This is my fifth Sigma lens, and I couldn't be happier with it. Because of it's f/1.8, don't expect much depth of field when shooting wide open. Especially in close ups, that's the trade off for low light capability. This lens has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for me with indoor photography when a flash is inapppropriate (performances, candids, etc.). The wide angle is not so extreme that I have to deal with distortion at the edges, but in close ups it creates a different perspective on the subject, especially with faces. I also own a 10-20mm zoom which I use primarily for architectural shots, but this is my go-to lens for landscapes, group portraits and low light situations.

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Build quality
Wide aperture
Wide angle

Can be a little slow focusing in low light but this is an acceptable trade off.

This is an extremely underrated lens in my view. When I mentioned to some photographers that I bought a sigma wide angle over a canon, there was a little debate that went one but I have no regrets.

For a start, this opens to f1.8 and comes with the hood and is 20mm - Canon don't do a lens close to this spec. Forget image stabilisation - it is not necessary at f1.8 and though a little heavy, the lens is small enough to hand hold well.

Mounts well on my 1v and the build quality is good.

Sure its heavy but that also indicates decent build quality. I have had this lens for 7 years now and not had a problem with it.

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Canon EF 50mm f1.4, EF 70-200 f2.8 IS USM, EF 24-70mm f2.8

Composition is a breeze. I can finally shoot the way the articles describe pictures in Popular Photography. I don't have to place my subject smack dab in the middle of every shot!

I lvoe the physical size. It's a pain after an hour of it hanging around my neck, but that's the exception. When I justify having the DSLR in tow - I can justify this lens.

Quality materials - from a "how it feels in the palm of my hand" perspective.

I'll own this lens for a long time. The guts of my DSLR will upgrade, and I anticipate seeing even better results from this lens.

Gone are my orange tinted gym photos!

Would VR help - only if the price stayed below $350 :)

I really like this lens. I found a close-out 50mm 1.4 and loved the speed. I shoot family and friends most of the time. I take my D70 places that I initially took my N80, and decided that getting everyone/thing into the picture, with low lighting issues, was too discouraging for anything but fast speed lens.

This is the lens that got me to use RAW (NEF). The pics are huge - I crop what I want, and things look incredibly sharp to my untrained eye. There are technical terms galore for the specifics of my photos; however, I can compose in a hurry, snap a bunch of pics, and marvel at the outcome.

The best accessories I picked up to go with the lens was some EXTREME IV 8gb nuclear fast memory cards, and the generic expodisc from a guy in colorado. The fast memory cards, white balance set and forget, and the low light capabilities of this monster glass have me smiling at results.

The little 50mm Quantarray 1.4, a Nikon 85mm 1.8, the Sigma 20MM, and a Sigma outdoor 70-300mm 4.5-6 Macro Zoom, all have space in my bag.

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None. This is big glass.

Excellent finish. Nice hood that you can fix back to front when not in use. Apparently well built. Good contrast and colour. Low distortion. Very sharp indeed above f.4. Useful wide aperture. Nice case.

The barrel does not twist much during focussing, and the depth of field is low. This makes it a great lens for architectural photography.

AF/MF gear sometimes gets moved accidentally off its setting.

I purchased this a few months ago, and it immediately became one of my favourite lenses. I have been using the lens with a Fuji S2 digital SLR and have obtained absolutely excellent results. With my DSLR, there is no vignetting and the lens is very sharp at all apertures above f4. Contrast and colour are very good (with a slight hint of Sigma yellow, which I don't mind). It is excellent for photography on dull winter days, and for indoor photography by ambient light. I simply cannot understand why some reviewers have found fault with this lens. and can only explain this by sample variation, though my experience with Sigma's EX lenses is that quality control issues are less of a problem than with earlier lenses. Provided you get a good one, I can unreservedly recommend this lens as a bright wideangle prime for DSLRs.

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Nikkor 18-70mmG DX S
Sigma 24mm Superwide II

I agree with those who say this lens performs poorly below f8. For a fixed focal length lens, I consider it reasonably expensive. Stopped down in the range f2.8-f5.6 I expected a lot more. My web page has an outdoor test sequence of this lens against the Canon EF-S 10-22mm. cheers Phil.

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Canon EF-S 10-22mm Canon EF-S 18-55mm

When used at f/8 or 11, it's a reasonably cheap 20mm.

Soft focus at large apertures. Hard to focus manually.

What an awful purchase I made. I've been working with this lens for almost 6 months now, and after aprox. 5,000 images taken, I can flatly, and without a doubt say, this is a piece of crap. Images are soft at anything wider than 5.6. Somebody needs to explain to me why should I pay for a f/1.8 when I can only use it after f/8. Yes, you can take good photos with it, and I have. But then you need to keep your camera on aperture priority and otherwise think about exposure in moments when you rather not. All my good pictures are when I've had time to fiddle with the lens. When I want to fiddle with a camera, I'll take my Canon F1 from the closet. What I bought was an autofocus (and slow at that it is) lens with an aperture wide range (and that it is not).

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Low Light. Macro.

Not critically sharp wide open.

Don't listen to the detractors. This lens isn't for them. They use tri-pods and tight f-stops... what they call "proper" technique. The Singma 20mm f1.8 is the best wide angle walking around lens for the Nikon mount. Since it's f1.8, you can get excellent shutter speeds even by candle light or moonlight. The wide area of coverage makes it easy to hand-hold down to 1/15 or 1/8. If you bump the ISO, you can capture semi-action shots in the middle of the night. No it's not critically sharp until you close down to f8, but f1.8 still prints beautifully at 8x10. For digital shooters, you're looking at 30mm, making this lens the spiritual heir to the Nikon 28mm f1.4, a lens which is also criticised for not being critically sharp wide open. A lens which is also revered for its low light abilities.

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Nikon 28mm f1.4

Cheap and fast

unacceptable vignetting

I do not like this lens. I bought this because of the reviews I read and the price to go with it; however, you get what you pay for. I have used this lens for wedding and landscape photography and have noticed a lot of vignetting on the corners. It is pretty unacceptable for me. However, for $369.00 what should I have expected? Other than that the lens has not given me any problems. I guess I have to stick to the L series from Canon. I’ll probably be selling it soon.

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Canon Zoom Super Wide Angle EF 16-35mm f/2.8L

Tack sharp results Edge to edge brightness and contrast No distortion F1.8 Well built, EX finish Very large depth of field Creative shots Hand held in low light Acceptable AF performance

Expensive filters(they are 82mm!) Vignetting possible in indoor flash photography 2 step AF-MF switch

Sigma 20mm EX is an exceptionally well made lens. Performance is extremely satisfactory. It is almost indispensable for me to go without it when I am outdoors. Takes very good wide angle shots of buildings, parks and friends and family picnicking in the park. Shots have come very sharp and crisp with edge to edge brightness and sharpness. 20mm wide angle focal length gives you a very large depth of field which is essential for taking shots of wide open outdoors, filling your frame with a large expanse of ground/sky. Fast f1.8 aperture will let you take snaps indoors in natural light and hand-held shots of lighted buildings etc. in night time. Rear focusing feature of this lens results in fast AF and also the length of the lens remains same. Macro shots of subjects will give you convex mirror type of fascinating images and one can produce far more interesting effects depending on one's creativity. Indoor flash photography may give rise to vignetting due to ultra wide nature of the lens as most flashes cover only 28mm span. This may probably be solved by using a wide angle attachment on the flash which to my disappointment was not available for my flash (Pentax AF-280T). Also 82mm filters may prove to be expensive. But I think a filter is essential for this lens as the front element glass is very near to the filter area. All said this is an extremely satisfying buy (most bang for bucks) which gives you great results.

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Sigma 105mm f2.8 EX Sigma 28-200 DL Sigma 70-210 UC APO Tokina SZX 28-70

- great optics - best speed ever in a 20mm (f1.8) - close focus is very good indeed - Internal focus - EX fit and finish - good price and value - manual focus smooth and well damped

- 86mm filter size - I bit large and heavy

This is a wonderfull lens! I use it on the 300d and an Elan II both of which provide excellent results. Comes with a wide angle hood and 7 year warranty (Canada). This Lens makes a great option instead of the 17-35, 19-35 etc...Not may zooms will come close to this prime in terms of sharpnes, lack of distortion & contrast.

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- tamron 17f3.5 AD2