Sigma 10-20mm F3.5 vs F4.0-5.6

Design and Handling

The Sigma 10-20mm F/3.5 EX DC HSM was introduced in 2009. It is designed for digital cameras and cannot be used on film cameras. The zoom ring is large, and is approximately 1/8 turn from 10mm to 20mm. The focus ring is located at the front of the lens and it is a little over 1/3 turn from the minimum focus distance of one 9.4 inches to infinity. The focus ring is small and doesn’t turn when the cameras’ auto focus is utilized. Because of the Hyper-Sonic-Motor (HSM), the lens allows to manually focus the lens at any time. The Sigma lens is designed with a maximum aperture of F3.5, which is constant throughout the zoom range. The petal shaped lens hood attaches via a bayonet mount and can be reversed to save space. The front element uses an 82mm filter. However, if you use a filter be sure to get an ultra-thin one to prevent vignetting which can occur at the 10mm zoom setting. The lens is longest at the 10mm zoom range. The Sigma lens does not have an external aperture or depth of field scale. At the front of the lens is a small enclosed window with a tick mark that indicates the focus distance. The lens also has an Autofocus/Manual focus selector switch near the lens mount. 

The Sigma 10-20mm F/4-5.6 EX DC J was introduced in 2005. It is designed for digital cameras and cannot be used on film cameras. The zoom ring is large and it is approximately 1/8 turn from 10mm to 20mm. The focus ring is at the front of the lens and is a little over 1/3 turn from the minimum focus distance of one 9.4 inches to infinity. The focus ring is small and does turn when you utilize the cameras auto focus. The lens maximum aperture varies from F4.0 at 10mm to F5.6 at 20mm. The petal shaped lens hood attaches via a bayonet mount and can be reversed to save space. The front element uses a 77mm filter. However, if you use a filter be sure to get an ultra-thin one to prevent vignetting, which can occur at the 10mm zoom setting. The lens is longest at the 20mm zoom range. The Sigma lens does not have an external aperture or depth of field scale. At the front of the lens is a tick mark that indicates the focus distance.