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robogobo
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Registered: Apr 20, 2008
Location: Switzerland
Posts: 3
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Review Date: May 13, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $500.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Really really sharp in the center wide open (way better than the Canon 1.4), still sharp in the corners (about the same as the Canon 1.4). Good build quality. Fast focusing. Little vignetting.
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Cons:
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Not as sharp stopped down vs Canon. Little CA esp in the corners.
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I had a Canon 50 1.4 and was very impressed. Then I read the reviews of the Sigma, so I had to try it out. paid about $500 in Switzerland, about $80 more than the Canon. Considering this lens' primary purpose for me is shooting low light wide open, it excels in every way vs the Canon. Focus is faster, missed focus about the same frequency, DoF is razor thin (which has its own pros and cons I suppose), and it feels much more solidly built. I don't mind the heft/weight, in fact I like it.
Overall definitely worth the difference in price. Sigma did a good job here. For its purpose, a solid 9/10. Canon needs to follow.
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 May 13, 2010
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Berschwinger
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Registered: Apr 8, 2010
Location: United States
Posts: 358
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Review Date: Apr 22, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $660.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Fast focusing, sharp, creamy bokeh.
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Cons:
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77mm diameter lens + hood much bigger than competition
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Purchased new for 440€ in EU. This is the fastest focusing lens in my bag. Bokeh is gorgeous, and focus is spot on. The focus is a bit "jumpy" I'd say when tracking a focus point. Never have a complain when I reach for it. Shoot it wide open and never look back.
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Apr 22, 2010
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trillium
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Registered: Sep 1, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 818
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Review Date: Apr 5, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $499.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Image quality, durability, focus, included hood
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Cons:
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Weight, Price, Not a great landscape lens
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I was a bit worried about purchasing this lens because of the focus issues that are detailed on FM and various reviews.
My copy focuses well close up and at a range up to 20ft away. I use it mostly for portraits so I wouldn't use it much outside this range. I'm using the lens on a 5d, so I have no micro focus capability.
I think many (but not all) of the focus issues are with people trying to use the lens at f1.4 beyond 10ft. DOF is razor thin at f1.4.
Clarity, contrast and color from this lens are amazing. The bokah is creamy and smooth. This lens is sharper at f1.4 than my Canon 24-70L at f2.8.
I also tested the lens against the Canon 1.8 50mm. The results of that test... The Canon 1.8 is a great little lens for $100.00. At f1.8 the Canon was nearly as sharp as the Sigma at the center of the image. The Sigma was sharper nearer the edges of the frame. And of course the Sigma Bokah was much nicer than the fantastic plastic.
I would highly recommend this lens for someones main prime lens on a full frame camera. I would just be sure to do a lot of testing in the 15 day return period that most vendors allow, to make sure you have a keeper.
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Apr 5, 2010
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Marc de Wit
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Registered: Apr 3, 2010
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Apr 3, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Usable wide open , bokeh , build , very good focussing in low-light
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Cons:
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AF could be more consistant
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Much better at 1.4 - 2.0 compared to Canon
Beautiful bokeh
This lens however will almost certainly have frontfocus , like almost of the Sigma's
Highly recommended but only when your cam has micro AF adjustement.
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Apr 3, 2010
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MichaD
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Registered: Nov 30, 2004
Location: Germany
Posts: 407
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Review Date: Apr 1, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Sharp wide open. Smoooooth bokeh. Low vignetting.
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Cons:
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Not as sharp as other 50s stopped down to f/4 or further. Not great at min-focus. A bit bulky.
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Currently the best 50/1.4 if you want to shoot wide open. Less impressive for stopped down work.
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Apr 1, 2010
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BrentM
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Registered: Jul 19, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 2
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Mar 18, 2010
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canonfan93
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Registered: Dec 24, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 103
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Review Date: Feb 14, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Bokeh, color reproduction, image sharpness, and mechanical built.
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Cons:
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None especially for the price.
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I have had this lens for about a month, took several landscape and portrait photos with this lens on my Canon 5D mkI, and have found no focusing issue with this Sigma copy. I am glad I made this purchase. This 50mm will be especially handy as a general purpose lens when I do not feel like lugging around a relatively heavier or bulkier L prime.
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Feb 14, 2010
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AaronNegro
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Registered: Apr 8, 2008
Location: Ireland
Posts: 1288
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Review Date: Jan 25, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Build is good, comes with a proper hood, 77 mm filter so I can share filters from other lens, great bokeh when stopped down to f1.8, plenty of sharpness, good and silent AF, it balances pretty well on my 5D
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Cons:
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Only up to f16, Sigma finishing gets scratches way to easy.
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I have this lens for a week and I have taken around 1000 pictures with it, I was hesitating to buy this lens because of the AF feedback from the net but I'm very happy I followed my instinct.
It focusses well on my 5D "classic" and it really shines from f1.8 to f2.8, producing the nicest bokeh I ever seen in a 50 mm so far. It is creamy and so appealing for portraits that I could not let it go without trying.
Build:
*It is bigger and heavier than all the 50 mm but the Canon L. It feels solid and balances well on my 5D.
*Somehow I strat disliking the finishing of the Sigma lens as it gets marked way easy.
*The hood is a well engineered one, it does what it is supposed to do and it does it well.
Image quality:
*Very good wide open and much better once going to 1.8 upwards to 2.8 and 4.0, from then on I think the Canon 1.4 seems a bit sharper IMO
*Bokeh is what makes this lens stand on its own from the crowd, enough said by saying it is fantastic.
*Contrast and rendering is very good but there is that little yellow Sigma signature that some people like and some not, I'm in the "not" side but it is so easy to remove that I do not mind.
AF:
I see no problem with my copy, I was going to the local dealer to cherry pick a good one but the first one I took was good out of the box.
It is silent and quick and as accurate as I need it to be in dark environment.
Overall:
If it was not for two very little things like the fact that it only goes up to f16 and the Sigma finishing I would give it a 10.
Sample picture
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pikmaniadotcom/4300600459/
http://gallery.me.com/anegro#100350/Mounia-20Night-20Out-2040-20-1-&bgcolor=black
http://gallery.me.com/anegro#100350/Mounia-20Night-20Out-2059-20-1-&bgcolor=black
http://gallery.me.com/anegro#100350/Mounia-20Night-20Out-2053&bgcolor=black
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Jan 25, 2010
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AwesomelyBad
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Registered: Jan 24, 2010
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jan 24, 2010
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $499.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Amazing bokeh, sharp at wide apertures, great contrast and colors, fast focus even in low light
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Cons:
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Heavy, distortions in the corners on full frame body, pricey
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This was the first lens I bought after getting my first DSLR. I looked at this, the Canon 50mm f/1.8, and the Canon f/1.4. While this lens costs $100 more than the Canon f/1.4 and more than twice as much as the f/1.8, I couldn't help but fall in love with the heft and solid feel of the Sigma lens. The image quality has proved to be consistently amazing and despite having a larger lens collection now, this is still the one that I reach for by default. It's as sturdy as it feels, surviving regular abuse. While there are tales of focus issues, my copy has been pretty well spot on, even wide open.
You honestly don't need to worry about leaving this lens wide open to shoot with, although it does improve slightly at around f/2.0. Plus, with a cropped frame sensor, it makes for a great short portrait lens.
It's not weather sealed like some L lens, but the optics and build are of L quality. Plus, you get a hood and a nice lens case, which would cost you at least the $100 difference between this and the Canon f/1.4 model. If you're going to pair this with a Canon Rebel series, it balances much better with a battery grip attached, otherwise the camera almost feels dwarfed.
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Jan 24, 2010
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hatch1921
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Registered: May 13, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 4315
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Review Date: Dec 24, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $499.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Solid build | Quick focusing | Super Sharp | Color/contrast are great | super bokeh (better than the Canon F/1.4 or F/1.8 versions IMO)
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Cons:
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Known to front focus and mine did... dialed it in using Lens Align Pro. The lens was +13 backwards adjusted on the 5D2 and it now hits.
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Solid construction! Not very heavy...shooting with the 5D2 w/grip and it balances really well on the camera. SUPER SHARP! F/1.4 is usable...really shines from F/1.8 on up. FANTASTIC Bokeh! I own the Sigma 180mm macro and it has the same look/feel to the bokeh. Colors are very nice as well.
The only way I can describe the images taken with the camera lens combo... is that they have a very "real" or "true" feeling to them... great lens all around!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hatch1921 lots of sample shots on there...
Well worth the money. If by chance you buy and can't get it to adjust... sned it back and keep trying until you get one that hits. It's worth the effort.
Hatch
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Dec 24, 2009
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rtallent
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Registered: Jan 2, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 533
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Review Date: Dec 8, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $499.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Incredibly good bokeh, excellent sharpness and focus accuracy. Very good focus speed.
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Cons:
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None.
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Dec 8, 2009
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Fr3d
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Registered: Nov 28, 2008
Location: Germany
Posts: 290
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Review Date: Nov 14, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $300.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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f1.4, sharp, bokeh heavens, comes with hood
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Cons:
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only worth it if you buy it for the bokeh, strange wave like distortions
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After reading about the focus issues and soft copies I almost didn't go for this lens. But after trying it out in a shop I soon changed my mind not to buy it. It is sharp (on 5DII) wide open (center) and gives a lovely creamy bokeh that realy makes the subject in focus pop. Something my 50mm f/1.8 coudn't do. The only thing I don't care for is the wave like distortion. But this only shows up when photographing something with straight lines going from side to side in the frame. Overall I would recommend this lens to anyone who wants the sharpness and bokeh.
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Nov 14, 2009
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Ralph Conway
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Registered: Jul 31, 2008
Location: Germany
Posts: 3617
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Review Date: Nov 11, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Excellent IQ, Bokeh, colours, sharpness wide open
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Cons:
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I tested 5. All had a FF with my Canon Eos 5D MK II. My dealer sent in two copies for calibration. Nothing changed. I bought two and brought them to sigmas service together with two bodies (5D MK II). They calibrated both lenses, which are excellent now!
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I owned a great EF 50mm 1.4 (here I tested 7 and bought the best). I was happy with that lens, except its weekness (??? - sorry about my english) at 1.4. Then I saw some pictures of sigmas competitor. Its bokeh looked superb and the pictures seemed to be sharp wide open, too. So I went out to check it and ended up with a horrible FF of 30 mm within 50-70cm distance. Jere I read that many happy customers had the same issue that was fixed by factories recalibrating. So I bought one after my dealer promised he would take it back, if I am not happy with the result.
There is still a FF of 6-7mm in nearest distance. And I first fixed it with lens adjustment. It was sharp in that area after but not in further distances. So I set adjustment back to zero and founf out that the FF does not make any problems in daily use.
The opposite is fact. This lens now is an excellent peace of glas. crispy sharp even at 1.4 great colours, contrast and bokeh and a fantastic smooth gradient to blurring.
It even feels better then the Canon equivalent. The manual focusring is imo fitting to tight, but this feels more comfotable to me than Canons "loose" one.
They could have sealed it better to make a great competitor against Canons "L". But for me it is the better choice.
Great lense after calibration to my body.
Ralph
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Nov 11, 2009
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mckenzy
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Registered: Mar 19, 2006
Location: Singapore
Posts: 5
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Review Date: Oct 26, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 8
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Pros:
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Sigma glass when done right is very VERY nice...
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Cons:
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heavy, abit of a tight squeeze on the mount... focus issues... fix one, break the other...
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Had it. Sold it.
I still have the 30/1.4 and that is probably what spoiled me...
Physically:
Heavy. fits better on a xxD and above series of bodies... on a xxxD body its just to large and imbalanced.
Focus ring is nice
the mount however is pretty tight and needs a little bit more of a twist. i'm nitpicking of course...
AF:
aside from the usual BF/FF issues, the focus hunts when lighting goes abit low... i'm not talking about late evening low... just cloudy... overcast skies... end up pre-focussing and using AF at the last part (something like shooting macro photography kind of method)... in essence... not fast enough for the type of shooting i do when i use this lens.. i.e. portraits...
FOCUS:
my copy could not focus to infinity after Sigma calibration for front-focus issues... so they solved one aspect but created a a new problem...
IQ:
colours are nice but a tad poorer that the 30mm... nothing to shout about...
for this price... expectation goes up... and Sigma fails... i wish it didn't...
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Oct 26, 2009
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BrentM
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Registered: Jul 19, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 2
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Oct 22, 2009
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xxcromxx
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Registered: Jul 22, 2009
Location: Finland
Posts: 1
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Review Date: Oct 12, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp even at 1.4,creamy bokeh, hsm, build quality, comes with hood.
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Cons:
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Not found yet
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Very sharp. The bokeh is creamy.
Mine fokusing perfectly, I think I have more miss with my 85/1.8..
comes with hood.
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Oct 12, 2009
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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103
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132737
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Jan 23, 2013
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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80% of reviewers
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$468.74
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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9.02
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8.33
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8.7
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