Why I Love My Sigma 50-150

Here are a couple of shots that I took with the Sigma 50-150 that show why I love it.

122mm.  ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/500. 

105mm.  ISO 200, f/2.8, 1/2500

Both were taken with a Nikon D70.  What I really like about the Sigma is that at f/2.8, the depth of field is juuuust enough to keep the subject's eyes, nose, mouth and ears in focus, while a background that is at least a few feet away becomes a total blur, helping me to easily simplify the composition.  Plus, the shallow depth of field is an easy way to impress non-photographers. :p

Even when the background is not that far behind the subject, the background is still rendered as a blur, although the bokeh is less smooth.  Here, the nearest part of the background was less than two feet behind our toddler.

90mm.  ISO 800, f/2.8, 1/1250.

I'm still very curious about the Sigma 50-150 OS because image stabilization would make this lens even more useful.  But some of the early announcements in the press (e.g. from dpreview) show that the dimensions of the new lens are almost the same as those of a Sigma 70-200.  I'm hoping that those specs are mistaken -- if they are correct, however, I'm probably sticking with my 50-150.

RELATED POSTS:
New Sigma 50-150 OS
Sigma 50-150 is TIGHT
What's the point of having different lenses?
Second body vs. Second flash