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Canon-compatible kit on test

APS-C1 Tamron10-24mmf/3.5-4.5DiIILDAF

SPAspherical(IF) £380

2 Sigma10-20mmf/3.5EXDCHSM £450

3 Tokina10-17mmf/3.5-4.5AT-XDX

FisheyeZoom £500

4 Tokina12-24mmf/4AT-XAFPRODXII £560

5 CanonEF-S10-22mmf/3.5-4.5USM £580

6 Sigma8-16mmf/4.5-5.6DCHSM £580

Full-frame7 Sigma15mmf/2.8EXDGDiagonalFisheye £500

8 CanonEF17-40mmf/4LUSM £540

9 CanonEF15mmf/2.8Fisheye £580

10Sigma12-24mmf/4.5-5.6EXDG £650

11 CanonEF16-35mmf/2.8LIIUSM £1,000

12ZeissDistagonT*18mmf/3.5ZE £1,025

Want to broaden your horizons? We check out all the latest ultra-wide contenders for both APS-C

and full-frame Canon cameras

Technical contributorMatthew Richards

landscapeshots,havingtoleaveoutlargeareasofdramaticskyorinterestingforegroundelementsthatjustwon’tfitintothepicture.Whatyouneedisawiderfieldofview,andthat’swhereultra-wide-anglelensescomeintotheirown.

Switchfromatypicalkitlens,likeanEF-S18-55mm,toanultra-widelensandit’slikeremovingapairofblinkers.Youcanjustseesomuchmoreofthescene,whetherit’sanimposinginteriorofabuildingorasweepingoutdoorvista.Butthat’snottheonlyadvantage.Justaslongtelephotolenseswillappeartocompressthedistancebetweenforegroundandbackgroundobjectsinascene,ultra-widelenseshavetheopposite

effect,exaggeratingperspectiveandmakingforegroundobjectsloomlargeagainstrapidlyrecedingbackdrops.Youcanusethistoenormouscreativeandartisticeffect,makingforreallydramaticandeye-poppingshots.Butbeforeyousplashoutonanultra-widelens,therearesomeimportantfactorstobearinmind…

Straightoutofthebox,anycurrentCanonD-SLRwithakitzoomlensenablesmoderately

wide-angleshooting,helpingyoutocapturethebiggerpicture.Butalltoooften,youcan’tquitesqueezeeverythingintotheframethatyou’dliketo.Whenshootingindoors,you’rephysicallyrestrainedbythewallsaroundyouandmayfindthatyoucan’tmovebackanyfurthertogettheperspectiveyouwant.Outdoors,youmightfindyourselfcompromisedwith

Ultra-wide lenses 6

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Backup your images on a network drive See page 95

More than with any other kind of optics, it pays to be picky when you’re choosing ultra-wide lenses

A word to the wide…

For the ultimate in image quality, you usually can’t beat a prime lens. As these are engineered to operate at one specific focal length rather than over a range of lengths, you’ll often get greater sharpness, less distortion (ranging from barrel distortion at the widest-angle setting to pincushion distortion at the telephoto end) and reduced chromatic aberrations. Another upside is that the maximum aperture is usually larger, enabling faster shutter speeds in low light. However, the apertures of some zoom lenses can also be fairly ‘fast’, as well as remaining constant throughout the zoom range, as with the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8.

The main upside for zoom lenses is that you can adjust the focal length to suit the subject you’re shooting, which minimises the need to adjust your shooting position quite so critically, or to change lenses so often. That said, most photographers tend to use ultra-wide zoom lenses at or very close to their widest-angle zoom

setting almost all of the time but, even so, zooming in to around 18mm on an APS-C camera, you can expect better wide-angle image quality than when using a kit lens at its widest zoom setting. Image quality in the best ultra-wide zoom lenses can sometimes match or even beat that of some modestly-priced prime lenses.

Prime timePrime or zoom, which is best?

USM/HSM Canon’s UltraSonic Motor and Sigma’s HyperSonic Motor autofocus systems are typically quite fast and almost silent, whereas conventional ‘micro motor’ autofocus systems tend to be a little noisy and sluggish by comparison.

Image stabilisation The greater the focal length of a lens, the more chance you have of suffering the effects of camera shake. With an ultra-wide lens that has a very short focal length, you can shoot handheld at very slow shutter speeds and still get sharp results, which is why they don’t feature image stabilisers.

Crop factor This is another term for the magnification factor in focal length when using a camera with a smaller sensor than full-frame. Canon APS-C cameras have a crop factor of 1.6x.

Phrase Book

A benefit of shooting with

an ultra-wide lens is that you get a very large depth of field, so everything from close foreground to infinity will be sharp. To make the most of this, use a fairly small aperture of f/11 to f/16. Switch to manual focusing, then focus on an object that’s about a third of the way up the frame.

Super Tip!

How we tested…Weusedtwodifferentcamerabodiestotestthelenses,a550DfortheAPS-Clenses,anda5DMarkIIforthefull-framelenses.Eachlenswascheckedforhandlingcharacteristics,aswellasforoverallbuildquality.Foropticalqualitytests,thecamerasweremountedonsturdytripodsandthelenseswereusedthroughouttheirapertureandzoomranges.In-camerafeatureslikePeripheralIlluminationCorrectionwereswitchedoff.Seeourcomparisontable(p108)tofindoutwhichlensesarecompatiblewiththisandother‘tuning’featuresinDigitalPhotoProfessional.Forzoomlenses,thetestshotsshownwerealltakenatthewidest-anglesetting.

Gone fishingWhat’s the deal with fisheye lenses?

Get the best wide-angle resultsSTEP BY STEP

Get protectedA low-profile screw-in UV filter will help to protect the front

element from knocks and scratches, but these can’t be fitted to the very widest-angle or fisheye lenses.

Use a hoodUltra-wide lenses take in much more of the sky than regular

lenses, so it’s important to fit a lens hood to cut down on stray light that can cause ghosting and flare.

Use Av modeUltra-wide lenses are useful for exaggerating perspective,

so it’s good to get as much depth of field as possible. Switch to Av mode and use a small aperture.

Most digital SLR cameras on the market are based on an APS-C image sensor, the size of which measures approximately the same as

a Classic-sized frame of Advanced Photographic System film (25.1x16.7mm). If you don’t remember APS cameras, they made a small splash in the compact film camera market – just before becoming obsolete when the world went digital.

A big bonus of an APS-C-sized sensor is that you get a ‘crop factor’. This boosts the effective telephoto length of a lens on a Canon D-SLR by a factor of 1.6x, so shooting with a 70-300mm telephoto zoom lens gives you an effective maximum reach of a mighty 480mm, more like that of a super-telephoto lens. However, in a classic case of swings and roundabouts, what you gain at the telephoto end, you lose when it comes to wide-angle shooting. In this case, a conventional ultra-wide lens with a focal length of, say, 16mm, equates to a merely moderate 26mm.

Naturally, not all D-SLRs use APS-C-format sensors and the stunning Canon 5D Mark II is an excellent example of one that uses a full-frame sensor, the same size as a frame of regular 35mm film (36x24mm). With cameras like this, what you see is what you get, so if you put a 16mm ultra-wide lens on the body, a focal length of 16mm is what you’ll have.

Pick a letter To give true ultra-wide fields of view on APS-C cameras, lenses need to be specially designed and manufactured for the purpose. The difficulty and expense in doing this meant that, not so long ago, you

were limited to a very small choice of two or three ultra-wide lenses for APS-C cameras like the 350D and 30D. With the massive growth in popularity of APS-C cameras over the last few years, however, there’s now much more choice on offer, with lenses like the new Sigma 8-16mm giving very wide effective zoom ranges of 13-26mm.

One crucial buying factor is that, while you can use a full-frame lens on an APS-C camera that has a smaller sensor, like the 550D, there’s no such compatibility the other way around, so you can’t fit a lens designed for an APS-C camera on a full-frame body like the 5D Mark II. You need to choose wisely, and the clue is in the letters.

Canon EF-S, Sigma DC, Tamron Di II and Tokina DX lenses are all engineered for cameras with APS-C sensors, so are only compatible with cameras like the 1000D, 550D, 60D and 7D. Conversely, Canon EF, Sigma DG, Tamron Di and Tokina D-series lenses are primarily designed for full-frame use, but can also be fitted to APS-C camera bodies.

There’s actually a plus point in using full-frame lenses on APS-C cameras, in that the sensor can only ‘see’ the central area of the overall image circle produced by the lens, where image quality is at its highest. However, while this can be a bonus in standard focal length and telephoto lenses, it’s largely irrelevant for ultra-wide lenses, as you simply won’t achieve the wider field of view that you’re after. Ultimately, the ultra-wide arena is the only one where the lens you choose is wholly governed by the size of your camera’s image sensor.

Most ultra-wide lenses are based on a ‘rectilinear’ design, in

that light passes through them in a relatively straight path so, perspective errors aside, if you were to take a shot of a square box, it would look like a square box in the resulting photograph. Fisheye lenses are radically different. These ‘curvilinear’ lenses bend light so that square objects appear to have a pronounced barrel shape.

The main reason behind this is that fisheye lenses were originally developed for weather recording and are designed to take in a full 180-degree field of view to get the whole sky in one shot. For photographic use, there are two types of fisheye lens. Circular fisheye lenses produce a circular image that fills only the central portion of the frame, whereas diagonal fisheye lenses produce a larger image circle that covers the whole sensor, so you end up with a full-sized rectangular image, as you would do with any other lens.We’ve reviewed some diagonal fisheye lenses in this test, but popular circular fisheyes include Sigma’s 4.5mm f/2.8 EX DC HSM (£575) for APS-C cameras and the Sigma 8mm f/3.5 EX DG (£615) for full-frame cameras. 10mm 22mm

TheCanonEF-S10-22mmoffersagenerouszoomrange,extendingtheoverallversatilityofthelens,andoffersgreatimagequality,too

Sigma’s4.5mmCircularFisheyegivesasuper-distortedviewinthemiddleofyourframe

Sigma’s10mmDiagonalFisheyestillgivesadistortedview,butfillstheframetothecorners

1 2 3

Sigma 4.5mm Circular Fisheye

Sigma 10mm Diagonal Fisheye

Gear Super Test

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Get your kit out on page 97

Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC HSM Tamron 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 Di II LD AF SPwww.sigma-imaging-uk.com www.intro2020.co.uk

Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM

£580Target Price

£450Target Price

www.canon.co.uk www.sigma-imaging-uk.com

£580Target Price

£380Target Price

Edge-to-edgesharpnessisverygood,evenatwideapertures 88%Morecolourfringingthanwe’dlike,andthehoodcostsextra

Constantapertureandgoodbuildqualityatabargainprice 87%Sharpnessisdisappointing,evenatmediumapertures

Wonderfullywidefieldofviewwithhardlyanycolourfringing 90%Notthesharpesttoolintheboxwhenshootingwideapertures

Rock-bottompriceandit’srefreshinglylightinweight 82%Noticeablecolourfringingandlackssharpnessatallapertures

APS-C lenses

CurrentlytheonlyCanonultra-widelensdesignedsolelytoworkwithAPS-Cformatcameras,theEF-S10-22mmboastsanupmarketsetoffeatures.Yougetwhisper-quiet,fastandaccurateUSM(UltraSonicMotor)autofocuscompletewithfull-timemanualoverride,alongwithSuperSpectracoatingstocutdownonghostingandflare.Thatsaid,you’llhavetosplashoutanextra£30orsoontheoptionallenshoodifyouwantmaximumprotectionagainsttheseailments,

butthelensitselfisconvenientlycompactandlightweight,yethasasolidfeelofgoodbuildquality.

Themaximumapertureoff/3.5-4.5ismerelyaveragebut,ontheplusside,theEF-S10-22mmisimpressivelysharpacrossthewholeframewhenshootingattheseaperturesthroughoutthezoomrange.Colourfringingaroundhigh-contrastedgesofobjectsprovedquitenoticeableinourtestsbutthisiseasilytunedoutifyoushootinRAWandprocessyour

imagesintheDigitalPhotoProfessionalsoftwarethatcomeswithCanonD-SLRs.Beingcommonlyavailableatlittlemorethanhalfitsrecommendedretailprice,the10-22mmoffersverygoodvalueformoney.

Lasttimewereviewedthislens,backinissue30,ithadonlyjustbeenlaunchedand,at£520,was£130dearerthanSigma’solder10-20mmf/4-5.6lens.Thesubsequentpricedrophasmadeitamuchmoreaffordablepropositionandthere’scertainlyalottolikeaboutthelens,includingamaximumapertureoff/3.5thatremainsconstantthroughoutthezoomrange.Thedownsideisthatthefrontelementislargerthanmost,toletintheextralight

required,resultinginafilterthreadof82mm,whichmeansthatscrew-infilterswillbeexpensive.

Inourtests,colourfringingwasmuchmorenoticeablethanwithSigma’s8-16mmlens,androughlyonaparwiththeCanonEF-S10-22mm.Italsocouldn’tmatchtheCanonlensforsharpnesswhenshootingatthemaximumapertureand,evenwhenstoppeddowntof/8,sharpnesswasonlyimpressiveatthecentreoftheframe,droppingoffnoticeablytowardstheedges.

Evenso,buildqualityfeelsprettygoodandappealingextrasincludeHSMautofocuswithfull-timemanualoverride.Asthesecond-cheapestlensinthegroup,theSigma10-20mmhasalotgoingforit.

Sigma’snewestofferingintheAPS-Ccategoryreallydoesputthe‘ultra’intoultra-wide,offeringasimilareffectivezoomrangeasitsmoreestablished12-24mmlensforthefull-framemarket.Uncommonlylongforanultra-widelens,theSigma8-16mmfeaturesaverybulbousfrontelementthatlookslikeitwouldbemoreathomeonafisheyelens,andcomescompletewithapermanentlyfixed,built-inpetal-shapedlenshood.Whatlookslikeasecondary

lenshood,actuallyturnsouttobepartofaHeathRobinsonlens-capdevice,ontowhichastandard72mmlenscapthenfits.Totakepicturesyouneedtoensurebothpartsareremoved.

HSM(HyperSonicMotor)autofocusisonaparwithCanon’sUSMforspeedandquietness,andcomeswithfull-timemanualoverride.ThemainsellingpointisthatthisSigmaenablesyoutogoconsiderablywiderthanwithanyothernon-fisheyelensonsmall-

sensorcameras.Ouronlycomplaintisthatsharpnesswasalackingatthelargestapertures,andyouneedtostopdowntoaboutf/8forbestperformance.Amazingly,colourfringingisalmostcompletelyabsent.

TheTamron10-24mmlens’sstand-outfeatureisthatithasabiggerzoomrangethananyotherCanon-fitultra-widelensonthemarket.However,whilethismightwellclinchthedealinthesuper-zoomcategory,asisthecasewithTamron’s18-270mmlens,it’sofratherlessimportanceinanultra-widelens,whereyou’repredominantlyinterestedinthewidest-angleabilities.

Theothermaindrawofthislensisthatit’ssignificantlycheaper

thananyothermodelintheentiregroup.Againthough,lookalittlecloserandafewcornersseemtohavebeencut.It’stheonlyAPS-Clensontestthatdoesn’thaveadistancescalediscretelyplacedbehindaglass(orplastic)viewingwindowand,instead,thescaleissimplyprintedontothefocusring.There’salsonofull-timemanualfocusoverrideandthemicro-motorpoweredautofocusisquiteslowcomparedwithCanonUSMandSigmaHSMexamples,althoughit’s

uncommonlyquietforaconventionalmotor.Ultimatelythough,themaindisappointmentisintheoptics,ourreviewsampleprovingtobenoticeablylesssharpthananyotherlensinthegroup,atanyaperture.

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Ultimate Canon buyers’ guide page 112

Tokina 12-24mm f/4 AT-X AF PRO DX II Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USMwww.kenro.co.uk www.canon.co.uk

Tokina 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 AT-X DX Fisheye Zoom Canon EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye

£500Target Price

£580Target Price

www.kenro.co.uk www.canon.co.uk

£560Target Price

£1,000Target Price

Combinesfisheyeopticswithagenerouszoomrange 85%Fisheyeeffectdiminishesatthelongerendoftherange

Solidbuildyetcompactandfairlyreasonablypriced 78%Noisyautofocusandlackofsharpnessatwiderapertures

Highstandardbuildgivesafeelofruggedprofessionalism 78%Disappointingopticalqualityandlacksoutrightwidthofview

Top-drawerperformanceandalltheusualL-seriestrimmings 88%Veryexpensive,attwicethepriceofcompetinglenses

Full-frame lensesAPS-C lenses

TheTokinaisuniqueinbeingalensthat’sbothafisheyeandazoom,andwhileitwillsoonbejoinedbytheforthcomingCanonEF8-15mmfisheyezoom,Canon’slenswillbeforthefull-frameratherthanAPS-Cmarket.Itdeliversafull180-degreeangleofview,andbeingadiagonalfisheyelens,itsimagecirclecoversthewholeframefromcornertocorner.Obviouslythemaximumviewingangleisonlyavailableattheshortestfocallengthof10mmand,asyouzoominto17mm,theangle

ofviewnarrowsto100degrees,andthecurvilineareffectbecomeslesspronounced.

Likeprimefisheyelenses,thiszoomlensisverycompactandlightinweight,butboaststhesturdykindofbuildqualitythat’stypicalofTokina.OnecommonTokinatraitthat’smissing,however,ispush-pullswitchingbetweenautofocusandmanualfocus(seeTokina12-24mmreview,below),thislensrelyingonamoretraditionalAF/MFswitchthatCanonownerswillbefamiliarwith.

Sharpness,contrastandresistancetocolourfringing,ghostingandflareareallimpressive,makingtheTokinaagreatchoiceforthosethatwantthefisheyeeffectwiththeaddedversatilityofzooming.

Despitebeingafull-frameratherthanAPS-Clens,thebabyCanonEF15mmisthesmallestandmostlightweightopticintheentiregroup,mainlybecauseit’saprimefisheyelenswithaveryshortfocallength.Asyou’dexpectfromafisheyelenswithabulbousfrontelement,thelenshoodisbuiltintotheoveralldesignandispermanentlyattachedtothelens,whichhelpstoprotecttheprotrudingelementfrompickingupknocksandscratches.There’salso

nopossibilityoffittingascrew-infilteralthough,likethecompetingSigma15mmfisheyeandtheregularCanon17-40mmandSigma12-24mmultra-widelenses,there’samountingslotbehindtherearelementforfittinggelatinfilters.

ThelenslacksCanon’sUSMfinerybutautofocusisrapidnevertheless,althoughthemicro-motorisquiteshrillandnoisy.Beingadiagonalfisheye,theimagecirclecoversthewholeimagesensorbut,atthefastmaximum

apertureoff/2.8,sharpnessisalittlelacking,especiallyinthecorners.Colourfringingisminimal,whiledistortionisjustaspronouncedasyou’dexpectfromafisheyelens,whichisreallyitsmainattraction.

OneofthemostexpensiveAPS-Clensesinthegroup,theTokina12-24mmcertainlylooksthepart,withaparticularlyruggedandprofessionalstandardofbuildandfinish.Unlikemostlenses,italsoboastsTokina’strademarkpush-pullfocusring,enablingeasyswitchingbetweenautofocusandmanualfocusasyoushoot,ratherthanhavingaseparateswitchonthesideofthebody.

ImprovementsinthisMarkIIeditionofthelensincludeupdated

lenscoatings,designedtoreduceghostingandflare.Whilethelenswascertainlyresistanttothesesideeffectsinourtests,itdidn’tfaresowellinotherrespects.Contrastandsharpnessarepoor,especiallywhenshootingatthemaximumapertureoff/4,whichremainsconstantthroughoutthezoomrange.Chromaticaberrations(colourfringing)arealsoverymuchinevidencealonghigh-contrastedges.Theothermaindrawbackisthatitswidest-anglefocallength

is12mm,asopposedtothemorecommon10mminAPS-Clenses.Thismakestheshortesteffectivefocallength19.2mminsteadof16mm.Itmightnotsoundlikemuchbut,inpractice,it’sverynoticeable.

Aimedsquarelyatprofessionalphotographers,theEF16-35mmcomescompletewithafour-figurepricetag.ThatmakesitnearlytwicethepriceoftheEF17-40mmlensthat’salsoontest,despitethembothbeingfromCanon’s‘L’forLuxuryseries,sowhat’sthedifference?Apartfromasingleextramillimetreatthewide-angleend(and5mmlessatthelongend)ofthezoomrange,theEF16-35mmisalsoastopfaster,withaclass-leadingf/2.8aperture.LiketheEF

17-40mmf/4,bothlensesfeatureaconstant-aperturedesign,sothemaximumapertureremainsfixedthroughoutthezoomrange.

AsCanon’sRollsRoyceultra-widezoomlens,you’dexpectgreatqualityevenwhenshootingatitsmaximumf/2.8apertureand,sureenough,theEF16-35mmdoesn’tdisappoint.Sharpnessisexcellentandcolourfringingispracticallynowheretobeseenbut,evenso,thereisn’taverynoticeabledifferenceinperformancebetween

thislensandtheEF17-40mm,makingitdifficulttojustifythe16-35mm’stop-dollaraskingprice.Thelarger82mmfilterthread,comparedwith77mmonthecheaperlens,alsomeansfilterswillbemoreexpensive.

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Next issue A4 and A3 printers put to the test

Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG Zeiss Distagon T* 18mm f/3.5 ZEwww.sigma-imaging-uk.com www.zeiss.co.uk

Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX DG Diagonal Fisheye

£540Target Price

£500Target Price

www.canon.co.uk www.sigma-imaging-uk.com

£650Target Price

£1,025Target Price

Sterlingimagequalityandhandlingatabargainprice 87%Infamouslylackssharpness,butoursamplewassuperb

Ultra-closefocusing,backedupwithopticalprowess 82%Ultimately,thenoveltyvalueofanyfisheyelenscanwearoff…

Huge122-degreeangleofview,withverygoodimagequality 85%Front-mountingfilterscanonlybeusedatlongerfocallengths

Beautifulimageandbuildquality,plusold-worldcharm 90%Theomissionofautofocusdoesn’tseemvery21stcentury

Full-Frame lenses

WeighinginastheslightlysmallersiblingoftheCanonEF16-35mm,the17-40mmisneverthelessworthyofitsL-seriescredentials,featuringthesamesetofweathersealstokeepdustandmoistureatbay,USMautofocuscompletewithfull-timemanualoverride,SuperUD(Ultra-lowDispersion)glasstominimisechromaticaberrationsandSuperSpectrecoatingstofendoffghostingandflare.

Forallitsupmarketfrills,whichcomeatasurprisinglyaffordable

priceforanL-serieslens,theEF17-40mmisn’twithoutitscritics;it’ssomewhatnotoriousforalackofsharpnessinthecornersoftheframeatwideapertures.It’ssomethingwe’venoticedourselvesinthepast,butthebrand-newsampleCanonsentusprovedmorethancompetent,withimpressivesharpnessthroughouttheframe.Indeed,thelensexcelledineveryaspectofimagequality,withnegligiblechromaticaberrations,greatcontrastandhighlyaccurate

colourrendition.Fisheyesaside,it’sthecheapestfull-framelensinthegroupandwortheverypenny,evenifitlosesoutcomparedwiththegenerousangleofviewofferedbytheSigma12-24mmlens.

FractionallylargerandnoticeablyheavierthanCanon’s15mmfull-framediagonalfisheyelens,alsoontest,theSigmaboaststhesame,fastf/2.8maximumapertureandfeelsabitbetterbuilt.Moreimportantly,theSigmagaveussharper,crisperimagesthroughoutitsaperturerangeandwasparticularlyimpressiveatf/2.8.Aswithotherfull-framefisheyelenses,youcanalsousetheSigmaonAPS-Ccamerasbut,becauseonlythecentralpartoftheimage

circleisused,youlosemuchoftheextremecurvatureofthefisheyeeffect,whichismostnoticeabletowardstheedgesoftheframe.

AnotherpluspointoftheSigmaovertheCanon15mmfisheyeisthattheclosestfocusingdistanceisamere15cm(asmeasuredfromtheimagesensoratthebackofthecameraratherthanfrontofthelens),asopposedtotheCanon’s20cm.Thisenablesyoutogetclosertosubjectsandexaggeratetheperspectivebetweenveryclose

foregroundobjectsandrelativelydistantbackgroundsevenmore.Allinall,theSigma15mmisourtopchoiceforafull-framediagonalfisheyelens,andthefactthatit’s£80cheaperthantheCanonisabonus.

Payabitextra(well,£110extratobeexact)comparedwiththeCanonEF17-40mmandyoucangolargewiththisSigma.Itoffersamassive122-degreefieldofviewatitswidestsetting,whichmakestheCanon’s104degreeslookratheraverage.ThereallyremarkablethingabouttheSigma12-24mmisthatitachievesthisphenomenalviewinganglewhilestillbeingarectilinearlens,ratherthanfisheye.Conveniently,there’sagelfilterholderbuiltintothelensmount,

whichishandybecausescrew-infilters(82mm)canonlybeusedatthelongendofthezoomrange.

Weactuallytestedthislensabouttwoyearsago,backinissue18,andweredistinctlyunimpressedbyitslackofsharpness,regardlessofaperturesettingorzoomlength.However,thesamplethatSigmasentusthistimearoundproveddramaticallybetter,withimpressivesharpnessandcontrastevenwhenshootingatthelargestapertureandgiving

particularlygoodresultsatf/8andf/11.ColourfringingwasalittlemorenoticeablethanwiththeCanonfull-framezoomlensesbutstillverywellcontained,makingthisasuperbchoiceifyouwanttogoultra-ultra-wide.

Zeisshasanunbeatablylonghistoryinlensmanufacture,andthis18mmfull-framelenslookseveryinchtheretro-chicfashionitemofthegroup.Beingaprimeratherthanzoomlens,it’sthesmallestnon-fisheyeontest,yetit’salsosurprisinglyweighty,thankstobattleshipbuildqualitywithanall-metalconstruction(except,ofcourse,fortheglassbits).

Old-schooldesignvaluesextendtotheZeissbeingoneofatinynumberofmodernlensesthat

doesn’tevenincludeautofocus.Don’tletthatputyouoffthough,asthebeautifullydampedfocusringglideswithallthepoiseandprecisionofafigure-skateronice.AndtheZeissopticisstillengineeredwithmodernCanonD-SLRbodiesverymuchinmind,asanyorallofthefocuspointsintheviewfinderwillilluminateasyouhitoptimumfocussettings,aswellastheaudiblebeepsounding.Forcriticalclose-upfocusing,LiveViewmodeswithmagnified

previewworkequallywell.Bestofall,theopticalperformanceoftheZeississimplystunningineveryrespect.It’sundeniablythemostexpensivelensinthegroup,butit’soneyou’lltreasureforever.

106 | PhotoPlus February 2011

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Lens CanonEF-S10-22mmf/3.5-4.5USM

Sigma8-16mmf/4.5-5.6DCHSM

Sigma10-20mmf/3.5EXDCHSM

TamronSPAF10-24mmf/3.5-4.5DiII

TokinaAF10-17mmf/3.5-4.5AT-X107DX

Tokina12-24mmf/4AT-X124ProDXII

Lenstype Rectilinear Rectilinear Rectilinear Rectilinear Diagonal Fisheye Rectilinear

Aperturerange f/3.5 to f/22 f/4.5 to f/22 f/3.5 to f/22 f/3.5 to f/22 f/3.5 to f/22 f/4 to f/22

Effectivefocallength(APS-C)

16-35mm 13-26mm 16-32mm 16-38mm 16-27mm 19-38mm

Minfocusdistance 24cm 24cm 24cm 24cm 14cm 30cm

Angleofview(diag) 107 to 63° 114 to 75° 102 to 64° 106 to 58° 180 to 100° 99 to 61°

AFmotortype Ultrasonic Hypersonic Hypersonic Micro-motor Micro-motor Micro-motor

LenstuninginDPP Yes No No No Yes Yes

Filtersize 77mm 72mm 82mm 77mm None 77mm

Lenshood EW-83E (£30) Built-in Included Included Built-in Included

Dimensions 84 x 90mm 75 x 106mm 87 x 88mm 83 x 87mm 70 x 71mm 84 x 89mm

Weight 385g 555g 520g 406g 350g 540g

RRP £990 £800 £665 £510 £720 £740

Targetprice £580 £580 £450 £380 £500 £560

Verdict 88% 90% 87% 82% 85% 78%

Lens CanonEF15mmf/2.8

CanonEF16-35mmf/2.8LIIUSM

CanonEF17-40mmf/4LUSM

Sigma12-24mmf/4-5.6EXDGHSM

Sigma15mmf/2.8EXDG

ZeissDistagonT*18mmf/3.5ZE

Lenstype Diagonal Fisheye Rectilinear Rectilinear Rectilinear Diagonal Fisheye Rectilinear

Aperturerange f/2.8 to f/22 f/2.8 to f/22 f/4 to f/22 f/4 to f/22 f/2.8 to f/22 f/3.5 to f/22

Effectivefocallength(APS-C)

24mm 26-56mm 27-64mm 19-38mm 24mm 29mm

Minfocusdistance 20cm 28cm 28cm 28cm 15cm 30cm

Angleofview(diag) 180° 108 to 63° 104 to 57° 122 to 84° 180° 99°

AFmotortype Micro-motor Ultrasonic Ultrasonic Hypersonic Micro-motor None

LenstuninginDPP No Yes Yes No No No

Filtersize Rear gelatin filter 82mm 77mm 82mm Rear gelatin filter 82mm

Lenshood Built-in Included Included Included Built-in Included

Dimensions 73 x 62mm 89 x 112mm 84 x 97mm 87 x 103mm 74 x 65mm 87 x 84mm

Weight 330g 635g 500g 600g 370g 470g

RRP £880 £1,790 £940 £870 £615 £1,150

Targetprice £580 £1,000 £540 £650 £500 £1,025

Verdict 78% 88% 87% 85% 82% 90%

Kicking off with the most popular APS-C cameras, Canon’s veteran EF-S 10-22mm still

takes a lot of beating. It’s only the new Sigma 8-16mm that we really prefer, for its astounding

and unprecedented wide angle of view at the 8mm end. Sigma also scoops the best value

award with the new, constant-aperture version of its best-selling 10-20mm zoom

lens, while the Tokina 10-17mm offers some funky fun as a fisheye zoom.

Moving up to full-frame, there is little to choose in image or build quality between Canon’s EF 16-35mm and EF 17-40mm lenses, making the latter the better buy. Sigma’s 12-24 mm lens breaks through the ultra-wide barrier in much the same way as its 8-16mm does in the APS-C class but, if we had to choose just one ultra-wide full- frame lens, it’d be the Zeiss 18mm. Sure, it looks old-fashioned and doesn’t even have autofocus, but its image quality is simply stunning.

Full-frame

APS-C