[Alex00]

I'm a little confused about which wide lens to get. I looked a fixed and zooms and gone thru many reviews, that's only adding to the confusion.

Size and weight is no issue for me. I'm also not so sure a f3.5 or lower lenses have any uses for a wide lens since in most cases the real use of a wide lens is to get allot in focus. I'm also not sure a fixed aparature throughout the zoom lens is any of a big deal. Having said that, Currently i have 4 lenses on the list that i'm looking into. Image quality is the most important to me. Sharpness thru out the photo with least amount of distortions,ca, fringing, and flares is what I'm looking for. I like to pixel peep everything i shoot. Zoom or fixed is not issue for me. as long as i'm getting sharp image quality.

Currently i'm looking at
- pentax 12-24mm
- Sigma 10-20mm HSM 4-5.6 (don't know if the f3.5 version is any better)
- pentax 15mm ltd
- Tamron AF 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 SP Di II LD

Let me know what you think or have other suggestions.

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Last edited by Alex00; 02-20-2010 at 12:31 AM.

[nulla]

check this thread for starters


https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/pentax-slr-lens-discussion/86234-15mm-lim...s-my-mind.html


cheers

Neil

[Alex00]

Yes i viewed this thread many time. Allot of reviews say the 15mm is rather soft and doesn't produce the sharpest images compared to other wide lenses.

[PentaxPoke]

Yes i viewed this thread many time. Allot of reviews say the 15mm is rather soft and doesn't produce the sharpest images compared to other wide lenses.

I have never owned this lens, so I can't speak from experience. I have found however that the photozone tests have been pretty much consistent with what I have seen personally, for every lens I have owned. Klaus shows that the 15mm center sharpness is at the very top of the scale, even wide open. The edges are softer, but still in the "good" range and approaching "very good." Even up to f/11, the 15mm is just slightly under "excellent". I like what he says about the lens' sharpness being "already stunningly high at f/4."

Pentax SMC-DA 15mm f/4 AL ED Limited - Review / Test Report - Analysis

[philbaum]

Alex,
I feel nothing but pity for you, i think this decision is one of the most difficult to make in Pentax land. :-) 2 years ago, thankfully, there was no DA 15 and i chose the Sig 10-20 over the pentax version, mostly for monetary reasons.

You've probably already know about the Sigma 10-20 lens club in the lens forum, but i'll mention just in case. many pics worth seeing.

Frankly, i've got a sharp copy of the 10-20 and i'll probably just keep using it forever. I just looked at the Photozone.de tests of the 10-20 f4-f5.6 at 14mm and the DA 15. At F4 and F5.6, the DA-15 is sharper than the Siggy in the center but less sharp than the siggy at the border and extreme edge. At F8 and F11, the DA 15 was slightly ahead everywhere. In terms of barrel distortion, the Siggy wins with only 1.14% while the DA-15 had 1.4% if i read the table correctly. They didn't test the Siggy at 15mm so can't compare directly.

As far as rendering colors, the Siggy is reported to be cooler than Pentax, and that has been my experience. But as the above paragraph indicates, the Siggy zoom is nearly comparable in sharpness and better in distortion when compared at 14mm. For portability - no comparison of course.

good luck,

[Ben_Edict]

Alex,
I feel nothing but pity for you, i think this decision is one of the most difficult to make in Pentax land. :-) 2 years ago, thankfully, there was no DA 15 and i chose the Sig 10-20 over the pentax version, mostly for monetary reasons.

You've probably already know about the Sigma 10-20 lens club in the lens forum, but i'll mention just in case. many pics worth seeing.

Frankly, i've got a sharp copy of the 10-20 and i'll probably just keep using it forever. I just looked at the Photozone.de tests of the 10-20 f4-f5.6 at 14mm and the DA 15. At F4 and F5.6, the DA-15 is sharper than the Siggy in the center but less sharp than the siggy at the border and extreme edge. At F8 and F11, the DA 15 was slightly ahead everywhere. In terms of barrel distortion, the Siggy wins with only 1.14% while the DA-15 had 1.4% if i read the table correctly. They didn't test the Siggy at 15mm so can't compare directly.

As far as rendering colors, the Siggy is reported to be cooler than Pentax, and that has been my experience. But as the above paragraph indicates, the Siggy zoom is nearly comparable in sharpness and better in distortion when compared at 14mm. For portability - no comparison of course.

good luck,

The Sigma is also more versatile, being a zoom lens and ofcourse it offers a much(!) wider max. angle of view than the DA15. I simply find it very much indispensible for my own work, though I sometimes use my old K 15mm lens, because it has just a tad more sharpness and contrast – which is what I expect from a prime over a zoom lens.

Nevertheless I confess, that I find the DA15 quite interesting and will probably buy one in the future, as it is so diminutive. Sometimes that can be of value, especially for walking.

Ben

[Pentaxor]

there's no one perfect wide angle lens af of the moment that would meet all of your criteria.

the DA12-24 is the sharpest at wider openings but suffers greatly from CA.

the Sigma 10-20 has minimal CA but has display some considerable distortion at the wide end.

the Pentax DA15 seems to be soft-ish than the Sigma at the corners as some mentioned.

the Tamron 10-24 has the smudgy color rendering.

it's a matter of what lens with a particular weakness that you are willing to compensate for or correct during post-processing.

[Alex00]

Although i love the size of the 15mm, the sigma 10-20mm seems to be the best choice all around. I read many reviews that compared it to the pentax 12-24 and sigma seems to do a much better job. Sigmas distortion in the corners as some have reviewed it is minimal, especially for such a wide angle at 10mm. Small distortions in the corners can be repaired in post processing. And at 15mm the sigma shows excellent image all around. I still would like to hear some comments from people who have used this lens.

[Pentaxor]

Although i love the size of the 15mm, the sigma 10-20mm seems to be the best choice all around. I read many reviews that compared it to the pentax 12-24 and sigma seems to do a much better job. Sigmas distortion in the corners as some have reviewed it is minimal, especially for such a wide angle at 10mm. Small distortions in the corners can be repaired in post processing. And at 15mm the sigma shows excellent image all around. I still would like to hear some comments from people who have used this lens.

which reviews were you referring to? what do you mean by doing a better job? if you meant better at controlling distortion, it's not better than Pentax 12-24.

[Marc Sabatella]

Yes i viewed this thread many time. Allot of reviews say the 15mm is rather soft and doesn't produce the sharpest images compared to other wide lenses.

No they don't. They say the *corners* are softer than other wide angle lenses *when shooting wide open*. But the centers are sharper than other lenses at all apertures, and the corners become sharper too by the time you stop down to get more in focus, which is what you said you wanted in the first place.

[Alex00]

which reviews were you referring to? what do you mean by doing a better job? if you meant better at controlling distortion, it's not better than Pentax 12-24.

I can't seem to find all the links to the reviews i saw yesterday. Below is a comparison between the tamron 10-24 vs pentax 12-24 . which shows tamron to be a better lens, then another review compared tamrom with the sigma which showed sigma is a better lens. I gues we won't know unless someone tried both.
Tamron SP 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 DiII Interchangeable Lens Review

[Alex00]

No they don't. They say the *corners* are softer than other wide angle lenses *when shooting wide open*. But the centers are sharper than other lenses at all apertures, and the corners become sharper too by the time you stop down to get more in focus, which is what you said you wanted in the first place.

I'm just assuming this based on the reviewes from many sites and compared to other wide lenses. I have no way of knowing, but i did research it allot.

[jogiba]

February 21, 2010: The Sigma Corporation is pleased to announce the new Sigma 8-16mm F4.5-5.6 DC HSM. This is the first ultra wide zoom lens with a minimum focal length of 8mm, designed specifically for APS-C size image sensors. This lens has an equivalent angle of view of a 12-24mm lens when used on digital cameras with an APS-C size image sensor.

The wide-angle of view from 121.2 degrees* produces striking images with exaggerated perspective, enabling photographers to emphasize the subject. Four FLD (“F” Low Dispersion) glass elements, which have the performance equal to fluorite glass, compensate for color aberration. One hybrid aspherical lens and two glass mold elements give excellent correction for distortion and astigmatism.

Incorporating an inner focusing system, the lens produces high definition images throughout the entire zoom range. The Super Multi-Layer Coating reduces flare and ghosting while superior peripheral brightness ensures high contrast images throughout the entire zoom range.

This lens incorporates HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor), ensuring quiet and high speed AF as well as full-time manual focus capability. It has a minimum focusing distance of 24cm throughout the entire zoom range which allows photographers to emphasize the subject by creating exaggerated perspectives. This lens has a compact construction with an overall length of 105.7mm and a maximum diameter of 75mm.

*The angle of view varies depending on which camera the lens is mounted on.


Focal length 8-16mm
Maximum aperture f/4.5-5.6
Minimum aperture f/22
Lens construction • 11 groups 15 elements
• 4 FLD glass elements
Angle of view (APS-C crop) 114.5°-75.7°
Closest focus distance

24cm (9.4in)
Maximum reproduction ratio 1:7.8
Aperture blades 7
Filter attachment size TBC
AF motor HSM motor
Dimensions 75mm x 105.7mm (3.0 in x 4.2 in)
Weight 545g (19.2oz)
Supplied accessories • Case
• Petal-type Hood
Mounts Sigma, Sony, Nikon, Pentax, Canon

[jsherman999]

If you don't mind the size, the Sigma 10-20 is a very good choice.

Each lens in your list has it's strengths and weaknesses - you'll have to decide
which to buy depending on what strengths and weaknesses are most important to
you.

Regarding the DA 15 - For me, 'soft' corners at f/4 was pretty much meaningless.
I'll almost never be shooting it wide-open when I'm concerned about the corners
- when I'm shooting it wide-open, I'm focusing on something in the center, usually
indoors, like the following shots:


.

Stopped down to your typical WA application aperture, f/8 or f/11, it
will have pretty much the same edge sharpness as anything, visible in just about
any print size you're likely to make. Once you realize this, the 'problematic'
corners at f/4 just become theoretical.


As a dedicated wide-angle lens, I don't know if you can beat the DA 12-24 in
overall quality and versatility. What the DA 15 gets you over that is a bit better
flare control, somewhat less CA, and mostly the ability to throw it in even the
smallest bag to take along anywhere, giving you no excuse to miss a Wide Angle
Shot of Opportunity (WASOO!)


.

[Pentaxor]

I can't seem to find all the links to the reviews i saw yesterday. Below is a comparison between the tamron 10-24 vs pentax 12-24 . which shows tamron to be a better lens, then another review compared tamrom with the sigma which showed sigma is a better lens. I gues we won't know unless someone tried both.
Tamron SP 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 DiII Interchangeable Lens Review

you said the Sigma 10-20 is better, why are you showing a Tamron 10-24 review which is a different lens as a reference?

btw, against the Pentax 12-24, the Tamron has better distortion control at 10mm only. across the other focal lengths or lower than 10mm, it is not better than the Pentax 12-24 overall.

against the Sigma 10-20, the Tamron is definitely better overall concerning distortion control.

for more accurate references and comparisons, check out both photozone and dpreview. both sites confirm or affirm each others findings. check both the chart values and graphs.