Wide angle! WIDE ANGLE! 12mm simply rocks on 35mm film, there is nothing wider.

Not as fast as I'd like - 4.5 is a lot slower than 2.8 - the difference between 1/20th and 1/60th is huge when you don't have VR and can't bring a tripod...

I love wide angles, and used to have a Sigma 10-20mm for my DX-format cameras. I recently picked up a Nikon F100 film body, and couldn't resist getting this lens. Some have commented that it's not an everyday lens, but since a 24mm prime is almost my normal lens for walking around, this 12-24mm works out fine on a film camera. I simply love being able to take in (for instance) an entire doorway while I walk through it. If you shoot cars, get this - you can do so much in such cramped quarters, you won't believe it. Now all I need is a full-frame Nikon digital body... I suspect that my Nikkor 24mm f/2.8 is sharper, but that lens doesn't zoom out to 12mm!

Customer Service

Hasn't been necessary

Similar Products Used:

Sigma 24mm f/1.8, Nikon 20mm f/3.5, Nikon 24mm f/2.8, Sigma 10-20mm f/4.0-5.6

Speed, size and relatively discreet look (if it wasn't for that front element that's downright bulbous). Nice range of focal lengths.

Maybe it's ugliness, along with that the front element is so weird looking and doesn't allow for filters of any type. Other than that, it's not a lens to use with flash 'cuz it vignettes like mad, especially at 12mm (and what's the fun of using a flash at 24mm with this lens? None. The fun in this lens is its FUNction at 12mm). Treat it with care because the front element cannot be protected.

This is the ugliest imaginable lens... Sorry, but had to say that and get it off my chest. It just looks ghastly on my Nikon F5 and on the F100 too. Oh, well, now that I said it, I should add that it's a very good, reliable tool. Where does one get a wide-angle this wide? Nowhere! Once one overcomes the ugliness of this lens, the results are very good. Granted, it may not be as sharp as others may expect, but then, what's PS for then? Also, I'm not exactly a fan of all-around sharp images and that's one problem I have with this lens: things will appear in focus (not necessarily sharp) all the time because of the minimum aperture of f4.5. In short, as a slow lens, it's somewhat self-limiting. However, what it lacks in looks makes up for with oomph. Focusing is fast, the HSM makes it inaudible, and that's what counts: it delivers. It took me time to get used to the zoom ring, as I am used to the 24-85 and 24-120 Nikon zooms (you can see I like wides a lot), but once that's done, it's a good performer. Not an every day lens for a film user, but I have seen the results it makes in a Nikon D300, so it may be a good companion for a digital body. I have still to take this zoom to Chicago, but in the meanwhile, I'm very glad I have it.

Customer Service

Not needed, though I used it once with another lens and they were very accomodating.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon AFS 24-85 f3.5-f4.5
Nikon AFS 24-120 VR f 4.5-f5.6
Tokina AF 19-35 f3.5-f4.5 (plastic fantastic... sold)
Sigma AF 24-70 f2.8

Solid building and general image quality is quite good

Specially it's f-stop and the impossibility of attaching a protection filter

It is a few months ago I bought this lens and the truth is that I am quite happy with it. I still didn't see its resoults on a film camera, never the less in a Digital camera it works quite well.

I like at first point it's definition, contrast and saturation. In this aspect I think that this lens is quite outstanding in any focal length. This lense doesen't have much light loos on the edges, at least I hardly get to see it (always talking about a CCD that is 25x16cm, I think).

Never the less it does have some other problems, focus is not that fast as I wold have expected in such a great grand angular, that's the truth, but all in all it is fast enough to use it for work (in my case photojournalism), though I recognize that it is quite silent. It has to some CA on the edges, its not a surpirise having these focal lengths. No possibility of attaching a frontal filter (doe to the bubble frontal element) does bother me a bit, I have to go with too much extra care and that makes me loose some important time while working, specially changing lenses while running from one side to the other (I don't understand why they didn't doo a wider hood to be able to attach a filter, I prefere a large and expensive filter rather then scratch and destroy the front element of the lens!)

About it's construction, it is quite solid built, it already has fallen from my hands in one ocasion without any problem, though it wold seem a heavy lence doe to it's dimensions, the truth is that it surpirsed me quite a bit its relative lack of wieight.

I don't know, as a lens for tranquile jobs or amateur photographers I think it is highly recomended, quality vs. price is quite acceptable and this lense can be used on a DSLR or a normal 35mm film camera. But I don't see it as a lens for working in hard conditions.

Oh! an other thing I was forgeting about, its a lens with a high f-stop factor, though it is not that much of a problem at 12mm it can be one at 24mm.

Customer Service

Haven't needed it for the moment

Similar Products Used:

Tokina 17mm f:3,5 AT-X
Nikkor 24mm f:2,8

There simple is nothing else that is that wide for a Mark II.
It is not very heavy or atrract much attention.
It is wide, wide
No distorting
Can be used on every sensor.
Flare is well controlled.

Only useable at f11 or smaller
Color is poor in comparising with Canon L zooms. (Can be helped in post processing)
Sharpness is not very good, but again, can be helped in post proccesing.

The only zoom I own where I wish it was a prime. I use it primarly for the 12 mm. It is nice to use unnoticed, and it is fun. It is small enough to find a place in my photobag, does not have a big suncap like the Canon 17-40 L does for example. The AF on my copy is dead but i do not care. I always use it on F13 or even smaller.
I forgive this lens it's limitations, 12 mm is very very special.

Similar Products Used:

17-40L

Extremely little distortion for such a wide angle zoom Full-frame compatibility Sharp (within reasonable expectation limits) Image quality better than some wide-angle primes Works just great on a Pentax ist DS Great for architecture on a digital body Gives you real wide-angle on DSLRs

You cannot use thread-in type filters. Maximum aperture of 4.5 only (somewhat unfair, still useful in low-light situations) Sort of bulky, but not heavy; not a "discrete" type of lens Front element cannot be protected by filter (flirting with disaster)

I bought this lens in February 2005 and am using it on a Pentax ist DS. I am amazed by the minimum distortion of this zoom lens, which beats some full-frame wide-angle primes I own. I have done shots of paintings in a museum without using a flash. These pictures are getting close to the repros in their catalog. I did have to correct for perspective; but there was little to do in terms of barrel or pincushion distortion. Actually, most of the time you can do without such measures. Taking into account the focal length, the lens is extremely sharp on a 1.5x DSLR. If you look carefully there is certainly decreasing sharpness and increasing chromatic aberrations towards the edges, in particular at maximum aperture, but this statement is true for virtually any lens, and for the Sigma it is at a level that you have to really look for it. I consider this lens a technological masterpiece, something that would not have been possible without the extensive use of aspherical surfaces, say, 10 years ago. Of course, there are certain (probably unavoidable) weaknesses to this design approach. The lens has this amazingly protruding Popeye front element; you cannot use screw-in filters; the lens is quite bulky (not really heavy as some reviewers claim); and the 4.5 maximum aperture is not really a match to a Noktilux kind of lens either. On a digital camera, you probably don't need much of a filter except for protection and maybe a polarizer, but still this is a weak point. As far as the maximum aperture goes, I did not find this too much of a problem, as you can use 1/15s exposure without a tripod at f=12mm without problems. So the aperture range actually compares favorably with many standard zooms in terms of shootability in low-light situations. Still, prime lenses such as the SIGMA 20mm F1.8 clearly have an edge in that kind of situation. There are statements that this lens does not focus correctly in autofocus mode, but these problems appear to be restricted to the Canon version. I did not see any particular problems on my sample, neither do I think that manual focusing would be much of an issue at 12mm focal length. Just put the lens to hyperfocal distance and anything will be sharp from 0.5m to infinity even at maximum aperture. Anyway, this is a great piece of glass, probably among the best lenses Sigma has ever made. Compared to lenses of Pentax, Canon, Nikon etc. this is a bargain, and it seems that not much is gained by paying that higher price either.

Customer Service

Fortunately, never had to use it.

Similar Products Used:

Tokina 17mm F3.5 SIGMA 20mm F1.8 Pentax 24mm F2.0

Good color. Very low distortion. Great landscape lens.

Slow. Can't use screw-on filters.

I bought this lens mostly for landscapes and it is an excellent lens for that purpose. Barely any distortion, good colors and one of the few real wide angle lenses that is available for full frame or film cameras. The drawbacks that made me sell it were the slowness at 4.5-5.6 and the nature of the fisheye lens---any time people were included in my images, they were shrunken and widened. Still, I wouldn't hesitate to reccommend this lens to someone who wants an ultra wide angle, particularly for a non-APSC sensor camera or film camera.

Customer Service

NA

Similar Products Used:

Canon 17-40L.

Lovely shape. Lots of stamina. Never says "no"

Chocolate, chick flicks

I have finally sold my Sigma 12-24. I was initially aroused by the fact that it covered 35mm as well as digital formats, but after one year of use, I unfortunately realised we were drifting apart. We just wanted different things. I am wanting to test Nikon 12-24

lack of distortion wide zoom range

needs to be at f11 to get the best out of it. cracle finish beginning to peel off round lens mount difficulty in getting filters

For an architectural photographer using a digital camera this lens is a technological masterpiece. It is quite amazing that a lens this wide can be so geometrically accurate. Yes it is a touch slow and needs to be used with care; but it is far superior to my nikon 18-35 intems of accuracy and wide angle range. I bought it specifically for interior work; but it has proved exceptional for creative landscape and shots of Khmer Arhcitecture which I have been specialising in. I have used this lens far more than I ever expected. I just desperatly wish I could get a polariser to fit!

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 18-35 f3.5

Very high quality build. Silent HSM motor. Sharp images. Equivalent to 19.2-38.4mm on my Canon 10D. Can also be used on the Canon 1D with 1.3x factor and 1Ds with full frame sensor.

Small maximum aperture at f4.5. Large size=more weight. Bulbous front element prone to lens flare. Can't take screw-in filters

I use a Canon 10D digital camera and needed a wide lens to shoot interiors of homes and businesses. At the time, there weren't many zooms that met my needs so I was excited when I found out Sigma was coming out with this lens and bought one as soon as I could afford it. I'm very happy with the lens. For what I use it for, speed is not a concern. I shoot mostly at f11 with shutter speeds between 1/2 to 4 seconds. Only on occasion do I notice any barreling at the 12mm setting and it's only very minor at that. This is a big lens so it might not go well with the newer, more compact digital SLRs like the Canon 20D or Digital Rebel XT. My knuckles rub on the lens' body. Well, if you had smallish hands it might be okay. The lens is not without its flaws. With a maximum aperture of f4.5, it's not a bright lens. It doesn't take screw-in filters so I couldn't use star effect or polarizing filters to enhance my shots. Finally, that front element is prone to lens flare. Overall, I'm glad I have it. It has given me the opportunity to take some awesome shots of interiors which I wouldn't have been able to take with any other lens. If you could live with the flaws I mentioned, you'd be happy with this purchase, too.

Customer Service

Never used.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 18-35mm

Full frame, price.

Corners are soft, expecially on film. As one would expect from such a ridiculously wide lens.

It's the only full frame super-wide zoom. I'm betting on full frame sensors (no crop factor) for digital, so it is the only choice for me. Very useful range for digital, spectacular and fun with film (full frame). Super-wide is mega-cool! Excellent build quality, has a nice tight feel.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 12-24 f4, Sigma 20mm f1.8.