Sigma 12-24 mm f/4.5-5.6 II DG HSM
11. Summary
- compact and solidly made casing of the lens,
- good image quality in the frame centre,
- sensibly low distortion, taking into accoun the angles of view,
- decently corrected coma,
- not very high astigmatism,
- silent, quick and efficient autofocus.
Cons:
- weak image quality on the edge of full frame,
- high vignetting visible even on the smaller detector,
- a lot of problems with the work against bright light,
- noticeable chromatic aberration on shorter focal lengths,
- no posibility to use filters.
The Sigma 12-24 mm is undoubtedly a unique lens; if you need such wide angles of view and, at the same time, if you want to avoid a „fisheye” type of instrument you will have no choice. The problem is that currently for such a price you could and should expect more. Nowadays even plastic kit lenses have to be sharp. What could have been tolerated ten years ago is unacceptable today. Although the Sigma improved its performance, compared to its predecessor, it seems the improvement wasn’t as significant as you would wish for.
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As a result the sale volume of this model might be not as high as the Sigma company have estimated. Many owners of Nikon reflex cameras might decide to pay some extra money and buy the Nikkor 14-24 mm f/2.8. That lens boasts narrower angles of view but its fastness and optics are much better. If you own a Canon reflex camera, you might have a bit more problems. Neither the EF 14 mm f/2.8L II USM nor the EF 16-35 mm f/2.8L USM bowled us over during the tests, especially taking into the account their price. The second device also offers much narrower angles of view. For somebody interested in the 12-24 mm range, a 16-35 mm instrument is an entirely different lens.
I am worried that with such results as the new Sigma showed here, and with such a price tag most of amateur photographers who need an ultra wide-angle instrument will choose the Samyang 2.8/14, which is optically good and faster. With such a focal length the lack of an autofocus is not keenly felt and in the case of the Samyang it is recompensed by better optics, a better fastness and a lower price.
Sample shots
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Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 12 mm, f/4.5, exp. 1/40 s, ISO 400 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 10.24 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 12 mm, f/6.3, exp. 1/250 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 9.99 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 12 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/160 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 12.98 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 12 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/320 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 11.61 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 12 mm, f/4.5, exp. 1/400 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 10.54 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 12 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/160 s, ISO 400 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 13.35 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 12 mm, f/6.3, exp. 1/250 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 10.67 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 12 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/160 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 7.67 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 12 mm, f/4.5, exp. 1/20 s, ISO 800 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 10.14 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 12 mm, f/11.0, exp. 1/125 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 15.23 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 15 mm, f/5.0, exp. 1/100 s, ISO 400 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 11.46 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 17 mm, f/5.0, exp. 1/40 s, ISO 400 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 9.82 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 19 mm, f/7.1, exp. 1/400 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 10.76 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 15 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/160 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 12.17 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 19 mm, f/7.1, exp. 1/250 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 10.82 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 14 mm, f/4.8, exp. 1/250 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 9.73 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 17 mm, f/5.0, exp. 1/500 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 10.08 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 17 mm, f/7.1, exp. 1/320 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 8.14 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 18 mm, f/5.0, exp. 1/80 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 8.76 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 17 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/60 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 12.13 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 24 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/100 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 9.66 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 24 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/100 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 9.9 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 24 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/60 s, ISO 800 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 10.62 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 24 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/500 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 9.81 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 24 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/320 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 9.4 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 24 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/250 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 9.82 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 24 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/160 s, ISO 400 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 12.44 MB |
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Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 24 mm, f/9.0, exp. 1/250 s, ISO 100 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 10.26 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 24 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/400 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 9.25 MB |
Camera: Nikon D3x Parameters: 24 mm, f/9.0, exp. 1/800 s, ISO 200 File: JPEG, 6048×4032 pix, 8.79 MB |
