Enquiry on Sigma AF 10-20mm f/4-5.6 HSM EX DC


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Besides landscape, is this lens useful for use to cover an event like in a conference?
 

I wouldn't think so. Firstly it is a wide angle lens, which means for any people shots the distortion will be very apparent, especially if you shoot close up.

Also, for conferences depending on what light you have and if you're using a flash or not, the lens may not be fast enough.
 

Besides landscape, is this lens useful for use to cover an event like in a conference?

I wouldn't think so. Think the distortion will be very unnerving to the people standing at the sides.
 

I wouldn't think so. Firstly it is a wide angle lens, which means for any people shots the distortion will be very apparent, especially if you shoot close up.

Also, for conferences depending on what light you have and if you're using a flash or not, the lens may not be fast enough.

I wouldn't think so. Think the distortion will be very unnerving to the people standing at the sides.

Screeeeeam_by_k_leb_k.jpg


Is this very distorted? This was shot at 10mm. Using a UWA lens isn't all just about pointing, including everything into your frame, then shooting. You have to learn how to control the distortions at the sides, and/or use them to your advantage.

There is a quite a difference between thinking that the lens won't cut it, and knowing darn well that it's been used in such situations and that it CAN do the job well.
 

Hi Caleb,

Great shot there. I do agree that good control can yield great results, as clearly evinced by your picture.

I simply felt that events like conferences create limitations as:

  1. Low light conditions may force the photographer to shoot at apertures larger than f/4.
  2. Flash coverage may not be wide enough for the entire 10mm.
  3. The photographer is often not able to shoot at a plane that is perpendicular to ground. He/she may be forced to incline slightly upwards or downwards when shooting, thereby inviting distortion.
  4. Shooting at 10mm may be too unnerving for some of the guests. Imagine having the photographer standing less than 2 feet away from you. (I am not advocating the use of telephoto lenses either. I am merely pointing out the problems with the use of a UWA)
  5. There is a tendency of capturing a lot of distracting elements in a photo given its wide nature.

Having said that, I must assert right here that I am not precluding the use of a UWA lens such as the Sigma 10-20mm to shoot events. It is a good choice when:

  1. Things get really tight. (And example will be Caleb's picture, where people are swarming all around you. In such a chaotic environment, the 10-20mm will probably give you more options than any other lens)
  2. You might want to get creative by shooting at longer shutter speeds thereby capturing the entire scene with motion-blur, if the situation allows it.

There are probably more reasons, but I haven't figured them out yet.

In any case, in my limited experience in shooting events, I have my Sigma 10-20mm handy, and I do take shots using that lens during conferences, dinners and other social/corporate events. Nonetheless, photos taken by this lens usually take up only 10-15% of the total number of shots eventually submitted, as the novelty does wear off if you submit too many ultra-wide shots. (Besides, I messed up too many of my UWA shots everytime!)

In short, I do not think it is wise to use the Sigma 10-20mm or any other UWA lens as the primary lens to cover conferences. IMHO, I think the photographer will do better with a regular wide-angle lens as the primary lens, with a UWA lens handy whenever the situation calls for it.
 

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