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This is one of the sharpest lenses I've used. Great contrast, excellent edge sharpness, both on APS-C and full frame. The one downfall of this lens is the focus drive. It's fairly loud, and slower than Canon USM or Nikon SW systems, but if you shoot wide angle, you're most likely not concerned with that. Sharpness is very close, if not better than the Canon 17-40mm f/4 L. Filter attachment is a little weird with the "filter hood" that goes over the built in hood. I've also had the lens show light flares, but good practice makes this avoidable. Overall, and excellent value for a sharp wide angle lens. The few drawbacks don't take away from the sharpness or build quality.
This review is based on sample of one in late 2010. I have been an avid photographer on film and digital, but not a pixel peeper; for the amount paid, this lens is more than I expected. Good: super-wide FX on Nikon D700. Great details on center and some corners. Color rendition is fine. Bad: Not able to get sharp results on one corner at infinity focus, doesn't matter what the setting is. Sigma quality control issues are well known, lens possibly de-centered. I decided to keep this purchase for interior and architecture shots where close in and medium distance renditions are important. There are not too many economical alternatives any way.
I purchased the Sigma 15-30 zoom specifically for use on a digital SLR, so most of my photos will be taken in the sweet-spot in the center of the image. I prefer zooms on digital SLRs because changing lenses creates a dust problem with them, so the less you have to change them the less often you have to clean. The sensors are remarkably easy to damage, so any cleaning is a risk. I have tested it with both Digital and Still cameras and the results are really quite good; even in the corners of full frame 35mm film. Yes, there is some barrel distortion at 15mm, especially with full frame 35mm photos, but it is quite acceptable. Now that Adobe Photoshop allows distortion correction it is very easy to correct. The effect is less noticable on my 1.5:1 digital, and for most uses isn't noticable. Sharpness and color correction are alot better than I expected. I'm not talking about perspective distortion - that just goes with the territory very wide angle lenses. I have been a professional photographer for a lot of years and I am very satisfied with the images. I've gotten worse from non-zoom lenses in the 15-21mm range; and paid a lot more for them. It isn't up to the quality of my fixed focus 15mm Nikkor, but very few ultra-wide lenses are. It will produce a professional quality image, with a lot more versatility than a fixed focal length lens, and that's what counts. I haven't carried the 15 Nikkor for a while unless I'm specifically shooting architecture on film, not digital. Mechanically the lens is smooth in operation with good feedback and no slop in the zoom or focus. It is also remarkably light weight but seems very durable. All-in-all a remarkable piece of optics for the money.Read full review
It is surely EX class quality; It was as sharp as when I first used one many years ago with EOS3, and now this one on my 20D is every bit as spectacular, though I am going to save the excitement for when I get a 5D2. The petal hood tries hard but flare still is the biggest issue with this lens. If you take lighting into consideration and take into account how much flare it is prone to at 15mm then it should be fine. Right now on a crop camera an 82mm filter attached to the lens cap assembly in the front actually works but for full frame you will not have the luxury of say a front uv protector so when not shooting be sure to set the lens to 30mm so the bulbous front element is retracted as far back as possible so there is less likely of scratch and fingerprint. Still without the possibility of front filters on full frame be sure to love the lens cap. Speed is fast for what I use it for- outdoor and fairly well lit interiors (watch out for lens flare) I rarely even think of using this low light but if I did I would use manual focus. The manual focus ring is large, smooth, somewhat stiff, and built like armor. Makes holding the lens in autofocus mode very comfortable for those who prefer to support the lens with their hands farther down the tube. Overall this is probably my favorite lens with the sigma 50m 1.4 a close second. I use EOS 20D and EOS3 and shoot mainly city, large indoor atriums, and street people.Read full review
It's build like a tank and looks like one too. It was bigger than I expected, but also lighter. My 85mm f/1.8 feels heavier than it, which surprised me because it's half the size. Image quality kinda disappointed me, even stopped down to f/8 it's not as sharp as I'd like a wide-angle to be. But it's expanded my range by alot and not completes all ranges and types of lenses. Only had it for one afternoon so only time will tell how well this tank performs in shoots.
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