Sigma 12-24mm f4.5-5.6 EX DG HSM

[JPS]

...just testing the lens in my new appartment ! (one can see that there are no lights at the ceiling, no paintings on the walls, but we did enjoy our first "dinner" in the place !) :)

All pics were shot handheld, in natural light.

Pic #1) Sigma 12-24 @ 14 mm. - 1:15 @ f:8 - ISO 200 - org/org/off

Pic #2) Sigma 12-24 @ 20 mm. - 1:10 @ f:8 - ISO 200 - org/org/off

Pic #2) Sigma 12-24 @ 18 mm. - 1:15 @ f:8 - ISO 200 - org/org/off

Post-process: slight perspective correction, slight cropping, USM, resized for Web.

[Steve P]

Very nice JP, It's interesting you choose org,org,off! Do you find it better to have the sharpening mode swiched off. It's something I have been experimenting with lately.


Steve

[JPS]

..............It's interesting you choose org,org,off! Do you find it better to have the sharpening mode swiched off..................
Hi ! As I HAVE to go thru PS anyway, I prefer to leave all the in-camera corrections OFF ! But then I found that on EVERY pic, -at the start of my workflow- I add a minimum of 15% of "saturation", so if I knew WICH one of the two setting (Color or Tone) correspond to SATURATION, I could increase to STD or HIGH...
As for the sharpening, now I use a "strange" workflow in PS: with the ORIGINAL size shot, I give a 500,0.7,0.2 of USM, then I resize for Web, then I give another 300,0.2,0.2 of USM ! This might look a bit much, but I found it really make a crisp image, without showing any fringing ! Have a try... and keep me informed !

[Steve P]

Interesting stuff, thanks Jean! I will have a play this evening.

:righton:

[easternherp]

Nice shots.

I think Im going to have to invest in this size of wideangle as my 28-300mm is not wide enough.

[ballroom_boy]

Thanks for the photos and the USM guidelines... I will try it out.

Just out of curiousity, what is barrel distortion like? Could you post a photo sometime with straight lines at the top/bottom of the frame?

Thanks!

[JPS]

Just out of curiousity, what is barrel distortion like? Could you post a photo sometime with straight lines at the top/bottom of the frame?
Hi ! Barrel distorsion is when the vertical lines (or horizontal) are curved -like a barrel- instead of strait !
Although there is a perspective distortion -if you don't shoot absolutly "leveled"- I didn't find any barrel (or pin-cushion, wich is the contrary: the lines are curved INSIDE) with the Sigma 12-24 !
Have a look at the pics I took inside of Geneva's cathedral, at: http://theswampbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6883
...although the columns are not vertical -due to the height, it's impossible to correct 100% the perspective errors), but they are STRAIT, not curved at all !
Here's the original, uncropped, UNTOUCHED in PS but only resized for Web, of the first pic above...

[AzRich]

another must have lens?

I may have to ban this thread too...

I'm sure you'll get those walls covered soon with some great shots!

[JPS]

Here are 3 pics I took yesterday ! All were shot on tripod, at 12 mm. of focal length, between 1:45 and 1:60 shutter speed and f/11 on "Aperture Mode" ! All ISO 100 and JPG fine, org/org/off.

Pics #1 and #2 have been only "vertical perspective corrected", but, apart from that and resizing from (width) 4256 to 900 pixels, plus a very tiny USM, nothing else have been done to them !

Pic #3 HAVE NOT been "perspective corrected" AT ALL ! I didn't even apply any USM ! I just took great care of beiing 100% level ! BTW, the camera was about 3 feet from the fence !

...I just wanted to check the CA fringing, especially on the electric lines -where it usually appears more-, and any possible barrel or pin-cushion distortion... One can see that there is no visible CA and NO distortion AT ALL at 12 mm. !!!

Result of the operation: I'm VERY HAPPY ! ...and hope that all the Sigma 12-24 users are as happy as I am with their lens !
:cheers:

PS. if you want more infos, the pics have been ulpoaded with the Exif infos !

[PortageBay]

Nice tests JP. Did you compare the Sigma with the Nikon before yoou bought the sigma? Anything you don't like about the Sigma? Even the color seems OK.

[JPS]

Nice tests JP. Did you compare the Sigma with the Nikon before you bought the sigma? Anything you don't like about the Sigma? Even the color seems OK.
Hi ! Yes, my photo vendor has been nice enough to lend me both lens for a whole day, so I spent it exchanging lens, and shooting the same subjects, at the same speeds and apertures, from f/4.5 to f/22 and with 12, 18 and 24 mm. !

I found -with the 2 particular items I tried- that the Sigma was sharper on the edges than at the center, and that the Nikkor was just the contrary !

The Nikkor was a bit more prone to CS and flare than the Sigma ! The Sigma had almost no distortion at all and the Nikkor a little bit of barrel distortion at 12 mm. !

The Sigma was more contrasty -maybe a bit too much sometimes- than the Nikkor ! The Sigma was often over-exposing almost 1/2 stop ! (usefull in low light, as it's not a constant f/4, as the Nikkor !)

The Sigma is a lot cheaper, so, as I'm not using a WA everyday, the difference of price was valuable...

On the other hand, the Nikkor can use filters at the front and the Sigma can't ! (I'm not even thinking of ever trying the ridiculous little pieces of gel "filter" that we are supposed to slide at the back of the lens !) ...but in any case, I very rarely use filters, except circular polarizers, and IMHO, they give bad results on WA anyway: the sky getting very wide, the polarizing effect only "works" in the center part of the pics, giving different "blue" from center to the edges !

...apart from that, both lens are built very well, nicely heavy, look/feel very sturdy ! I'm sure that there are Nikkor items of better quality than the one I tried, as well as some Sigma with defects... I think one must really try both lens before to buy, because they're so close in quality that it goes down to a personal feeling !
:cheers:
PS. Could you add your name in your "USER CP" ? ...IMO it's nicer to call someone by a "real" name than by a nickname... ;)

[hyperbiz]

Go to this Web site

http://194.100.88.243/petteri/pont/Reviews/a_Sigma_12-24_f4.5-5.6/a_Sigma_EX_12-24_f4.5-5.6.html

[easternherp]

That looks a cracking lens. No distortion. I bet its mega bucks over here in the UK.

[robinp]

I bet its mega bucks over here in the UK.
Sigma's official price is £569 but its £489 from http://www.warehouseexpress.com/ or £385 inc. P&P on Ebay via Hong Kong (but you run the risk of being stung by customs). I'll just have to hope I find a S/H one some day....

Cheers, Robin

[Igor]

Wonderful shots JP.
And once again my heart aches seeing your clean streets and bright colors...
If I dare post the same photos from here you'll be shocked with garbage, rust and dirt...
That's why I don't like wide angle lenses and prefer telephotos :) :o

[robinp]

Wonderful shots JP.
And once again my heart aches seeing your clean streets and bright colors...
If I dare post the same photos from here you'll be shocked with garbage, rust and dirt

Its not 100% bad for you Igor! - I remember being very impressed by your "cafe in the park".
Jean-Pierre has it lucky, Switzerland is unusually clean & tidy (but no so much as it was 20 years ago).

Cheers, Robin

[Maisiemouse]

By the way - Jessops have the Sigma 12-24 at £489 as well (despite their website showing the price as £569). They also do 0% over 4 months on this lens. Go on, you deserve it......... :)

[Igor]

You're right Robin. People getting more "heart-garbaged" is what bothers me more than dirty landscapes...
Sorry, JP. Won't hijack this thread anymore :)

[JPS]

............Jean-Pierre has it lucky, Switzerland is unusually clean & tidy (but no so much as it was 20 years ago)...............
Hi Robin ! You're absolutly correct ! Geneva beiing next door to France -in fact, the city "exploded" so much that there are houses and appartment blocks ON THE BORDERLINE between the two countries-, although Switzerland still not part of the EU ! The french city next to Geneva, Annemasse, was really dirty 20 -or more- years ago... there was a tremendous difference as soon as you crossed passed the "border" ! ...but now, that town is cleaner than Geneva... go figure...!?!
:cheers:

[JPS]

You're right Robin. People getting more "heart-garbaged" is what bothers me more than dirty landscapes...
Sorry, JP. Won't hijack this thread anymore :)
Stop beiing sorry Igor !!! You more than welcome to add your "grain of salt"...

PS. talking about garbage in the streets, why do you think PS has got rubber tool made for ? Be sure that I spend quite some time "cleaning" the eventuals dog-s***s -and the rest- from my shots !!! :p
:cheers:

[Maisiemouse]

Igor

I live in Bedford, a riverside town in the south-east of England. It's got a wonderful heritage - John Bunyan (the writer of Pilgrim's Progress) lived here for a long while, the airship industry flourished here and still survives today, the town was used as an Italian P.O.W camp during WWII which has resulted in a thriving Italian community, it's got 'that' curvy bridge, oh and I live here too :)

Sounds lovely?

You wouldn't dare walk through the town centre at night for fear of getting stabbed. I regularly phone the police to report vandalism/theft. On average I get 1 shopping trolley per week dumped in my garden. I came home last night and found an abandoned car next to my house, just waiting to be torched by the local kids who have nothing better to do.

It just means you have to look a bit harder to find that picture. You have to sift through a lot more turds to find the diamond.

Give me Geneva, Bedford, Ukraine...anywhere. As long as I've got a camera to interpret what I see.

Sean

[JPS]

Hi all ! ...that's the results of what we call "world-ization" !!! Sad, in'it ? :(
:cheers:

[Igor]

Really no joy... Where are we going?? :(

[robinp]

Really no joy... Where are we going?? :(

Sorry for this hijack Jean-Pierre but there is a reason (or two)......


Igor, things aren't all bad, sometimes we just have to look harder for the good stuff and in some places things are even being improved :)
This morning I went to my nearest city, Gloucester, like many British cities its pretty scruffy and depressing on the whole but if you look off the main streets there remains a lot of historical interest
- which brings me to my second point, JPS I need your 12-24 !
My little Tokina 20-35 just isn't wide enough, the first shot I was able to correct the converging verticals but on the second I just couldn't get wide enough to allow room for the correction so had to leave it.

Cheers, Robin

[JPS]

.......which brings me to my second point, JPS I need your 12-24 ! My little Tokina 20-35 just isn't wide enough, the first shot I was able to correct the converging verticals but on the second I just couldn't get wide enough to allow room for the correction so had to leave it.
Hi Robin ! since you began thinking about a 12-24 (IMHO could just as well be Nikon or Sigma... only the prices differs, (but also you have to get a good sample, as I read bad comments -and saw pics not sharp at all- from both lens !)
But just to show the quality of MINE, here's a pic that I allready uploaded, followed by a 100% crop ! I shot it in JPG, so you can imagine that in RAW one would even get more details...
I took the pic at about 3 meters away from the detail, at F:17 mm. !
:cheers:

[robinp]

(but also you have to get a good sample, as I read bad comments -and saw pics not sharp at all- from both lens !)

This is a very worrying trend with recent lenses - how many times do we see the phrases "sample variation", "if you get a good one" and "variable quality control" . This isn't just unfair, its downright disgraceful behaviour on the part of the manufacturers who are charging hundreds of £ $ € for so called "professional" products. I'm already pushing my luck by buying mostly S/H lenses on Ebay without having to take this sample variation into account - if its a recent lens there's always a chance the seller is passing it on because he has a bad sample :(
Oh, its such a struggle for a poor man to play at a rich man's hobby :)

Cheers, Robin

p.s. does anyone want to buy a "good sample" of a Nikkor 28-105 3.5-4.5D, it'll be on Ebay this weekend....

[snaggs]

Wow, excellent lens. After using it on my D70 I bought a F65 just to use with this lens. Will add some more after I finish the roll of velvia.

SB600 on tripod + D70 on camera flash + Wife + Sigma 12-24
http://www.pbase.com/image/32175996/large.jpg

D70 + Sigma 12-24, long exposure at night
http://www.pbase.com/image/31442585/large.jpg

You can see a few more using this lens at http://www.pbase.com/snaggs/landscapes.

Daniel.

[JPS]

:p !!! ...seems you've GOT IT with the 12-24 ! this lens is simply fantastic, when you know it's limitations !
...guess it will be even more dramatic on a 35 mm. camera !
...nice wife, nice beach, nice sunset, nice lens !
:cheers:

[snaggs]

I can't wait to get it developed! Now I just need a decent tripod for my long exposures, though I've discovered its kind of tricky taking long exposures of boats. They bob around!

Daniel.

[Swampy]

Guys. Again, let's try and keep all the posts about a particular lens in one thread to help keep this clean.

Thanks.

[snaggs]

As promised, my film shots, no photoshop other than resize and unsharp mask. Shot with F65 + Velvia + Sigma 12-24 handheld.

http://www.pbase.com/image/32359171/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/image/32359173/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/image/32359172/original.jpg

Cheers,

Daniel.

[Maisiemouse]

I've been wanting to try this since I got my 12-24. It's a much better result than I imagined. The last one is great :righton:

[JPS]

I LOVED the last three pics !!! even with the sun inside the pic, there's -almost- no burned highlights ! This lens is really a gem !!!
...unfortunatly there's no way for me to catch a sunset over the see, nor even over the lake... I will have to wait for my next holidays in january, to test my 12-24 this way, *sigh* !
:cheers:

[JPS]

...more "interior" pics, now that the we put the paintings, (as we waited to receive all the furnitures before to put them up !) :p

Both shots: S2 + Sigma 12-24 @12 mm. - 1/4" and 1/8" @ f/6.7 - ISO 100

Post-process: some Levels, the usual USM and resizing for Web ! No cropping, no perspective correction AT ALL ! I just installed the tripod for the lens to be exacly at mid-heigth of the room (1.30 meter/51 inches), and very carefully "leveled" the camera !

PS. I'm waiting to receive my Ø77 mm. Expodisk, to see how it will improve the interior's shots' WB, with the different types of lightings there are... :)