The Sigma 8-16mm lens is a very exciting lens to review. Sigma made this lens for Sigma, Nikon
So, why did I say this is an exciting lens to test? Just look at the focal length. It is 8mm and it is not a fisheye!
Which means that this lens is currently the widest angle lens in the cropped DSLR market!
This is one of Sigma’s newest lens and they have been considered a solid wide angle lens producer with their previous release of the Sigma 10-20 and Sigma 10-20 3.5 lens.
Since I am a wide angle lens junkie, I was quick to get this lens for testing.
The primary use of this lens is for landscape and indoor photography (with enough light).
It is not for architecture photography due to the distortion.
The 8mm focal length will give a field of view close to a fisheye lens and this is truly a lens that will challenge your creativity.
Now, I will start the review below, but I will be a bit lenient because Sigma took the risk of becoming the first company to manufacture such lens.
On to the Sigma 8-16mm review.
Specs • Performance • Sample Image • Conclusion • Where to Buy
Sigma 8-16mm Specs
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Official Name:
Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC HSM
Focal Length Markings:
8, 10, 12, 14, 16mm
Features:
DC – Digital Crop – Sigma lenses with this geek word can only be used for cropped sensor DSLR camera. Don’t ever use this lens with a full frame DSLR or film SLR otherwise you’ll get the ugly vignetting effect.
HSM – HyperSonic Motor – Sigma’s smooth and fast autofocusing technology. Very similar to Canon’s USM. Lens with this designation can autofocus with Nikon’s entry level DSLR such as D40, D40x, D5000, D3000 and D3100.
Full Technical Specs (from Sigma’s website):
| Technical Specifications | |
| Groups / Elements | 11 / 15 |
| Angle of View | 114.5 – 75.7 |
| Number of Blade Diaphragm | 7 |
| Minimum Aperture | f/22 |
| Minimum Focusing Distance | 9.4in. (0.24m) |
| Filter Thread | N/A |
| Weight | 19.6oz. (555g) |
| Dimension (Diameter x Length) | 3.0 x 4.2in. (75 x 105.7mm) |
| Macro Magnification Ratio | 1:7.8 |
| Available for | Sigma, Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax |
Optical Performance
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Sigma 8-16mm Sharpness
This lens is very sharp on the borders and on the corners. This holds true for any aperture and focal lengths.
The optimal aperture on this lens is at f/5.6.
See the full sharpness test table below to see the complete results.
Sharpness Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Excellent
(4) Great
(3) Good
(2) Fair
(1) Poor
Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC HSM Center Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/4.5 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 8mm | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Great |
| 12mm | n/a | Excellent | Excellent | Great |
| 16mm | n/a | Excellent | Excellent | Great |
Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC HSM Border Sharpness
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/4.5 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 8mm | Great | Great | Great | Great |
| 12mm | n/a | Great | Great | Great |
| 16mm | n/a | Great | Great | Great |
Distortion
Because this is a wide angle zoom lens, distortion is apparent at any focal length.
At 8mm you will see significant barrel distortion. At the middle focal length of 12mm, distortion is reduced greatly and almost invisible.
At 16mm, the distortion changes to a slight pincushion, although not a major one.
See the distortion test result for this lens below.
Vignetting
Being a wide angle DC lens, vignetting is visible at any aperture and focal length with 8mm being the most visible.
At the other focal length, the vignetting is greatly reduced, although not by much.
See the vignetting test results below.
Chromatic Aberration
I was afraid that this lens will get uncontrollable amount of chromatic aberration due to the nature of the glass, but I was wrong.
Chromatic aberration control is excellent for an ultra wide angle lens like this. It can be considered very low at any aperture and focal lengths.
You can see the full result below.
Chromatic Aberration Scale (from Best to Worst):
(5) Negligible
(4) Very Low
(3) Low
(2) High
(1) Very High
Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-5.6 DC HSM Chromatic Aberration
| Focal Length / Aperture | f/4.5 | f/5.6 | f/8 | f/11 |
| 8mm | Low | Low | Very Low | Very Low |
| 12mm | n/a | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low |
| 16mm | n/a | Very Low | Very Low | Very Low |
Build Quality
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Materials
Although not an EX lens, the build quality of this Sigma lens is very good. It is made of high quality plastics with metal parts.
Zoom Ring
The zoom ring is very smooth to operate. There is no zoom creep.
The inner tube moves slightly during zooming.
Focusing
Focusing ring is also smooth, similar to the zoom ring. The autofocus is fast, accurate and silent thanks to the HSM motor.
Because this Sigma lens has an HSM motor, it will autofocus when used with entry level Nikon DSLR such as Nikon D40, D40x, D60, D5000, D5100, D3000 and D3100.
This lens has no filter thread so you cannot mount any filter on it.
Image Stabilization
There is no Optical Stabilization built into the lens.
Compatibility
Being a DC lens, this lens is compatible with cropped sensor or APS-C DSLR camera. It is not compatible with full frame or 35mm film SLR camera.
Sample Image
Back to: Menu • Introduction
The following are some images taken with this lens. Click any of them to enlarge the image.
Get the best price online from Amazon: Sigma, Nikon
Conclusion
Back to: Menu • Introduction
Here are the conclusions for this Sigma 8-16mm review.
Because this is the widest lens in the cropped sensor DSLR arena, I will be a bit lenient when giving the final score on this lens.
The sharpness of this lens is excellent, both on the center and on the borders at any focal length and at any aperture.
The optical characteristics is a bit mixed. Since this is a wide angle lens, there will be a distortion, otherwise it will be a bit weird 
Chromatic aberration is very well controlled for such lens.
Vignetting is a bit weak on this lens. It is visible at any aperture and focal length. You can correct this easily in post processing though.
In terms of build quality, even though it is not an EX lens, this lens is very good. The HSM focus is fast and silent as well.
I consider myself a wide angle lens junkie and since this is the widest lens available for the cropped sensor format, I had a lot of fun shooting with this lens as it challenges my creativity further.
If you want to play around with the widest angle lens without getting all the fisheye distortion, then you might consider this lens.
Drawbacks
- Vignetting is visible at any focal length and aperture
Positives
- Very sharp on the center and on the border
- Chromatic aberration is very low at any aperture and focal length
- Good build
- Currently the widest lens for cropped sensor DSLR camera
- Fast and silent HSM autofocus
- Good value for money
Good For
- Landscape photography
- Indoor photography (with enough light)
- Any wide angle lovers who want to challenge their creativity further
Not So Good For
- Architecture photography due to distortion
- Low light photography
What Others Are Saying…
by “Chris Newman”
I take around 200,000 pictures a year with the Sigma 10 – 20mm lens. The lens has held up well, feels solid and in my opinion works well with little chromatic aberrations. My…
Click here to see the full review
by “E.J”
Overall the Sigma 8-16mm f/4.5-f/5.6 is an excellent lens, but not being able to accept filters will be a turn off for some people. However, the advent of HDR and exposure fusion, external filters…
Click here to see the full review
Where to Buy
Support this site, buy the Sigma 8-16mm lens from Amazon (best price online):
If the mount you’re looking for is not available on Amazon, check out B&H Photo (Sigma, Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax) or Adorama (Sigma, Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax)
To see the related Sigma wide angle lens review, check out the following post below.
Hope you’ve enjoyed my Sigma 8-16mm lens review and I will catch you in the next one!
The Sigma 8-16mm lens is a very exciting lens to review. Sigma made this lens for Sigma, Nikon, Canon, Sony and Pentax DSLR camera. You are al…
The Sigma 8-16mm lens is a very exciting lens to review. Sigma made this lens for Sigma, Nikon, Canon, Sony and Pentax DSLR camera. You are al…
| Lens Score | |
|---|---|
| Optical Quality | |
| Build Quality | |
| Value for Money | |
| Overall | |
Have I Helped You?
Do you find this post helpful and think that you should have paid to read it?
If so, you can help me in return to keep the good karma flowing.
All you need to do is visit one of my partner from any of the links here: Amazon
I'd be thankful if you can drop them a visit. I'd be even more thankful when you actually purchase anything from them. It can anything be it camera, lens, TV or even underwear.
The funds that I got from them is what I will use to pay for this site's maintenance so people like you can get access to great information for free.
Now, If you don't want to purchase anything but want to drop some tips as a token of appreciation, I'll be more than happy to receive $5 donation from you. You can make the donation by clicking on the donate button below.
For those of you who have helped, I consider you my family in this vast photography world. Thank you very much!
I hope to be able to keep sharing my knowledge and expertise with you and you'll always have my best interest in mind.
Best,
Andrew Suryono
P.S: If you are into social media, join me on Facebook and Twitter from the link below. Don't be shy!
Andrew Suryono | Create Your Badge
|
