Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM is a Variable aperture Auto Focus (AF)
Ultra-Wideangle Zoom lens with 35mm FF max sensor coverage, and it is designed to be used with Canon EF mount cameras.
Sigma replaced the older Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 EX DG Aspherical HSM Canon EF with this model. Follow the link to read our detailed comparison of these models:
Compare Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM Canon EF vs Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 EX DG Aspherical HSM Canon EF
What type of photography is the Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM lens good for?
The type of photography that you are planning to use the Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated its suitability to various photography scenarios:
| Photography Type |
Suitability |
| Bird/Wildlife | Poor |
| Sports | Poor |
| Portrait | Fair |
| Travel | Average |
| Street | Average |
| Wedding | Fair |
| Walk Around | Average |
| Vlogging | Good |
| Landscape | Very Good |
| Macro | Poor |
Lenses in Canon EF Mount with Same Focal and Aperture Range
Reasons to Buy Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM Lens
Here, we've included a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of the Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM lens in a list form to help you determine whether it offers the features you need.
| Weather Sealed |
| Autofocus |
| Distance Scale |
| Hood supplied |
| Full-time Manual Focusing |
| Internal Focusing |
| Covers Full-Frame Sensor |
| Extreme Wide-angle capability |
| Minimum focus distance of 0.28m / 11.0 inch |
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| Slow Aperture at Wide end |
| Slow Aperture at Tele end |
| Variable Aperture |
Lens Mount
Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM is compatible with cameras that have Canon EF lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Canon EF lenses are Canon 1D X III, Canon 6D MII and Canon 5D MIV.
Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM is also available in Sigma SA and Nikon F (FX) mounts.
Size, Weight and Filter Thread
Size and weight is a very important decision factor when searching for your next lens. Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM has a maximum diameter of 87mm and total length of 120mm. It weighs 670g / 23.6 oz.
Focal Range
Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM has a focal range of 12-24mm and 2.0X zoom ratio. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.6x crop, it provides an 35mm (FF) equivalent of 19.2 - 38.4mm.
Weather Sealings
Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM is a weather sealed lens which provides an extra protection to prevent water and dust get inside the lens and camera body under light rain, snow and wind. In order to have an effective protection, you have to pair the Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM with a weather sealed camera body such as Canon 1D X III, Canon 6D MII and Canon 5D MIV.
Optical Image Stabilization
Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM doesn't have an optical image stabilization system so the only option to stabilize the image taken with this lens is to mount on a camera body with IBIS (sensor based In-body image stabilization).
Zoom Method
Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM features Rotary (internal) zoom method where the length of the lens doesn't change while you are zooming in or out. Even though this design has a size disadvantage in general compare to extending designs, it has the benefits of better sealing against dust and moisture, no zoom creep and no weight balance shift while zooming.
Maximum Magnification Ratio
Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM has a Max Magnification Ratio of 0.16x and has a minimum focusing distance of 0.28m. 0.16x means that the max magnification ratio is very low and not suitable even for modest close-up shots.
Aperture
Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM is a variable aperture lens with a max aperture of f4.5 and a minimum aperture of f22 at 12mm, and a max aperture of f5.6 and minimum aperture of f22 at 24mm .
| Focal Length |
Max Aperture |
Min Aperture |
|
12mm
|
F4.5 |
F22 |
|
24mm
|
F5.6 |
F22 |
Optical Formula
Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM's optical formula consists of 17 elements in 13 groups . Following special elements are used in this design:
- 4 FLD glass elements
- 1 SLD glass element
- 3 glass mold aspherical elements
- 1
hybrid aspherical element
Lens Hood
Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM comes with a built-in lens hood which is handy to reduce lens flare and glare in your photos.
Popular Comparisons of Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM
Here is the eight most popular comparisons of Sigma 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 II DG HSM amongst Camera Decision readers.