 |
|
|
susslaps
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Jul 14, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 201
|
|
Review Date: May 11, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
|
|
Pros:
|
Reliable color rendition
|
|
Cons:
|
Some flatness around edges, loose lens cap
|
|
|
I don't think the clarity is as good as the canon 10-22mm lens but it is good for price. Handles interior shots very well (with assitance of photoshop lens distortion filter), ie, no color problems near edges. Also, great outdoor beach/water shots with polarizer. Finally, surprisingly good portraits, especially chldren.
|
|
 May 11, 2006
|
|
platypus
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Oct 29, 2005
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 0
|
|
Review Date: May 9, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
|
|
Pros:
|
Well built, sharp, 3 year guarantee (in UK), HSM focusing.
|
|
Cons:
|
A bit heavy, slightly inconsistent across frame, focus problems 10-14mm.
|
|
|
Finally orderded this lens a few weeks ago after reading most of the web reviews. Could not afford the Canon efs 10-22mm.
First copy exhibited poor flatness of field between 10-14mm unless stopped down to f11 and beyond- the right 25% was blurred. So I sent it back to the retailer who duly swpped it for another.
Same problem on repalcement so I sent it to Sigma UK who sent out a (tested) replacement.
I was pretty perplexed to discover this third sample had the same problem so investigated manually focusing between 10-14mm. Problem is mainly solved by the workaround of setting manual focus on infinity at these focal lengths. Now I get nice sharp images side to side at F5.6 onwards (though there is slight falloff in sharpness at edges at 10mm as you would expect)
It seems that my 300D front focuses rather on big depth of field setting at these focal lengths and this accentuates a slight problem of decentring. Maybe the internal focusing group of lenses is a little loose and is knocked out of skew by the autofocus action (that's my theory anyway).
But I would recommend this lens - Manual focusing doesn't really slow me down because at wide settings the lens has to be used with care anyway.
Build quality is as impressive as any Sigma I've seen, and the HSM focusing, above mentioned problems aside, is pretty good.
And did I mention what fun an ultrawide is to use? Great for architecture and interiors!
|
|
|
May 9, 2006
|
|
kevindar
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: May 6, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 1929
|
|
Review Date: May 8, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $350.00
| Rating: 8
|
|
Pros:
|
fast accurate focusing, nice build, works on 10d, and I have even tried it on ff camera.
|
|
Cons:
|
not sharp in the corners wide open, CA
|
|
|
I dont do a lot of wide angle shots, but love the ones I have taken. The borders from 10-14 are soft wide open, but improve some by stopping down. it works on full frame, covering the field completely from 17-200, an usuble (of course after doing some cropping) from 10-17. built quality and focusing is excellent.
|
|
|
May 8, 2006
|
|
Petrus
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Feb 17, 2005
Location: Poland
Posts: 160
|
|
Review Date: May 6, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $550.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Good image quality, good build quality, fast focus, good price, very good colours, constant results, unbelivable sharp at 20mm .....AND IT'S WIDEEEEEE!!!!!!.... MORE THAN YOU'LL EVER NEED!!!
|
|
Cons:
|
Front lens cup is cheap... and can't be attached when hood is on... thats all..... great lens !!!
|
|
|
I happened to post a sharpnes test of this lens at FM just after I got one of the first glass that reachad my country in August 2005.
As a wideangle maniac I just love it. 2mm between 12 and 10 do counts for me... I like constant results this lens gives... just go and buy it... WIDE IS BETTER!!!
|
|
|
May 6, 2006
|
|
cdryall
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Mar 19, 2005
Location: South Africa
Posts: 0
|
|
Review Date: May 4, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $400.00
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
2nd Copy I have is stellar - just continues to amaze me - would have been a 10 rating if not that first copy had the common right defocussing issue - Sigma has to get its QC issues corrected! Still - get a goodie and you will NOT be disappointed. Excllent build, value and side to side resolution....
|
|
Cons:
|
QC????? thats almost all............
|
|
|
|
|
|
May 4, 2006
|
|
MARTHIN
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Apr 18, 2005
Location: Brazil
Posts: 0
|
|
Review Date: May 2, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Very sharp, fast and fantastic colors.
|
|
Cons:
|
nobe
|
|
|
This lens is really just the best bang for buck out there at the moment. I couldn't imagine parting with my lens and will probably keep it for a very, very long time. On my Canon XT it is exteremly wide and sometimes I almost think it is to wide for general use, however this lens will always be in my bag it is just to darn useful. On a 1.6 crop I believe this lens would be close to perfect for general photography.
|
|
|
May 2, 2006
|
|
onder
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Nov 2, 2005
Location: Turkey
Posts: 50
|
|
Review Date: May 2, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $450.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
10 is wide, there is a huge different than 12. Sharp.
|
|
Cons:
|
loose back caps and front cap but not a real problem.
|
|
|
I think this is one of the best ultra-wide zoom ever for Nikon. Thank Sigma.
|
|
|
May 2, 2006
|
|
Leeuwen
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Feb 24, 2006
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 0
|
|
Review Date: May 1, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
|
|
Pros:
|
Build, zoom range
|
|
Cons:
|
Impossible to get Lenscap of when the hood is on.
|
|
|
Bought it before a vacation to Nepal.
It had an absolute beating there but it survived graciously.
None of the mentioned problems with unsharp/unfocussed images on my Canon EOS 350 (Rebel xt)
|
|
|
May 1, 2006
|
|
mlade10
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Oct 7, 2005
Location: Serbia & Montenegro
Posts: 0
|
|
Review Date: Apr 14, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 5
|
|
Pros:
|
Sigma EX standard qualities ( if you like them ):solid build and style, fast and quiet HMS, relatively light and small, included lens bag and hood, price
|
|
Cons:
|
at 10mm right third of the image unacceptable( soft, blurred, defocused )
|
|
|
Till now enjoyed Sigma's EX product line.
My copy of 10-20 leaves me with the mixed feeling.Obvious problem with right 20-25% part of the image at 10mm ( ridiculously soft, blurred, defocused ). Rest of the image clear and sharp.
At 20mm good to excellent in all aspects.
Obvious quality control issue.
Try to test this lens before buying, if possible. If no, alternative is to send it back to local Sigma center (if 'defocused'), but following Sigma's 'guarantee therms and conditions', customer pays for 'in and out' sending costs, so it adds to the price.
If good copy, then great value for many.
Anyhow mine goes back to Sigma Benelux for repair. Hopefully happy, when it's back.
|
|
|
Apr 14, 2006
|
|
Georg Dittié
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Dec 14, 2003
Location: Germany
Posts: 37
|
|
Review Date: Apr 12, 2006
|
Recommend? no |
Price paid: $450.00
| Rating: 5
|
|
Pros:
|
really ultrawide for APS-C sensor cameras
amazingly low distortion
|
|
Cons:
|
zoom lens, a 10 mm prime would be better
very bad (no ?) quality check after manufacturing
plastic barrel with large tolerances
|
|
|
This lens makes me feel very ambivalent. It is the only ultra wide with no distortion for the Canon 10D, which cannot use EF-S lenses, but the image and particular the build quality are the worst I've ever seen from Sigma.
My copy is useless with full aperture at 10 mm. The right quarter of the image is not only soft, its defocused. The overall focus is allways to short, I have to focus it beyond the infinity mark to get usable images. I assume to large manufacturing tolerances of the plastic barrel of the lens.
The situation is less severe for 15mm and longer. With 20 mm the lens delivers nice and crisp images despite the focussing issue.
I don't expect perfect images from such an extreme retrofocus zoom lens, but I expect symmetrical images and nor a decentered and defocussed lens.
But there is a workaround: Switch the AF off. Stop the lens down at least to 8.0 Fix the focus ring with tape to the focus position which delivers the best image and use the lens as a fix focus design: The depth of field is incredible large at 10mm / 8.0 Focussing is not neccessary.
With theese settings the lens delivers an image quality which can be use up o 6*9" prints. CA ist visible, but not disturbing, same for vignetting (which is an principal issue for ultra wides !). The distortion ist amazingly low.
Since I lost the guarantee card and throw away the original box, I have no chance to return it, I have to live with the limitations.
I can't recommend this lens, to design a zoom lens in combination with an extreme retrofocus desing as an ultra wide is in my opinion still beyond our optical skills. A prime with better mechanics and a trace of quality check before delivery would be preferable.
The better alternative is to use the Sigma 15/2.8 fisheye with a defishing software afterwards. The 15/2.8 fisheye is a really decent lens and tack sharp from corner to corner, not to speak about the additional 3 stops !
|
|
|
Apr 12, 2006
|
|
teglis
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Aug 31, 2004
Location: Canada
Posts: 1094
|
|
Review Date: Apr 10, 2006
|
Recommend? no |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 3
|
|
Pros:
|
Price, field-of-view at 10mm
|
|
Cons:
|
Focus, soft
|
|
|
Since switching from film to digital SLRs in 2003, and buying a number of lenses, this is probably the worst. In the store I tested it against the Canon 10-22 by shooting pictures of the building across the street. The two appeared to peform similarly. Unfortunately, those were the best pictures I got out of this lens; it's been downhill ever since, even though I purchased the copy I tested with.
Pictures are consistently soft and lack the oomph of a good crisp super wide angle image. I suspect this is due to the lens's inability to focus consistently (on a Canon 20D). Each time you press the button, the HSM hunts for a focus point--even if you're still shooting exactly the same scene. I could not trust it to produce a decent shot.
The lens produces moustache distortion--harder to correct than the barrel distortion of many other lenses. Fortunately it's not that obvious in most real world shooting situations.
In the 18-20mm range that overlaps the Sigma 18-125, the latter consistently produces better results, even though it doesn't have HSM and is not an EX lens.
Since getting the FF Canon 5D, which makes wide angle lenses wide angle again, the Sigma 10-20 has sat on a shelf. I eventually sold it, even though I still use the 20D.
|
|
|
Apr 10, 2006
|
|
crosstrainer
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Jan 7, 2006
Location: Philippines
Posts: 0
|
|
Review Date: Apr 8, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $540.00
| Rating: 9
|
|
Pros:
|
Light, nice EX finish, 77mm diameter, HSM
|
|
Cons:
|
price - in the philippines, not constant f/4
|
|
About 2 months ago, I was agonizing whether to purchase a wide angle lens or a nice macro lens. This was a few days before visiting the beach paradise island of BORACAY here in the Philippines.
I'm glad I purchased this lens instead of a macro.
The angles:
10-20mm is not something that I'm used to and composing shots can be very tricky. A small angular mistake leads to devastating results, because of the inherent distortional effects of wide angles.
However, knowing the predictable distortion of this lens, you can have fun with kids! Compose images with them at the corners and see them laugh at their anamorphic images, with either huge foreheads or extra long chins, funny wide arms and what have you.
The build:
I already have a sigma 28mm f/1.8 and loved it, so finding out that this 10-20mm lens is built practically the same way is a major plus! IT's short and stocky, with a nice rubbery finish. Plastic components all around, but i can't complain because it makes everything weigh in just fine.
They also threw in a petal hood, which works great when sunny. But do take care not to interchange the 28mm's hood with the 10-20mm's hood. you'll end up with ugly black borders because at 10mm you can see the edges of the 28mm's hood.
Filters:
don't bother with non-multicoated filters as this lens is prone to flares and ghosting. I just put the filters on as protection and remove them when I shoot. Stack two filters and you'll find yourself vignetting.
Some photos:
sunset at boracay
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chewychua/100741761/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chewychua/100120962
beach chairs - notice the black bars at the left edge of the image. damn! wrong petal hood!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chewychua/100378160/
overcast beach - with vignetting dark edges
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chewychua/100129591
distorted portrait
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chewychua/100129588
thanks for looking!
|
|
|
Apr 8, 2006
|
|
juberisk2
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Sep 16, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 380
|
|
Review Date: Apr 7, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $500.00
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
sharp, well built, good value
|
|
Cons:
|
cap and hood not on par with EX quality
|
|
|
L-quality sharpness at most f-stops, but wish it were a little sharper at the smaller stops (say, f16), since this is a wide angle lens and thus a landscape lens for many. all in all, superb sharpness. and really good value compared to nikon/canon offerings and the only 3rd party ultra wide that goes to 10mm (v. tokina, tamron). minimal distortion, which is good enough for this focal range. the lens cap feels loose, and the hood is a bitch to initially put on...usually takes a minutes or two to find the groove before twisting it on. the lens itself though is highly recommended if you are okay with what it is....an f4-5.6, APS-C sensor designed ultra wide angle rectilinear lens.......well, it's more fun than it sounds.
|
|
|
Apr 7, 2006
|
|
Remy
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Mar 9, 2005
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 177
|
|
Review Date: Apr 2, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $450.00
| Rating: 8
|
|
Pros:
|
Fast focus with HSM, EX quality build, good zoom and focus ring, full-time manual focus override. Also, 10mm wide end is just great.
|
|
Cons:
|
not too sharp wide open, not f/4 all the way like its bigger brother the 12-24 or the 12-24 offerings from Nikon/Tokina. Also (not for me but maybe other people) not meant for full frame: it's a DC-lens.
|
|
|
Bought this lens in december and it's a keeper: fast and silent AF, great wide view, EX build quality and good optics. I use it on a D70 and have made several hundred shots with it. The ultrawide is something you need to get used to: 20mm is 'regular' but zoom out to 10 and you have a great wide view.
Some less nice things which keep this lens from getting a perfect ten are: not so sharp wide open, stopping down one or two stops helps a lot: also not f/4 all the way when you need that extra stop, but then again: for the price it simply can't be beaten.
|
|
|
Apr 2, 2006
|
|
nostro
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Apr 2, 2006
Location: Switzerland
Posts: 0
|
|
Review Date: Apr 2, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
|
|
Pros:
|
Focal length, sharpness, build!, price
|
|
Cons:
|
nothing spectacular
|
|
|
I'm using this lens on a Nikon D70. It performs very well.
Nikon offers almost the same lens (12-24mm) for double the price but not double the quality.
|
|
|
Apr 2, 2006
|
|
jerrybsmith
Offline
Image Upload: Off
Registered: Jul 31, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 27
|
|
Review Date: Apr 2, 2006
|
Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 5
|
|
Pros:
|
Beautiful construction and design. Comes with hood and lens pouch.
|
|
Cons:
|
Poor image quality
|
|
|
I wanted this to be an affordable option to the Canon 10-24 but saw with the first shot that the right side was out of focus. Ran some tests and all f-stops and shutter speeds and the right side remained blurry. Took it back and paid the extra money for the Canon and am very happy.
|
|
|
Apr 2, 2006
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reviews
|
Views
|
Date of last review
|
|
165
|
383088
|
Jan 18, 2012
|
|
|
Recommended By
|
Average Price
|
|
84% of reviewers
|
$472.26
|
|
|
Build Quality Rating
|
Price Rating
|
Overall Rating
|
|
8.92
|
8.93
|
8.4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
