Evaluation:  
Conclusion: Good lens, but has quality issue
Review: I purchased this lens for landscape shots. The range is good, but my copy was back-focusing by over 2 inches. I tested focus accuracy in different light, but without any success. I returned it, thanks to Amazon's great return policy.
Evaluation:
Conclusion: Bad lot? Auto-focus chronically back-focuses on a300
Review: After shooting about a hundred initial photos on my a300, I noticed that the images weren't as sharp as the high reviews led me to expect. Thinking my lens had sub-par optics, I ordered a replacement from Amazon. Same story with second copy. I then set up a shoot-off between my Sony 16-105 and the two Sigma copies. Shots were of an old picket fence and a fruit basket, at 16 and 20mm with f-stops at wide open, f8 and f22. Auto focus center-weighted. Distance 1 meter. During this test, I realized that the Sony was auto-focusing to one meter, while the Sigmas read just over a meter. I double checked my distance and then manually focused the Sigmas to 1m. Pics were great. When allowed to auto-focus, the Sigmas consistently read just past 1m. Reviewing my earlier shots which seemed soft revealed this back-focusing was the true culprit.
Lastly, I compared the Sony 16-105 to my Sigma 50mm 2.8 EX macro using the same process described above. The Sigma 50mm auto-focused perfectly and is easily the most detailed lens I have. I've also used other Sony lenses, as well as a Minolta 200mm 2.8, with no auto-focus issues. Given the solid reviews of the 10-20mm, I can only assume I fell victim to a bad lot. Amazon was great to work with and refunded my money. I'll wait a few months and order another. If that lens is good, I'll amend my review. Sorry for the long post, but since I'm dinging a well reviewed lens, I thought I should be specific.
Evaluation:
Conclusion: Excellent wide angle
Review: Fantastic wide range makes this a great choice for a wide angle lens. Photos are clear and sharp with only a little barrel distortion on the outside areas. You might be able to fix that in Photoshop, but I happen to like the style it gives the image. Not fisheye or anything, but slightly in that direction.
It has a very close focus range, around 9 inches, and I was able to pack a ton of people into some shots at the local hospital ICU where a family wanted to take possibly their last family portraits with their infant son. I got 8 people in with room to spare from only a few feet away.
The only con I can think of is that it's not very fast. f/4-5.6 doesn't work great in low light conditions so be ready to break out your flash. Check out http://www.abetterbouncecard.com for a fantastic method to improve your flash photography skills in no time and for less than a dollar in materials.
Oh, one plus is that, unlike some of the other buyers here, mine came with the HSM feature. It wasn't listed on the box, but on the product info book that was in the box.
Evaluation:
Conclusion: Unassuming lens wows when stopped down
Review: I've had this lens for ~8 months now and couldn't be happier. Wide open this lens is a bit soft, but when stopped down to f/5.6 (f/8 is best) the beauty of this lens really starts to show. As far as extreme wide angles go this is the best bargain out there - anything better will run you $1400+ and need a full frame body to take advantage of it. I'm perfectly happy with my A100 and $450 10-20mm - this lens is small, relatively light, and focuses quickly (probably even faster for A700 users).
Combined with sony's super steady shot I feel comfortable handholding this lens full wide at shutter speeds as low as 1/5 so even though it's slow the wide focal length and sony's in-body IS make this lens great even in low light. Also when using sony's relatively new HVL-42AM flash (for fill) I've found this lens takes amazing outdoor portrait shots - perfect for isolating your subject when at a distance in dramatic nature scenes or emphasizing their presence in close up shots. All-in-all I can't recommend this lens enough - it's taken many of my favorite photos and it definitely doesn't hurt that it's a blast to use.
Evaluation:
Conclusion: Incredibly sharp lens !
Review: This lens is very sharp and reasonably light. The reason why I chose this lens is because it probably is the smallest among the wide angles out there. No, it is not an "HSM" lens for Minolta and Sony. But for this price it is unbeatable ! I've used it on my cruise to Vancouver and Alaska and hardly taken a bad shot with it. If you're into wide angles and price is, or is not a concern, it really doesn't matter, this lens performs with the best of them out there. As with any wide angle lens, barrel distortion is noticable but at 15mm, what can you expect. Knowing that you can shoot more creatively and out to 30mm group shots are very nice and convenient. I've had several wide angle lens previouly and this lens is also a winner!
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