focuses fast and has a solid feel to it it is well constructed, my copy is super sharp from f5.6 on, f2.8 on close up photos produces very nice bokeh.

not necessarily a weakness but the gelatin filter design is a pain to use, the lens came with a handy template but still....Front element is very convex the clener you keep it less flare you will have

I have had this lens for almost a decade it is my go to wide angle (1.5 multiplier on dslr Nikon & Fuji bodies). Right now I have it mounted on d300s it is nicely balanced as long as you keep the front element shaded it will produce great photos.

Customer Service

with well over 300K images i have yet to have a need to have the lens serviced

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 14mm, nikon 17-35 sigma 8mm sigma 18-55mm

HSM, Build, Close Focus, Fast AF, Colors, Contrast

None at all

I found this lens to be superior in sharpness, colors, and contrast. It's really wideeeeee!!! AF is very fast, build quality is outstanding. The focusing distance is about as near as you can get. I still believe this is one of Sigma's success stories. It is very cheap in price compared to the competition Nikon and Canon both ofwhich costs a fortune and doesn't deliver better images.
I don't have any problems at all with the Sigma 14. It is almost my walk-around lens. Highly recommended

Similar Products Used:

Canon 14 2.8L

Sharpness, aperture, focus, build quality

weight? Size? You decide.
Soft edges on a full-frame camera.
alleged Sigma QC issues when buying used

First off I have to say in light of the previous review, and everything I've heard about Sigma QC, I really took a chance buying this lens used for over there years, and sight unseen. HOWEVER:

This example really is a great fit for my canon XTi. The crop sensor eliminates some of the wide range but also eliminates the soft edges that will show up if you use this lens on a full-frame. But my copy is sharp, focuses silently, rapidly and with conviction. It's ok at 2.8 but it really is sharp at 4.0 and up. I pick up some shadowing from the flash so you have to be cognizant of that when composing your shot: expect to crop it out. It also picks up some flare but really, with almost any super-wide, you're going to have to be aware of this also. Finally, it is large, the front element is huge and it's built like a tank...but everyone has to decide for themselves what this means to them. Personally I place the build quality over the concern of weight/size. I have tried the Canon 10-22mm and I don't think it's worth the extra expense on my budget.

I also have a sigma zoom, not an EX lens, which also shoots fine and very well for the money. So again, I have no experience with Sigma's bad examples, I don't doubt they're out there, but this is probably true with every manufacturer.

Customer Service

NA

Similar Products Used:

canon 10-22mm

Build

Poor rendition of images

Have now tried 3 of these lenses from different sources, new & secondhand and have all to be unusably soft, even when stopped way down. Possibly I was unlucky with selections, maybe it's a Sigma QQ issue? Not going to try a fourth with save up for the Canon 16-35mm F2.8 which will hopefully change my luck on wideangle lens shooting.

fast fast fast..and SHARP SHARP SHARP..and barely better than good..its the best sigma together w the Sigma 100-300 f4 and 300 mm f2,8 ! its super class and built extremely good

none-..hmm the only thing is..its a little akward to use gelatin filter..grrrr...

Absolutely stunning pics ;i debated long what lens i should buy for my old Canon 10D i daily use for PJ work at a local newspaper; i tested the canon 16-35 ,17-40(good too)and sigma 17-35 i compared this w the Canon L glass(the 14 mm 2,8 L extreemely expensive!!) and i actually think that the Sigma is a little sharper! I even took some photos direct into the sun! almost no flare!!teh coatings is super !Wow maan ! This time i think Sigma has overdone themselves;close to my favorites super lenses as the famed Canon 135 f 2,0 L,70-200 is,24 2,8 L...200 f 1,8 L and others in the the high end class! Sigma 14 mm is among the pro class and belong to them. I took some pics on iso 800 and iso 100 w and w out flash and the result was the best for long time i have ever seen from a wide angle,i dont look closer for any thing else-its a keeper!

Customer Service

no

Similar Products Used:

many from canon and sigma..(see the review please..)

Sharp, good contrast, unique angle of view. Artistic challange.

Darken corners. Probably a characteristic of the angle of view. Correctable in Photoshop but most of the time I leave it. It reminds me of my darkroom days when I would burn-in (darken) the corners.

I tested this lens against a Nikkor 14mm and decided to pocket the 500.00 difference. I use this lens with a Kodak 14n with wonderful results. Sharp, good color and contrast. Very well constructed. Well worth considering. I enjoy the artistic challange of this lens.

Similar Products Used:

Nikkor 14mm

Only way to geat a true wide with 1.6 factor digital SLR cameras without selling the car. Very sharp and contrasty, from f4 down. HSM focusing is very good at this focal lenght since it s not even a 20 degree turn from 0.6 feet to infinity.

Rear gelatin cut filters only. Not a problem for me since I gave up all filters with my D60. At 12 ounces it is one hunk of glass, nor exactly pocketable. Still, it feels better balanced than my 28-70 2.8 L

Bought this for my D60. Had negative previous experience with Sigmas quality control and construction, but this one is very well built and all four corners were as sharp as my Canon 20 2.8, so I kept it On a D60 it gives me a 22mm angle of view equivalent but a 14 mm depth of field.

Customer Service

Have not needed it.

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 24 mm 2.8 Canon 20 mm 2.8 L CAnon 28-70 mm 2.8 L

Construction, minimum focusing distance, very good sharpness at f/5.6

1. Flare 2. Unacceptibly low sharpness and contrast with heavy vigneting at f/2.8 3. Outstanding sharpness at f/5.6 may be smothered by residual vigneting, which disappears only at f/8, at which this lens is a bit softer -- you may be forced to choose between higher sharpness and lower vigneting

Solid and heavy. Metal hood and focusing ring. Good performer in the close-up range stopped down to f/22, the lens produces a DOF, which starts right from its front element) -- usable for still-life photography when dramatic perspectives are needed. In all, a fine lens for creative photography

Similar Products Used:

Sigma 15-30

good build quality, solid, 2.8

lens flare !! problem obviously outdoors so i dont advise this lens outdoors especially in countries where sun is high in the sky (less control on flare) geometric distortion obvious not cheap at 1000$ for a sigma prime ! (but the canon equivalent is 2 times even more) those problems are common to all very wide angles

This lens is a must have for interior/cramped places shooting.

Customer Service

not used

Similar Products Used:

canon 28-135 is usm

Perfect for Canon D30 owners. Looks, feels and produces images that will make any pro proud.

None that I can see. And if anyone says that focusing drive is not like the Canon USM, so what. It is not suppose to be. If it was It would have to cost 2000.00, which would defeat the purpose of producing a third party lens.

This is a Great, Great lens. It is built like a tank. The weight feel great. And the Optics are tack sharp. I use it on a Canon D30 and since the Sensor does not use the entire lens, just the middle, image distortion at the edges does not apply there is none. On the D30 the lens is eqiv. to a 22mm lens. This is the only non-Canon Lens that I currently use. All of the current lens that I use are L-series and I tried the Canon 14mm before purchasing this lens, and the only reason to purchase the Canon L would be if I wanted to spend an extra 1300.00 for no increase in image quality. This lens in nothing like the other Sigma wide angles lens.

Customer Service

None so far

Similar Products Used:

Canon 14mm 2.8, Voightlander 15mm lens, Sigma 17-35 2.8-4