Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras by SIGMA
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Digital camera reviews of Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras
Digital camera Review: Excellent lens for the price.
Summary: 4 Stars
I would give this lens a 4 star rating, which in my book is about as good as you get unless the lens is truly outstanding and top of the heap. Since there are clearly far more expensive lenses out there with finer workmanship in the body of the lens and the glass, this is pretty darn good.
Having said that, I have to say that I have run tests on the lens in real world situations where some features fall short.
Sharpness. I am still using my trusty Rebel XTi Kiss 10.10-megapixel which will only carry so much sharpness from any lens due to resolution of the CMOS. The Sigma 10-20 provides equal sharpness from the center to the outsides of its coverage as my Canon 17-40 mm zoom at the same focal lengths.
Auto focus. This is where the Sigma can fall short. Based on a Chart test of lines on a flat field at 45 degrees to the camera, the auto focus consistently focuses considerably in front of the focus line regardless of the foual length and choice of camera driven auto focusing method. Having said that, it is seldom in real life that I ever shoot a piece of paper with lines drawn on it. On standard product shots on a white seamless with an object standing up, the focus was accurate both wide open and fully closed down at 10mm to 20mm. But here again, I am not very often going to be using this lens for table top product photography. I tried it shooting the action of kids running around with Alpacas for a client and it took wonderful images, but in this case it often focused too far back, thus throwing important information in the foreground out of focus. I may have to test this using one of the different focusing method internally on the camera. I am used to the massive depth of field of fixed length wide angles, and never had to worry of depth of field when shooting in strong sunlight even with action but these lenses have been designed with the help of computers to achieve such minimum of distortion at different focal lengths that I expect some of the old rules of thumb to no longer apply.
Depth of field. Since I will be shooting flooring installations with this lens, one of my main concerns is depth of field on location. So I did do tests on a 4'x8' table top at about a 45 degree angle of downward view. I stretched out builder's rules both from the front bottom to the end of the table and across at bottom right to top left corner of the viewfinder view. I also had an imitation wall standing up at the ends for vertical testing. I shot versions from wide open (something I would never do) to fully closed down (in this case f22). The results were as expected in that the maximum depth of field was certainly at f22 but also the sharpest detail was also at f22. That I did not expect since up until now, I have always expected the middle f-stop to provide the sharpest overall resolution. Frankly, I have enormous respect for the engineers who bend light with the multiple elements to achieve these wide angle zoom views from 10-20mm with so little barrel distortion. Photoshop then can fix what's left.
Lens flare. This is always a problem with lenses as the focal length shrinks. I don't find any more of a problem with this lens as with any other super wide lenses. Just don't shoot into the sun! But what's new about that?
Ease of use. It would be nice if lens manufacturers all made the outer ring the zoom and the inner the focus or vice versa. I have a feeling that there are some engineering reasons for not doing so. But then this has always been true since I first started photography in 1969. I have always had to fold in the task of working enough with all my lenses to make my fingers habituated to where their controls are without conscious thought. Same is true with cameras that keep changing where you control them. Of course I have the same grip with makers of TV remotes, recorders, auto windshield wiper controls, AC controls and music systems of all kinds.
Structural. I have not had this lens long enough nor used it enough (only a couple of weeks) to have a track record yet. But it is solid, nothing sloppy about the controls, clicks into place on my Canon body firmly with no additional movement and is just as easy to heft around in changing out lenses as my Canon lenses are. Some have criticized it for its weight. But I like its weight. It adds stability to the camera. You have a light weight camera and you tend to get more camera movement when you squeeze the shutter. Squeeze right? I hope no one is pushing the shutter button.
Contrast, exposure, saturation and color. With my Sigma, all these are well within the good and satisfactory standards. I don't find color shifts, flat or contrasty images nor ones that lack color depth. What I have found is some bleariness out on the outer corners in some scenic shots when shot at 10mm. But then I find that as well on my 17-40mm Canon. It is just a bit more exaggerated at 10mm. So unless I am stuck and have no choice but to use the lens at 10mm, I will tend to keep it between 12-20mm. Since I am a commercial photographer and seldom need to make a super-wide visual design statement, this is a lens I will probably use sparingly but will become a vital tool in my bag especially for architectural and real-estate photography.
Nice case that will attach to the belt with good padding comes with it.
So overall, I give this lens top marks for its class. Many lenses at higher cost are not as good. I have yet to test it in the field in architectural photography not have I seen 16"x20" prints, so I cannot comment on it merits in this application.
I hope this helps those of you who, like me, were wondering if I should give the lens a try. I have read, as I am sure you have too, in the posts above this one, that some people have experienced some bad product. But I do hope they have all actually done some rigorous comparison testing. I would recommend this to everyone when you get any lens for the first time. This lens like many of the super wide lenses is like a grand prix racing car in comparison to a family mini-van. You have to exert a lot of control since they can get away from you easily and you can't expect automated camera controls to do everything you need. But that is more about the photographer using the equipment than the equipment itself. If you receive a good version of the lens, while it has a few flaws, it is easy enough to work around them. But this is true with most lenses. Nothing is perfect. You may have to go manual and/or experiment with some of the camera controls you may not have used before.
Peter
Digital camera Review: Fabulous wide angle lens!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my first non-Canon lens, and before I pulled the trigger on purchasing it I researched the heck out of it online. I can honestly say that Sigma didn't disappoint me. They delivered me a lens that matched the enormous respect it has in the photographic community.
I use this lens on a Canon EOS 50D and take my word for it...it is WIDE! It is the widest lens I've ever owned and is absolutely perfect for taking group shots at weddings or family gatherings, and it opens up a whole other dimension of photography when I'm just out shooting as a hobbyist/artist.
As far as focusing goes: I've zero complaints. When I manually focus (which is how I usually focus, no matter what lens I'm using) I get nice crisp images. But even when I use this lens's autofocusing I get high-quality sharp photos. The autofocusing mechanism is, as promised, whisper quiet and very speedy.
This lens also reproduces colors exceptionally well. Whenever I buy a new lens I look particularly at the reds and blues it captures, and this Sigma gives me dazzling colors that are true.
But you want to know what really thrills me about this lens? The cost! I cannot even imagine spending around $300 MORE for Canon's 10-22mm lens when this Sigma lens delivers excellent image quality and has a build quality that is rock-solid, very professional-looking and looks great on the camera. Nothing about this lens feels or looks cheap. I just don't see what the extra $300 would have gotten me if I had bought the Canon 10-22mm instead.
That extra money certainly would not have gotten me a lens hood and padded lens case, which is what Sigma INCLUDED with this lens. Sigma simply has Canon beat when it comes to what comes in the box.
So, if you're looking for a quality wide angle lens that delivers excellent image quality, save a few hundred dollars and go with this Sigma.
Digital camera Review: Fanstastic lens and a great value
Summary: 5 Stars
First off, a wide-angle is sensor specific so there are just a few top contenders for Canon's APC-S (1.6x crop factor) cameras. I shoot with the Canon EOS 40D. The downside here is that if you choose to get a full-frame camera body such as the Canon EOS 5D, you will need to replace this and any other EF-S lenses you own.
The Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 has everything I valued going for it: price, build quality, great glass and zoom range. It also comes with a lens hood which the more expensive Canon competitor does not.
I rented a couple of comparable lenses to help in my decision: the Tokina 11-16mmf/2.8 and the Canon 10-22m f/3.5-5.6
The Canon 10-22mm, like all EF-S lenses I've used, is built like a toy in comparison to other lenses. Cheap, plastic, loose tolerances. While it did produce OK results, I got vignetting wide open. Considering that its' price is higher than all the rest, it did not look like a good value.
The Tokina, on the other hand, was build like a tank. Great contrast, clarity and fast. However, I decided that I didn't need the f/2.8 or the extra $100 on the price tag and did want the extra zoom range. But it is a great lens and you can read my review on the product page.
Regardless, I am completely satisfied with this lens and highly recommend it over the Canon.
Digital camera Review: Fantastic Ultra Wide Angle Lens
Summary: 5 Stars
Fantastic Lens. I received my Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens from Amazon yesterday. I did a lot of research prior to buying this lens. My primary concern was that the lens might be a bit too wide and lead to too much distortion. I was wrong. The lens offers incredible quality from 10mm to 20mm. It's quiet, focuses quickly and feels rock solid. So far, I'm very satisfied.
Canon Digital Rebel XTi 10.1MP Digital SLR
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens
Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM Standard Zoom Lens
Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG APO Macro Telephoto Lens
All equipment purchased at Amazon.com
Digital camera Review: Fantastic wide angle lens
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the lens that spends about 90 percent of the time on my 20D (I have six lenses!). In fact, I forgot I even owned the Sigma 10-20 until I looked. The lens has very good build quality and the zoom touch is superb. I never really even look at the lens or realize that it's there!
Images are very good, always good colors, tones and good sharpness and saturation. The wide angle offers a little distortion but that is to be expected on 10mm!
The zoom range is somewhat limited but you get used to it. Most of my shots are at either 10mm or 20mm. Zooming is so easy I can't recall even using the zoom, however when I look at my photos they have been taken at different focal lengths.
To me, the purpose of a great camera and a great lens is that they work so well they "get out of the way" of the creative process. This zoom truly "gets out of the way", your so close to the action that you can take small group shots standing about six feet from your subjects. This lens really excels at close in people shots, specially in tight situations.
You can also interact with your subjects, because your not standing 20 feet back asking people to look at the canary standing on your shoulder. You can have a normal conversation at a normal distance from your subjects then raise your camera and get a half upper body shot - not too shabby.
If you take photos of people or working at events where you need lots of shots of people, individually or in small groups, this lens excels. Dare I say it could be an excellent "walk around" lens?