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Sigma 10-20 vs. KM 11-18

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Ken_5D said:
Thanks for the background.. on that shot. That you only got one
like that says it is not a major flaw... but worth noting..

The problem is that optic design is an art and the results are in
they eye of the beholder. I always look at the Tamrons when I am
looking for a new lens and always end up liking the strengths of
the Sigma vs the strengths of the Tamron
Click to expand...
Generally, I prefer Sigma. Their 55-200mm DC for example is very crisp and contrasty compared to the neutral, rather ordinary feel of the similar Tamron. The Tamron 14mm f2.8 was/is significantly better than the Sigma, though much more expensive in the UK. Their teles - well, they have so few. Really the lens range is no way comparable with the output of Sigma.

I guess if I have any reason for favouring Tamron at the moment it is their close relationship with KM. Their lenses use a specific KM/Minolta technology (hybrid moulded aspheric elements) and it's likely that the Tamron designs were jointly developed with KM. They have probably worked with KM for many years. The 28-75mm is a particularly interesting lens because it was NOT made by Tamron. It was made by KM's Chinese venture. Yet it is also a Tamron design. So whose lens is it really?

Tamron lenses have KM - and presumably now Sony - official ADI chips. Sigma lenses don't. This has not stopped several Tamron lenses having issues with the 5D, so they are doing some things independently. This is a bit confusing given their close involvement.

David
 
Ken_5D said:
It sounds like you are saying 10mp images have more fine details
than 6mp images. Which of course should be true.
Click to expand...
It goes a bit beyond that. 6mp images should, if anything, look sharper at native res (they are less taxing on the lens resolution). But the A100 is producing a sharpness which is pretty hard to get out of a 7D or 5D, even if you crop the A100 file to 6mp and just compare part of it.

David
 
Ken_5D said:
As is always the case.. I have seen tests of lens vs lens and there
are usually people who like one or the other for personal reasons.
Click to expand...
In most cases, the personal reasons are that they own the lens which they recommend ;-)

BTW, optic design is a science, not an art, even though we try to create art with it :-D
 
I owned all three of these lenses, and stuck with the KM 11-18.

The Sigma 10-20 was plain unacceptable. The weird distortions made cropping the edges almost mandatory in architectural shots, which reduced its effective focal lens to 12mm or more. The diffraction effects were plainly unacceptable above f/11, and sharpness was unacceptable below f/8. That left me very little to work with.

The Sigma 12-24 was a fine lens - just too heavy for my hiking. It is not sharp below f/8, and ideally f/11, but it is diffraction free until f/19 or thereabouts. It also has the best geometry of the three - virtually no distortions at any focal lenght (this is, I guess, by virtue of being a full frame lens). Flare control is not as good as in the KM though, but better than on the 10-20.

The KM 11-18 was the best compromise for me. Sharp at f/5.6 and above. Lightweight. Mild distortion, completely fixable in photoshop.

There is no single answer. Your mileage from each lens might vary. However, if you plan on getting the 10-20 and using it at 10mm, make sure that there are no straight lines reaching the borders and that you know how to correct vignetting, or it won't be pretty.
 
ok so like i said if you read the spec sheets you will see the tamron has a wider field of view than the sigma

103.29 degrees for the tamron and 102.4 degrees for the sigma

11mm v 10mm is just the focal length and is not EXACTLY related to FIeld Of View

also if you search for david kilpatricks test between the two you will find the tamron produces a bigger image circle than the sigma presumably take into account for anti shake movements

also tamron license the mount from minolta where as sigma just copied it

Im sure the sigma is a good lens i just prefer the tamron/km version

sigma spec:



tamron spec:

 
I'm not sure at all if this matters, but the Sigma specs are for a Sigma SD sensor. Again not sure if that matters in this wideness debate...
--
Rich Lanthier
Having fun with photos. A little searching can go a long way.

 
Rich Lanthier said:
I'm not sure at all if this matters, but the Sigma specs are for a
Sigma SD sensor. Again not sure if that matters in this wideness
debate...
Click to expand...
They are for the Canon sensor, 1.6X. If they were quoted for the Sigma it would be even less of an angle. The Tamron is quoted for 1.5X sensor. However, the Tamron does technically have a wider angle, as it does indeed produce a larger image circle before vignetting either optically or mechanically. Also, the image maintains its linear geometry better. Both these factors make the 11-18mm Tamron a much better choice for Anti-Shake, at the short end. By the time you are at 13-14mm on either lens the image circle is so much enlarged it will pretty well cover a full frame.

David
 
Both the Sigma 10-20mm and the Tamron 11-18mm take 77mm front filters, and neither lens suffers from cutoff with a Hoya slim polariser. I have just bought at great expense a Minolta 77mm circular polariser, and this also is an ultra slim type, no cut off - part No 7277-710.

David
 
The primary reason PP mag gives for preferring the Sigma lens was that it has an HSM lens motor but the KM model does NOT have that motor so the advantage disappears.
 
Jerrydf said:
The primary reason PP mag gives for preferring the Sigma lens was
that it has an HSM lens motor but the KM model does NOT have that
motor so the advantage disappears.
Click to expand...
The Sigma's HSM motor was its "greatest asset", however PP states they picked it best overal for a number of reasons. But the Sigma was 2nd in sharpness behind the Tokina, had the best close-up performance and better build quality than the Tamron. The Tamron's greatest asset was its light weight though.

If the Tokina 12-24 was available in the Minolta mount, that would be my choice.
--
Ron
Torrance, CA
Galleries: http://www.pbase.com/rambler358

 
Rambler358 said:
If the Tokina 12-24 was available in the Minolta mount, that would
be my choice.
Click to expand...
Rambler358 said:
Ron
Torrance, CA
Click to expand...
Ron

I talked to the US distributor of the 12-24 Tokina last week and they said wait until Photokina.

I didn't necessarily get the feeling he was saying that in a nudge, nudge, wink, wink sort of a way, more just lets get these Pentax and Sony people off of my @ss sort of way. Hard to read over the phone. Maybe if you go to your local camera shop and ask them to ask the local Tokina rep it might dawn on them there is money to be made in this market.
Regards

Bruce
 
I regret the decision to buy a slim polarizer for my Tam 11-18. A polarizer at the wide end does not make much sense, as it can only cover a small segment of the width. So, slimline is not necessary, as you will very likely only use it at longer FLs.

I still like my polarizer, I only wish now it was a thicker one = easier to handle.
 
I would have gotten the Tok 12-24, but now, the Tam 11-18 is here to stay. After all, it is over 8% wider :-p
 
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