Bokeh in front of the plane of focus is not the best with this lens when wide open, so shots having
busy foliage both in front of and behind the subject will show that characteristic readily. Here's an example,
wide open on a 5D:
Thanks Tim for the examples. The blooming problem someone mentioned to me is not sensor blooming or purple fringing but I think is how the bright OOF areas get rendered color wise, especially green foliage which seems to turn fluorescent light yellow-green. I don't see this problem in the shots you justed posted but the Banks book picture has funny looking grass color in the OOF areas and I have seen it sometimes in outdoor portrait pictures where the OOF background tree foliage which is lit by the sun becomes an unatural bright yellow green. Maybe this is not a reall problem, don't know since I don't have the lens.
Wayne, I have never seen grass that color when I have the proper white balance set.
I normally just use the preset WB settings, such as Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, etc.
Colors are very good, but there is a slight color shift in the out of focus areas.
I think it's mild, though. Nothing I'd worry about.
It's a great lens, but if you're on the EF mount, the Canon 1.2L is better. I briefly held the 50/1.8II, 50/1.4, Sigma 50/1.4 and 1.2L. Based on some very extensive testing, the Canon 1.2L was the sharpest at any given aperture, and had the least CA. The Sigma came in second, followed by the 50/1.4 and then the 1.8. Interestingly, it was a clear case of more money=better quality; however, the price of the Sigma 50/1.4 and Canon 50/1.4 made them the best values.
Damn you sigma!! I looked at the first shot today and immediately saw that it frontfocuses badly! I has to be dead on if autofocus is ever going to be used. I ordered this lens mainly because its awesome, and then because it autofocuses for stuff like people ..
Mine will be arriving tomorrow. I am crossing my fingers; the Sigma focusing gods have been kind to me in the past. Bought from Amazon ($19 overnight shipping!) since they have an excellent return policy just in case though!
PS: It's all ovredal73's fault for posting that incredible b/w shot showing what this thing can do.
bpark42 wrote:
I agree. The first dog shot looks like it might be back-focused, but it is hard to tell. The second dog shot is soft. And the shot after the baby ones is (mildly) soft as well. I can't see any in-focus plane, so camera shake/low shutter speed maybe?
I just ordered mine and it will be coming next Monday. Finger crossed 'cause the mixed comments on this lens does scare me a bit.
I agree a few shots from philbinley do look soft. If a resized web version still looks this soft, the original ones much be way worse based on my experience (some of my slightly blurred images look pretty sharp after resizing). If this softness is consistent, philbinley, you may want to check your lens carefully.
can any of you guy that bought this lens recently and have no focusing issue tell me your serial number that way I can use this as a guideline and hopefully get a copy that is good when I go purchase this superb lens when it focus good lol...
Here's a little summary I made for myself a while back when I was considering this lens... People were wondering if a certain serial number had a fix, so people started posting their serial numbers and experience with focus problems. I noted APS-C vs FF, because some people thought the problem only existed on FF.
1002xxx johnahill -- no problems on FF(?)
1002xxx syntrix -- no problems on crop
10017xx changes13 -- front focus on crop
1006xxx Ravon's -- no problems on crop
1006xxx jinashi -- back focuses past 10ft on crop
1007xxx Drew_Persson -- no problems on FF
10077xx kendallkoning -- no problems on FF
1008xxx slimyfishy -- slight front focus at 1.5ft to 2.5ft
1008xxx badlydrawnboy -- two copies back focus
1008xxx xameleon -- backfocuses far on FF
1009xxx frcsyk says a retailer told him that Sigma requested all 1008xxx's be returned. The 1009xxx's have the back focus issue addressed and the firmware has been updated.
1014xxx trumpet_guy front focuses up close, back focuses far on FF
1016xxx Andi Dietrich -- no problems on FF
FWIW, mine is perfect on my 40D and 7D. It's actually the only lens I have that I didn't apply microadjust for on the 7D. And it's wicked-sharp, too. Sharper than any fast Canon lens I've used (35/2, 50/1.8, 50/1.4, 85/1.8, 85/1.2) at wide aperture, and perhaps sharper than even my 100/2.8 USM at small apertures (haven't compared directly).
This is one of those lenses that I have a hard time leaving home. It has such a beautiful rendering that I try to use it for everything that I can. The only time I've been disappointed is with extension tubes... the LoCA starts to assert itself more strongly, so you have to be careful to avoid backlight.
CKrueger wrote:
Here's a little summary I made for myself a while back when I was considering this lens... People were wondering if a certain serial number had a fix, so people started posting their serial numbers and experience with focus problems. I noted APS-C vs FF, because some people thought the problem only existed on FF.
1002xxx johnahill -- no problems on FF(?)
1002xxx syntrix -- no problems on crop
10017xx changes13 -- front focus on crop
1006xxx Ravon's -- no problems on crop
1006xxx jinashi -- back focuses past 10ft on crop
1007xxx Drew_Persson -- no problems on FF
10077xx kendallkoning -- no problems on FF
1008xxx slimyfishy -- slight front focus at 1.5ft to 2.5ft
1008xxx badlydrawnboy -- two copies back focus
1008xxx xameleon -- backfocuses far on FF
1009xxx frcsyk says a retailer told him that Sigma requested all 1008xxx's be returned. The 1009xxx's have the back focus issue addressed and the firmware has been updated.
1014xxx trumpet_guy front focuses up close, back focuses far on FF
1016xxx Andi Dietrich -- no problems on FF
FWIW, mine is perfect on my 40D and 7D. It's actually the only lens I have that I didn't apply microadjust for on the 7D. And it's wicked-sharp, too. Sharper than any fast Canon lens I've used (35/2, 50/1.8, 50/1.4, 85/1.8, 85/1.2) at wide aperture, and perhaps sharper than even my 100/2.8 USM at small apertures (haven't compared directly).
This is one of those lenses that I have a hard time leaving home. It has such a beautiful rendering that I try to use it for everything that I can. The only time I've been disappointed is with extension tubes... the LoCA starts to assert itself more strongly, so you have to be careful to avoid backlight. ...Show more →
CKrueger wrote:
Here's a little summary I made for myself a while back when I was considering this lens... People were wondering if a certain serial number had a fix, so people started posting their serial numbers and experience with focus problems. I noted APS-C vs FF, because some people thought the problem only existed on FF.
...
1014xxx trumpet_guy front focuses up close, back focuses far on FF
...
Chris,
Actually mine is serial # 1001425. Yep, still same issue even after
trip to Sigma New York, along with my 5D body. They had the lens and
body for about 6 weeks, and the supervisor worked with the tech,
to no avail. Now that I'm shooting with an EE-s screen, it is a more manageable issue.
I just got my copy...no time to test it for focus problem...I already know about the AF problem b4 I bought the lens and judging from the amount of AF problem on sigma...I wouldn't be surprise my copy have it to and since I'm not from USA sending my lens to sigma is a no no...I do however think I have the latest copy...my serial starts with 105xx
I only hope my lens is good...if not I'll just MA it on my 7d...any of you guys using the lens on MA...just wondering
oh yeah here's a shot...focus is on the letter "am" shot wide open f1.4
