Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG IF HSM Aspherical Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Nikon SLR Cameras
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List Price: $959.99
Features
• Ultra wide angle zoom lens offers 122 degree view along the diagonal axis
• 12-24mm focal length
• f4.5-5.6 maximum aperture
• Super Multi Coating reduces flare and ghosting
• Hyper Sonic Motor |
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Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG IF HSM Aspherical Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Nikon SLR Cameras Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥ |
Not better than Nikon, but much cheaper.
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Sigma has been much maligned by the Nikon-brand lens snobs, and not without good reason. The build quality and optical clarity of the average Nikon lens easily trounces the average Sigma.
This particular Sigma lens has been in my bag since 2004 (three years now) and has performed flawlessly in dusty, humid, and rainy conditions. I can't say that about every Nikon lens I have owned.
Don't get me wrong-- this is not a flawless lens. It is weather sealed enough, but I doubt it would survive being dunked in water the way some (but not many) Nikon lenses would. It focuses faster than many Nikon lenses, but slower than competing Silent Wave Motor Nikons. It is quieter than any non-SWM Nikons, and almost as quiet as SWM. It focuses as well as any Nikon f/4.5-5.6 lens in similar lighting conditions.
Now for the flaws. It has more chromatic aberration than Nikon's 12-24mm DX and 14-24mm FX lenses. It isn't as sharp, especially near the edges. But if your maximum print size is 8x10 you'll likely never notice.
UPSIDES: Even though it works at full frame (important for those of us that still shoot film as well as digital) it is much cheaper than Nikons 12-24 f/4.5-5.6 DX lens-- a lens that is only good for DX-sized sensor digital Nikons. It is less than 1/3 the price of the recently released FX (full-frame) 14-24mm f/2.8 Nikon lens.
Granted, the professional Nikon 14-24mm lens is clearly the best of the bunch, but most of us can't afford that extravagance. When I bought this lens it was the only 12-24mm lens available, and given the offerings from Nikon and other third-party lens makers, I can't regret this purchase for one moment.
While I'd like to own the new professional Nikon 14-28mm f/2.8 lens, that won't be in my budget in the foreseeable future. My buying advice: take your camera to a good local camera shop and try this lens (and its competitors) for yourself. I'm confident many of you will agree that the Sigma, while it is not the best lens, is good enough and the best compromise-- given the price.
Cheers. |
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Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG IF HSM Aspherical Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Nikon SLR Cameras digital cameras, camcorders for sale