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Home >> Digital Camera Accessories >> Lenses
Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras | List Price: $569.00
Discount Price: $489.00
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Brand: Sigma
Binding: Electronics
Features: - Super wide-angle lens designed for Nikon digital SLR cameras
- Hyper Sonic motor
- 10 to 20 mm focal length
- 14 elements in 10 groups
- 3 special low dispersion and 3 aspherical lens elements
A Must-Have for Wide Angle Enthusiasts with DX Nikon DSLRS [Posted on 2008-06-28]
I'm a nut for wide-angle photography. I don't mean to get technical, but for those who do not know the sticky details, modern Digital SLRs often have sensors that are quite a bit smaller than the traditional exposure area of film: 24mmx36mm. In the case of Nikon DSLRs (all current models except their $5000 Nikon D3 12.1MP FX Digital SLR Camera (Body Only) professional FX sensor model) use what they call a DX sensor which is 16mmx24mm.
For us old film hounds, this means that a lens of a given focal length will roughly translate to 1.5x when switching from film (of Full frame) to DX. So, your old 20mm wide angle lens will "crop" to about the equivalent of a 35mm lens when put on a DX sensor DSLR.
For those who really like telephoto shots, this is a positive boon. Your 300mm lens will take pictures that have the same angle of view as a 450mm lens, but for those of us wide-angle freaks, this "digital crop factor" takes some of the "punch" out of the bottom end. Many general-use zooms for the DX sensor cameras start around 18mm. This would be ultra-wide on that old film camera, but it takes pictured that look more like what you'd expect from a 28mm lens on a traditional film camera.
Ok, sorry for all the mumbo jumbo, but now on to why this lens is so great...
With its 10mm-20mm focal length, this lens is the 35mm film SLR equivalent of a 15mm to 35mm zoom lens, and 15mm full-frame is about the widest you can go before getting into "fish-eye" territory.
With this Sigma lens at 10mm, you get a very wide angle perspective without crossing over into fish-eye territory. Yes, there is noticeable "barreling", but nothing beyond the range of most modern photo/image editing software's ability to fix. Frankly, I like a little of that in my ultra-wide photos. At the 20mm end, the "barreling" is much less noticeable.
As will all extreme wide angle lenses, if you get right on top of your subject, you'll really amplify the distortion effect, but if you're shooting at 10mm and focusing down to the lenses minimum focus distance (an amazing 10" or so), you're probably already expecting, and even counting on such distortion anyway.
Did I mention that it focuses down to around 10"?
The construction of this lens is solid, and it has a little heft to it. It comes with its own custom lens hood. USE IT. The front element on this lens bulges out a bit (as you can see from the product photos), and aside from helping with lens flare, that extra bit of "guard rail" will help you avoid scratching the thing. I've put a UV filter on the front to help protect the glass, but the distance between that glass and the front lens element makes this "reflection box" that has visibly shown in some of my highly backlit/highly contrasty photos.
The focusing is fast and silent. I really like the fact that this is one of those "internally focusing" lenses which means that the act of focusing does not turn the manual focus rung, and doesn't make the lens change position or size. More importantly, if you want to manually focus, you can just grab the ring and turn because it's not "locked" into place in AF mode like many other lenses.
I've taken some of my best photos with this lens, and for the wide-angle enthusiast with a DX sensor Nikon DSLR, I'd go so far as to say this is a must-have. It's got 2mm wider focal length than the nearest Nikon (with DOES make a visible difference at the low-end), but its incredibly well made and clear from edge to edge (though, it does have that "barrel" distortion... it's still crisp from end to end with little to no vignetting)
Sorry, I probably went on a bit, but as you can tell, I really like this lens. I'd highly recommend that you do your research before you buy it as ultra-wide angles do have some idiosyncrasies, but if you know what to expect (photographically) from them, then this lens is one of the best I've ever played with/owned.
Fantastic value and performance... [Posted on 2008-07-18]
For what I need this lens is fantastic. The widest zoom I can get for my D40 at a great price. The lens feels very well made and sturdy; the photos are sharp. The only thing I don't like about it is the weird finish but that's no big deal. Highly recommended.
Great lens, great price! [Posted on 2008-08-12]
I got this lens recently, and I'm impressed. The photos I've taken with it have turned out great. I just added a multicoated UV filter for protection and a multicoated polarizer for stunning landscapes. Now I just need to work on composition and getting to good locations at the right time! Some have said this lens is "plasticky", but it seems solid to me.
Sigma - another great product at half the cost of Nikon's [Posted on 2008-08-15]
Great product. I have used it with my Fuji S5 pro (crop factor 1.5X). At 10mm focal length, I am actually at 15mm (with my camera's crop factor)...quite wide. It's been great for landscape shots. You get a tad bit of vignetting, but they can be fixes with PS or cropped.
Great product...thank you Sigma
Other things you might have missed [Posted on 2008-08-26]
I am an active amateur who has done photography for some of the state parks where I live. I shot film for years and recently got into digital work just recently. I just purchased this lens and am very excited to get out to use it. I've done a few shots around my home and I'm quite thrilled with the results.
I'll leave all the technical details to others who have covered them quite well on this and other sites.
But I did want to mention a few things that are not covered or are misrepresented in the reviews you'll see in other places.
- The lens comes with a fairly nice soft case. This is a big plus for me since I like to store my lenses in cases while not in use.
- The lens shade is of very high quality. It also fits snugly.... much better than the Nikon shades which tend to fall off far to easily. I also like the way it attaches. The markings are clear and it easily fits on and tightens as you turn it. There are no cheap latches to worry about breaking.
- There have been many comments made about the lens caps. Ignore them. The front cap is very similar to that Nikon provides. I don't see much of a difference. The rear cap fits much better than the Nikon variety. You will have to note the dot and align it with the corresponding mark on the lens. It has a very tight fit and I actually like it much better than the Nikon branded rear caps. You will have to look at it though to put it on.
Click here for more details and discount information...
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