Battle of the UWAs (Sigma 10-20 vs Tokina 12-24)

Daedalus

Hi everyone,
New poster (and newbie to photography in general) here, trying to decide between the two lenses in the title. I'm heading off to Europe soon and need a wide angle to add to my collection (which only includes the 50mm 1.8 and 55-135mm kit lens that came with my Canon 60D). The Sigma 10-20mm and Tokina 12-24 are in my price range, but I'm finding it pretty difficult to decide between them.

From doing a bunch of reading, it sounds like the Tokina has better build quality and is slightly sharper all around (esp at the edges). On the other hand, the Sigma is 2mm wider, which I've read is about 20% larger field of view, and the pictures I've seen online look pretty sharp to me (but of course you're only going to post your good shots online haha).

Anyone have any experience with these two and can push me in either direction?

Thanks!

ziggy53

There are 2 different Sigma 10-20mm super-wide zoom lenses:

Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM
Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 EX DC HSM ELD SLD Aspherical

I have the Sigma 10-20mm f/4-5.6 EX DC HSM and I think that it's a very nice lens for the price. I typically use this lens stopped down a bit, and then it compares well with any super-wide zoom lens for image quality. I can easily recommend it.

Wide open it is a bit soft in the corners, but I never use it that way:





BTW, this lens will also safely mount on Canon FF and crop 1.3x/APS-H bodies, but it doesn't fill the image frame. Still, it can be handy in a pinch (and something that the Canon EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM cannot do.)

If you do plan on a FF body in your near future, the Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 AT-X116 Pro DX works much better to fill the image frame at the 16mm end, although it's not perfect either.

Daedalus

Excellent - thanks for the feedback - those are some nice shots.

tsk1979

May I tempt you? Tokina 11-16 2.8
I use this wide open(Widefield astrophotography), and image quality is fantastic.
I had a tamron 10-24 when I used a 350D. Now on D7000 this is my de facto wide angle lens.