Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM 35mm Zoom
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM 35mm Zoom
[Jan 29, 2007]
amelo14
Intermediate
Strength:
Cost, build, image quality, opens up a new world.
Weakness:
Slightly slower than Canon counterpart, some variation in copies, Sigma caps! Once you see through an ultra wide angle lens you perceive things anew. The advantage of this Sigma lies in its lower cost and very good overall performance. Stopped down it allows for corner to corner sharpness. Even though it has some distortion at 10mm it is small and easily fixed. The build guarantees it will last for many years, providing a unique perspective on things.
|
[Jan 02, 2007]
SpecTech
Intermediate
Strength:
WIDE!
Weakness:
Distortion. Makes sides of the image very wide in landscape shots, whereas portraits become very narrow. 17mm on my Tamron 17-50 wasn't wide enough for a particular shot I wanted, so I researched Ultra Wide Angle zooms for awhile before landing on this one. The reviews say that it's as good as the Nikon, and with a wider 10mm than Nikon 12mm, not to mention much less expensive.
Similar Products Used: none |
[Dec 16, 2006]
vespa55
Intermediate
Strength:
VERY wide angle. Very sharp, no CA noticeable, nice and sharp images at f/5-f/8.
Weakness:
Lens flare. The lens hood does a tiny job of preventing this but I often have to use a magazine to prevent any lens flare. A bigger aperture would've been nice. f/4 being the widest aperture makes for a less than desirable lens to use for wide angle shots for low light photography (without use of a strobe). Great wide angle lens. I'm glad I didn't have to pay so much for a 3rd party lens, but for this Sigma lens, it actually gave me some pretty sharp images. At 10mm though, if you're aiming at specific angles towards your subject, I've noticed that I've had to "defish" some of my pics. Other than that, it's a keeper in my camera bag. |
[Oct 23, 2006]
another view
Intermediate
Strength:
This lens handles flare very, very well. It's a 10mm zoom lens so the included hood can't do much to help (otherwise it would cause vignetting) and it works well even with the mid-day sun in the frame. There will be a little flare and ghosting, but this has always been the case with even the best prime lenses. Zooms have a lot more glass which create more opportunities for problems, but they've done a great job with the design to minimize this. The minimum focus distance is less than a foot, but with the amount of depth of field from a 10mm lens at a moderate aperture, you can get much closer. It also uses very standard 77mm filters. There's a huge difference between 10 and 12mm, and this is the only Nikon option out there other than their 10.5mm prime fisheye.
Weakness:
Most other options (at least in the Nikon system) are 12-24mm. The extra 4mm on the long end of the zoom could be handy a lot of times, and a good amount of overlap with 17 (or 18) to 70 mid-range zooms. I'll take the extra 2mm on the wide end any day though... The Nikon is probably better wide open, but again I'll take the extra focal length range at half the price. I'm not a big fan of variable aperture lenses because they can cause problems with manual metering - but I'll take what I can get. I'd probably choose this over having a constant f5.6 anyway. Procrastination pays! I held off buying a dedicated DSLR wide zoom while I was shooting both film and digital, and since then this great lens came out. I've always been a fan of very wide angle lenses and used 20mm quite often on 35mm cameras. With this lens, I have an even wider perspective and it's a lot of fun. The price of this lens is very good - about half of the Nikon 12-24 and the performance is quite good. I've never owned a Sigma lens before and won't hesitate to buy from them again in the future. Customer Service Not needed. Similar Products Used: Nikon 12-24 f4 DX, Nikon 20-35 f2.8, Nikon 20 f2.8. |
[Aug 09, 2006]
TW
Expert
Strength:
Angle of view, build quality, price, non-rotating front element
Weakness:
Front and rear lens caps I finally have a wide angle lens for my dSLR and at a price I can affort. I have a Zenitar 16 fisheye but it is not really that wide on a dSLR. The Sigma 10-20 is a remarkable lens both in terms of angle of view and image quality.
Similar Products Used: Pentax FA 20-35
|
[Aug 08, 2006]
jasonjanetzky
Intermediate
Strength:
- Solid Build
Weakness:
- Vignetting (wide open)
My first impression is that this Sigma is very solid and well designed. The outer shell is made from hardened plastic which feels very strong and solid. The zoom and focus rings are made from dense rubber with grip indents. When mounted, the focus ring is located furthest away from the camera body, making the zoom ring closest. Zoom markings indicate 10, 12, 14, 17 and 20 mm.
Customer Service Have not needed to contact them yet, luckly. Similar Products Used: Sigma EX 15-30mm |
[Jul 04, 2006]
VinnyP!
Intermediate
Strength:
Image quality, handling, build quality, weight size, price and performance.
Weakness:
Minor niggles: The lens cap has the clips on the outside so can't be taken off with the lens cap in place but this is a 1.99 "upgrade" from 3rd party. If it was stop faster or a constant F4 it might help on interiors but thats only at the higher end and I have a 17-55 2.8 for overlap. It can't be used with full frame or film bodies. A great quality lens that goes very wide. On a digital SLR this gives a good range to compliment a standard zoom. Its very sharp and given the silly wide end (Nikon primes only go down to 10.5) it has good control over distortion. Silent and fast focusing and it feels very good quality It's very compact and lightweight. It can even take a slimline Polariser without causing too much vignetting. If you use a Lee holder with a W/A mount it's good down to about 12-14 with just darkening of the corners below that. I am a fan of Sigma lenses and I doubt this one will go on to disappoint me. The lens pouch is sturdy and the hood well made and a good fit.
Similar Products Used: None really 17-35 on 35mm |
[Jun 25, 2006]
Emilio Galander
Expert
Strength:
Quality
Weakness:
None Excellent is the only word that describe its performance.
Similar Products Used: Tamron 19-35, Nikon AI 20mm |
[Jun 20, 2006]
greg langridge
Expert
Strength:
SHARP,SHARP AND VERY SHARP it also has a nice feel to it.
Weakness:
Non that I have found. After switching over to digital I really missed having an ultra wide lens in my kit. My Tamron SP 17mm was not the same. After reading several reviews in photography mags I went for this lens. I was not disapointed. This lens is SHARP!! and the saturation it gives is supurb. I wont go into distortion and all that stuff suffice to say that with most ultra wide lenses you will have some if your not carefull on how you use it. This lens is great value for money and I doubt that you would see any improvement in picture quality from the more expensive Nikkor lenses. Similar Products Used: Tokina 20-35mm AT-X |
[May 25, 2006]
David
Intermediate
Strength:
Fabulous image quality. Relatively low price.
Weakness:
None really. Another stop or two would be nice. When I went digital changed over from my Olympus OM-2 rig to a Nikon D50 the thing I missed most was my old Tokina 17mm. The Nikkor ultrawides were too expensive! the nice man at Photo and Video said why don't you try the sigma 10-20mm? I did and it is brilliant! I use it as my main lens for travel, interiors, landscapes, family groups. For the money it gives tack-sharp images, it is reasonably fast, and it has a very useful range of focal lengths.
Customer Service None needed Similar Products Used: Tokina 17mm. The sigma zoom is better. |