| Author: | | Pentaxian Registered: January, 2009 Location: East Bay Area, CA Posts: 6,620
11 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 20, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | good IQ | | Cons: | large | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Autofocus: 9
New Or Used: Used
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I am primarily a wide landscape shooter and occasionally have a need for FL's wider than the mighty DA15, so i bought this lens to fill that gap.
The lens is turning out to be a solid performer, impressing me with a sharp image everytime. I have no use for the larger apertures so do not care about bokeh nor low light performance, that is completely irrelevant in my application.
I still prefer the images from the DA15 and DA21 in that FL range, but this is a good 10-14-ish lens, IMO.
When shooting into the sun, flaring is to be expected with the Sigma. Also, the sunstars are sloppy looking, so I always consider switching lenses if the sun is going to be in the image.
Overall a useful lens and good value. My rating is 8.5, not quite a 9.
 The Turnaround
 Downtown
10mm
13mm
10mm
this is my favorite image shot with the 10-20.
here are a bunch more pics using the 10-20:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mikeoria/sets/72157629063765237/ | | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: May, 2010 Posts: 7,403
10 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 4, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $304.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Incredibly wide field of view | | Cons: | Incredibly wide field of view, natural distortions, somewhat soft | | Sharpness: 7
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-5 II
Autofocus: 8
New Or Used: Used
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After seeing numerous photographs taken at wide angle for years, I've wanted an ultra wide angle lens.
I had no idea for what I was in until I actually obtained one!
First off, I love taking photos of sunsets and clouds.. big sky photos and displaying object scale. For this an ultrawide can get you what you want.
However, I had no idea the amount of work involved in avoiding distortion when at the wide side of this lens (10mm)... you must be careful not to pitch up or down the camera from the subject or you will get massive image distortion! This can be played to your advantage but it can also be simply annoying too. Also close up, objects take on a slight to moderate fisheye effect almost. To really get this effect though, the lens would have to be able to focus even closer than it can.
Also, 10mm is simply REALLY INCREDIBLY wide! This is fantastic if you are in a tight place and want to have much of the space in the image (interior shots -- especially in realty or the sort). However, outside in larger space, this means you are losing detail of your subject simply from covering more area in the field of view.
For landscapes and such, the longer end of this lens is probably going to be the smarter option (focal length wise). Forget about Panoramas with the wider end btw. In my experiences, way too much distortion means you will have headaches getting images to properly overlap.. even with distortion correct enabled (LR user here). Plus with distortion correction enabled, means you will be removing a portion of the actual image in crop to accommodate said distortion (it can be rather severe on the edges and somewhat complex). So just use the mid to long side of this lens if you are considering panoramas or landscapes with more detail. The issue there is this Sigma 10-20mm lens tends to be softer in the mid to longer side of the focal range. I think my 18-135 might be sharper and around the same barrel distortion amount as this Sigma lens (which is rather minimal on long side of the 10-20) at 18-20mm. Also, you're getting f/5.6 on the long end of this lens.. so forget about it if you are in a low lit space with no tripod.
I hope this review makes sense.. The lens isn't a dog.. by any means.. it is rather sharp stopped down to F/8 and F/11 but you might want to handle an Ultra wide lens before buying just to ensure this is really your cup of tea. It is the only lens where I really had to practice using it and work through the dynamics of such a particular focal range and the properties of this particular lens -- didn't come automatically.
This is a chubby lens but it is plastic so it is lightweight. Some might find that a flaw, but I think had it been metal, this would have been a brick to hold! 77mm threads means screw-on filters are going to be expensive. I use a Cokin P series step down ring and the square filters instead. That way, I can use all of my ND filters without having to get individual ones for each thread size. Just a cheap step down ring for the filter holder (bought a ton of those step down rings on ebay for next to nothing).
Also, this lens WILL flare in bright light sources (namely the sun!). You won't get a super awesome copy that doesn't flare. This lens flares. Expect it to and plan accordingly. If you take lots of shots with the sun visible or just off camera, and don't want to Post Process the flare effect out, look for a different lens.
I'm glad to have this lens and will get much use out of it.. but I don't think it will be the most affixed lens on my camera as I thought it might have been before receiving it. 10mm, however, is fantastic for big sky photography, massively large landscapes (where detail isn't the leading factor), interior spaces, creative effects, and generally projecting scale of objects. I find, as a result, this Sigma 10-20mm makes up for it's limitations.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2007 Location: Dayton, Ohio Posts: 2,978
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 28, 2009 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Wide and fun | | Cons: | none | |
An extremely fun lens to use. I just started submitting for PPG and both the images that were accepted were from this lens. I am happy with the sharpness and contrast.
Fun Perspective:
Directly in to the sun against black granite and it still delivers:
 | | | | | Senior Member Registered: September, 2014 Location: Nelson Posts: 266
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 1, 2017 | Recommended | Price: $195.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Image Quality | | Cons: | None | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 5
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-r
Autofocus: 10
New Or Used: 10
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Started out hunting for a Pentax 10-17 at a reasonable price. This came up and I took a gamble.
It's not without it's faults, soft corners wide-open wide @ 10mm, but I think that's more about the way it has to be manufactured to offer a non-fisheye FOV at this focal length.
Surprised to see comments re. colour-cast and overall colour -suspect a bad copy?
It shines shut down a little @ 10mm; these examples were taken at that.
 | | | | | | | Senior Member Registered: October, 2013 Location: "The Green Desert" Posts: 175
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 10, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $525.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Value, build quality, value, auto focus, value, image quality, did I mention value for money? | | Cons: | It's big! some aberration and distortion at 10mm | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Autofocus: 10
New Or Used: New
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My first ultra-wide lens and I love it to bits. The version supplied by WEX in Norwich (UK) has HSM focusing which was a very pleasant surprise. Highly recommended! 
 | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2009 Location: West Midlands Posts: 2,066
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 4, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $430.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Crazy wide angle, relatively cheap price! | | Cons: | Not a pixelpeeper's lens | |
This lens really deserves it's cult status.
You can take pictures in fairly confined spaces, and include vast sweeps of landscapes. It produces great A3 size prints, with just a hint of softness to the corners. I think the softness is field curvature - probably best to stop down the lens and vary your focus a bit and pick the best shot later. Don't fret about the softness: my brother in law sells a lot of landscape prints made with this lens!
The distortion, which elongates anything near the sides of the frame, is a problem with some subjects, notably people! But not a major issue in landscape shots, where the 'stretching' of the foreground in portrait-format shots can actually look quite appealing.
It seems sharp enough apart from the 'field curvature' effect, but pixelpeepers will notice it isn't resolving as much detail as, say, the 16-45mm. This isn't the lens's strength. However, I'd visited the location below with my 16-45, and because of the tightness of the little ravine, struggled to get a harmonious composition. I was much happier with the 10-20, as it allowed me to include the little rivulets in the foreground, and convey the sense of place much better:
 | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2008 Location: Adelaide, South Australia Posts: 677
3 users found this helpful
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: June, 2015 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 791
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 28, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $180.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | cheap, sharp, takes filters | | Cons: | some flaws in the 10-13mm range | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 10
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-5
Autofocus: 8
New Or Used: Used
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This is a pretty cheap APS-C wide angle. For the cost, it is outstanding. It's hard to find fault with it. It is super-wide, and super-fun. For the casual landscape shooter, this is an amazing lens and I don't really find myself craving more expensive wide-angle lenses after getting this one.
It takes filters, so you can pop on an ND filter or polarizer. Beware that because it is quite wide, a normal polarizer will show uneven sky colours due to the wide range of angles at which light enters this lens. B+W supposedly makes a closer-sitting filter that ameliorates this somewhat but I've not tried it. Also, you can still use a regular polarizer if you're not shooting into pure blue skies (for example, if you want to cancel some reflections).
Let's talk about sharpness. In the center and midframes, it's pretty sharp. As I mentioned in the top of the review, the edge performance is pretty weak at the wider 10-13mm range. That, however, is improved a little upon stopping down. Also, at 14mm at above, it's pretty strong all around. Still, I wouldn't hesitate to use the 10-13mm range since for many compositions the very edges might not really have as much cool stuff in them. Overall, despite the weaknesses, even the widest setting can still make for interesting shots. In the evening, using a tripod at a narrower aperture will help tremendously.
The autofocus works well. Because the lens is so wide, you don't really need it to be top-notch to get sharp shots. Manual focus also works well too. For landscapes however, setting this thing up on a tripod and using Live View is still important.
The hood is a petal one. It snaps on and off easily.
What about flare? This lens handles flare pretty well. It does not lose contrast when shot into the sun. The flare is well-controlled, and produces minimal effects.
If you want to know the most serious downside to this lens as a landscape lens, it's the sunstars with narrow apertures. This lens has six aperture blades, and produces mediocre, uneven sunstars. I really like shooting into the sun, so I am a little disappointed with the look sometimes.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: April, 2010 Location: Adelaide, South Australia Posts: 813
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 4, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $445.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Ease of use, fun to use, good enough IQ, wide, wide, wide | | Cons: | Some CA, but easily fixed. Distortion, but this adds to the fun. | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Autofocus: 10
New Or Used: New
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Firstly I think the previous user who rated this lens a "1" should delete his review, it is inappropriate when every other review has been decisively positive.
This is a great and fun to use lens, with almost limitless possibilities.
It is sharp enough, wide enough and friendly enough to get wonderful shots without much effort at all.
If you can't get results with this lens, you should go back to the kit lens.
If you get a bad copy, get it replaced, and just get on with things.
| | | | | Pentaxian Registered: May, 2008 Location: Maryland Posts: 558
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: April 19, 2012 | Not Recommended | Price: $479.00
| Rating: 1 |
| Pros: | NONE | | Cons: | It's a Sigma? | | Sharpness: 1
Aberrations: 1
Bokeh: 1
Handling: 1
Value: 1
Autofocus: 1
New Or Used: New
| |
A copy of my review submitted at B&H photo of this lens. Would give a big fat 0 if i could.Lens will not focus,in manual focus it must be set at the 3 foot mark to get an in focus photo of what should be ifinity.It is obvious to anyone who is not legally blind that it is focusing past the true infinity point but after sending it to sigma for repair with this info provided to them they adjust the Auto focus to specs and send it back with the same problem.Obviously did not even test it before returning.Sigma says it's Pentax fault for not putting focus adjustment in the software of my camera.Really?I'm out shipping cost to send it back and still without a lens 2 weeks later.I think i bought two Sigma's,the first one and the last one!!!You can't judge the cost of the lens until you find out how many times you'll have to eat the shipping sending it back!!
Accessories I Recommend::
A towel to cry on?
Two asprin for the headache
Some extra cash to return defective product  | | | | | Inactive Account Registered: June, 2009 Location: Berlin Posts: 103
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 8, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Great pictures | | Cons: | Not really suited for IR-modded camera | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Autofocus: 9
New Or Used: New
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This is my favourite when taking pictures in the middle of a crowd or for sailing.
For landscapes it now competes with my 15mm Limited.
As correcting the distortions is done via software, it is not even a point-and-shoot, but rather a point-it-somewhere-and-you-will-still-make a-catch :-)
It is definitely a fine-tuned instrument, so using it with an IR-modded camera produces very blurred edges.
For all visible light applications I Love it!
 | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: December, 2016 Posts: 96
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 22, 2023 | Recommended | Price: $135.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, pleasing colors, wide zoom range with minimal distortion | | Cons: | My copy always focus hunts as soon as I turn on my K3-II | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 8
Camera Used: Pentax K3-II
Autofocus: 9
New Or Used: Used
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Dear Board,
With Fall colors peaking here in central Pennsylvania I wanted an ultra-wide lens to use on my K3-II.
One came available on Ebay from a Japanese seller at what I figured was a pretty fair and reasonable price. I hemmed and hawed on buying it, but when the seller dropped the price a bit for me I figured, why not?
I am very happy with the lens I received. I enjoy the 15mm equivalent FOV it provides, and find the total zoom range suitable for my scenic and landscape needs. Any aberrations or vignetting are easily corrected using the available profiles in Lightroom Classic, or DXO. It's not a $ 600.00 plus lens, but it does well for my intended uses. I think it might also do well for many others because here is the USA at least, it is very hard to find at any of the used camera retailers I often shop.
Regards,
Tim Murphy
Harrisburg PA 
 | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: February, 2007 Location: Midwest Coastal Region USA Posts: 426
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 27, 2019 | Recommended | Price: $200.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharpness, Color Rendering | | Cons: | Heavy, Slight CA and PF | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-5, K20D
Autofocus: 9
New Or Used: Used
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This copy of the 10-20mm Sigma lens is sharp at f8 and not bad wide open. This copy was sharp from 10 to 20mm. Color rendering is excellent with good saturation. Focus is quick and smooth. The lens did show a bit of PF and CA depending on the angle of the sun at times but nothing serious. The lens is heavy so if you desire a small light wide angle lens the DA21 or DA15 Ltd may be a better choice.
 | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: December, 2009 Location: USA - Delaware Posts: 435
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 22, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $470.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp corner to corner, High quality built, Extremely WIDE | | Cons: | some distortion, slow compared to it's younger brother | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 7
Handling: 10
Value: 9
Autofocus: 9
New Or Used: New
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This was my first wide angle lens. I bought it to avoid having to deal with the kit (it was not bad, but not wide enough and the corners weren't great). I am happy to report that when stopped down the lens performs beautifully. Corner to corner sharpness. Good high quality plastic built too. Distortion is present at the wide end but it isnt always visible and it is correctable. The only real downside is that it does not work with infrared modified cameras. The lens causes hot spots. But then again, it was not designed for that purpose, so I cannot deduct any points for that...
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: August, 2009 Location: The British Isles Posts: 2,402
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 23, 2010 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | superwide FoV | | Cons: | | |
Excellent wide angle without a fisheye effect
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