Sigma 18-50 f/2.8-4.5 DC OS HSM

[Cold]

Well it looks like my search for a camera is finally coming to a close. Now all I need is a lens to start the learning process.

After much searching and comparison, I'm leaning toward this lens. Does anyone have any experience with it that they'd like to share? Seems like a nice, slightly improved alternative to many makers' standard kit lens.

[Glenn72]

The reviews and opinions seem to be very favorable for this lens but it appears to be more or less an alternative to the standard kit lenses and not much of an improvement over them.
If your buying a body only and wanted to invest in a lens for this focal length for $200 it appears too be a good choice.

Sigma Lens: Zooms - Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8-4.5 DC OS HSM (Tested) - SLRgear.com!

[Cold]

Thanks Glenn. Yes, that's the situation. Just buying a body, so I'm not limited to the standard kit lens that usually comes bundled with it. I figured that if image quality was comparable, getting f/2.8 for 5mm at the long end was a good tradeoff.