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Archive 2013 · Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art for Nikon Mount focus issue

  
 
bpham
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art for Nikon Mount focus issue


Reading Amazon's reviews on this lens, I've seen a few people encountering focusing issues under different lighting conditions and also focus distances. Since there were more than one reported same issues, and most of these people are professional wedding photographers who loved the lens when it worked correctly, but ultimately had to return the lenses to Adorama.

Does this lens still have this type of focus issue which is pretty difficult if not impossible to cure except returning it or exchange it? Or this issue is permanently fixed now with the newer production?

Thanks.



Oct 10, 2013 at 10:11 PM
MikeW
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art for Nikon Mount focus issue


probably hit & miss on whether you get one that has focusing issues. I've had 2, first one was terrible, 2nd one came with the usb dock (purchased sep) & it is great. I have always found focusing at infinity poor wide open, but having the ability to tune it at various distances makes this lens a keeper. Loving it


Oct 10, 2013 at 10:35 PM
Arka
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art for Nikon Mount focus issue


I've had no problems with mine on either of my D800s.


Oct 10, 2013 at 10:51 PM
bpham
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art for Nikon Mount focus issue


MikeW wrote:
probably hit & miss on whether you get one that has focusing issues. I've had 2, first one was terrible, 2nd one came with the usb dock (purchased sep) & it is great. I have always found focusing at infinity poor wide open, but having the ability to tune it at various distances makes this lens a keeper. Loving it


Not sure I understand...so basically you'd have to tune it for various distances? How do you know which distances that you'd need before you go out and shoot? For example, if you want to use the lens for landscape work, you wouldn't know what to expect when being out there...



Oct 10, 2013 at 11:13 PM
MikeW
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art for Nikon Mount focus issue


The software guides you through it. You can set minimum, 6ft, 12ft & infinity, or something like that, I'm not at the pc right now with it. The distances are set, but each one can have a different + or - amount depending on what you work out you need.

So if you have it straight out of the box & it is fine at MFD but front or back focuses at infinity you can just adjust the fine tuning at infinity without messing with other distances.

Yes it should work perfect out of the box, but it isn't a perfect world & this works well as a compromise considering the lens is the bomb.



Oct 11, 2013 at 12:27 AM
Frogfish
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art for Nikon Mount focus issue


MikeW wrote:
...... but it isn't a perfect world & this works well as a compromise considering the lens is the bomb.


Compromise ? Much better than a compromise because what other lenses can you tune for different distances (even though we all know most lenses function better at one distance than another) ? None ! It's a real game changer from Sigma and I'm sure we'll see adaptations of this introduced by every major manufacturer.



Oct 11, 2013 at 01:24 AM
RCicala
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art for Nikon Mount focus issue


Frogfish wrote:
Compromise ? Much better than a compromise because what other lenses can you tune for different distances (even though we all know most lenses function better at one distance than another) ? None ! It's a real game changer from Sigma and I'm sure we'll see adaptations of this introduced by every major manufacturer.


+1. If you look carefully, most lenses focus slightly differently at different distances - not saying it usually makes a difference in real-world photos, but it's there. Zooms also do it at different focal lengths. The dock gives us a tool we didn't have before - it required a trip to the service center.



Oct 11, 2013 at 07:04 AM
OccAeon
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art for Nikon Mount focus issue


I got one from Amazon a couple of weeks ago, and it had major focus issues. The middle focus points on my D7100 and D600 were fine, but the other focus points were way off, back focusing significantly on the left and front focusing significantly on the right. No amount of micro-focus adjust could fix it. The lens had the latest firmware, according to the dock.

Although it's a focus length that I really like, I've been hesitant to try again.



Oct 11, 2013 at 08:24 AM
bpham
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art for Nikon Mount focus issue


interesting though, about comments that most lenses have had issues with focusing at different distances, however, I've not seen or heard of lenses from Canon, Nikon having this type of focusing issues...or maybe I'm alone in this. Maybe they all have focusing issues similar to the Sigma but might not be serious enough to see because they're tuned to have some slight out-of-focus in all FL, therefore, not as noticeable as the Sigma, which basically is tuned to be really sharp in certain FL, which makes it really awesome when it the FL is spot on.


Oct 11, 2013 at 10:03 AM
runamuck
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art for Nikon Mount focus issue


Nikon comes up with this problem also. There are several threads about Nikon owners wondering how to MFA lenses that require different adjustments at different focus distances.


Oct 11, 2013 at 02:26 PM
bpham
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art for Nikon Mount focus issue


runamuck wrote:
Nikon comes up with this problem also. There are several threads about Nikon owners wondering how to MFA lenses that require different adjustments at different focus distances.


OK, i guess if you look close enough you will find something wrong and some issues are more obvious than others.



Oct 11, 2013 at 03:15 PM
hijazist
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art for Nikon Mount focus issue


No lens is perfect. Most of my Nikon primes needed AF tuning, but what's worse is that some of my Nikon primes had focus shifting which no dock can solve

My copy of the Sigma 35 1.4 only needed some in-camera AF tuning to be perfect at all distances but I am not denying that some might have had a more serious issue with the lens. What I am saying, however, is that no one who has the dock is still complaining



Oct 11, 2013 at 03:24 PM
OccAeon
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art for Nikon Mount focus issue


hijazist wrote:
My copy of the Sigma 35 1.4 only needed some in-camera AF tuning to be perfect at all distances but I am not denying that some might have had a more serious issue with the lens. What I am saying, however, is that no one who has the dock is still complaining


I had the dock, but unfortunately the dock offers no way to resolve issues where different focus points require different adjustments (which is something I've never heard of on a Nikon lens).



Oct 11, 2013 at 03:37 PM
bpham
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art for Nikon Mount focus issue


OccAeon wrote:
I had the dock, but unfortunately the dock offers no way to resolve issues where different focus points require different adjustments (which is something I've never heard of on a Nikon lens).


Another thing to add to the confusion of diverse experiences and opinion here is that I bought 3 Nikon lenses, 70-200F4, 50F1.8, 85F1.8, 16-35F4, none requires AFMA, even though I tried to see if I could wring out the last pixels from them, and at the end, I put them back to Zero adjustment on my D800E. Personally, I trust Nikon lenses to be more consistent than the Sigma's, but the reason why I created this post because I'm tempting to get the 35mm f1.4.



Oct 11, 2013 at 03:53 PM
hijazist
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art for Nikon Mount focus issue


OccAeon wrote:
I had the dock, but unfortunately the dock offers no way to resolve issues where different focus points require different adjustments (which is something I've never heard of on a Nikon lens).


I meant the issue with focusing distance. Anyway, I heard of Nikon cameras, not just lenses, that have issues with different focus points. The idea is that no brand is perfect... Sigma has great customer service and they will have no problem either fixing the lens or replacing it.



Oct 11, 2013 at 03:58 PM
OccAeon
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art for Nikon Mount focus issue


hijazist wrote:
I meant the issue with focusing distance. Anyway, I heard of Nikon cameras, not just lenses, that have issues with different focus points. The idea is that no brand is perfect... Sigma has great customer service and they will have no problem either fixing the lens or replacing it.


Yeah, I like Sigma (one of my favorites lenses is a Sigma 105mm macro), I'm just frustrated with how hit-and-miss the 35mm seems to be. I also worry that, even if I find one that works perfectly on my current cameras, who is to say that it won't have problems on future cameras?

I have my doubts about the dock being a cure-all, because you may still need different adjustments for different cameras.

I've also heard of different cameras having focus point issues, but in my case I am certain that it was the lens - it happened on two cameras, and none of my Nikon lenses have any sort of focus point issues.

Edited on Oct 11, 2013 at 07:04 PM · View previous versions



Oct 11, 2013 at 04:29 PM
bpham
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art for Nikon Mount focus issue


DXO lab tested this lens and it is one of the sharpest lenses, however, did not mention anything about these issues that some people had...Did Sigma send a special lens to them?


Oct 11, 2013 at 04:33 PM
low325
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art for Nikon Mount focus issue


great. i have this lens sitting in my car waiting to be mounted on my d800. hopefully my copy will suffice, if not...there goes another 60 for the usb dock.


Oct 11, 2013 at 05:12 PM
Guari
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art for Nikon Mount focus issue


Of the few lenses I own, none shines as much as the 35Art. It's the only non-nikon lens I own. If i had to keep just one lens, that would be the one. Of course, I own nothing fancy nor superteles

Mine backfocused a bit when close, i sent it to sigma and came back perfect. Couldn't be happier.



Oct 11, 2013 at 05:15 PM
OccAeon
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art for Nikon Mount focus issue


bpham wrote:
DXO lab tested this lens and it is one of the sharpest lenses, however, did not mention anything about these issues that some people had...Did Sigma send a special lens to them?


I'm not saying that Sigma sent them a particularly good copy. I don't even know where or how DXO and other reviewers get the lenses.

All I'm saying is that the copy that I got had unfixable autofocus issues, and it seems like many others have had that issue as well.



Oct 11, 2013 at 07:12 PM
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