sigma 30 f/1.4 or canon 28 f/1.8

[ElFenix]

both lenses seem flawed compared to the canon 50 f/1.4, but if you want a normal perspective with an APS-C body you need this focal length.

so, any experience?

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

I don't have experience with the 28 f/1.8, but I LOVE my Sigma 30mm. It's crazy sharp and I got a copy that focuses very well. Whenever I do panoramas or serious photography I always reach for the 30mm. GTaudiophile didn't like his though and he replaced it with something else. I think someone else on AT did the same.

 

[Anubis]

the Sigma 30 is a great lens IMO, i would have gotten it it i didnt allready own the Nikon 35 f/2, tho it was a blast playing with it, it was basicially equal to the nikon, just a lil faster, and well i didnt really need that stop

 

[kalster]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
I don't have experience with the 28 f/1.8, but I LOVE my Sigma 30mm. It's crazy sharp and I got a copy that focuses very well. Whenever I do panoramas or serious photography I always reach for the 30mm. GTaudiophile didn't like his though and he replaced it with something else. I think someone else on AT did the same.

did you get rid of your tamron 17-50? just curios coz you dont list it in your list of gear

 

[Mrvile]

I'm purchasing a Sigma 30/1.4 tonight. It was either this or the Tamron 17-50 and I decided to go for the more powerful lens.

 

[randomlinh]

I love my sigma 30mm. I'm not sure I can say it's crazy sharp, it's maybe a hair better than my sigma 18-50 which it replaced (yeah, I went prime whore). sample - shot raw -> aperture -> jpg 100% -> flickr.

I was contemplating the 28mm too, just to stick w/ canon. But I really wanted the extra 1/3 stop or whatever, heh. It's more difficult to work with than I had though.. but no regrets. I wanted to get a 50mm f/1.4.. but well, budgets only put me w/ a nifty fifty instead for the foreseeable future.

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: kalster

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
I don't have experience with the 28 f/1.8, but I LOVE my Sigma 30mm. It's crazy sharp and I got a copy that focuses very well. Whenever I do panoramas or serious photography I always reach for the 30mm. GTaudiophile didn't like his though and he replaced it with something else. I think someone else on AT did the same.

did you get rid of your tamron 17-50? just curios coz you dont list it in your list of gear

Bah, my profile wasn't updated. Updated now

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: randomlinh
I love my sigma 30mm. I'm not sure I can say it's crazy sharp, it's maybe a hair better than my sigma 18-50 which it replaced (yeah, I went prime whore). sample - shot raw -> aperture -> jpg 100% -> flickr.

I was contemplating the 28mm too, just to stick w/ canon. But I really wanted the extra 1/3 stop or whatever, heh. It's more difficult to work with than I had though.. but no regrets. I wanted to get a 50mm f/1.4.. but well, budgets only put me w/ a nifty fifty instead for the foreseeable future.

it's a little more than 2/3 of a stop faster.


how is the contrast on the sigma wide open? i note that photozone thinks the canon is lacking contrast at f/1.8.

 

[Mrvile]

Originally posted by: randomlinh
I was contemplating the 28mm too, just to stick w/ canon. But I really wanted the extra 1/3 stop or whatever, heh. It's more difficult to work with than I had though.. but no regrets. I wanted to get a 50mm f/1.4.. but well, budgets only put me w/ a nifty fifty instead for the foreseeable future.

Well if you already have the 50/1.8 and a 30/1.4, why not add the 85/1.8 to your collection instead? I'd much rather have the 85 than the 50/1.4.

Anyway I just ordered the 30/1.4 so I'm pumped

 

[kalster]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny

Originally posted by: kalster

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
I don't have experience with the 28 f/1.8, but I LOVE my Sigma 30mm. It's crazy sharp and I got a copy that focuses very well. Whenever I do panoramas or serious photography I always reach for the 30mm. GTaudiophile didn't like his though and he replaced it with something else. I think someone else on AT did the same.

did you get rid of your tamron 17-50? just curios coz you dont list it in your list of gear

Bah, my profile wasn't updated. Updated now

how does the sigma 30 f/1.4 compare with the tamron 17-50 at 30mm

 

[montanafan]

I considered getting the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 at one time too, but didn't because when researching it I found that a lot of people had focusing problems with theirs. Others had no problems at all and their sample photos were great, but I was going to buy mine online and didn't want to have to deal with possibly having to return it. Here's a thread about the lens with a lot of good sample photos:

http://photography-on-the.net/...howthread.php?t=141274

 

[Deadtrees]

It's an amazing lens only if it doesn't have a focusing problem.
When it first came out, it seemed like 8 out of 10 people were having a focusing problem with that lens,
I heard it's gotton better as the 2nd revision has come out about a year ago. However, I still hear about many people having the same issue.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
I don't have experience with the 28 f/1.8, but I LOVE my Sigma 30mm. It's crazy sharp and I got a copy that focuses very well. Whenever I do panoramas or serious photography I always reach for the 30mm. GTaudiophile didn't like his though and he replaced it with something else. I think someone else on AT did the same.

DeviousTrap did as well.

The thing refused to auto focus in low light. Seemed pointless on a F1.4 lens. And even in good light results were soft and spotty.

But if you get a good copy, it rivals the EF 35 F1.4L.

I can't say much for the Canon. It should be a great lens but it seems to get mediocre reviews. It has never gotten the reputation of the EF 50 1.8 or 1.4 lenses or the EF 85 F1.8 for that matter. The 85 F1.8 gets rave reviews and is one of Canon's best value lenses.

$1100 won't necessarily buy you amazing glass either. I rented a EF 35 F1.4L and loved it so much that I bought one. But the purchased copy was not nearly as sharp as the rented copy, so I sent it back and got the 70-200 F4L IS instead.

So I am still without a prime

I am really hoping Canon decides to compete with the Sigma and release their own 30 F1.4 USM or at least a new EF 50 F1.4 MkII with ring USM.

 

[jamesbond007]

The biggest disappointment to me with the Sigma 30/1.4 is the fact that it's only usable with APS-C sensors. That means no Canon 5D or 1D series bodies will accept the lens.

In regards to focusing issues, I've heard and read, but can't commit to knowing for absolute certainty, that the people with Rebels are the ones that experience the issues. Cameras like the 30D faired better than their Rebel brothers.

GT, you have no prime lens? Everyone must have the 135L. I'm working my way towards the 85L...about the 35L, I am not a fan of the nissen bokeh. It's pretty disturbing on wide-angled shots. Closeups and portraits seem to fair a bit better in this regard, but when it comes to a wide shot, it's readily visible.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: jamesbond007
The biggest disappointment to me with the Sigma 30/1.4 is the fact that it's only usable with APS-C sensors. That means no Canon 5D or 1D series bodies will accept the lens.

In regards to focusing issues, I've heard and read, but can't commit to knowing for absolute certainty, that the people with Rebels are the ones that experience the issues. Cameras like the 30D faired better than their Rebel brothers.

GT, you have no prime lens? Everyone must have the 135L. I'm working my way towards the 85L...about the 35L, I am not a fan of the nissen bokeh. It's pretty disturbing on wide-angled shots. Closeups and portraits seem to fair a bit better in this regard, but when it comes to a wide shot, it's readily visible.

After spending $1K on the 70-200 F4L IS, I can certainly see the value of the 135 F2.0L and 200 F2.8L, just too bad Canon doesn't have IS on their primes! But both are excellent lenses! I have played with the 85 F1.8 but found it to be too long on my 20D. What I really want Canon to do, as I have said time and time again, is release an MkII version of the EF 50 F1.4 with updated optics and ring USM. But this I am sure would compete too much with their $1500+ EF 50 F1.2L lens that very few people like. Sometimes Canon defies logic IMO.

 

[jamesbond007]

You find 85mm to be too long? What do you shoot primarily? The 85 on a crop body is a very nice headshot combo. My 135L is a dang nice piece of glass, but I often find myself shooting ONLY headshots, unless I have roughly 50ft to backup from the person to get maybe a half-body shot, at best!

Many people enjoy primes due to their light weight and instant-focusing capabilities. (though this greatly depends on WHICH prime you're talking about) Integrating IS into the prime series would defeat a few key elements of owning a prime. My 135L is my favorite lens for indoor sports. f/2 keeps me backed with fast shutter speeds and it's very light to carry all night and hang on your neck. The 135L on a crop body is about as close as you can get to owning a 200 1.8L on a FF body without breaking the bank. Plus, IQ is nearly the same, too!

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: jamesbond007
You find 85mm to be too long? What do you shoot primarily? The 85 on a crop body is a very nice headshot combo. My 135L is a dang nice piece of glass, but I often find myself shooting ONLY headshots, unless I have roughly 50ft to backup from the person to get maybe a half-body shot, at best!

Many people enjoy primes due to their light weight and instant-focusing capabilities. (though this greatly depends on WHICH prime you're talking about) Integrating IS into the prime series would defeat a few key elements of owning a prime. My 135L is my favorite lens for indoor sports. f/2 keeps me backed with fast shutter speeds and it's very light to carry all night and hang on your neck. The 135L on a crop body is about as close as you can get to owning a 200 1.8L on a FF body without breaking the bank. Plus, IQ is nearly the same, too!

I would use such a lens indoors most likely, where I want more than just a nose/partial headshot and where achieving minimum focus distance with a 200mm lens might be difficult. I also just like a little more context to my shots.

 

[randomlinh]

Originally posted by: ElFenix
how is the contrast on the sigma wide open? i note that photozone thinks the canon is lacking contrast at f/1.8.

To be honest, I haven't really compared it too much. I liked the pictures coming out of the camera.. just needed some slight level adjustments.. heh.

Originally posted by: Mrvile
Well if you already have the 50/1.8 and a 30/1.4, why not add the 85/1.8 to your collection instead? I'd much rather have the 85 than the 50/1.4.

Anyway I just ordered the 30/1.4 so I'm pumped

Because I already have the 85mm f/1.8 My setup is 30 f/1.4, 50 f/1.8, 85 f/1.8 prime right now, w/ the 50 being the noisy slowest focusing one. The 85 is my best lens I would say, crazy fast focusing, sharp, amazing IQ, under $300 new from dell back when The only gripe I have is I don't use it enough. It feels like an odd range for me outdoors, and a hair short for sneaky candids indoors. Which is why I'm trying to do more portraits because it works nicely for that.

As for issues w/ the sigma focusing... I have problems sometimes, but it's not consistent. I do have an old ass 300D though. 30D fund got cut short because I had to repair the 300D

 

[jamesbond007]

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile

Originally posted by: jamesbond007
You find 85mm to be too long? What do you shoot primarily? The 85 on a crop body is a very nice headshot combo. My 135L is a dang nice piece of glass, but I often find myself shooting ONLY headshots, unless I have roughly 50ft to backup from the person to get maybe a half-body shot, at best!

Many people enjoy primes due to their light weight and instant-focusing capabilities. (though this greatly depends on WHICH prime you're talking about) Integrating IS into the prime series would defeat a few key elements of owning a prime. My 135L is my favorite lens for indoor sports. f/2 keeps me backed with fast shutter speeds and it's very light to carry all night and hang on your neck. The 135L on a crop body is about as close as you can get to owning a 200 1.8L on a FF body without breaking the bank. Plus, IQ is nearly the same, too!

I would use such a lens indoors most likely, where I want more than just a nose/partial headshot and where achieving minimum focus distance with a 200mm lens might be difficult. I also just like a little more context to my shots.

I would highly suggest the 24-70L, unless you're dead-set on a prime. Best focal range of any zoom, IMHO. The 50 1.4 is a fine piece of glass...don't let the micro USM sway your purchase. It seems to be true that quality control is a little lacking on that lens, but sending it in for calibration seems to be a pretty quick process and well worth the hassle. For the price, it doesn't get much better. The 85 1.8 exhibits a LOT of purple fringing and chromatic abberation when wide open. However, with some PP work, it can be fixed.

 

[GTaudiophile]

Originally posted by: jamesbond007

Originally posted by: GTaudiophile

Originally posted by: jamesbond007
You find 85mm to be too long? What do you shoot primarily? The 85 on a crop body is a very nice headshot combo. My 135L is a dang nice piece of glass, but I often find myself shooting ONLY headshots, unless I have roughly 50ft to backup from the person to get maybe a half-body shot, at best!

Many people enjoy primes due to their light weight and instant-focusing capabilities. (though this greatly depends on WHICH prime you're talking about) Integrating IS into the prime series would defeat a few key elements of owning a prime. My 135L is my favorite lens for indoor sports. f/2 keeps me backed with fast shutter speeds and it's very light to carry all night and hang on your neck. The 135L on a crop body is about as close as you can get to owning a 200 1.8L on a FF body without breaking the bank. Plus, IQ is nearly the same, too!

I would use such a lens indoors most likely, where I want more than just a nose/partial headshot and where achieving minimum focus distance with a 200mm lens might be difficult. I also just like a little more context to my shots.

I would highly suggest the 24-70L, unless you're dead-set on a prime. Best focal range of any zoom, IMHO. The 50 1.4 is a fine piece of glass...don't let the micro USM sway your purchase. It seems to be true that quality control is a little lacking on that lens, but sending it in for calibration seems to be a pretty quick process and well worth the hassle. For the price, it doesn't get much better. The 85 1.8 exhibits a LOT of purple fringing and chromatic abberation when wide open. However, with some PP work, it can be fixed.

I currently shoot with three lenses:

EFS 10-22 F3.5-4.5
EFS 17-55 F2.8 IS
EF 70-200 F4L IS

 

[fuzzybabybunny]

Originally posted by: kalster

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny

Originally posted by: kalster

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
I don't have experience with the 28 f/1.8, but I LOVE my Sigma 30mm. It's crazy sharp and I got a copy that focuses very well. Whenever I do panoramas or serious photography I always reach for the 30mm. GTaudiophile didn't like his though and he replaced it with something else. I think someone else on AT did the same.

did you get rid of your tamron 17-50? just curios coz you dont list it in your list of gear

Bah, my profile wasn't updated. Updated now

how does the sigma 30 f/1.4 compare with the tamron 17-50 at 30mm

The Tamron is really really sharp around f/5.6. It's definitely softer than the Sigma at f/2.8. I personally haven't done any side by side comparisons, but the Tamron is great if you can afford to shoot at f/4 and smaller. But to absolutely maximize sharpness I still like to use my 30mm, if only because I feel that it should be sharper.

 

[kalster]

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny

Originally posted by: kalster

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny

Originally posted by: kalster

Originally posted by: fuzzybabybunny
I don't have experience with the 28 f/1.8, but I LOVE my Sigma 30mm. It's crazy sharp and I got a copy that focuses very well. Whenever I do panoramas or serious photography I always reach for the 30mm. GTaudiophile didn't like his though and he replaced it with something else. I think someone else on AT did the same.

did you get rid of your tamron 17-50? just curios coz you dont list it in your list of gear

Bah, my profile wasn't updated. Updated now

how does the sigma 30 f/1.4 compare with the tamron 17-50 at 30mm

The Tamron is really really sharp around f/5.6. It's definitely softer than the Sigma at f/2.8. I personally haven't done any side by side comparisons, but the Tamron is great if you can afford to shoot at f/4 and smaller. But to absolutely maximize sharpness I still like to use my 30mm, if only because I feel that it should be sharper.

coool
can I see some pics you have taken with the tamron?