Image quality is superb from f2.8 down. I use a D1x so the edge definition is unknown because of the 1.5x factor. At about half the price of the Nikon 20mm f2.8, the Sigma is a winner, especially as it has Aspherical elements and the Nikon does not.

Silly AF/M switch, cheap looking finish, the gold stripe around the end of the lens looks like a piece of stick-on tape and will probably peel off the moment I look crooked at it.

Good lens, really good colour rendition, contrast and sharpness. No flare problems in sunlight. Blows my Nikon 28mm f2.8 out of the water. This is the sharpest wideeangle prime lens I have ever used.

Customer Service

Not yet.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 28mm f2.8, Nikon 28-105 f3.5-4.5, Nikon 28-200 f3.5-5.6. Various Olympus & Tamrons in the deep dark past.

Very sharp, excellent colour fidelity, no viginetting at wide apertures and an f1.8 to boot. Also, unlike other reviewers, I like the AF/MF switch by sliding the focusing collor forward or back. Disingaging the collor allows me to hold the lens with out restricting the focus motor.

A bit large, but to be expected for an f1.8

Excellent superwide. Very cost effective and both optical and build quality are of very high quality. I am particularly impressed with the optical performance.

Customer Service

Not required.

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This is the widest lens I have owned (used). Previously have used up to 24mm wide. The difference is significant.

1.lens speed

funky af/mf switch

this is a great bargain for a lens of this

Customer Service

haven''''t had to use

Similar Products Used:

18mm-35mm ed if nikon zoom

Very sharp centers at all apertures. Sharp overall at F/4+. Solid build. Quick AF. EX finish has good feel.

Heavy vignetting wide open, poor corner sharpness wide open. No Full Time Manual Focusing.

This is a solid lens with impressive optical performance. The color balance is perfect, and is it sharp and contrasty. Wide open center sharpness is surprisingly good, but corners are about one stop underexposed (without filters) and fairly soft. Vignetting is much lower at F/2.8 and gone at F/4. Corner sharpness also improves greatly even at F/2.8, and approaches center sharpness at F/4. Autofocus speed is superb at distances greater than 3 feet, since it hardly needs to move. It''s also quiet for the same reason. AF is quick and accurate. The two step switch from AF to MF is annoying but it has a nice advantage for astrophotography or northern lights shooting. With the switch set to MF and the ring set to AF, there is no risk of accidentally bumping the focus away from infinity. Also the big comfortable focus ring doesn''t move during autofocus because of the two step process. Without this it would be hard to handle the lens. Still, not as good as Canon''s Full time manual focusing. The close focusing is interesting, since wide angle close ups have a unique look. It''s awkward, however, having your subject 2 inches from the glass. Distortion is very well corrected in this wide angle lens. It is somewhat stronger at closest focusing distance. I''ve heard complaints about the EX finish and I expected a gaudy sparkly overwhelming finish, but it''s not bad at all. In strong light just a little glint from a nice flat black, almost rubbery feeling finish. So far it''s held up to abuse. Great value since at F2.8 it performs better than Canons pro zoom lenses and close to canons 20mm F/2.8 USM, but it gets an extra stop and a third at a cheaper price. 4 stars because it''s not perfect and the vignetting wide open.

Customer Service

Responded to a simple question I had in a matter of hours.

Similar Products Used:

EF 17-35L USM, EF 20-35 USM

well made and finished construction, high optical quality.

The dam**d and uncomfortable MF/AF Switch design

Good lens, very well made and with high quality optical results. It is very sharp and reproduce color very well, with a good background blur. The aspherical elements realy correct distortion. The auto focus works fast, but not so quiet as a Canon USM (and not so fast too). At wide open it shows a medium performance, but from f4 to f11 it shows really great images. The only mistake Sigma made is the strange MF/AF switch design.

Customer Service

Never contacted

Similar Products Used:

Canon 20-35 3.5-4.5 USM, Canon 85mm 1.8 USM, Sigma 105 2.8 Macro EX...

1. Cheap! Almost $200 cheaper than Canon 2. Comes with lens hood 3. 3 extra stops of light at f1.8 compared to f2.8 4. comes with a very nice pouch If someone gave me almost $200 to accept a lens that is 3 stops faster with a lens hood and a very nice pouch AND a warranty, I''d be a fool to say no. If it dies on me after 2 years (touch wood!), no big deal. Wide angle enthusiasts who do not pick up this beauty must be brain dead

Hate the AF/MF clutch. I always leave it on AF. I understand from SIGMA that alot of stress is placed on the AF motor if you leave the switch on at ''AF'' while the clutch is seperately set at ''MF''. That''s one of the quickest way to screw the motor

Over the past few months, this lens has accompanied me into Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia. I have put about 40 rolls of flim...anywhere from Velvia ISO 50 to Ilford Delta 3200. And NO, I am not a poverty stricken photographer who cannot afford something ''better''. This lens is very sharp, giving away very little to the Canon 20/2.8. I did a rough comparison over a period of 3 months using friends'' Canon 20-35L (older model) and a Sigma 17-35 Ex. This lens of course blew the 2 zooms out of the water. Perfectly rectilinear and scanned negs and slides when zoomed in shows the images to be painfully sharp. At 20mm F1.8, the lens motor works a little more but once past f2.8 onwards, the motor had very little work to do, moving in tiny increments....a major decision why I bought this particular Sigma. I''d heard enough bad things about the HSM motor breaking down and figured that if it didnt have to work that hard anyway on a 20mm prime, there would be less chance of a problem with AF down the line. Some complain about the 82mm filter size and I honestly cannot understand what the whining is about....the rewards of 82mm filter thread....no vignetting when used with regular thick rimmed filters or even a regular Hoya Cir-Pol! Try THAT with a Canon 20/2.8 whose 77mm filter threads accept filters that cost only a little less than 82mm filters. Of course, if the Canon 20/2.8 came in 52mm filter threads, then OK, I got nothing to say. This lens is hefty and feels good in my hands. But I hate the stupid gold sparkle inlay. I love looking THROUGH the lens but hate looking AT it.

Customer Service

none needed...so far

Similar Products Used:

Canon 20/2.8 Canon 24/2.8 Canon 20-35 L Sigma 17-35/2.8

1.8
price
comes w/ hood

plasticky feel, 82mm filter size, sparkle finish

Actually surprising fast focusing,lens. Very fast, very sharp. The manual/auto focus ring was a little quirky. Did not slide smoothly between the two. The cheesey gold flake finish I found to be a turnoff. The build quality was good. The focus speed was excellent. The price was reasonable especially when compared to the Canon 2omm whivh didnot come with a hood. The biggest downside beside the focus ring was the 82mm filter size. Could have easily got this don with 77mm. The 1.8 is nice but rarely needed if your shooting landscapes etc. I would say it is a solid contender against the oem lens if price is a major concern.If you plan to do any manual focusing I would recommend against it.

Customer Service

not needed

Similar Products Used:

canon 20mm 2.8 canon 17-35

1.8 - nighttime lens!!
big n' heavy solid feel
tack sharp, crisp contrast.

sparkly finish.
maybe not compatible with EOS D30.

This lens is amazingly crisp and so bright that it can be handheld at night/ indoors without flash at 400ISO.

Be warned, though. The diaphram does not close quickly enough when used with my EOS D30! I don't know if this problem is with my sample or inherent, but it does not happen on my EOS3. I have to subtract 1 star for this.

Customer Service

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1. crisp contrast
2. Very sharp

1. Sparkling finish
2, Uncomfortable MF/AF Switch design

It is very sharp and reproduce color very well.
Its work for bokeh is also good. At wide open, its performance is not great. But most range of F number gives quite impressive images.

Customer Service

Never contacted

Similar Products Used:

1. Minolta AF 24-50mm F4

None

None

I mentioned below a problem with the D30. This is a known problem in that early models of the lens do not work properly with the Canon D30 or EOS 1v. Newer models are fine, and Sigma fixed my earlier model free of charge, so 5 stars all around.

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None