| Latest Review Posted | Sigma EX DG Aspherical 12-24mm F4.5-5.6
This was one of the first lenses that I bought when I got into Pentax, blame it not on "lens lust" but the ever elusive "Pentax FF" lust. I figured this would be one hell of a lens on a Pentax FF. Unfortunately I am still left figuring :-P
I own the non-HSM version. As with all Sigma EX lenses, the overall build quality is excellent. The rings are well damped and have smooth rotation. Where this lens really shines is the lack of aberrations and vignetting. Sharpness is great, though not outstanding. On my K-5, resolution of 'detail' is better than the most consumer grade/third party lenses.
With an aperture range of 4.5-5.6, the lens is far from being 'fast' (a major gripe) but the need for a fast lens is less in landscape photography, and since most of my shooting is done stopped down, it doesnt appear to be a significant flaw. Also the SR in Pentax gives you at least 1.5 stops of advantage so its effectively like using a f/2.8 lens on Nikon/Canon cameras. Further I notice that the f/4.5 aperture is available right up to the focal length of 17mm. Since I use the lens primarily in this range, it effectively behaves as a 12-17mm f/4.5 lens for me.
The biggest 'con' and perhaps the only one would therefore be the protruding front element and the resultant susceptibility to flare. I notice that even when there a light source placed on the sides, "purple streaks" start to appear on photos. This necessitates the use of filters but the lens wont ... |
