Sigma 12-24 F4.5-5.6 EX DG ASP HSM II

[pierceography]

Ok, seriously... if you're referring to the distortion mentioned in (http://www.arthurdomagala.com/blog/2011/08/sigma-12-24mm-ii-lens-review/) I would NOT WORRY ABOUT IT.  I've NEVER seen anything close to the distortion documented in that review.  I primarily use this lens for architecture -- like akclimber, abandoned buildings, bridges, city lines, etc -- and the lines stay almost perfectly straight.  There is definitely distortion (elongated lines) on the edges, but the that is typical of ANY UW (even the mighty nikkor).  It would be like complaining that a fisheye doesn't keep straight lines -- Pure baloney!

I'm also with akclimber on this, I typically don't use it for landscape as I don't like how the focal point seems too distant and the overall composure looks like a mess.  Again, you'll get this with any UW as it's a composition thing.

Do I wish it was a f/2.8?  Nope.  Why?  Because aside from the extra 1.5 stops gained, I would never utilize that kind of DoF.  DoF is almost meaningless with an ultra wide.  And knowing that the lens is much sharper once you get to f/8, I never use f/4.5... so why would I use f/2.8?

I also like this lens because it fits very nicely in my lineup.  12-24mm, 24-70mm, 70-200mm.  Though again, like akclimber, I almost always utilize this lens between 12mm and 16mm.  Any longer, and I'll just pop on my 24 since it's a 2.8 and my "go to" lens.

While I don't use the 12-24mm Sigma a lot, I always have it in my bag since there are plenty of occasions where I want to go REAL wide in a confined space.  I do a lot of urban exploring, so it spends 90% of its time on a tripod stopped down to or past f/8.  And given the nature of urban exploring (abandoned buildings, confined spaces, avoiding Detroit muggers) this lens fits that need perfectly.

[akclimber]

  Have you considered the new Tamron 16-24 f/2.8?

I meant to reference the Tokina 16-28 f/2.8.  My bad. 

[mirekti]

I bought it and already have it in my signature 
It'll arive on Thursday.
I'll keep in mind to have it at f8-f16 and see how it will perform.

[joshmurrah]

Interesting thread, the 12-24 II is on my wishlist right now.  There's no Canon lens like it, it actually eats into the 8-15 fisheye territory, but being rectilinear.

The Tokina interests me, but @ about $900, it's not that far off from the $1500 canon f/2.8 updated equivelant.

[Portrait_Moments_Photogra]

i do have a problem with my sigma 12-24 -

i noticed it consistently back focuses on dimly lit locations like receptions and parks at night when your subject is only a few feet infront of you - like table shoots and group shoots

i use it with the canon 1dx

[pierceography]

i do have a problem with my sigma 12-24 -

i noticed it consistently back focuses on dimly lit locations like receptions and parks at night when your subject is only a few feet infront of you - like table shoots and group shoots

i use it with the canon 1dx

AFMA it.  I noticed some back focusing on mine as well, and AFMA with FoCal has AF very crisp now.

[Portrait_Moments_Photogra]

thanks , that would have been an easy solution - but the problem is, the 12-24 works well on bright days and even on dim lit areas when shooting from a far,

its when the subject is close and dim that it happens and it still focuses sharp every so often - so, its not just an AF micro adjustment issue -

while im on this - i just thought about using my 5D2 and 1D2N for the 12-24 and see how it goes.


theres some new issues that my 1DX has given me as well, including the new 600RT

i noticed that when using the 600rt on camera as master paired with a couple of 580ex's that some feautures will make the 580ex not function properly. sometimes, i noticed the 580 would change settings to strobe mode on the back of the lcd.

although this is not scientific tests by any means - i have noticed irregularities in operation compared to the purely 580ex setup without mix flashes (600rt)

[bchernicoff]

I own the Mk I and have been very happy with it. You can get some very unique perspective with it.

I don't use it very often and so I am selling it. Send me a message if anyone is interested.

[pierceography]

I find that with this lens, most of the time I'm on a tripod.  So that being the case, I also tend to manually focus a lot... which produces very good results.

Ultra wides can be quirky, so sometimes you just have to work with what you have when it comes to getting 12mm on a FF.  I pretty much never use this lens below f/8, since the sides would be a mess.  And manually focusing is something else I've become accustomed to.  Although AFMA did help quite a bit.