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Fr3d
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Registered: Nov 28, 2008
Location: Germany
Posts: 290
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Review Date: May 8, 2011
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Small and light, sharp wide open (center), MDF, and splendid bokeh
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Cons:
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Slow focus, soft corners at all aperatures (FF), AF/MF switch mechanism is a 2 step process
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I bought this lens used from amazon but will return it because I
find it too expensive for what it delivers. The reason why I bought
it was that it had better bokeh than the Canon 28mm 1.8. But
soon found out that I would not be happy with this lens. The one
and only thing that I hate about this lens is how slow the AF is
and how hard and unpractical the switching from AF to MF is.
You need to hit the AF/MF button on the lens and then you need
to pull back the AF/MF clutch mechanism. It's idiotic because this
makes the lens unusable for any type of shooting where you want
to change from AF to MF quickly or get something into focus fast.
The lens becomes even slower when you are trying to shoot
available light at night. When Sigma decides to update this lens
with a faster AF I would certainly give it another try because I
really like the 28mm perspective.
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 May 8, 2011
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maxwell1295
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Registered: Jun 4, 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 5925
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Review Date: Dec 17, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $300.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Very sharp wide open; great for indoor, low-light; close focusing; built like a tank.
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Cons:
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Clumsy MF switch/clutch mechanisms; no USM/HSM.
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I LOVE this lens! It really is my go-to wide lens (using it on Canon 5D). My copy is very sharp wide open. Great for indoor, low-light situations. The fact that is focuses so closely is an added bonus and makes for a very versatile lens. It's built like a tank. The MF switch/clutch mechanism takes some getting used to. I also wish it had USM/HSM for quieter (and quicker) focusing. Given the performance of the lens, these are things I can live with. If they ever update this model, I'd jump on it in a heartbeat.
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Dec 17, 2010
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Vandergaze
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Registered: Mar 19, 2010
Location: Germany
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Apr 24, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Sharp from 1.8 up, Nice EX Finish, Very bulky and strong build, exact focus
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Cons:
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Weird AF/MF Switch needs getting used to
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Seriously. I got this for 160 Euros.
I used it on my Crop D90. Images were always sharp no matter what aperture I used.
The macro feature is great. I could focus on objects that where only 5 cm away from the front lens. That's a whole lot better than any other lenses I have had up to now.
The AF/MF switch is a little weird and takes some getting used to. It was supposed to be Sigma's approach to the USM-full-manual-focus idea, but is basicly an epic fail. But if you've figured it out, it's not a big problem at all.
The filter size of 77mm is a standard among good lenses, especially the professional line-ups of Nikon and Canon. So no problem there.
I did have some focussing issues, as I was simply not aware that 1.8 had such little depth of field. Would be interesting to find out how this lens performs on a full-frame. The center image quality I can assure you, is absolutely outstand
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Apr 24, 2010
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dealaddict
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Registered: Jun 11, 2009
Location: Canada
Posts: 31
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Review Date: Jun 11, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Sharp, cheap, good build quality, macro, no turning ring
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Cons:
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Big and heavy, expensive 77mm filter
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This is the first lens I bought, I hesitate a bit reading focusing issue on 3rd party lens. I originally want to buy the Canon 35mm F2.0, but it is out of stock. With budget in mind, I give Sigma a try, and I am happy with it .. maybe I am lucky, my copy focus properly. The image is sharp, and the price is good. I enjoy the macro capability also. Not too many lens has macro.
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Jun 11, 2009
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Peradam
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Registered: Jan 25, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Feb 26, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $280.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Excellent performance for the price, solid construction, macro capability, comes with shade and case.
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Cons:
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Heavy and unattractive matte finish.
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Put it on a great low light camera like the Nikon D3 or D700 and you have the perfect marriage. I prefer it over my 50mm 1.4 for shallow depth of field shots. I use a 28mm PC lens for buildings and interiors, but this lens for everything else. It is heavy, so for backpacking you might consider the excellent Nikkor prime lenses, especially the manual focus ones. Now if Sigma could design a comparable 35mm f/1.4 lens in this price range...
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Feb 26, 2009
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ForestWander
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Registered: Mar 11, 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Mar 11, 2008
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $247.00
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Very solid built.
Great focusing at macro range.
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Cons:
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None at all so far
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The description stated that it's closest focusing range is around 7 inches and I have been just playing with this lens and I took some pictures of some news print as close as 2 inches away and it focused perfectly!
I am not having the problems mentioned here with Auto focusing.
I am using a canon 350 XT and it works great.
I like the heavy solid feel compared to the 18-55 mm canon lens that I got with my XT.
I cannot wait to get in the field and take some flower and foliage shots.
So far I am well pleased with this lens and its performance.
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Mar 11, 2008
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LeviNeely
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Registered: Oct 31, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Oct 31, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $249.95
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Fast AF, Easily accessible MF, Nice field on DSLR, Well built, Super sharp, and wide open apeture
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Cons:
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ummmm, On a Pentax I cannot think of any.
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This lens is built like a TANK!! It is weighty, but not too bad. I can carry it around all day. Another thing to mention is that this lens is great on a Pentax Body. It focuses fast and produces super sharp images. On my Pentax I have had no focus problems that were the fault of the lens (Pentax cameras sometimes search for focus in odd lighting situation). However, this is minimal because of the HUGE apeture. I am really trying to think of any negatives here, but am finding it hard. On my camera, this lens is just wonderful. I am able to shoot in pretty much any situation.
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Oct 31, 2007
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Mardala
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Registered: Jul 12, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jul 12, 2007
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Recommend? no |
Price paid: $300.00
| Rating: 6
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Pros:
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Seems solidly built and I like the petal hood. I give it an 8 on build since that nice finish starts peeling pretty quickly.
I bought this wanting a nice prime (for low light) with a usable "all-around" shooting range. I like the 28mm, that is a great range, but I have never been really satisfied with the quality of the shots of this lens. So I give it a 6 for a rating.
For the build quality, the price of this lens is really good.
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Cons:
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Colors come out duller than my other lenses. Most shots I do with it require quite a bit of post processing. I've never been satisfied with it. My gut feeling said to just splurge and get the 35mm Canon L. I should have listened to my gut feeling. I know their is no price comparison between the two, but why shoot with a lens that you can't be 100% happy with?
For focusing, it has a tendency to "get lost" and you have to manually get it back on track, then switch back to AF. That is kind of annoying.
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Jul 12, 2007
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yido
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Registered: Sep 11, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 811
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Review Date: Jun 26, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $250.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Great Price, speed, very short min. focusing distance, bokeh
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Cons:
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Two step AF/MF switch, noisy AF, Poor low light focusing, hood is extremely tight fitting.
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As above. I got this for walking around. Since I've a cropped body, it's about a 45mm lens for me which is nice. The short min. focusing distance really allows for nice bokeh and really creative compositions. Based on experience with the lens, three others have bought the 20/24/28mm primes from Sigma with one more who will order one.
Here is my review of the lens here.
http://tomyi.smugmug.com/gallery/2000895#114325968
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Jun 26, 2007
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eddyboy
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Registered: Jun 25, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 599
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Review Date: Mar 6, 2007
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $230.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Extremely sharp out to the edges (nikon af). Very bright and a joy to use. Incredibly inexpensive for it's performance.
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Cons:
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Kinda cheesy looking construction, but very robust
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This is my American Express lens "don't leave home without it". I use it all the time on my D200 with really great, sharp results. Sigma is the craziest company in the industry...when they choose to they make world class products. In this case they have..Ask me about my 50mm macro lens and you'll get a different answer..
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Mar 6, 2007
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vince
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Registered: Mar 18, 2002
Location: China
Posts: 306
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Review Date: Jul 17, 2006
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Recommend? no |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 3
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Pros:
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Well built, nice optics when it works.
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Cons:
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Doesn't like newer canon EOS cameras, mine wouldn't focus properly and would lock up.
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I almost bought this lens. There was one going cheap at the local second hand camera store. When I tried it on my 300D it would not focus properly. It would whine back and forth and not lock focus. The few times it would "lock" focus, it would front or back focus like mad, sometimes as much as 50% off. I tried the 30mm f/1.4 at the same store and it worked just fine. Pity, this is a cheap and well made lens, wish it would work on my EOS, I'd have bought it.
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Jul 17, 2006
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Aesop
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Registered: Aug 22, 2004
Location: Norway
Posts: 10
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Review Date: Jun 28, 2006
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Recommend? no |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 4
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Pros:
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Good build quality. Sharp when focused. f1.8
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Cons:
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Autofocus is not working precisely with Canon digital bodies.
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This lens is nice and sharp when focused. The build quality feels very good, however it consistently front-focuses with my Canon 20D.
I've talked to Sigma and been told that only lenses with serial number atarting with 2 or more can be upgraded to work with Canon digital bodies. Too bad I wasn't told when I bought it...
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Jun 28, 2006
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Offline
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Review Date: Jun 16, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
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Pros:
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Sharp lens, very sharp. Very nice build. Feels solid.
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Cons:
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Sigma's achilles heel -- front focusing issues with canon bodies.
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Poor Sigma. They make some of the best lenses ... Only to be ruined by hit or miss interoperability with Canon bodies.
This is now my second Sig lens to have front focusing issues. The 30mmf/1.4 was the other.
Understand, that optically, these guys are killer! But if the AF is off, what the hell good is it? Sure I could treat it like a manual focus lens. But jeeez thats just not good enough!
[Sigh] I still have to return mine for focus adjustment.
Im sure I'll be psyched when I get it back.
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Jun 16, 2006
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crosstrainer
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Registered: Jan 7, 2006
Location: Philippines
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jan 22, 2006
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $235.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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low light photography, 77mm diameter, macro capability, build quality, price
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Cons:
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a bit soft, but forgivably so, tokina-like clutch manual-auto focus can be irritating at times
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I've been using my nikon 50mm f/1.8 prime exclusively for almost a month, and I decided to experiment a little. A rather expensive experiment.... buy purchasing a nice Sigma 28mm f1.8 EX DG Aspherical Macro lens.
Been thinking to myself "if I almost always take food shots while sitting down at the dinner table, will it help if I got a lens that's a bit wider than my 50mm?"
Of course, there are a lot of contenders out there, but I knew what I wanted:
Something between 20-35mm
Definitely faster than f/2.8
Less than Php15,000 (about $300)
and definitely had to be a prime.
The Sigma fit the bill - on paper that is.
Here are my initial findings:
It's not as SHARP as my beloved 50mm f/1.8 at wide open. You'll have to stop it down to about 2-2.2 to get a bit of sharpness.
It doesn't have as much CA as the 50mm in a lot of shots
It's not as bright as the 50mm in almost all shots. Either have a +0.3 or +0.7 EV bias or slow the shutter down a tad to get the proper exposure.
Sample Shots
I took it for a spin last saturday at the First Philippine International Jazz Festival, where my cousin played the drums and here are some shots:
My cousin Dave
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chewychua/89722513/
My sister
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chewychua/89722514/
a view of the stage
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chewychua/89722512/
This ain't pepe smith (a local oldie rock star)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chewychua/89743276/
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Jan 22, 2006
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gowron300d
Offline
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Registered: Dec 7, 2005
Location: Canada
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Dec 7, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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sharp, sharp, sharp
Fast 1.8.
Macro distance of about 0.04 meter.
Comes with hood and carrying belt pouch.
A bit heavy (pro or con as you want it!)
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Cons:
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Bulky,
Auto focusing sometimes off.
A bit heavy (pro or con as you want it!)
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Had it for few weeks now and it is very sharp at any opening.
Fast at 1.8. Great value for the price. Of course comes with hood and carrying belt pouch.
A bit heavy (pro or con as you want it!)
Sigma claims that the macro focusing distance of 0.20 meter, forget it, you can click an object as close as about 4cm close with surprisingly good results.
A nice addition to a collection.
A bit bulky, but understandable for a 1.8 lens, focusing is a bit slow not beeing a USM, seems to have an issue to get the correct focus sometimes. Using manual focusing gives A1 results.
A bit heavy (pro or con as you want it!)
Auto/manual focus is a 2 step job, but you get used to it quickly.
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Dec 7, 2005
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tsangc
Offline
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Registered: Nov 22, 2005
Location: Canada
Posts: 242
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Review Date: Nov 27, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Fast and wide, inexpensive
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Cons:
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Heavy
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Most Canon EOS shooters buy a 50mm f1.8 prime because it's cheap, fast and sharp. I had a chance to use one on two occassions, but I found that I had difficulty composing with it as I have a crop APS body such that the 50mm length is more like 80mm. This is great for portraits in a studio but terrible for event photography.
The Sigma 28mm is a great alternative: The 28mm length is easier to handle and compose with and the maximum aperture of f1.8 is great for indoors shots without flash. The lens features a large front element diameter which really lets light in and makes the lens quite bright.
Shooting at f1.8 on any lens is tough because the depth of field is so shallow. However, if you need the range in low light, it's useful. Also, the lens can be very sharp with enough light.
The focusing mechanism disengages the clutch when the focus ring is pulled forward, which allows you to keep your fingers on the ring while the lens is in AF. When you toggle the lens to manual, you can pull the ring backwards, which engages the clutch and lets you focus manually. Note this lens uses a traditional servo motor, so it does not have FTM like the Canon USM lenses.
The lens is also really nice for macro photography.
Sigma includes a "perfect" lens hood and a nylon padded carry bag, which are nice touches. The lens has a nice matte finish and the focus ring is easy to grasp.
There are a few downfalls, however. The large 77mm diameter is great, but it also means expensive filters. The Sigma 28mm is also quite heavy in comparison to the Canon EF 28mm.
The motor is louder than most and it is not that quick in focusing. However, for the price, it's just fine. Highly recommended for those who want a fast, wide lens for a reasonable price compared to the Canon EF 28mm.
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Nov 27, 2005
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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24
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173421
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May 8, 2011
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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79% of reviewers
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$248.50
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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8.42
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8.83
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7.8
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