The photographic industry has its own ‘Oscars’ each year to recognize the industry’s top products.

These coveted honours are the prestigious European Photo & Imaging Awards of the Technical Image Press Association (TIPA).  Gentec International is pleased to announce that the Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC MACRO OS HSM lens has been named Best Entry Level Lens at this year’s ceremony.

Each year, TIPA editors review new imaging products and judge them on quality, performance and value. Products must be the very best in their categories. Only those products that truly deserve them can win TIPA awards, which makes it particularly significant that Sigma’s new 17-70mm lens has been recognized by this organization.

This large aperture standard zoom lens features Sigma’s optical stabilization (OS) function, making it a versatile lens for many applications, including portraits, sports, macro, and general photography. The maximum aperture of F2.8 improves autofocus speed and, with the rounded seven-blade diaphragm, creates an attractive background blur.  Three aspherical lenses and one Extraordinary Low Dispersion (ELD) glass element, plus Sigma’s Super Multi-Layer Coating, produce high quality images throughout the entire zoom range. The Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) ensures quiet, high-speed auto focus with full-time manual focusing capability. And an inner focusing system eliminates front lens rotation, making the lens suitable for use with circular polarizing filters and the supplied petal-type lens hood. The suggested retail price of the Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC MACRO OS HSM lens is $599.95.