Sigma 10-20 !

[JPS]

Hey ! i tried -very roughly- the new Sigma 10-20, as i heard so much about it's sharpness, as compared to it's older brother 12-24..

It does look definitively much sharper WIDE OPEN ! When you set it between f/8 and f/9.5, is seems that they're about equally sharp !

One thing i HAD to notice is the difference between 12 and 10 mm.... IT IS REALLY WIDER !

The only drawback i noticed was a rather strong "moustache" distortion at 10 mm, problem that the 12-24 didn't have !!!

...but i used PTLens and the problem has been almost 100% cured ! There is still some left-overs of "moustache", but nothing serious !

Here's two images that i shot outside the shop, NO PP at all, except converting from RAW and resizing. Image #1 is "normal", withut PTLens, while #2 is after PTLens has been applied !

Focal length 10mm. - 1:250 @ f/4 - ISO 200 - handheld

Your comments and own tests (Serge?) are welcome !

Cheers,
J-P.

[easternherp]

It would be interesting to see how bad the barrell distortion really is. This image was not shot perfectly square or level to the building.
Thaks for posting JP

[photoworks]

Sorry to say this J-P but you had to let the image distorted!!
This way it suits perfectly to the Sony :( and Canon :( :( labels :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: .
Just kiddin', you got this lens? I ordered the Tokina 12-24 and I'll have it in a few days. After reading many excellent test reports in the web and after Wilm's suggestions I chose it.The constant f:4 through the zoom range is very important to me.


:cheers:
Billy

[JPS]

It would be interesting to see how bad the barrell distortion really is. This image was not shot perfectly square or level to the building.
Thaks for posting JP
I know :baldy: ... In fact, i didn't shot it to check the distortions... I should have put the camera on tripod, with a water-level, and make sure that i was exactly "facing" the shop, at 90 degrees... Maybe i'll go back tomorrow and take another shot :) !?!

:cheers:
J-P.

[JPS]

..........Just kiddin', you got this lens? I ordered the Tokina 12-24 and I'll have it in a few days. After reading many excellent test reports in the web and after Wilm's suggestions I chose it.The constant f:4 through the zoom range is very important to me.
Hi Billy ! No.... not yet ! I've been using the Sigma 12-24 for two years now, with pleasure, but, apart it's UNIQUE qualiies: almost no barrel/pincushion distortion, no CA, and the fact that it also works on FF cameras, it is NOT sharp... only from f/8 to f/11 it's *not too bad*, but, below that, it's soft !

At the contrary, the 10-20 -the one that i tried, at least- is VERY sharp from wide open until f/16 !!! It looks like having no problem of CA either, ...but on the other hand it has -at 10 mm.- a neat "moustache" distortion fully open, and this distortion only disapear at f/11 !

Don't know..... must think it over the night...

:cheers:
J-P.

[JPS]

...and just to show the difference between 10 and 12 mm., here's two more !

:cheers:
J-P.

PS. By the way, i just noticed now that the 10-20 hasn't got this slight yellow cast that most of Sigma lens have (wich in fact never disturbed me) !

[easternherp]

Hard to tell the sharpness difference on screen but the striking thing is the colour difference.

[JPS]

Wooooow ! I just downloaded the *demo* of DXO (http://www.dxo.com/intl/photo/) ! Here's how it treated the same image !!! Impressive !!! Much better job on the overall distortion... and ALL AUTOMATIC ! Surely i'm going to get it, even if it's not very cheap...

...and there's more: i gave a RAW (Nikon NEF) image to work on, DXO treated it just the same ! Woaaaa !

[Serge]

Hi J-P, good tests, I think you'll be happy with this lens, I am. Sharp wide open, great colors, don't even know about "moustach" distortion, but here is normal ultra wide vertical convergence which you control by shooting horizontal.
Go for it, take the ride :cheers:

[KPRussell]

I don't have any images to show from this ...

But a friend of mine showed me Nikons NX new application today and how it handled the distortion correction at 10mm with his Sigma 10-20. I was really impressed how it handled it. He wasn't impressed with the application other than that he said.

Nice that it does give the ability for any lense correction other than the 10.5 only though. Are there any other applications out there other than DXOs and NX that fix wide angle distortion in an easy manner?

Thanks for posting the images JPS, between yours and his I'm sold on the 10-20 now!

[JPS]

..........Are there any other applications out there other than DXOs and NX that fix wide angle distortion in an easy manner?
Hi ! I didn't know NX could fix *distortion* in an image !?! Anyway... PTLens has been made for this matter, and it woks quite well... Still, with the same image, i found that DXO did a much better job ! It's not a very cheap program, but i reckon if one uses a Nikon 12-24 or Sigma 10-20, such a thing is mandatory, as both these two lens present that awfull "moustache" distortion that you can't straighten easely !

:cheers:
J-P.

[JPS]

Hi J-P, good tests, I think you'll be happy with this lens, I am. Sharp wide open, great colors, don't even know about "moustach" distortion, but here is normal ultra wide vertical convergence which you control by shooting horizontal.
Go for it, take the ride :cheers:
Yep ! i can see that: this lens IS SHARP !!!

...do me a favor, Serge: try to shoot at 100 mm. some architectural stuff, keeping the camera LEVEL, just to check if your lens has this distortion, or if i tried a "bad" one (only in term of distortion) !

TIA,
J-P.

[photoworks]

JP check this extended wide zoom lens comparison by Ken Rockwell http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/digital-wide-zooms/comparison.htm

:cheers:
Billy

[Serge]

Yep ! i can see that: this lens IS SHARP !!!

...do me a favor, Serge: try to shoot at 100 mm. some architectural stuff, keeping the camera LEVEL, just to check if your lens has this distortion, or if i tried a "bad" one (only in term of distortion) !

TIA,
J-P.

Until I get a chance to do that again, have you seen my enterior tests here:

http://theswampbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16943

[JPS]

JP check this extended wide zoom lens comparison by Ken Rockwell http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/digital-wide-zooms/comparison.htm

:cheers:
Billy
Hi Billy ! Thanks for the URL !

Too bas Ken Rockwell makes some comments like:

"What About the Sigma 12 - 24mm f/4.5 - 5.6?
This Sigma is a huge, older lens intended for 35mm film cameras.
It's too darn big and heavy for use with digital cameras"

This has nothing to see with the quality of the lens itself... The SIZE and WEIGHT of a DSLR is about the same as theones of an SLR, so his remark is STUPID !

In any case, i never liked too much Rockwell's DIKTATS !!!

;)
J-P.

[JPS]

Until I get a chance to do that again, have you seen my enterior tests here:

http://theswampbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=16943
Yes Serge, i saw it, even though i didn't comment at the time...

Funny that it does effectively look slightly softer in low-light conditions than in full sunshine :crazy: ... i'll have to check that :confused:

:cheers:
J-P.

[easternherp]

I think this is a Sigma trait. The lenses are cracking in bright light but lack sharpness in dull conditions.

[photoworks]

Hi Billy ! Thanks for the URL !

Too bas Ken Rockwell makes some comments like:

"What About the Sigma 12 - 24mm f/4.5 - 5.6?
This Sigma is a huge, older lens intended for 35mm film cameras.
It's too darn big and heavy for use with digital cameras"

This has nothing to see with the quality of the lens itself... The SIZE and WEIGHT of a DSLR is about the same as theones of an SLR, so his remark is STUPID !

In any case, i never liked too much Rockwell's DIKTATS !!!

;)
J-P.


According to him every lens is the best and the worst :crazy:
Although he uses Nikons he prefer Canon lenses :crazy: :crazy:

People are people.... :(

:cheers:
Billy

[Serge]

Yes Serge, i saw it, even though i didn't comment at the time...

Funny that it does effectively look slightly softer in low-light conditions than in full sunshine :crazy: ... i'll have to check that :confused:

:cheers:
J-P.

Don't forget that it was taken wide open at vey low hand held speeds. There is absolutely no CA, bloom or flare on the lights even at the frame edges. As for softness, who shoots wide open most of the time anyway, I like to shoot at any lense's sweet spot, which is always around 2 stops down, Nikon, Canon, Leitz, Ziess or disposable plastic. As for Rockwell's DIKTATS, the guy is a twit, my lens feels rock solid, smooth as silk and makes absolutely no noises.
I buy lenses not for their feel or looks, but for the look they give me, and for my money, this baby looks good :cool:

[GregWarren]

I have been highly recommended this lens and it would work perfectly for the architecture work have been doing. I have been using the sigma 15 - 30 4.5 till now. I find this lens to NEVER BE SHARP. but it has made me some money so far. I hope the 10 20 will be much sharper.

gReg

[photoworks]

I was going for the Tokina 12-24 but the Nikon mount was (and will be) out of stock for a long.
So I got the Sigma 10-20.
Pretty good for now :)

:cheers:
Billy

[JPS]

I have been highly recommended this lens and it would work perfectly for the architecture work have been doing. I have been using the sigma 15 - 30 4.5 till now. I find this lens to NEVER BE SHARP. but it has made me some money so far. I hope the 10 20 will be much sharper.

gReg
Hi Greg ! At least MY exemplary of the 10-20 is stunningly sharp and contrasty !!!

...the only way is to try the lens at every possible focal lengths, apertures, and on different "subjects" like architecture, landscapes, etc... until you're sure it's sharp enough, because the Quality Control (for every makers) is not as good as it should be...

:cheers:
J-P.

[JPS]

................So I got the Sigma 10-20.
Pretty good for now :) ...........
I think you will LOVE it ! As i allready said -too-many times, my 10-20 is one of the sharpest lens i've ever used !

...keep checking my latest posts: i'm only using "it" at the moment :) !

:cheers:
J-P.

[photoworks]

I think you will LOVE it ! As i allready said -too-many times, my 10-20 is one of the sharpest lens i've ever used !

...keep checking my latest posts: i'm only using "it" at the moment :) !

:cheers:
J-P.


Yap! :)
Check the fishing boat in the b&w thead ;)

:cheers:
Billy

[lightwrangler]

I like this so far, it's definitely sharper than the 17 - 35mm, at least at smaller aperatures. The range is really cool and the colour seems very good.
Here's a couple of test shots.

Adrian

[lightwrangler]

Had a chance to use this lens on some interior shots. While there is tons of wide angle distortion (to be expected), barrel or pincushion distortion is remarkably absent. As long as the back is kept prefectly straight, the lens is very well behaved. Tilting up or down of course is another story. Here's a couple of samples. I have tweaked them slightly because the tripod head I was using had no spirit levels and I had to rely on my eye to level. Still, that wasn't very much PS work at all. Both of these shots are at 10mm around f11.

[JPS]

Had a chance to use this lens on some interior shots. While there is tons of wide angle distortion (to be expected), barrel or pincushion distortion is remarkably absent. As long as the back is kept prefectly straight, the lens is very well behaved. Tilting up or down of course is another story. Here's a couple of samples. I have tweaked them slightly because the tripod head I was using had no spirit levels and I had to rely on my eye to level. Still, that wasn't very much PS work at all. Both of these shots are at 10mm around f11.
Have you tried to use PTLens to correct the very slight distortions, before to tweak them in PS ?

For the price (10 $ i think), PTLens is a very valuable program... and it does a good job on MANY other lens, not only "super-wide" :)

Cheers,
J-P.

[lightwrangler]

I haven't used PTLens, I am on a Mac platfrom so LensFix and Pano tools would be an option;

http://www.kekus.com/software/plugin.html

I am okay with doing the corrections manually, I usually don't have to do a lot of work.

[BARBARA LUKE]

Here are 2 shot taken with my new 10/20 lens..... i love this lens....Barbara

[Steve P]

Guys, I am pretty close on buying a wider angle lens than the 17-35 afs I already have. The manager at my local store says as I've only ever used Nikon glass I will be dissappointed with Sigma lenses and would be better off going for Nikon's 12-24. Leaving the price difference alone for a min is this lens better than the Sigma 10-20 ??

[JPS]

Guys, I am pretty close on buying a wider angle lens than the 17-35 afs I already have. The manager at my local store says as I've only ever used Nikon glass I will be dissappointed with Sigma lenses and would be better off going for Nikon's 12-24. Leaving the price difference alone for a min is this lens better than the Sigma 10-20 ??
Don't you think it would be smarter to TRY both lens instead of listening to everybody's -included your local store salesman :beat: ) ?

The Nikon 12-24 might be slightly sharper in the edges (though not proved IMHO... depend on each particular item), but i can assure you that these 2 MILLIMETERS more do make a difference :) !

In any case, I AM VERY HAPPY with my 10-20 ! Check these threads containing some pics shot with Sigma 10-20 :

http://theswampbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18540&highlight=10-20
http://theswampbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18563&highlight=10-20
http://theswampbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18529&highlight=10-20
http://theswampbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18572&highlight=10-20
http://theswampbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19085&highlight=10-20
http://theswampbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19508&highlight=10-20
http://theswampbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19549&highlight=10-20

:confused:
J-P.

[Steve P]

Sorry Dad!:dunce:

JP, thanks for taking the time to post your examples here. She looks to be a cracker!


Steve

[BARBARA LUKE]

Steve I am far from an expert, all my lenses are Nikon apart from my 10.20 sigma..... i love this lens.....I find it soooo sharp......Barbara

[sandman]

Steve i've got both lenses and have tested the 10-20 indoors quiet a lot , honestly i can't fault the quality of the sigma , check out my interior shots of Canterbury Cathedral .
For a saving of £450 i'd go for the Sigma .
http://www.s2pro.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20617

Brian

[Steve P]

After seeing all the positive replies I bought the Sigma! Thanks for all the help you have given me today!:cheers: