Sigma 8-16

Before starting our full-blown Sigma 8-16mm review, there’s one thing to point out that we’ll keep coming back to: the Sigma 8-16 is unique.  From its convex front glass element with fixed petal hood to its status as the widest angle non-full frame lens on the market using the most up-to-date technology and design having been released in 2010, there’s a lot to like about the Sigma 8-16mm f4.5-5.6 DC HSM that sets it apart from its competitors.  Before you read on, just be aware that this lens was specifically made for cropped sensor digital SLR cameras only (i.e. Canon EF-S or Nikon DX), it’s too wide to work on larger and more expensive full frame SLRs (i.e. the Canon 1/5D or Nikon D3 line).

Sigma 8-16mm Review – Aesthetics and Build

Pulling the Sigma 8-16 out of the box for the first time I was surprised at it being longer and heavier than I expected.  Heavier to me is always a good thing because glass weighs more than plastic and it makes it easier to have a steady hand while shooting.  And as for the length of the lens, that’s just a function of the combination of the convex front glass element, its fixed petal hood and that the cap needs to go over top of all of that.  Held next to any of its wide angle competitors with hood attached you’ll notice the difference is negligible, and the Sigma 8-16mm has a slightly smaller diameter.

While the protruding front glass might be a concern to some people in terms of wear and durability, I always tend to be extremely careful with my lenses because they cost what amounts to me as serious money, and I don’t have to treat the Sigma 8-16 any more carefully than any others.  While you will need to make sure to keep track of the lens cap, it’s big enough that you’ll have a tough time misplacing it, not to mention the giant eyeball look of the uncovered lens will always be staring at you asking “why isn’t my lens cap on?”

As for the construction of the lens, its matte brushed metal will be familiar to owners of other Sigma lenses and works extremely well in terms of feel and durability.  Both the focus and zoom rings are tight and responsive without drift and are well spaced apart on the lens body.  A small toggle on the side switches between manual and autofocus, and even in auto mode full time manual override is available for fine tuning, but this is rarely necessary due to the accurate, fast and quiet HSM autofocus operation.
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One of the beauties of having an ultra wide angle lens is the ability to play around with perspective and depth perception when composing a shot.  Where a telephoto will crush the feeling of depth and put everything in a similar plane, a wide angle lens like the Sigma 8-16mm will have the exact opposite effect, making the foreground seem a lot closer and the background seem even farther away.

16mm focal length

To demonstrate this, I took a sample shot in Joshua Tree National Park with the same Joshua tree located at roughly the same spot in the picture at both 8mm and 16mm.  What you’ll notice right away is while the tree is the exact same size, the huge rock pile in the center is…surprise, surprise…half as large at 8mm, or alternatively appears to be twice as far away.  The same goes for the bush in the left of the frame, which is somewhat surprising at first considering I only took a step or two forward when switching to 8mm.

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With the most wide angle lens I’ve used to date being the kit Canon 18-55mm that came with my T2i, I was excited to expand my horizons with my newly ordered Sigma 8-16mm, and I wasn’t disappointed.  The first time you ever get the chance to use a truly wide angle lens on an SLR camera is really an eye opening experience.

The amount of subject you can fit in a 120 degree view angle fully zoomed out at 8mm will immediately get the creative juices flowing with your newfound flexibility in composing shots.  Expansive backgrounds, overemphasized foregrounds, entire rooms and buildings that you were never able to capture before.  It takes some getting used to as proportions become skewed, but learning to master the effect will pay off in the long run.  Oh, and for handheld shots you need to keep the camera perfectly flat, an uneven horizon line has never been so noticeable.

One of the main reasons I opted for the Sigma 8-16 over the competing Canon 10-22 and Tokina 11-16 is as simple as the first number in its name, 8.  It’s the widest angle zoom lens available for non-full frame cameras without going circular fisheye and cropping the corners of the shot.  It’s also the newest design using the most up to date technology having been released in 2010; the Canon 10-22 has been available since 2004 when DSLR cameras weren’t nearly as prevalent or affordable.

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