Sigma 10-20mm f3.5 EX DC HSM Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras with APS-C Sensors

Product Information

When stopped down to 5.6-11, I like the IQ a lot, sharp, little distortion and CA, easy adjustable with LR PS and PTLens.

Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC Interchangeable Lens Review Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC Interchangeable Lens Review

This is an amazingly good lens. I have owned a number of other Sigma lenses, and have had pretty variable experiences with them; some great, some so-so. I have been pretty happy for a while now with a 12-24 Nikkor as my main wideangle, but have had an eye on this lens for some time, as the difference between an 18mm equivalent on the Nikkor and a 15mm equivalent on this lens is significant.

Chromatic aberration/color fringing has been reported as being an issue with many wide angle lenses, including this lens. I will comment on this after shooting some high contrast scenes outdoors if I feel it is significant.

10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM - SIGMA Corporation 10-20mm F3.5 EX DC HSM - SIGMA Corporation

The Nikon 10-20mm AF-P is a lightweight and hence ultra-portable wide-angle-zoom lens. It balances nicely with entry-level crop sensor DSLRs (DX format) such as D3400 or D5600, as well as with the more weighty semi-professional bodies, such as D7500 or D500. Autofocus Performance and Accuracy

MTF Chart

The Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM Lens is solidly built and weighs in toward the top of its class - but the weight differences are not that big. I'm not a big fan of Sigma's lens finish (others love it), but the rubber-covered zoom and focus rings consume a significant portion of the lens and are nice to use.

Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM Interchangeable Lens Review

The construction of the lens is really nice, it has a good heft and feel to it. The zoom is nicely dampened and the HSM motor is great. The only small complaint is the Huge plastic ring on the front end that extends out past the body of the lens. When you put the camera down it rests on that plastic piece, I am afraid that it will break. Both lenses have moderately strong barrel distortion on the wide end, but the f/4-5.6 does not have the wave/mustache shaped distortion the f/3.5 has. In the short distance focusing category, the Sigma 10-20 f/3.5 turns in average performance for this lens class. I have encountered focus accuracy problems with many 3rd party lenses, but the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM Lens has been performing well in this regard.

Autofocus Performance and Accuracy

The Sigma 10-20 f/4-5.6 shows a comparatively small amount of CA (Chromatic Aberration) - limited mostly to the corners. This is by no means a weather-sealed lens – you should avoid shooting in heavy rain and in dusty conditions. On the other hand, I was shooting for two weeks in Canary Island where a spell of windy conditions brought a lot of sand from Sahara and I do not observe that any dust/sand would get into the lens. It makes me wonder why would Sigma create a constant f3.5 aperture lens if it is unusable at anything under f8? If you'll never print larger than 8x10" this lens might be ideal for you, but it is not truly up to professional caliber. However, neither are any of the other ultrawide zooms, it seems. The exceptions cost two or three times as much and don't go nearly as wide.

Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM lens review with samples Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM lens review with samples

Sony and Pentax users, however, have to make do with screw-drive focusing driven from the camera body, however it's worth bearing in mind that the advantages offered by HSM are arguably rather less important on a wideangle lens than on a telephoto. As always, it must also be noted that focus speed and accuracy is dependent upon a number of variables, including the camera body used, subject contrast, and light levels. Lens body elements These focal lengths take in a very wide angle of view - and subjects must be close to not become a tiny spec in your frame. Tamron also has a 10-24mm lens on offer, also a variable aperture lens. In this case, the Sigma is definitely the winner, being sharper, showing less chromatic aberration, and showing less distortion and light falloff. The Tamron lens uses 77mm filters.

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Build quality feels strong, but doesn't give the excuse to abuse it. Autofocus speed was fine with me, I didn't need something super fast. Great for the street if you don't need anything longer than 20mm. When I did, I used my 35mm 1.8G for the 52mm equivalent.