Sigma Zoom Super Wide Angle 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX Aspherical DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS

Comments about Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 AF Lens:

If you want the best but can't go for a Canon Lens for your Canon gear then this is the lens for you and you wont regret it either!!!! Smooth handling, precise AND fast Focusing, wonderful clarity and light weight!!

Comments about Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 AF Lens:

For the price, this lens is a tremendous value.

A little background on why I decided to buy this lens: I did a lot of photography with my Canon 20D and the Canon EF-S 10-22 (easily one of the better lenses I've ever owned). This lens spoiled me a bit, and when I moved to fullframe (a Canon 5D), I was at a loss to find something to replace it. I had owned the Sigma 20/1.8, but despite it's amazing speed at f/1.8, it wasn't wide enough for what I wanted to do, and it flared badly (more on this later)

I considered a couple of possible contenders:

* Canon 16-35 -- too big, too expensive
* Canon 14/2.8L II -- too expensive
* Canon 17mm TS-E -- ditto

The latter two options were tempting, but I rented the Sigma 12-24 first to see if it'd work -- because then what I don't know about the Canon primes can't hurt me.

In the end, I decided the Sigma 12-24 was acceptable. It's really quite amazingly wide, and also amazingly rectilinear considering how wide it is -- very little distortion.

One of my concerns was flaring. As I mentioned, the Canon 10-22 spoiled me in this regard, as it was nearly impossible to get that lens to flare. The Sigma 20/1.8 I had did flare quite a bit and badly, however. So when I rented the 12-24 I did my best to use it in challenging situations (long exposure night shots with glaring lights, straight into the sun, etc). Verdict? It does flare -- quite a bit. But, not nearly as much as the 20/1.8, and it's manageable. As long as you know it'll flare, you just have to keep an eye out for it, use strategic shading, angles, whatever.

I have heard that build quality in these lenses varies highly, so keep an eye out for that -- mine has been fine, though: very sharp from f/8 through f/11 and beyond..

Comments about Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 AF Lens:

I just like it!!!

Comments about Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 AF Lens:

I was apprehensive about buying this lens because of the many reviews that cited quality problems where the purchaser had to go through several samples. So, when I received the lens, I went out with my 5D MKII, a 24-105L and the Sigma. I set it up on a tripod and shot the same scene, at 24mm with both lenses. At f11 and anywhere near the center, the Sigma is sharper than the 24-105 - big surprise there. CA is also better controlled. The corners are a different story - the Sigma is soft in the extreme corners, but this doesn't detract significantly from image quality. Geometric distortion is very well controlled and, when processed via DXO, all CA and distortion are automatically eliminated. The net is that this is an excellent lens for architectural work.

Comments about Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 AF Lens:

happy with [...] lens quality.

Comments about Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 AF Lens:

Really great lens. I use it for my DSLR HD video shooting. Wish they would come out with one with stabilizing function for FULL FRAME cameras...kind of a must in video-land.

Comments about Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 AF Lens:

I'm a working photographer and when I'm hired to shoot interiors for magazines I use this lens 95% of the time. The corner softness is true, but honestly, I use it to get a VERY wide shot of difficult/tight spaces and often end up cropping some anyway so the corners are irrelevant. I've used this for years now & not a single client has ever noticed or complained. If a better lens existed that had this width & zoom, I'd be on it like white on rice, but it does not. The distortion is SO minimal it is a pleasure as I rarely have to do any corrections. Could it be a tad sharper, yes, would sharper corners be nice, yes, but for the price & the width, it is a superstar that has seen me through many jobs & many happy clients : )

Comments about Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 AF Lens:

On a full frame, this is the only zoom lens I know that gives a working rectilinear 12-16mm range. Unlike my copy of the 17-40mm this lens has less distortion and at 17mm it has sharper corners. Nice colors, fast AF on 5DII.

I had to try a few copies to get the right lens.
Similar Products I Own::
17-40mm, 24 2,8 Canons

Comments about Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 AF Lens:

On a full frame, this is the only lens that gives a working rectilinear 12-16mm range. Unlike my copy of the 17-40mm this lens has less distortion and at 17mm it has sharper corners. Nice colors, fast AF on 5DII.

I had to try a few copies to get the right lens.

Comments about Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 AF Lens:

I was impressed with the overall performance of the Sigma 12-24mm f4.5-5.6 ex, dg, asp lens. Extreme wide angle of view without fish-eye distortion. I shot right into the setting sun with less lens flare than some of my Canon L lenses. Sharpness is enhanced through software. This lens is fun and usefull. Care must be taken as lens filter protection is impossible or you would be taking a picture of the sides of the filter. Bob

Comments about Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 AF Lens:

I have been shooting commercial photography for over twenty years and not found a lens better than this one for ultra wide architectural work. At the middle and high F-stops, it is "tack" sharp with minimal barrel distortion and vignetting. It yields spectacular results.

I "tested" several of these lens before purchasing and did find observable differences in quality among them.

Comments about Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 AF Lens:

To be frank, I think this is a toy lens.
It doesn't focus precisely. It produces blurry photos always even if you use a tripod. It has just a wide view for nothing.
The angle is pretty wide, but too soft focusing to use as a pro lens.
In addition to that, although it might have quite a wide view, 20% of the picture area is useless. It has vignettes on the periphery of the frame.
AND also, it doesn't focus well.
I have already compared the several photos with Canon L lens' photos.
It was proved.
I was so disappointed that I couldn't use it for a commercial shooting.
Waste of Money if you are a professional photographer.

This is not a lens for professionals, this is a lens for amateurs.

Comments about Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 AF Lens:

This lens did not work well with a Canon 5D Mark 2. Horrible distortion along the edges... kinda "slow" at f4.5, and it totally failed to work (ie, auto focus mechanism) in -13 degrees (I live in Anchorage, AK). None of my Canon lenses failed to work at much lower temperatures. In fact, when this lens consistently failed to work over several days, I put on a Canon lens in the identical environment and I shot for 30 minutes with no problems. The Sigma autofocus mechanism locked up within seconds of being exposed to low temperatuers... obviously, totally unacceptable in my environment...

and I returned the lens. B&H Photo were great in taking the lens back... fast and efficient.

Comments about Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 AF Lens:

This lens is one of my favorites for portraits. I do a lot of figure studies and it reacts well to a wide range of lighting applications. I've even found it to be an effective at some glamour shoots. I use Nikon products exclusively, this lens IS the exception.

Comments about Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 AF Lens:

I bought this lense to use with my 5D. 12mm on a FF is very wide. It is mainly used for creative angle, and new view, new perspective. I really like it for its wide angle. However, at 24mm it is not very comparable to my 24-105mm at 24mm. Its color, contrast, and especially sharpness, is not in the same league as my L lense. However, I want the 12mm and considering its price, I think it kind of does what I need it to do. So a 4 star.

Comments about Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 AF Lens:

I bought this lens for small room situations. We had quite a crowd in the house Christmas morning and I had the camera on a tripod in the corner of the room with a flash transmitter firing a remote slave. The results were fantastic, and with 85% less effort than normal. I would recomend this lens for this type of situation.

Comments about Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 AF Lens:

This is a fun, playful lens. I wanted to use it for architecture. At 12mm is was vignetting my camera chip by 20% and at 24mm with full coverage it was not doing what I needed. It created soft images compared to the more expensive lens, in addition to its usefulness in rendering structures. For my application it was the wrong lens.

Comments about Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 AF Lens:

This is the best corrected wide-angle lens that I have seen. Chromatic aberration is non existent

Comments about Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 AF Lens:

I was attracted to the ultra wide zoom range for my full-frame Canon camera. The view at 12mm is truly remarkable.

Compared the Sigma's IQ to my Canon 16-35 at f/8 at 16mm and 24mm. Unfortunately, center sharpness was visibly inferior to the Canon, and the Sigma's edge sharpness was extremely poor.

At the Sigma's 12mm setting, there was significant linear distortion at the edges of the images. I ended up returning the lens.

Comments about Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 AF Lens:

Inside picture and landscape. I feel also it is convienient for groups of people.