Went to JT Photoworld yesterday to try out this lens since am looking for a nice wide-angle lens for my 20D. Was curious about Sigma's touting this as a rectilinear lens and now I know why some people use this as a 12mm prime :Grin:

Took several shots handheld from 12, 14, 20 and 24mm and tested this lens with the Sigma 14 f2.8 and the 20 f1.8. Will posts some pics when I sort them out at 100% crop.

Now before I take the plunge, just would like to test the Tokina 12-24. Its price and ease of putting filters are a big plus.

Anyone had experiences with the Sigma, Tokina or both?

isnt the sigma a 10-20? or is that the nikon mount one? :)

the sigma 12-24 works with full frame/35mm, I think. the 10-20 is digital specific (aps sized sensors). I think.

Sonny,

Sigma has both the 10-20mm and 12-24mm lens. The price of Sigma is cheaper but Nikkor and Canon lens deliver better and sharper images. It is best to invest in a good lens.

Lester,

The only downside of Tokina lens is that it makes a creeping noise when you adjust the zoom and focus using manual mode. Tokina lens would you believe is also now made in the Philippines and it costs the same price as that of a Tamron lens made in Japan.

Lest,

I have the Sigma 12-24. Haven't used it that much since I borrowed Randy's 17-40 F4L. It performs well with my 1D. Had to get the 12-24 since I had no choice since I still shoot in film as well. I'll be honest by saying that the lens is soft on the edges. I've confirmed this with 3 other 12-24 users, both Nikon and Canon mounts.

Thanks for the Tokina info Eric, didn't know it was made here. So support shouldn't be a problem then.

Niño didn't know you have one :) Yesterday got to talk to someone who also owned one. And he did mention that the colors are not up to par with the 16-35L :) I guess that's expected.

Maybe I could live with the softer edges of this one. But somehow didn't notice it with the 14mm and 20mm primes I tested with. Got to put those edge samples online soon.

I need a lens that's both wide (for landscapes) and rectilinear (for architecture) and full-frame capable (for 5D? :)) that's why am eyeing this one. Have to decide and balance these features with better contrast and color from other lenses if its worth it.

So Niño I guess you're happy with it?

I was happy with it. Sent you a PM Les.

Replied to you Niño :)

OT: I can attest to Randy's generosity. He also loaned me a 50mm for almost a year now am addicted to primes. My next after this hopefully would be the 85 :)

Replied to you Niño :)

OT: I can attest to Randy's generosity. He also loaned me a 50mm for almost a year now am addicted to primes. My next after this hopefully would be the 85 :)

OT: I'll have to return his 17-40 now. My next is the 135 F2L or a P2000. Still have to decide which one. I'm also addicted to primes. Been recently shooting with a 127mm Mamiya prime. I'm currently in love with it.

hey les, i can lend you the lens if you want pare.

That's cool Niño. Sige let's meet up so I can test the lens. Thanks :)

let me know. i have the lens with me now.

Thanks for the lending me the lens Niño :Grin: Appreciate the warm welcome from you and Nick last Friday. DPP HQ is stunning!

I've attached 100% crops of the Sigma 12-24 and 14mm prime taken at different apertures. The shots were taken handheld from inside JT Photoworld using their sample copies.

Yesterday's aternoon weather wasn't permitting so haven't taken much outdoor shots. Will post the unprocessed shots in my flickr account later. Most were shot at 12mm.

Hi guys,
heres some shots from a borrowed Sigma 14mm prime..

Taken from a 20d, No editing just Camera Raw, resize to 500 pixel wide, then save to web jpg high, no sharpness, no saturation, just removed some sensor dust, you can notice the flare in the middle of both pics even if it had the lens hood..

Its a great lens, a joy to use, great for landscapes..its got a bulbous front element, looks so fragile that i always placed the cap..

Hope this helps in your decision :) The black and white versions (edited) are posted at the monochrome shots thread..:)

http://www.photo.net.ph/albums/userpics/11902/normal_north-hill-raw.jpg
Canon 20d, Sigma 14mm prime, Manual, ISO 400, 1/60sec, f20


http://www.photo.net.ph/albums/userpics/11902/tree-in-corregidor-raw.jpg
Canon 20d, Sigma 14mm prime, Manual, ISO 400, 1/80sec, f22

Thanks for sharing Mario. Really wanted the 14mm for the longest time. But after reading lots of reviews on the net of the 12-24 decided to test that as well. Based from my subjective tests, the 14mm appeared sharper or had more resolution in the center of the frame. However, the 12-24 renders the images quite well even near the edges. And like most wide-angle lenses, it was also subject to flare and quite visible chromatic aberrations. Took an unprocessed interior shot here: http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=225898620&size=l

I've attached a 100% crop shot from the 12-24 "Popeye" lens shot in RAW. It's a screen capture from Lightroom where the effects of sharpening can be seen on the right side of the split screen preview of the Develop module. On the left is the original unprocessed file. Overall the lens offers good colors and low distortion.

Will post some screen capture of unprocessed pics later.

I guess you've already decided on the 12-24.

Here are some unprocessed RAW shots I took earlier:

http://homepage.mac.com/lestercallanta/sigma7088.jpg
ISO 100 12mm 1/80 f/11

http://homepage.mac.com/lestercallanta/sigma7109.jpg
ISO 100 12mm 1/15 f/16

http://homepage.mac.com/lestercallanta/sigma7118.jpg
ISO 100 24mm 1/30 f/13

http://homepage.mac.com/lestercallanta/sigma7124.jpg
ISO 400 24mm 1/60 f/13

All were taken in RAW format. Captured, resized and exported to JPEG by Adobe Lightroom.

mario, is it just me, or is the prime sigma lens soft?

hi nino
looks ok to me,
no Photoshop, straight from camera RAW then resize..though i had no other lens as basis for comparison on the same shot :) though the 12-24 by lester looks sharper..my only problem was with the flare..do you think it would cause softness?

hi nino
looks ok to me,
no Photoshop, straight from camera RAW then resize..though i had no other lens as basis for comparison on the same shot :) though the 12-24 by lester looks sharper..my only problem was with the flare..do you think it would cause softness?

honestly, i find it quite soft. i don't think it's the flare. but do post unprocessed shots some more. lets find out if it is really soft or just me. being a prime, it should be whacking the 12-24 in terms of sharpness.

@nino
i agree on the prime being sharper than the zoom, ill look into my raw files and see if i could find more samples..

@nino heres the other raw files..
this time i used Bicubic sharper when i downsized the pics to 700 pixels wide
then save for web, jpg high..


http://www.photo.net.ph/albums/userpics/11902/normal__MG_2578.jpg

Canon 20d, 14mm Sigma, ISO400, 1/60, f20

http://www.photo.net.ph/albums/userpics/11902/_MG_2573.jpg

Canon 20d, 14mm Sigma, ISO 400, 1/40, f20

http://www.photo.net.ph/albums/userpics/11902/normal__MG_2576.jpg

Canon 20d, 14mm Sigma, ISO400, 1/25, f20

http://www.photo.net.ph/albums/userpics/11902/normal__MG_2580.jpg

Canon 20d, 14mm Sigma, ISO400, 1/50, f22

Here's another one I took yesterday after a hard rain in Tagaytay.

http://homepage.mac.com/lestercallanta/Sigma7274.jpg
ISO 100 12mm 1/60 f/11

Wifey earlier told me about the nice color cast on the plants brought about by the setting sun. Rushed to get the cam and took this shot handheld. It was 6:15 and it had this eerie red orange glow outside as it soon started to drizzle.

The image was shot in RAW and exported to JPEG with no post processing.

http://homepage.mac.com/lestercallanta/sigma7365.jpg
ISO 800 24mm 1/50 f/5.6

how much will this lens cost? EX lens sya dba?

Last I checked, it was 37.5k at JTPhotoworld. Yes, this is an EX Lens grade.

looks good to me! :D