Sigma 8-16mm vs Tokina 12-24mm F4 - Ultrawide lens showdown

The Sigma 8-16mm vs Tokina 12-24mm

8mm focal length is awesome when compared to 12mm, take a look at these sample pics:



Sigma 8-6mm at 8mm - no editing except resizing

 

 



Tokina 12-24mm at 12mm - no editing except resizing.

 

The good:

I love the extra 4mm, it is really brilliant.
Image quality is quite sharp, at par with the well respected Tokina.
Very low distortion for a rectilinear lens, in my opinion beats the Tokina here
Unlike most sigmas, it thankfully focuses quite well!
- Or maybe Im lucky to have a good sample for a change, & my previous sigmas might have been duds... :o
F/3.5 at its widest end provides a slight advantage in low light scenarios, but not by much
Superb close focus distance of only 20cm is really nice for exagerrated perspectives

The bad:

The biggest problem is you cant use Filters at 8mm, at 16mm too its almost impossible & will vignette.
- Forget your ND8 for slow speed shots of water, even a cokin system isnt available yet :(
Non detachable hood, because with the 105 deg picture angle, the lens element has to raise outside themain rim & thus needs basic protection provided by the fixed petal lens hood.
No proper cap, you need to slide the clumsy cover on
 - Makes it too long un-necessarily
Heavier than the Tokina, but not too bad for the extra range
Minimum aperture only F/22
- No filters + super low close up focus distance often leaves you wanting more Depth of Field, & F22 sometimes doesnt cut it.
Focus override with the focus ring just doesnt work with many Nikons including the D90.

 

Tokina 12-24mm:

The good:

Very versatile zoom range up to 24mm
- this can be a one shop architecture destination travel lens because it lets you go up to 24mm when needed.
Constant F4 aperture
- great when you want to take that shot with a person in a scene at 24mm, in available light.
Light weight, easy to carry
- Not as light as a tamron, but good compromise in return for the decent image quality.
Goes down to F32 & allows filters to be used even at 12mm
- Grab your ND & go for some cool slow exposure scenic shots.

The bad:

More distortion in the edges/corners at 12mm than the sigma.
Doesnt go as wide as you might want to, when you think about the 8mm sigma.
Minimum focus distance is around 35 cms, which at 12mm isnt as much perspective exagerration as you sometimes like.
The Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 is a great lens too, but still, 8mm is hard to beat.
The oder versoin doesnt have an AF motor so screw drive can be a bit noisy, but still fast focus.