The Sigma 10mm Fisheye Lens is designed primarily for digital Single Lens Reflex cameras with APS-C sized sensors. For Canon and Nikon that represents their 1.6x and 1.5x Crop camera systems. The Sigma 10mm Fisheye is a full frame diagonal, meaning that a 180 degree FOV is squeezed into a rectangular frame.
Sigma makes mounts for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax and the Olympus Evolt Digital SLR's with their smaller 2x Crop sensors.
Sigma has for a long time been a leading third Party slow parts, has the Sigma Fisheye lens department in the niches, the Canon and Nikon could not have filled. Canon and Sony users were probably grateful, because they do not make a fisheye lens designed for APS-C sensors. Many shooters, the Nikon D40's, D40x, D60, D3000, D5000 and have turned this goal, because these cameras have built-in fire engines and the Nikkor 10.5 mm fisheye lens.
The image quality of the Sigma 10 mm fisheye
TheSigma 10mm is a professional grade lens at an affordable price. Images are clean and sharp - although a little soft around the edges when fully opened up at f/2.8. Contrast and color saturation are right on the money. In short, the Sigma takes great pictures, just as you would expect with any high caliber prime lens.
Sigma's done a pretty good job of reducing ghosting and flaring with its Super Multi-Layer lens coating. Chromatic aberration (color fringing) is not much of an issue either although that also depends on which camera system your using the Sigma 10mm with. Nikon is clearly the winner when it comes to Chromatic Aberration.
Product Features of the Sigma 10mm Fisheye
With a weight of almost 17 ounces, 3.3 inches long and 3 inches in diameter, the Sigma 10mm is a little heftier than similar lenses put out by Canon or Nikon. This is due mostly to Sigma's built-in Hypersonic Motor which runs Sigma's super fast and silent Auto Focus system.
The Sigma 10mm Fisheye Lens has a close focus range of 5.3 inches from the rear of the lens which means you can get as close as 3/4 of an inch to your subject matter. I don't recommend anybody get that close with a fisheye lens for the simple reason that you can't use protective filters on the front lens element of any fisheye lens.
The Sigma's fast and quiet Auto Focus responds quite well to most low light situations without too much "hunting" going on. When shooting in dim light and low contrast situations you can easily switch over to manual override by activating the AF/M switch on the upper left side of the lens barrel.
Is the Sigma 10mm Right For You?
For those Nikon owners using cameras without the built-in auto focus it's Sigma's high quality AF that usually wins them over. If your a Nikon shooter and you don't fall into that category then I'd stick with the Nikkor 10.5mm f/2.8 Fisheye Lens.
Canon 1.6x crop shooters have been neglected in the fisheye lens department for years. Canon recently came out with the 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye Zoom Lens that is designed to work with its entire lineup of SLR's. As I write this it's not yet available for sale, but, as an "L" series lens it's bound to be quite expensive, so I think the Sigma 10mm will continue to be popular with Canon users looking for a more affordable alternative.
What about Sony Alpha users? Sony has a 16mm fisheye lens for it's full frame SLR's, but nothing for the smaller sensors. You can get a converter for this lens, but that only adds to the cost of the already pricey Sony 16mm f/2.8 Fisheye. The Sigma 10mm represents a more affordable alternative.
Pentax has a 10-17mm fisheye zoom lens for its users and is about 0 - 0 cheaper than the Sigma 10mm. The Sigma is definitely the better lens but of course it lacks the versatility of Pentax's native fisheye lens. The big question for Pentax users is: quality or versatility?
Whether your a serious hobbyist or a seasoned professional the Sigma 10mm Fisheye Lens delivers high quality images. This lens is clearly a winner.
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