I guess this question can be asked about any lens really. Sorry for posting so late.
I'll be going into a camera store tomorrow. It's over an hour away but the guys there know me and I have reserved the sigma. They will let me have a play with it and compare it with my canon 50mm f/1.4. I'm also taking my laptop. The store is very small.
The only lenses I have used in the past couple of years are the 24-105L, 35L and 70-200L f/2.8 IS, on a 5D. The last 2 I have sold- and need a low light 50mm for the occasions the 24-105L is too slow. I have briefly used the canon 50mm and it's a bit hit and miss. I like how numerous times i have used the farthest AF point on my 5D and shot wide open and nailed the focus with the canon. On the other hand, the 'sticky' focus and build is not good for me.
Want to go up to the Sigma because of the build quality (feel like I'm gonna break the canon) and have fingers crossed that it's IQ is better too. Also I can sell the canon 50mm and for the same price i can buy this sigma. In effect, a swap.
I've read pages and pages of pro's and con's about the siggy and want to ensure I get a good one.
Can you please tell me how I can within 5-10 mins test to see if this sigma is one of the good one's?
This is what I plan to do:
1. Take a couple of close up ( 50cm - 1 meter away) shots of a newspaper article with both lenses (at f/1.4 - f2/8) to check focus/sharpness. Repeat this for a medium distance (2-3 metres away)
2. Shoot a couple of shots outside to check focus/sharpness, CA and colour/contrast.
3. check the serial number and hopefull it is after 1016 XXXX
Hook up the camera to laptop and have a quick compare. Is that enough?
Never really tested a lens as my previous one's have been great. But all this talk about the sigma's 'issues' got me worried.
simon_k wrote:
As far as I know the only problem is AF accuracy so your plan seems to be good.
I'm not sure "accuracy" is the right word, since it seems to work well on most Nikon bodies. I think it has more to do with the lens and camera "not listening to each other". Nothing wrong with either one of them, they still might not want to chat.
This is of course because the Sigma's AF has been reverse engineered, and maybe Canon has a more complex protocol to decrypt than Nikon.
Try focusing at several different distances, including the problematic +10 feet (if I remember right?). And remember that this lens gives a little bit of focus shift, so focus will be farther away when stopping down. But it should only be noticable at really short distances, and not more than a centimeter or two between f/1.4 and lets say f/8.
Edit: Oh, good luck and don't give up if the first one doesn't work! This is one of the best 50:s ever made for shooting wide open.
"And remember that this lens gives a little bit of focus shift, so focus will be farther away when stopping down. But it should only be noticable at really short distances, and not more than a centimeter or two between f/1.4 and lets say f/8."
Does that mean when i focus at these apertures at short distances, i should use the manual focus ring and focus it a tiny fraction behind what the AF focuses on? That sounds like a pain.
"good luck and don't give up if the first one doesn't work! This is one of the best 50:s ever made for shooting wide open"
Does that mean when i focus at these apertures at short distances, i should use the manual focus ring and focus it a tiny fraction behind what the AF focuses on? That sounds like a pain.
If you get a good one (and I have one), you shouldn't have to worry about that. I have never worried about the focus on my 5D or now on my 5D Mk II. I just shoot at any and all distances, wide open or stopped down, and all of the shots are sharp, contrast and gorgeous. It's easily the equal of any of my L lenses.
Oh yes, I have a low serial number, which are supposed to have problems (according to some).
Cheers. Dis. Filled with confidence now! only thing i am curious about now is why the shop is selling it at such a low price. of course i can't tell them that as i will try and get it down even more! lol They are good guys. Known them for years. maybe it's cos they usually deal in leica, canon and nikon.. but they get magazines all the time and surely know how good the sigma is.
will find out tomorrow. i hope its worth the 1.5 hour trek
Just got back from the store. Sigma 50mm --> amazing lens.
kicked the canon's butt at f/1.4 - 2. No CA at 1.4 and incredible sharpness.
Corners were better too but not as much difference as the centre crops.
The OOF areas are amazing. Kind of hard to explain. Much creamier.
Thank you everyone for your help. Thank you to FM forums.
ps. Whilst i was in the store i saw they had a sigma 28-70 f2.8 advertised for £170 UK Pound Sterling (think of it as 250 bucks) . couldn't believe how cheap it was. Could get 3 of those by selling my 24-105L. Of course i've no idea if it's any good but my mind is definately opened to 3rd party lenses now I have seen what sigma's 50mm can do.
The 28-70 is supposedly not as good as the newer 24-70... Congrats on your new 50, btw...
As Makten said, it has a little bit of focus shift built into the optical formula, but the front of the sharp region never "wanders" further further back from the F/1.4, it's very gentle in that respect. Just keep in mind that from F/1.4 to F2.8 the front of focus stays the same, the DoF just gets deeper "away" from you.
I hope Sigma has gotten past their Canon-problems now, the lens really deserves a better reputation than it seems to have in Canon-land. It's a brilliant optic.
Reds wrote:
Just got back from the store. Sigma 50mm --> amazing lens.
kicked the canon's butt at f/1.4 - 2. No CA at 1.4 and incredible sharpness.
Corners were better too but not as much difference as the centre crops.
The OOF areas are amazing. Kind of hard to explain. Much creamier.
Thank you everyone for your help. Thank you to FM forums.
ps. Whilst i was in the store i saw they had a sigma 28-70 f2.8 advertised for £170 UK Pound Sterling (think of it as 250 bucks) . couldn't believe how cheap it was. Could get 3 of those by selling my 24-105L. Of course i've no idea if it's any good but my mind is definately opened to 3rd party lenses now I have seen what sigma's 50mm can do.
Good to hear you are happy with the Sigma - thanks for posting your experiences. I have the Canon 50 1.4 and have always wondered about it's comparison to the Sigma. Maybe I'll try one someday.
I know what you mean about being open to 3rd party lenes. I have a Sigma 20mm 1.8 and after some initial disappointment, I have learned that is actually amazingly sharp all the way down to f/2 and even still surprisingly good at 1.8. I know many of these 3rd party lenses often get mixed reviews, but from my personal experience now, I'm beginning to believe that a many of the negative reviews are probably due to errors in technique rather than actual hardware related issues.
You've now got one of the most amazing lenses there is for 24x36. Don't be afraid to stop it down, but I'd not recommend smaller apertures than f/8 unless it's needed for DOF. Sharpness and contrast seems to be best at f/4 or so.
For me, sharpness is not of much interest. But the rendering that the Sigma does, makes me think of medium format cameras.
congrats on purchasing that fine piece of glass. i have not taken the sigma off my camera ever since i got it as a christmas present
the results i get from it never cease to amaze me!
have fun with it!
theSuede wrote:
Congrats on your new 50, btw...
As Makten said, it has a little bit of focus shift built into the optical formula, but the front of the sharp region never "wanders" further further back from the F/1.4, it's very gentle in that respect. Just keep in mind that from F/1.4 to F2.8 the front of focus stays the same, the DoF just gets deeper "away" from you.
Do you mean from f1.4 - f2.8 , there will be more (say 2/3) focus behind the focus point and 1/3 infront of it? i.e. DOF extends behind the focus point more than at the front at these apertures?
and after f2.8 it will be half and half.... ?
Thanks for the info.
Thanks everyone. Wow, didn't realise there were so many fans of the siggy. Everytime i use it i have to pinch myself. Feel guilty that it's so good for the price i paid. Weird.
Dunno, the outer point on my D700 (and the outer points on my employer's 1Ds3) work just fine - in my opinion. I haven't really tested in a controlled situation. It MIGHT have to do with astigmatism combined with the fact that the 5D only use (radial) vertical lines, not cross-type sensors in the AF.
Regarding focus shift:
If placed on tripod, shooting on fixed MANUAL focus (no refocusing) the DoF on the Sigs work approximately like this;
F/1.4 - MF until 1m mark is in perfect focus
F/2.0 - no refocusing - DoF extends backwards by ~1cm
F/2.8 - no refocusing - DoF extends backwards by ~2.5cm
F/4.0 - no refocusing - DoF extends backwards by ~4cm and towards me by ~0.5cm
F/5.6 - no refocusing - DoF extends backwards by ~6cm and towards me by ~2cm
The absolute DoF extension in cm is of course my very personal opinion/observation, not an absolute measurement - but I think you get the idea.
theSuede wrote:
Dunno, the outer point on my D700 (and the outer points on my employer's 1Ds3) work just fine - in my opinion. I haven't really tested in a controlled situation. It MIGHT have to do with astigmatism combined with the fact that the 5D only use (radial) vertical lines, not cross-type sensors in the AF.
Regarding focus shift:
If placed on tripod, shooting on fixed MANUAL focus (no refocusing) the DoF on the Sigs work approximately like this;
F/1.4 - MF until 1m mark is in perfect focus
F/2.0 - no refocusing - DoF extends backwards by ~1cm
F/2.8 - no refocusing - DoF extends backwards by ~2.5cm
F/4.0 - no refocusing - DoF extends backwards by ~4cm and towards me by ~0.5cm
F/5.6 - no refocusing - DoF extends backwards by ~6cm and towards me by ~2cm
The absolute DoF extension in cm is of course my very personal opinion/observation, not an absolute measurement - but I think you get the idea....Show more →
cheers buddy. appreciate your help.
theSuede wrote:
Dunno, the outer point on my D700 (and the outer points on my employer's 1Ds3) work just fine - in my opinion. I haven't really tested in a controlled situation. It MIGHT have to do with astigmatism combined with the fact that the 5D only use (radial) vertical lines, not cross-type sensors in the AF.
But then it works almost 99% of the time with the canon 50mm 1.4. weird. It's a compromise i am more than willing to accept, but may prove to be a pain in the ass in the long term. Cos i like shooting at f2-2.8 and often do not focus on centre of image. And with the canon, i'd use the farthest point at f1.4 - 2.8 with confidence as it is super accurate. The sigma sucks in this aspect.
I love love love my Sigma 50/1.4. I've owned a TON of 50mm lenses...Canon f/1.8, f/1.4, f/1.2L, Zeiss 50 f/1.7, Super and S-M-C Takumar 50 f/1.4, Rokkor 50 f/1.4 and 58 f/1.2...and the Sigma is probably the best overall of those I've owned. The Rokkor 50 f/1.4 is a bit sharper wide open, and gives a beautiful rendering, but the bokeh isn't as good, and it has no AF. The Zeiss was absolutely incredible with regards to sharpness, contrast and color saturation, but it was too vibrant for portraits and the bokeh was terrible. The Sigma is really a special lens. Accurate AF, wonderful image quality, beautiful skin tones, and the bokeh is exceptional.
