Hey!
So, since getting my
hands on the Sigma 10-20mm f/3.5 I have noticed a fundamental shift in the way
I approach my landscape photography. Take a look at this first shot:
This is one of the
first landscape shots I took. The colours are nice, the composition is okay...
it’s a nice photo, I like it.
Now have a look at this shot:
Now have a look at this shot:
This is one of the
shots I’ve taken with my Sigma ultra-wide. Do you see anything different? Yeah! I’m
paying a hell of a lot more attention to my foreground. There are a number of
reasons for this:
1. With a lens this
wide, if you have nothing in the foreground the image just seems to fall flat.
For example:
2. With a foreground
element you can create leading lines that guide the eye into the image. It
would be nice if there were really interesting things in frame to lead the eye to, but when I’m out practicing there
isn’t always something interesting to put in the frame. This is a good photo
for demonstrating my point, though, even if it isn’t the best shot I ever took:
3. If I don’t pay
attention to my foreground, all of my
foreground, I wind up with some unexpected and unwelcome foreground elements:
I am really enjoying
my new lens and I think I’ve figured out where G.A.S. comes from. You see, I have always enjoyed my photography;
I love getting out there and looking
for the shot, finding the composition, trying to do something different so that
my images will stand out. I don’t know if I’ve done that yet, probably not, but
I still love trying! Then came the Sigma 10-20 and, oh my god! Not only am I
still enjoying going out and shooting, but I am excited to go out and try new stuff with this new glass! My
photography has been reinvigorated by acquiring this new piece of gear. See my
point? Get what I’m talking about?
Yup. A new piece of
gear injects new life into your photography. But what do you do at the end of
the honeymoon period - when you’re comfortable with the lens, you know what it
can do and what you can do with it? It’s still a great piece of kit, and it
still expands your photography, but the thrill is gone. You need something else
to get you excited again.
Solution?
Get more gear! You
begin to fall into a cycle; you need new gear and you need it more and more often.
You have G.A.S! But this is where being a limited-income photographer comes in
handy.
It took me a long
time to get my ultra-wide glass and it took a lot of thinking; a lot of
considering my lens needs, my life needs and my budget before I decided I could get the lens. Then, with my
limited budget, I really needed to consider which lens I should get. I narrowed then range down to four choices. The table
below gives you the lenses, their pros and their cons.
|
Lens
|
Pros
|
Cons
|
Nikkor AF-P 10-20mm f/4.5-5.6G |
Low Price - A$539
Vibration
Reduction
Native glass
|
Low
price my arse!*
Variable Aperture
|
Tamron 10-24mm F/3.5-4.5 |
Vibration
Compensation
|
Comparatively high
price - A$799
Variable Aperture
|
Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 |
Fast constant
aperture – f/2.8
|
No stabilisation
Comparatively high
price - A$788
|
Sigma Lens 10-20mm f/3.5 |
Fast constant
aperture – f/3.5
Cheaper than
Tamron &Tokina - A$612
|
No stabilisation
More expensive
than the Nikon – No it ain’t!*
|
I’m not sure if you
noticed – did you see the asterisks in the table? How about the red text? You
did? Good! I was afraid I was being a bit too subtle. So what’s my problem? Why
is the Nikkor getting the “special” treatment?
The Nikkor has Nikon’s
new AF-P autofocus system. The new system uses a pulse drive motor to get focus
faster and more precisely than the old AF-S system. Which is great... for some.
For others, Like we limited-budget shooters, it means that we are slowly going to run out
of new lens options. Why?
Because the new AF-P
lenses are not compatible with our older bodies (check out Ken Rockwell’s review
of the lens in question for a run-down on compatibility). That means that, if you want to get
the Nikkor 10-20mm, you have to buy a new body at the same time. Right now, the
best price I can find on a refurbished body (I’m reluctant to go second hand
because I’ve done that with other things and yikes!) is A$448 for a Nikon
D3400. This means, in turn, that to get a fully functional
Nikkor 10-20mm AF-P you have to pay more in the region of A$987. And that’s if
there is a refurbished body available. Otherwise you are looking at a minimum
of A$1054 for the lens and a new D3400. And, from my perspective, I still wouldn’t be able to use the
lens with my loaner D7000.
And it’s just going
to get worse as more and more lenses get the new AF-P system. I now find myself
having to decide whether to save up for more and better glass or for a new body
which will take that new glass. Hmm...
Hang on! I’ll just
go with Sigma! The lenses are cheaper, the quality is the same and I can use
them with my D3200 and D7000. Sorted!
So... Umm... Bye Bye, Nikon!
I hope you enjoyed
the read!
Please check out my
portfolio at:
You can also
find me at:
And I am @BobCartPhoto on Twitter
