Sigma 1224mm F4 Dg Hsm Art Lens for Nikon F

Ultra-wide lenses are speciality tools that often come with big cost tags, especially if yous desire one that captures sharp detail correct to the edge of the frame. The Sigma 12-24mm F4 DG HSM Fine art ($1,599) is wider than most zooms with full-frame coverage, and about half the price of its closest competitor, the $three,000 Catechism EF 11-24mm f/4L USM. Information technology's not quite as wide as the Canon, but competes with it in sharpness, and betters it at the edges. If you desire a wide, broad lens for your total-frame SLR information technology's a stellar performer, and an Editors' Choice pick.

Design

The 12-24mm ($1,265.51 at Amazon United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland) is a big, heavy lens. Information technology measures 5.2 past 4 inches and weighs 2.5 pounds. You can't use front filters—the forepart lens element is bulbous—and the hood is integrated into the barrel. Sigma includes a slip-on lens cap, which slides over the hood to protect the lens.

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Zooms of this type are typically weighty. Wide-bending SLR lenses must be designed to accommodate the mirror box that separates the lens mount from sensor. Considering of this both the Sigma 12-24mm and Canon xi-24mm (5.two by iv.3 inches, 2.6 pounds) are massive. It's one of the areas where mirrorless cameras accept a huge advantage—the Sony Iron 12-24mm lens for its full-frame mirrorless arrangement weighs just 1.2 pounds and measures 4.6 by 3.v inches.

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But a mirrorless lens won't do you any proficient if y'all apply an SLR, or a mirrorless camera that simply uses an SLR lens organization, which is what Sigma offers now in the form of the dp Quattro and dp Quattro H. The Sigma 12-24mm is available for cameras that use Canon EF, Nikon F, and Sigma SA lens mounts. Information technology's an peculiarly appealing selection for Nikon owners, as the widest full-frame lens the company offers for its SLR arrangement is the Nikkor 14-24mm f/two.8G ED.

At that place's no epitome stabilization—it's a feature you don't typically meet on lenses this wide. Tamron makes a xv-30mm f/ii.8 with stabilization, besides sold for Pentax SLRs under the Pentax make, but y'all won't find a full-frame zoom wider than that with a stabilized design. It's not a feature that you typically need at extreme broad angles for photography, though it does steady handheld video.

The lens doesn't have much in the way of physical controls. There'due south the zoom ring, of form, and a transmission focus ring. A cut-out window shows the set focus distance in feet and meters. Aside from that, you merely get a toggle switch to alter between manual and autofocus operation.

The zoom can focus as shut as ix.4 inches, which delivers a ane:4.9 magnification ratio at 24mm. It lets you go pretty close to subjects, so you're free to compose shots without having to worry about backing abroad from what you want to shoot.

Image Quality

I tested the 12-24mm with the 50MP Catechism EOS 5DS R, the highest resolution full-frame SLR on the marketplace today. At 12mm f/4 the lens puts up very proficient numbers, notching three,295 lines per picture height using Imatest'due south centre-weighted average assay. We await for 2,200 lines at a minimum when working with a high-resolution camera, and the very, very best lenses can record a chip more than 5,000 lines when paired with a 50MP sensor.

The average score is solid, competing with the Canon 11-24mm ($1,265.51 at Amazon Britain) at 11mm f/four (3,317 lines). As you'd await, at 12mm f/4 the Sigma is sharpest in the center third of the frame (4,244 lines). The score drops off equally you move to the heart 3rd (2,626 lines) and outer third of the frame (2,399 lines), but scores are still acceptable in that location. That's more than than you tin can say for the Canon, which shows drops to around 1,600 lines at the edges of the frame when shooting at 11mm f/iv.

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If you have more low-cal available, you'll desire to finish down a chip to improve sharpness across the frame. At 12mm f/5.6 the Sigma'due south average score jumps to four,165 lines, with a middle that tops 5,000 lines and the remainder of the frame delivering scores in the iii,500-line range. That's an outstanding score at the center, and excellent resolution upwardly to the edges, especially when you call back only how broad 12mm is on a full-frame organization.

Diffraction sets in a chip early with the 5DS R—its high-resolution sensor has a lot to exercise with that—but you can still experience comfortable shooting at f/8 (3,974 lines) and f/11 (3,666 lines). I'd avoid f/16 (3,122 lines) and f/22 (two,346 lines), nonetheless.

At 18mm the lens resolves iii,138 lines at f/four, with most of the frame showing ameliorate than 3,000 lines and the edges hitting ii,500. At f/5.six the edges hit 3,100 lines and the average score improves to 3,500 lines. Image quality peaks at f/8 (3,732 lines) and f/11 (3,666 lines), before dropping a fleck at f/16 (3,233 lines) and more than at f/22 (2,392 lines).

Zooming all the way to 24mm nets virtually 3,000 lines at f/4, with solid edges that are just a piffling soft at 2,125 lines. Center resolution is excellent (3,695 lines) and the eye area of the frame is very proficient (ii,736 lines). Yous'll become more consistent quality at f/5.6, where the boilerplate score is 3,142 lines, which holds upward through most of the frame, with edges that show well-nigh 2,550 lines. The entirety of the frame tops 3,300 lines at f/8, with the average hitting 3,416 lines, and the all-time quality is at f/11 (3,501 lines). There's the expected drib in resolution at f/sixteen (3,198 lines) and f/22 (2,519 lines).

Barrel distortion is always a business organization with ultra-wide lenses. At 12mm we see it, as expected. Imatest measures about 6.iv percent, which draws a straight line with a noticeable outward curve, simply a little bit more than the Canon xi-24mm at 11mm. The distortion disappears every bit you zoom in. For wide-angle shots you can apply correction using software to straighten lines, but as this is a 3rd-party lens y'all won't enjoy the benefits of in-camera baloney correction.

Vignetting is also typically controlled in-photographic camera (for JPG shooters) with a first-party lens. Wide-angles are decumbent to showing some corner dimness, and the Sigma doesn't avert that. At 12mm f/4 we come across corners that lag behind the center in illumination past about 2 f-stops (-2EV), which is actually fairly well-controlled for a lens this wide. Stopping down to f/five.vi cuts it to -ane.5EV, and information technology settles in at -ane.2EV at f/8 and narrower settings. You're always going to discover some dimness at the periphery of the frame at 12mm, merely you can correct with software.

The vignette ls lessened as you zoom. At 18mm f/iv it's -1.1EV, and it drops to -0.8EV at f/5.6. When the difference is less than -1EV we consider it negligible in real-world shooting. At 24mm f/four you lot get nigh -1.3EV, only it drops to -0.7EV at f/v.six and is even less at narrower f-stops.

Conclusions

The Sigma 12-24mm F4 DG HSM is a fantastic selection for full-frame Canon and Nikon owners who desire an ultra-wide zoom that doesn't intermission the banking concern. It'due south solidly built, boasts a strong optical design, and is affordably priced when compared with the contest. Yes, it's large and heavy, but that's a fact of life when information technology comes to an ultra-wide zoom for an SLR—if yous want something smaller, consider switching to a mirrorless system.

The competition is obvious on the Canon side of the fence. If you experience that 12mm isn't broad enough for your needs, you'll pay a premium for the EF 11-24mm f/4L USM. Nikon owners don't take anything nearly as broad to choose from, though an statement can be made for the Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 or the Tamron fifteen-30mm f/2.8 if you're not happy with an f/four zoom. Ironically, the lens is a less compelling selection for the small number of Foveon sensor fanatics, as Sigma doesn't sell a full-frame photographic camera. But if you've got an SLR with a 24 by 36mm image sensor, and want a broad, wide, wide lens, the Sigma 12-24mm F4 DG HSM is the fashion to go based on its price and performance, and earns our Editors' Choice recommendation.

Sigma 12-24mm F4 DG HSM Art

The Bottom Line

The Sigma 12-24mm F4 DG HSM Art is a full-frame zoom lens with an ultra-wide field of view and f/4 aperture. It's very sharp, and it'south less expensive than competing lenses.

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Source: https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/sigma-12-24mm-f4-dg-hsm-art

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