B&H.
IS or no IS depends on what kind of conditions you'll be shooting in. IS will give you more versatility, mainly in lower light conditions that require a slower shutter speed to avoid using a flash. If your shooting is outdoor and well-lit, it won't make much difference.
Here is a brief comparison, though it uses a different lens with IS on and off. $399 probably isn't a bad deal, (for comparison, the Canon EF-S 18-200 IS is $581.59). If you plan on shooting low-light without a flash, it may be worth it to go with the IS version.
fwhomi said: The OS (IS) version is 399, is it worth the extra $?
Yes
sunnyvali
Addicted Member
posted: Nov. 4, 2009 @ 8:24a
fwhomi said: The OS (IS) version is 399, is it worth the extra $?
Well worth the extra $50. Go for it. This is a great all around lens. I have the Canon and with 2 young children, 18-200 is all I use.
eternityz
Senior Member
posted: Nov. 4, 2009 @ 11:03a
Dear all, I bought my Sigma 18-200mm with OS from www.sigmaforless.com on June 09 and it's been my best lens acquisition ever (2nd best was the Canon 50mm 1.8). I have a 1.5 yr old baby and the 18-200 is all I use. No time for me to switch lenses when walking around, trying to catch him, changing diapers, feeding him, etc.
I think Sigmaforless has good decent prices and their shipping is fairly fast (from NY). I'm in CA so no tax for me. Shipping was in average around $10 per lens.
I agree that the OS is definitely worth the extra cost. Also, just a minor note of caution, this lens is not actually "EF" as noted by OP. It's "DC" -- that equates to Canon's "EF-S" line, meaning it's designed for cropped sensor digital cameras like the 50D, XS, XSi, T1i, etc. It might matter to some who plan to upgrade later to a full-frame camera. But if you currently have a Canon DSLR that is incompatible with this lens, you probably already knew all this!
gollum
Ancient Member
posted: Nov. 4, 2009 @ 2:16p
Very tempting! I'm selling my xti with the kit lens so i can upgrade to the 7D, and was shopping around for an decent wide-zoom lens to replace the 18-55 and this lens looks like it might just do the job! anyone know how this lens compares to the canon 18-200IS?
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