Very wide

the stupid lens cap

I pick it up on E-Bay for €160 with all the original packaging and documentation. The old owner calmed he had only used it 3 times (I dought it had been even used that much, total mint condition). The first thing that you see it the front element its enormous and looks like it could be a fish eyes. I was surprised it is very sharp from F4.5 and excellent at F8, and very usable at F3.5

IMHO it works better on a digital crop than a FF (or film) camera as the distortion is extreme around the edges, abut naturally cropped out on the 7D and A700

AF isn't the fastest in the world and seems slower with close moving objects, but is more than acceptable with a stationary and/or distant subject.

All in all so far I am very happy with this lens so far

Customer Service

not used

Similar Products Used:

Sigma 10-20mm

Bought this lens out of curiosity rather than necessity to use with my A100. A bargain compared to other similar lenses and the 2.8 version. No surprise that you need to be careful about flare due to the super wide frame, but overall it is an amazing lens for the money. Looking forward to using it on an upcoming trip to Europe!

Only downsides is that it is surprisingly heavy considering it's only 4" long and you need to be very careful to protect the bulbous front element. I have found the lens cap collar can tend to slip off if you don't keep an eye on it.

Surprisingly low distortion. Great bang for the buck for ultra-wide. Half an f-stop is not worth it for the 14/2.8 beheamoths (which I also suspect are softer reaching for that extra 1/2 a stop).

Not sturdy enough to hammer nails. Some light falloff to be expected at 14mm.

My monopod night shot at 1/15th of and wide open of a London building shows no distortion and mortar lines between the bricks crisp and straight out to the corners. When I made the plunge from Canon manual to auto-focus, the Sigma 14/3.5 was the *only* lens I "repurchased." Takes a bit of care composing to avoid flare--no surprise there.

Customer Service

Excellent. Dropped lens (FD version), entire rear mount and diaphragm actuator mechanisms came off with some pieces breaking. Repair was relatively quick and reasonable.

Similar Products Used:

20-35/2.8L FD, 24/2.0 FD, 17-35/2.8L EOS

Price/performance -- wow! Compactness. Solid build quality. Mechanical performance at subzero temperatures. Non-"digital" lens.

Not perfect, but this is to be expected.

Purchased the lense in August. It was purchased specifically for all-sky photography on a DSLR body. It was to supplement a Nikkor 20 f2.8, but the Nikkor now rides shotgun. I gave up a stop for dramtic, grand-scale coverage. It is especially a good performer for aurora photography. I shoot the lens wide open all the time, and while not as sharp as the Nikkor at f2.8, I am satisfied with my results. I use the camera/lense system in extreme cold, so I am forever having to bag my equipment before venturing into any warm spaces with humidity. The compactness of this lens allows me to place camera with lense in a gallon-sized Ziploc Freezer Bag along with desiccant.

Customer Service

None.

Similar Products Used:

Nikkor 20 mm. AF-D.

Small and compact, very good contrast, very good angle of view.

No lens protection, no UV filter attachment on front of lens.

Probably one of the best lenses I have ever shot with in the wide angle arena. I use it on a Digital SLR (D1 and S1 Pro) and can pull 21mm equivilent out of it because of my 1:1.5 ratio. Awesome clarity (beat my 24mm Nikkor) and great contrast. Plus the lens is very very small and compact.

Customer Service

Not Used

Similar Products Used:

Nikkor 24mm, Quantaray 17-35mm

Lens build seems quite good and flaring can be controlled with the best lens hood of all - your hand. Depth of field is not an issue with this focal length.

None outside of the precautions that should be used with a super wide angle focal.

When one considers the issues associated with using a 14mm lenses and uses the lens appropriately, this is a fantastic lens capable of presenting landscape photos in a unique and creative manner.

Customer Service

None required

Similar Products Used:

None

Well made, allows unusual compositions

Flare, easy to damage the lens as the glass protudes and no skylight filter can be used.

As long as you realise the limitiations with flare the lens is very usable. Built to a good standard it will enable shots that you never thought possible! Autofocus is quick and accurate but, hey, most things are in focus with this kind of depth of field. Good value if you can find a second hand one.

Customer Service

Never used them

Similar Products Used:

Cosina 17-35mm, Tamron 28-200, Sigma 110 MACRO

1. Good , solid construction. All metal barrel and mount and designed for heavy/pro use.

2. Good / sharp images to 11"x 14". Use apertures of f5.6 or smaller

3. Focuses to 7" - perfect for distortion close-up effects.

4. Nice color rendition.

5. The cheapest 14mm in the market

6. Focusing is easy. I use a manual focus version on my Nikon N90s.

7. Rectilinear and keeps straight lines straight. OK for architectural shots.

1. Prone to flare. But what 14mm is not? Even Canon's 14mm F2.8 is prone to flare. However' Sigma's is not so bad. Avoid sun-in-frame shots.

2. Heavy and bulky towards the front end similar to other 14mm lenses.

3. Vignetting is quite apparent wide open. Use smaller stops , f5.6 or smaller.

4. Difficult to install filters since it uses a rear mounted gelatin cutout. where can I buy gelatin polarizer?

1. Performance overall is not as bad as mentioned below by the previous rater. I think it's actually good. Just avoid shooting with the sun in frame.
2. Close focusing is a desirable feature.
3. The build is very good - pro level.
4. This lens is cheap compared to others of similar FL. If you want a 14mm for your work, buy this without fear. Just keep it's limitations in mind and you can't go wrong.

Customer Service

responds fast and repairs are good

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 14mm

Low price, rectilinear

Excessive light falloff
some distortion
hardly usable photos

I sold the lens at whatever price they gave me,
stay away

Similar Products Used:

18mm Nikkor

1. Really good construction quality.
2. Fast and silent.
3. Integrated blend.
4. Compact.
5. Low price.
6. Good picture sharpness - I did 20*30 cm without visible problems.
7. Rectilinear.
8. No color distortion

1. It is not APO lens, so there are visible chromatic aberrations in the corners.
2. Flare. But I have sun-in-frame pictures WITHOUT quality degradation (with good contrast).

1. Perfect price/performance value.
2. If you newer use such a extremely specific lens, it is easy to get "hardly usable photos".
To use it, you MUST know exactly why to use 14 mm, what do you want to say on this picture with these precise effects... And the result will be outstanding

Customer Service

Not needed

Similar Products Used:

Minolta AF 16 mm