Sigma DC 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX HSM

Excellent wide angle lens I have been shooting real estate photography on an APS-C Nikon D7100 with a 16-85mm lens which has worked for most applications, but in some smaller rooms, it became a bit limiting. This 10-20mm lens solved that problem. This lens paid itself off for me in the first photoshoot with how much easier it was to get set up and capture what I needed to. Bathrooms were always a nightmare because of tight spaces, but with this lens, it's no problem at all. Being just over $200 to get the extra FoV as compared to the thousands I would spend on going to a full frame body and buying lenses to match, I'd say there's a lot of bang for buck out of this lens. The fact that it starts at f/4 is no problem in my case since pretty much all of my indoor shots are done at f/6.3 & ISO 640. Stopped all the way down, it's still pretty darn sharp. I'm still accustomed to having VR on my 16-85mm lens, so it's not quite as good for hand held shots, especially in darker rooms and basements, but with the much wider FoV, I have yet to run into a situation where I couldn't use a tripod. I would mention that there was white oxidation on the rubber focus and zoom rings. This is easily taken off with a dry toothbrush and doing so really brought the look of the lens back to near brand new. Other than that, everything is cosmetically and functionally in great shape.

Sigm 10-20: Making a Believer out of a Skeptic Let me preface this by saying I am NOT a fan of Sigma. I've foudn their products to be worthy of their bottom-dollar prices, and have gone through a few low-end and high-end models with limited satisfaction. When my fellow Nikon shooter pressured me into considering the Sigma 10-20, my collection of lenses consited of only Nikon AF-D's and a couple AF Tokinas. My original plan was to buy a Tokina 12-24 wideangle, as Tokina was always the un-disputed best 3rd party Nikon lens for me. I caved to peer pressure and bought this Sigma. The lens itself is very heavy duty, on par with high end Nikon models. It has a professional 77mm filter and a smooth zoom ring, smoother than many Nikon lenses I own. The bayonet and AF electronics lock up tight, and the focusing motor is quiet and accurate (a BIG problem with other Sigma lenses). Sigma has a possibly deserved stereotype of fuzzy optics. This is not so for the 10-20. Not only are the optics clear, but the lens has surprisingly little barrel distortion, less than other 12mm wideangles I've tested, and certainly less than other Sigma offerings such as the 12-24 and the 15-30. Focus seems sharp, although I have not tested it in all aspects of photography. Sharpness is best, or course, at F6 or F12, but open at F4 is still professionally useable. In this day of low-noise/high-iso cameras however, you could shoot at F6 all day and night. If you're considereing a Tamron ultrawide, forget it. If you'd like to look at the Tokina 12-24, they just released a constant F2.8, but I would suggest you take your SLR body to a camera shop and try it out. If you can find the Sigma, however, you will be getting a sturdy and clear lens that opens wider than most comparably priced lenses on the market and produces and image with equal or greater clarity than other 3rd party offerings. I cannot compare it to Nikon's 10-17 as I've never mounted one on my camera, but I can say that I spent many years badmouthing Sigma and am quickly learing to eat my words.

Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM - SA Mount This is pretty much the only ultra-wide lens for the Sigma SD dSLR without going to the exotic fish-eye lens. The EX-series lenses are exceptionally well-built with great fit and finish and nice hefty weight. The HSM motor is very quiet and accurate. Luckily my copy has no focusing issue. Since this is a wide-angle lens, the usual issues are there: distortion, vignetting, softness towards the corner, etc. But unless you pixel-peep all the way, the results are very pleasing images. This lens is very sharp around f/8~f/11, which I believe most people will be using in this sort of lens, ie, landscape, scenery situations. Overall, this is a very good value ultra-wide angle lens (ASP-C) for the price. Obviously, people with non-Sigma dSLR would have more options such as their own proprietary brand lens and the third party lenses such as Tokina or Tamron. In which case I would recommend the Tokina AT-X 11-16mm f/2.8, definitely a winner, in both price and performance. I use one for Nikon D300s and Fuji S5 Pro and the results are very nice, sharp and contrasty. Enjoy!