Jman13
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 p.1 #6 · Sigma 19mm f/2.8 Impressions (m4/3) | |
Yeah, I actually agree with the points myself, and even expressed the same "WTF, Sigma?" thoughts when this and the 30mm were announced. However, I view the lens as more a competitor to the Olympus 17mm f/2.8 than the Panasonic 20mm f/1.7. If you don't have a wide/normal and want something fast and small, the 20/1.7 is your lens, hands down.
I bought this lens for three reasons.
1) I have the PL 25/1.4, and prefer it overall to the panny 20/1.7 (I owned the 20/1.7 for some time and sold it when I got the 25/1.4). I will still use that as my main 'normal lens', for sure.
2) Sometimes I still want a wider prime, in the ~35mm range, but I don't shoot enough in that range to make it worth plopping down the $500 for the 17/1.8 or to rebuy the 20/1.7. Also, the extra 1mm is actually noticeable, and the lens feels more like a 35mm in use than a normal lens.
3) I had a $100 Amazon gift card and $50 from my grandpa for my birthday, and the lens went on sale for $150 over the holidays. I didn't really have anything else I wanted to buy, so I thought I'd give it a try. 
The lens is significantly better than the Oly 17/2.8, and Lenstip shows it to even be sharper in the center than the 17/1.8. While optically, it's not going to best the 20/1.7, and it's a stop and a half slower...and a little bigger, it's still very sharp, relatively small, and the AF is much faster and quieter than either the 17/2.8 or the 20/1.7.
So, ultimately, the price was the main driver, but it's a very good lens for the price. I think at $150, it was well worth the money. At it's regular price of $199, it's still worth it, but not by as big a degree. If it were $250 or more, I'd just stock a little more for the 20/1.7.
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The lens is very sharp over most of the frame at f/2.8, with only the corners being a little soft. By f/4, it seems quite sharp across the frame. We're not going to break records, but it is nice and crisp. The lens focuses VERY close, and when near MFD, sharpness does suffer a bit wide open, especially in the corners, which gain the 'Sigma Glow' on high contrast edges (very similar to most of their other primes near MFD). Stopped down it stays sharp even near MFD. Bokeh is decent, though not exceptional, and partially because you can't really get a lot of background blur due to the short focal length and moderate aperture. Still, it's generally pleasing. Can't really evaluate color yet...just did some indoor shot under fluorescent light. 
