Sigma 10-20mm f3.5 EX DC HSM Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras with APS-C Sensors

Product Information

The Sigma 10-20 was not as sharp as the Nikon 16-85 in the very center of the image at comparable focal lengths (16mm and 20mm) and apertures, although was very close by f/5 and nearly the same at f/8. At the edges of the image however, the Sigma 10-20 was as sharp or sharper and had better contrast at f-stops tested, 3.5-8. I have no lenses to compare the Sigma 10-20 to at shorter focal lengths.

Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC Interchangeable Lens Review Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC Interchangeable Lens Review

And the ultra-wide angle focal length range is very useful - I recommend a lens from this class to be part of all APS-C (1.6x) DSLR camera kits.SLR Gear gave an accurate review regarding image quality. A little soft around the edges at the 20mm end, otherwise excellent. Most of the time you're at the wide end of this lens anyway and that's where it excels. Nice to have the versatility at the narrow end, it's there when you need it, and worth the extra weight. The Sigma's bokeh is a bit rough. Specular highlights aren't quite round, have some striations and halo, and are not smoothly monochromatic. None of these shortcomings is a killer, I'm just a perfectionist.

Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC Interchangeable Lens Review

Point lights look fantastic with this version because of the extra aperture blade with 14 points on the stars making very beautiful looking 'Sunstars'. Is it worth it for this alone... that's a matter of subjective opinion, but I like the 14 points over the 12 points personally. The lens ships with a short, petal-shaped lens hood. The hood uses a bayonet mount to attach to the lens, and reverses on the front for storage. The lens hood adds 1 1/2'' to the overall length of the lens when mounted.I waited for this lens and finally entered the world of 10mm wide angle. I instantly fell in love and started using this lens as a walk-around lens. It's range of 10-20mm is much more useful than the Tokina 11-16 and the 3.5 is only marginally slower than the Tokina at 2.8, so I was pretty excited.