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09-09-2009, 09:02 AM   #1
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sigma 10-20mm(just bought)

Well id have to say i couldnt take it anymore!!
I tried to resist the urge....but all the good to great comments you guys have
posted about this lens, i just had to have it...grrrr-$790 in the ol account.
ill have to work extra hard to justify this, dammit
oh and its the old version(still pricey though eh!

09-09-2009, 09:13 AM   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by dandog Quote
Well id have to say i couldnt take it anymore!!
I tried to resist the urge....but all the good to great comments you guys have
posted about this lens, i just had to have it...grrrr-$790 in the ol account.
ill have to work extra hard to justify this, dammit
oh and its the old version(still pricey though eh!
Was there a question in there somewhere? :-)

Congrats on the new lens. It's very good. I also have the older version but I would be surprised if the newer one is significantly better.

Will
09-09-2009, 10:15 AM   #3
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Yes--congratualtions to you--you will have lots of fun. The lens is truly unique, at least to my collection, in the creativity it inspires and allows. Have fun!
09-09-2009, 10:18 AM   #4
Ash
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Good on ya mate!
Now post some pictures here with it!

09-09-2009, 03:12 PM   #5
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The 10-12mm capability is especially valuable, but test your copy very carefully. There seem to be a very high percentage of defective copies of this lens. I'm still trying to get Sigma to repair or replace mine, purchased in May. I've returned mine to Sigma twice (it's there now.)

Paul
09-09-2009, 04:35 PM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by dandog Quote
Well id have to say i couldnt take it anymore!!
I tried to resist the urge....but all the good to great comments you guys have
posted about this lens, i just had to have it...grrrr-$790 in the ol account.
ill have to work extra hard to justify this, dammit
oh and its the old version(still pricey though eh!
Enjoy the 10-20 it's a great lens. I spent five weeks in and around Coolgardie last year (caravaning) and walked all over with 10-20,31 and 77. I used a cp filter most of the time.

In fact I lost the 10-20 lens case full of cp and infrared filters somewhere between Coolgardie and Kalgoorlie, wasn't happy

Take care

David
09-09-2009, 08:16 PM   #7
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Congrats, and don't fret if you find that you don't "get" using the lens at first. It took me a while for me to get used to the wide FOV that you can get with this lens, and now I love it.

09-09-2009, 10:27 PM   #8
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QuoteOriginally posted by pop4 Quote
Congrats, and don't fret if you find that you don't "get" using the lens at first. It took me a while for me to get used to the wide FOV that you can get with this lens, and now I love it.
This is so true. After the first 3 or 4 days i had the 10-20 lens, i was determined to sell it. The next day i started to change my mind and today, a year later, i enjoy the lens and take it out whenver i feel my photography getting stale (or need it)

The lens loves any indoor scene. But outdoor the real challenges exist. In any case, i think you're going to like it a lot, just be prepared for initial frustration.
some comments:

1. Hold the lens level are you will see the amazing distortion in the image. Not that distortion can always be bad, but an ultra wide can really bring distortion home.

2. At 10mm with a K10, the lens often doesn't AF well. But then AF with a 10mm lens is not all that important. If i'm having problems iwth AF at that FL, i just use the aperture scale and move the lens focus to the estimated hyperfocal distance, which if i remember right is only about 4 feet out. From 12mm on to 20mm, the AF seemed to function fine.

3. I bought a UV filter lens to protect the lens, more than anything else, because the lens seems very vulnerable in its diameter, and the hood doesn't extend out very far. But on a coupla occasions, the lens filter resulted in these tear drop like flares when i point the camera close to the sun. Be ready to whip that filter off for critical shots. Too often i don't see that flare until i process the shot which is annoying.

4. But without the filter, i've pointed the camera into the sun at times and not gotten flare. Its a fun little lens but takes practice to get it right.

Enjoy it. i certainly still do.
09-10-2009, 12:03 AM   #9
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Welcome to the Sigma 10-20 club! It is a great lens as everyone atests. You are going to have hours of fun with it.

Just to add my bit to Philbaum's comments, I tend to use mine at the 10mm end in manual mode prefocussed at about 1m and the aperture at f8 - seems to give me great DOF and sharpness. The lens can be a bit soft at f4 - especially on the edges - hence the smaller aperture.

As Philbaum suggests, the AF is a bit poor at 10mm - but I think most ultrawide lenses would have that issue as the amount of contrast in distant objects given the size is mighty small. It works better when your close to a subject.

I also use a UV filter, but have the Hoya UV Pro filter - gives the advantage of a very thin filter (no vignetting) with better optics. Not sure what Philbaum has, but I've had no dramas with this filter.

Enjoy!! And don't forget to share some images from the West!

Cheers
09-10-2009, 09:11 AM   #10
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I collected mine this morning and in the short time I've had to play with it it's a ace lens.

I hope you have as much fun as I'm going to have.
09-15-2009, 12:38 PM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by MoiVous Quote
Welcome to the Sigma 10-20 club! It is a great lens as everyone atests. You are going to have hours of fun with it.

Just to add my bit to Philbaum's comments, I tend to use mine at the 10mm end in manual mode prefocussed at about 1m and the aperture at f8 - seems to give me great DOF and sharpness. The lens can be a bit soft at f4 - especially on the edges - hence the smaller aperture.

As Philbaum suggests, the AF is a bit poor at 10mm - but I think most ultrawide lenses would have that issue as the amount of contrast in distant objects given the size is mighty small. It works better when your close to a subject.

I also use a UV filter, but have the Hoya UV Pro filter - gives the advantage of a very thin filter (no vignetting) with better optics. Not sure what Philbaum has, but I've had no dramas with this filter.

Enjoy!! And don't forget to share some images from the West!

Cheers
Sounds like we have the same filter:

Hoya Pro1 Digital 77mm MC UV(0) Made in Japan

Maybe i overemphasized the flare, its happened in about 3 situations which is a small number compared to its use.

Its a good lens but i hven't used it enough to master it :-)
09-15-2009, 04:31 PM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by philbaum Quote
Sounds like we have the same filter:

Hoya Pro1 Digital 77mm MC UV(0) Made in Japan

Maybe i overemphasized the flare, its happened in about 3 situations which is a small number compared to its use.

Its a good lens but i hven't used it enough to master it :-)
Thats interesting Phil - could you post some images please? I'd like to see the situation and the effect.

Cheers
09-15-2009, 06:31 PM   #13
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Oh yes! welcome to the club. Since it first came out, I've been preaching about the Sigma 10-20. People thought I was crazy back then. "A sigma? Don't they make those cheap $200 telephoto lenses? Aren't they a low-quality brand?" Then I started showing people the dramatic, tack-sharp images I was getting from it.

I admit I use that lens far, far too often. It's addicting.
09-20-2009, 05:10 PM   #14
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I just got my 10-20 few days ago. Read a lot of reviews about high percentage of bad samples, so I took time buying one. Instead of saving few bucks and buying one online, I went to several local stores and ended up testing about 5 lenses.
Differences between samples were astonishing! Some lenses were very sharp in the centre, but totally unacceptable as you more towards the edges.
Sample I bought was not the sharpest at open aperture in the centre, but it was way way better than any other in the corners and as you move away from centre. At above F8 all lenses look the same in the centre. Since I will shoot at F8 and above, it was easy to choose the best lens.
I’ve used it for past couple of days and pretty much use it at 10mm all the time. So much fun! Hope it's OK if I post a couple of shots I took today...

09-20-2009, 05:47 PM   #15
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Those are great. You make me want to post a few of my own 10-20 shots!









As you can see, I've had a ton of fun with my 10-20!

Last edited by Dubious Drewski; 04-03-2010 at 11:23 AM.
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