Sigma Lente 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 (D) AF

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

Some people in California who are comparing this particular UWA lens to a 24-70mm F2.8 lens and moan about the Sigma's poor quality should not really be posting product reviews here, IMO. Talk about comparing apples to toiler plungers, wow. There is no pleasing some people, definitely.

BTW, there is NOTHING WRONG with this lens. But if you want an F2.8 zoom, you nedd to buy an F2.8 zoom and not an F4.5-5.6 zoom, hello!?

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

I read so much about this lens that my expectations were set quite high. Yes it is an amazing product but I am a little bit disappointed by the resolution. A lot of reviews mentionned this lens is quite equivalent to the fabulous Zeiss 24-70mm f/2.8.
No it is not and far from it.

I also read that Sigma quality is far from being stable. May be I got A ROGUE UNIT.

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

very sharp lens
the DxO software I use makes only small corrections.
I have not yet tried it on building exteriors. that might need larger correction.
have to be careful not to bump front element - it's not protected
I will use it for scenics, interiors and large group shots.

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

Bought one of these in 2005 for use with my Konica-Minolta 7D dSLR and film bodies. Although I liked the wide coverage, I wasn't impressed with the image qulity; don't remember all the details but remember that sharpness, even in the center, wasn't great. So I traded it in for a KM 11-18/4.5-5.6 D. Since then, I've read a number of reviews that document a wide range in the quality of individual copies of this lens. In short, if you get a good one, it's really good; but you've got a fair chance of geting a lemon, which I did several years ago.
Now I've got a Sony A900 full frame body and want the coverage that only this lens provides. This time, I got a (very) good one. Sharp, approaching my Sony-Zeiss 16-35/2.8, very little CA. Distortion is very well controlled, and flare control is also pretty good, considering how wide this thing is. Half the weight of the Zeiss, but still well built.
Some negative things are still there. It has a funky built-in petal shaped "hood" in front, and a 2 piece lens cap. This is threaded to accept 82mm filters, but it vignettes terribly. Not practical at all. And the rear gelatin filter slot is, as far as I can tell, never used by anyone.
Because of the apparent wide variation in quality, there's no way I'd rate this lens 5 stars. However, I'm very impressed with my new one. And most of the negative reviews I've read indicate that Sigma's pretty easy to work with if you do get a bad one. If you've got a FF body and like the "Big Picture", it's well worth the price.

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

Easy quick focus and sharp. excellent results at all f stops.

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

I have it with my a900 and the images are very sharp. I was amazed when I zoomed to the corners of a 12mm image, Very good sharp and control of chromatic aberrations. I heard that you have to be sure that your copy are good, because some copies are not so sharp, so please, if you aren't happy with your copy, return it. Mine are incredible.

One of the problems are that It is the only option that you have for Full Frame, or get the 16-35 carl zeiss, buy you gonna feel that you want more. 12mm it's amazing, and the quality of the image it's almost perfect.
You got to have to be careful with the exterior glass because it is very exposed, and you can't put any extraprotection there. And for Sony doesn't exist the silent AF version.
But if you want a real wide angle, get this one, and again, check your copy and compare the images with good lenses that you already have. For example I compare images from my Zeiss 24-70 2.8 in 24mm with the sigma, and the colors, sharp and quality are very similar.

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

This is easily the current best wide-angle zoom for the Sony/Minolta mount. Very sharp, great colors. Best of all, it's Full-Frame! All ready for the A900. Sigma is really starting to shine in the wideangle segment.