Farewell to a great lens

21 April 2013

I don't like to sell gear, I don't like to buy used gear as well, maybe it's because it's the italian 80s mentality to buy everything new if you can, I know it's wrong, but unfortunately this bug is in my head and it's not easy to get rid of it.
So, as I'm planning to move to a Full Frame body in the next month(s), which is obviously going to be my main body, and my current main body, which is a Canon 7D, it will be used only for some gigs and maybe video, but definetely not for landscapes, the only EF-S lens I currently have (apart the Sigma 17-70 which I land to a friend of mine and the last time I used was probably 3 years ago, and I'm not really interested in using it anymore) is my beloved Sigma 10-20mm EX DC HSM.


I love(d) that lens. A lot of people snob it because maybe it's not perfect wide open, and it's true, and maybe because it's not Canon but just a smelly Sigma (which is a pretty stupid idea, just look the new Sigma 35mm f/1.4, it's a great lens, better than the Canon 35L for half of the price), but even if it might not be perfect, it's a great lens.
I've been using it even a very closed apertures, like f/25, and it was still sharp like hell, maybe it's not that sharp wide open, but from f/8 onward is dam sharp, and I'm a fixed-lens guy, and I generally watch at zoom lenses like an old man watching a teenager and thinking "Jaysus, why these kids are so stupid?", so if I say that's it's sharp, it's really, really sharp.
But it's not only about sharpness, but even the colours and the contrast are great, far away from other "cheap" lenses, without mention the fact that I love that focal length (16-32mm on a 35mm), and the barrell distortion is visible only at 10mm, but from 11mm onwards is way less evident. Anyway, I don't want to do a review of a lens that I don't own anymore, as yesterday I sold to a good friend of mine, but I just wanted to show off my love for this lens, and to show some of the best pictures I took with it.

Farewell to a great lens
f/11 - 2.5sec - ISO 100 - 12mm with Cokin ND8 Filter (on flickr)

Farewell to a great lens
f/11 - 15sec - ISO 100 - 15mm with Cokin ND8 Filter (on flickr)

Farewell to a great lens
f/14 - 0.8sec - ISO 100 - 11mm with Cokin ND8 Filter and double exposure (on flickr)

Farewell to a great lens
f/16 - 0.5sec - ISO 160 - 15mm with LCW Fader ND Mk II double exposure (on flickr)

Farewell to a great lens
f/8 - 1/200 - ISO 160 - 10mm (on flickr)

Farewell to a great lens
f/16 - 69sec - ISO 160 - 11mm with LCW Fader ND Mk II (on flickr)

Farewell to a great lens
f/14 - 59sec - ISO 160 - 14mm with LCW Fader ND Mk II (on flickr)

Farewell to a great lens
f/11 - 1/800 - ISO 160 - 10mm (on flickr)

Farewell to a great lens
f/25 - 10sec - ISO 160 - 18mm�with LCW Fader ND Mk II (on flickr)

Farewell to a great lens
f/9 - 1/320 - ISO 160 - 11mm (on flickr)