p.3 #1 · Nikon 12-24mm vs. Sigma 12-24mm - Updated
lordarka wrote:
The mroe good things I hear about that Sigma, the more interested in it I become. As a canon shooter on a 1.6x crop, good WA'a re not easy to come by. I LOVE my 17-40 f/4, but I am finding that in many situations, it just isn't wide enough. That Sigma looks like it's a stellar performer! I just tried it out on a D100 the other day, and I was pretty impressed with the build quality.
Question. I assume that is an FTM ring on the lens?
Thanks for sharing your experiences with us Mark!
Arka C.
Arka,
Yes the Sigma has full-time manual focus (FTM); that's "auto focus with manual overide" for Nikon users. It has a rather nice feel to it, too.
p.3 #2 · Nikon 12-24mm vs. Sigma 12-24mm - Updated
Mark,
I must say I'm very much impressed with this shot. I also visited your site, and got impressed even more with the rest of your professional work... WAW! I am learning important PS skill here. May I ask you to elaborate more on what you called "3-shot HDR image"... I understand you used bracketing with different stop values to catch all highlights and shadow details, but how do you merge these three layers in Photoshop? Please excuse my ignorance as I'm new to PS, but would highly appreciate your advice. Thanks
Camille
p.3 #3 · Nikon 12-24mm vs. Sigma 12-24mm - Updated
Camille wrote:
Mark,
I must say I'm very much impressed with this shot. I also visited your site, and got impressed even more with the rest of your professional work... WAW! I am learning important PS skill here. May I ask you to elaborate more on what you called "3-shot HDR image"... I understand you used bracketing with different stop values to catch all highlights and shadow details, but how do you merge these three layers in Photoshop? Please excuse my ignorance as I'm new to PS, but would highly appreciate your advice. Thanks
Camille
I'd love to say I combine the images using one specific workflow, but beyond the fact that I use layer masks my approach varies depending on the characteristics of the image. If I'm filling in a sky I'll use just two images, one for the foreground, one for the sky. Fred's HDR action is really good for this kind of work, automates the process ofr you.
Things get trickier with architecture & light sources in the image. I'll use the over-exposed image to bring back shadow detail; I'll use the under-exposed image to bring back highlights. I use adjustment layers (curves and levels) as well as shadow recovery to 'equalize' the midtones. This is important to the different exposures blend into each other. Sometimes I'll render each bracketed frame more than once, using exposure compensation. I'm shooting RAW for everything.
They bottom layer is the 'standard' exposure. I stack the other images on top, using 'layer mask: hide all' and then painting in the parts I want. There is an art to it, practice is the only way to get good at it.
p.3 #4 · Nikon 12-24mm vs. Sigma 12-24mm - Updated
Bear's out what I have been told and have said for some time and that is Sigma make some damn fine glass. I think you'll be happy with your choice Mark.
I have several Sigma's and have never regretted having bought them.
p.3 #5 · Nikon 12-24mm vs. Sigma 12-24mm - Updated
MozzMann wrote:
Bear's out what I have been told and have said for some time and that is Sigma make some damn fine glass. I think you'll be happy with your choice Mark.
I have several Sigma's and have never regretted having bought them.
It's my second Sigma, I owned the 8mm fisheye for a while. I didn't have much use for it so I sold it, but I thought it was a good lens. I think this is a great lens.
p.3 #6 · Nikon 12-24mm vs. Sigma 12-24mm - Updated
Here's another shot from the 12-24. A perfect application for a 12mm. Note how there is no light falloff, nor is there any barrel distortion to speak of. Soft corners? Definitely not.
The Sigma 12-24 is the best lens I've used so far for wide-angle architecture on a 1.5X crop digital SLR.
This image was shot on a Fuji S2 Pro, RAW rendered in Photoshop CS.
Sigma 12-24mm @ 12mm, ISO 100, 2 Seconds, f/11
p.3 #9 · Nikon 12-24mm vs. Sigma 12-24mm - Updated
kai.huang wrote:
hmm interesting reads between sigma and nikon. for me, the purchase of the nikon version was pure luck. am very happy with it
the image below was taken with the nikon's 12-24 on fuji s2pro. grad filter was hand held and some post work on the sky was done on photoshop cs.
Yes, that's the look of 12mm on a 1.5X sensor, and a nice subject as well. I had the opportunity to try both lenses (as you've seen) and I'd be happy with either one. I'm loving the S2 pro, it doesn't feel like an 'old' camera at all.
p.3 #12 · Nikon 12-24mm vs. Sigma 12-24mm - Updated
Mark I have to say you have changed my mind about Sigma glass. At least this lens. I am not sure whether I am impressed more with your technique and style or this lens.
Put them together and these are some mighty fine images.
p.3 #13 · Nikon 12-24mm vs. Sigma 12-24mm - Updated
thanks for giving me that last little push I needed... ordered my Sigma 12-24 this afternoon...
great matter-of-fact comments on the lens Mark, and it says a lot coming from you... I've been a big fan of your work.
This lens means a lot to a Canon shooter because, like you said, there just isn't much out there for us on the wide end... Nikon owns the wide glass imo. Again, thanks for the time and sharing... much appreciated.
p.3 #14 · Nikon 12-24mm vs. Sigma 12-24mm - Updated
The U.K.'s "Amateur Photographer" (The World's Number One Weekly Photo Magazine) has tested this lens (on a Canon EOS) in their currrent issue, and they give it the thumbs-up.
The main findings are:
Specification: 27/30
Build: 18/20
Handling: 18/20
Peformance: 28/30 with an Overall Rating of 91%
state-of-the-art pioneering design; performance is first class; a very high quality lens that has been corrected to exceptional standards; for such wide angles in a zoom there are few obvious aberrations; vignetting is less of a problem than we would expect from such wideangle focal lenghts; there is very little curvilinear distortion to worry about: most is mild barrelling while pincushion only appears at the longer focal lenghts when focus is at 10m or beyond; the most significant distortion appears in the widest focal-length setting when the lens is focussed beyond 10m
- Test by Geoffrey Crawley
"Amateur Photographer" - 21st Feb.'04 - £1.99 out now, go and get it www.amateurphotographer.com
p.3 #17 · Nikon 12-24mm vs. Sigma 12-24mm - Updated
This shot is a good example of the sharpness achievable with the Sigma. Take a look at the 100% crop (6 megapixel RAW render), what more could you ask for?
p.3 #18 · Nikon 12-24mm vs. Sigma 12-24mm - Updated
hehe
the lens seems to exhibit a bit of ghosting near the bottom and the corners
scary
J
I might just have to sell this Nikkor Mark, everyone is out of stock on it and it is high demand and I want to get the Sigma and the Nikkor Fish and probably come out darn near even
p.3 #19 · Nikon 12-24mm vs. Sigma 12-24mm - Updated
jmcfadden wrote:
hehe
the lens seems to exhibit a bit of ghosting near the bottom and the corners
scary
Not a darned thing I could do to get rid of those pesky ghosts. I'll have to attack them with my clone!
Unless you were frequently using filters with the Nikkor 12-24mm I doubt you'd miss it much. Can you try it out at your local shop? You might want to use the Sigma for a few days before selling the Nikkor, just in case.
I'd like to give Nikon's DX Fisheye a try too. I'd better put it on my list (page 6, line 43 of my list, that is).
p.3 #20 · Nikon 12-24mm vs. Sigma 12-24mm - Updated
The bottom photo (Sectarion's previos post) seems to exhibit signs of barrel distortion -- might be fixable in PS --- I think if you tried the same shot on a FF or film camera it would be significantly more pronounced.
However on a less than FF camera (1.5X etc) it's certainly value for money and I do like the pics.
... everytime you walk by the Reuters building at Times Square, remember I have a place there - could be watching you. 
