Here're some RAW-converted images taken with the EOS 5D II.
Click on a thumbnail to view the original file (opens in a separate window). Please note that the originals are FULL SIZE samples
(=several megabytes) thus requiring a significant amount of bandwidth so please take care of the limited resources here.
Make
Canon
Model
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
12.0mm
Aperture:
f/11.0
Exposure
1/200s
Make
Canon
Model
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
12.0mm
Aperture:
f/11.0
Exposure
1/250s
Make
Canon
Model
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
22.0mm
Aperture:
f/8.0
Exposure
1/640s
Make
Canon
Model
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
12.0mm
Aperture:
f/4.5
Exposure
1/800s
Make
Canon
Model
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
24.0mm
Aperture:
f/9.0
Exposure
1/320s
Make
Canon
Model
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
12.0mm
Aperture:
f/9.0
Exposure
1/160s
Make
Canon
Model
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
16.0mm
Aperture:
f/9.0
Exposure
1/320s
Make
Canon
Model
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
24.0mm
Aperture:
f/9.0
Exposure
1/200s
Make
Canon
Model
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
12.0mm
Aperture:
f/9.0
Exposure
1/320s
Make
Canon
Model
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
12.0mm
Aperture:
f/13.0
Exposure
1/80s
Make
Canon
Model
Canon EOS 5D Mark II
ISO Speed
200
Focal Length
12.0mm
Aperture:
f/4.5
Exposure
1/320s
Verdict
The Sigma AF 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 HSM DG II is an exciting piece of equipment. The field-of-view at its 12mm setting is simply stunning and regardless of any performance debate this is simply a substantial differentiator / selling point compared to all other ultra-wide DSLR lenses. Technically such an extreme lens is obviously not without issues. The corner quality leaves something to be desired at 12 mm and fully open so it is advisable to stop down to f/11. This is also necessary to overcome the high field curvature at this setting. Additionally you should carefully check the focus distance - in order to take advantage of an optimal depth-of-field (e.g. for a typical landscape image) you should consider to switch to manual focusing to do it yourself because the AF tends to set a focus distance near infinity which is simply a waste of potential. The lens is very sharp across the image frame at 17mm and while this is "just" in the middle of its zoom range it is basically the widest most other ultra-wide lenses go. The image quality is also pretty decent at 24mm. Lateral CAs are slightly on the high side at 12mm but moderate from 17mm onward. Unsurprisingly you should expect some vignetting at max. aperture so stopping down a little is also a good idea to solve this issue. The Sigma lens has a large "bulb-like" front element which is somewhat vulnerable to side light - expect some ghostings in critical scenes but this is also something that we've seen from the mighty Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm f/2.8 ED for instance. The rather heavy barrel distortion at 12mm can be a problem for architecture work but then again there is simply no other 12mm full format DSLR lens available anyway. The build quality is on a very high level and we have little to complain here - weather protection would have been nice maybe. The Sigma AF 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 HSM DG II is not a cheap lens in absolute terms but its pricing is really more than fair regarding its unique focal length range.
