The Sigma 14mm f/2.8 EX Aspherical Ultra Wide Angle Lens

At the time of writing, I have had the pleasure of owning this lens for 6 months. I find that I don't use it often, but when circumstance dictates, there is no nicer lens for the situation. Depending on your interests, you might find you use it more regularly. If you like to photograph architecture,  massive landscapes, or find yourself in tight spaces photographing interiors you'll like this lens a lot! I've included several photos in this Guide that I've taken using this lens that illustrate its uses.

In this review, I'll summarize the strong and weak points of the lens, discuss my reasons for choosing it over several other comparable primes and zooms that cover 14mm, and then finally, run through the issues I found relevant when using the lens (and in general, most Ultra Wide Angle lenses) in the field.

The Sigma 14mm EX:

First off, Pros & Cons:

Pro:

• Nice Optical Performance, particularly with the APS-C sized sensor
• Super Wide Angle of View
• Beautiful EX Build
• Quiet, Fast AF
• Low Light Capability
• Excellent Depth of Field even at larger apertures.

Con:

• Price
• Protruding Front Element
• No Front Filter Capability
• Ineffective Hood
• Lens Flare
• Heavy

Some Technical Data:

Weighted MTF for 14 mm: f2.8 0.73. f4 0.74. f8 0.73
Average Weighted MTF: 0.73 Grade: 3.1

Data from Photodo.com

What do these numbers mean? The higher the scores, the better the contrast and resolution of the lens. A 3.1 grade is very good for a complex wide angle lens. A grade above 4 is only seen in dedicated Macro lenses, the finest primes and G series lenses. 3.1 may seem low, but for such a complex lens it is par for the course and all other comparable lenses in this class have similiar ratings.

Why do you need a 14mm Ultra Wide Angle Lens?

The crop factor issue inherent with digital SLRs which use an APS-C sized sensor necessitates the use of a UWA lens in order to get any semblance of a wider angle of view from the camera. With Konica Minolta Maxxum/Sony Alpha cameras, the APS-C sensor is 2/3 the size of a regular 35mm film frame. This means that the image and  the physical lens property of focal range must be multiplied by a factor of 1.5x to compensate for this physical difference in image plane size. On the tele end, a 100mm lens becomes 150mm, a 300mm lens is now a 450mm. Great for all of you wildlife photographers! But on the other end, your usual wide angle 28mm lens is now a 42mm. Hardly a wide angle! It is now more like a standard lens. The Sigma 14mm ends up with the field of view of a 21mm lens, which is now a decent wide angle. 

Choosing the Sigma 14mm EX over the Competition:

With my Minolta 7D and its APS-C sensor, I wanted to preserve my wide angle capability. I debated the purchase of this lens, a competitors, or one of the new digital UWA zooms which uses smaller glass (smaller price!) to accomodate the smaller APS-C sensor. (These "digital" lenses can only be used on DSLRs, not film cameras or full frame sensor DSLRs.) Eventually, I'm hoping Sony will introduce a full frame DSLR, so this was a factor in my choice. I enjoy landscape photography and shooting in "tight" situations and therefore needed a UWA lens on my 7D. I chose the Sigma lens, which has a faster f/2.8 maximum aperture and better optics in comparison to the digital zooms (Konica Minolta/Tamron 11-18mm and Sigma 10-20mm), at the sacrifice of their even wider field of view. You might argue my logic differently, depending on your shooting needs and go for a 10 or 11mm zoom. In comparison to the other fixed prime (Tamron 14mm f/2.8), the price is significantly lower on the Sigma, and the build is second to none.

My Experiences with the Sigma 14mm Lens:

So far, I'm extremely pleased with the performance of my Sigma lens. It is sharp, contrasty and has a neutral color rendition. I'm happy, but admittedly, for the price, one should expect premium performance, keeping in mind that getting a rectilinear image of this calibre is a complex engineering feat. According to pro reviewers,  when shooting on film wide open at f/2.8, you will notice some softness near the edges of your image. Of course, using an APS-C sensor crops the outside 1/3 of the image, inherently improving the performance of this lens at the expense of the field of view. You can get some interesting perspective into your photos when you use the lens close up, as I did in the top photo of  red Amaryllis flowers.

These first and third photos were taken at Aktun Chen, a limestone cave formation on the Mayan Riviera in Mexico. The first, of a cenote pool was taken handheld, 1/4 sec, f/2.8 ISO 3200 using my 7D. Definitely pushing the limits of the technology, but with a little color noise filtering, the print looks good. Having f/2.8 really helped, as did the wide angle, minimizing my depth of field loss and allowing me to get as much of the cenote pool into my photos as possible.

The second photo is another from Tulum (see my 28-135mm Guide for more pics), showing a ruin in the background as well as the beach and some foreground. The 14mm gave me a great perspective, lots of depth and even the ability to do a little cropping. (1/250, f/16, ISO 200)

Here are a few more:

The third of this sequence is of a collapsed dry cenote and was exposed at 1/20 sec, f/4, ISO 400. In these shots, having the 14mm lens was instrumental in getting the entire cave into the scene. A tripod for taking two exposures (one for highlights and then the other for shadows, with layering in CS2) would've been even better, although in a larger photo size, much more detail is evident inside the caves.

The Sigma EX build is top notch and the finish will likely hold up to decades of use if properly cared for. With all the metal and glass, the lens is relatively heavy, but it is truly a beautiful lens.

The downside, inherent to any  UWA lens is that many factors need to be considered in order to use it effectively. Lens flare is crazy due to the bulging front element, and the permanently attached hood can only do so much. You need to shade the lens with your free hand in many situations, usually when the sun or light source is just outside the image circle of the lens. If you shoot off horizontal, crooked landscape horizons and/or architectural lines will drive you batty! But you can use the exaggerated perspective of the UWA lens in certain situations to create some interesting perspective in your photos. You can't attach filters up front (there is a holder for small gelatins in the back end) and while a CPL isn't generally recommended with a UWA, a protective UV filter would have been a nice option for all the exposed glass of this expensive lens. This could likely contribute to even more flare potential in any case.

The front element is "out there" - like a fishbowl! Curious little fingers or a quick turn with camera in hand followed by a sickening bump will have you thinking potentially murderous or suicidal thoughts in quick order. This is not a walk around lens! Keep the glass covered with the cap/cowling until the photographic moment, then re-cover the glass to minimize the risk to the front element.

If you like shooting wide angle, like fast lenses with minimal optical compromise, and appreciate excellent build and finish, then I would highly recommend this lens to you.

If an even wider angle is important, along with the use of filters (be prepared for vignetting at the widest angle and apertures in these digital zooms), then one of the zooms may be more to your liking.  And expect some minor pincushion and/or barrel distortion on straight lines near the image edges. The cheaper price (about 50% less!) and minimal loss of depth with an f/4.5-5.6 max. aperture could be more your style. In any case, there is no substitute for a Ultra Wide Angle lens when shooting digital! To be quite honest, I've often considered getting one of these zooms, too - just for that 10mm setting! Another option would be a "fisheye" lens, one that gives the 180 degree field-of-view. Sigma make an 8mm fisheye, but so far, it has not been available in the Alpha mount. The 15mm version would be redundant with the 14mm rectilinear already in my possession, and I don't think the fisheye effect at 15mm (22mm) would be very pronounced with the aps-c crop.

April, 2007

Well, it's likely difficult to tell much about the quality or detail from the thumbnails I've posted, but the Sigma 14mm got a real workout on a recent trip to Mexico and the results were very satisfying. I really enjoyed using the lens and was glad to have it for these tight, low light situations. This lens is a keeper. When you need it, it gets the job done like nothing else! You can see hi-res images at flickrdotcom/photos/seagr112

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