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JRKO
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Registered: Jan 13, 2009
Location: United Kingdom
Posts: 5
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Review Date: Aug 17, 2009
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Recommend? |
Price paid: Not Indicated
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Pros:
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Great for low light non flash photography - lightweight
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Cons:
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more expensive now than when I bought it!
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I've had more experience with this lens now and realize that my initial complaint of focusing issues was all my fault!
When you've got f1.4 at your disposal your gonna use it. Just make sure you are not too close to your so that you DOF is more than a knats wing deep!!
Here are some better examples I think
http://jrko.zenfolio.com/p353921713/h39c4c1ee#h39c4c1ee
http://jrko.zenfolio.com/p353921713/h39c4c1ee#h26ef5d5c
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 Aug 17, 2009
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SoCalHaze
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Registered: Jan 19, 2006
Location: United States
Posts: 298
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Review Date: Aug 11, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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bokeh, HSM, razor sharp. Did I mention the buttery bokeh?! Works like a champ on the 5D.
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Cons:
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needed a factory visit to straighten out the focusing issue. Now focuses at all distances extremely well.
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Totally worth the extra effort to get the focus right. Will be holding on to my copy for the foreseeable future.
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Aug 11, 2009
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Mingming Lu
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Registered: Feb 4, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 308
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Review Date: Aug 4, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $450.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Sharp wide open, decent build(better than Canon), nice bokeh
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Cons:
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A little soft around MFD, warmer color(may not be a problem)
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I jumped on this lens after doing research online for many weeks. Finally I decided to part with my Canon 50/1.4 and give this Sigma a try. So far I'm pretty happy with the switch. I feel my Sigma is slightly sharper than my Canon from f/1.4-2.0 though Canon is not bad at all within this range. As I'm a picky person on image sharpness, before I always used my Canon at f/2.0. Now I find myself use my Sigma at f/1.6 most of time happily.
The AF is pretty good most of time. The only problem I noticed is the images around MFD look a little soft sometimes, but not all the time. As I haven't done any extensive testing, I'm not sure if this is caused by the infamous AF issue or just some accident.
Color from this lens tends to be a little warmer(yellowish), which is not a big deal and can be fixed easily in photoshop. Bokeh is a big advantage over Canon. It's smooth and silky, better than Canon's. Overall, it's a very good purchase if you're a normal lens person and don't have over $1,000 for 50L.
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Aug 4, 2009
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Digital Fury
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Registered: Jun 10, 2009
Location: France
Posts: 3
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Review Date: Jul 30, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $500.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Boken, out of center focus, very usable at f/1.4, built quality, comes with hood and case, money saved vs. Canon 50mm f/1.2
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Cons:
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Boken CA (true of most such lenses), a bit pricey for a Sigma but the quality is there, no weather sealing.
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I'm using this lense on a Canon 5D MK II and I believe it's much better than the Canon 50mm f/1.4, and much cheaper than the Canon f/1.2.
I'm not using this lens stopped down and/or for distant objects, but for photojournalism and/or indoor shots it's quite awesome, light, well constructed and very usable at f/1.4 ...if only it had weather sealing.
Very happy with it.
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Jul 30, 2009
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LZ7J
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Registered: Feb 22, 2004
Location: Canada
Posts: 163
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Review Date: Jul 28, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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First off, I love L-glass and I own both this superb lens & a 50L. Everything about this lens is great, bokeh, sharpness wide open, color/contrast, flare & CA control. I would have rated this lens a 3/10 before I had sent it to Sigma (twice!!!). So be warned, you will most likely have to send it in for calibration... but let me tell you, the 1 week wait was very well worth the effort. I'll be selling my 50L (UV, my 7th copy I tried that still focus shifts).
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Cons:
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Needs calibration/Poor QC. Manual focus is no where near the 50L. Build is 9/10 vs perfect 10 for the L.
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Jul 28, 2009
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bysensitivo
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Registered: Jan 1, 2007
Location: Italy
Posts: 44
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Review Date: Jun 20, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $500.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Boken = 10
Focus = 10
Build = 10
I have used Planar and Summicron 50/1,4 but this prime lens is really fantastic.
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Cons:
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none
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Jun 20, 2009
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Enche Tjin
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Registered: Jun 14, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 0
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Review Date: Jun 17, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $540.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Excellent built quality and image quality, fast AF tracking, very sharp
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Cons:
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heavy, bulky, price
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Following the success of Sigma 30mm f/1.4, Sigma launches 50mm f/1.4. It is Sigma premium prime lens ($475 street) The build quality of this lens is very sturdy.
Mounted in Canon Rebel XSi / 450D, the lens body texture is very pleasant to grip. It is heavier than other prime lenses but it is not a big issue. The lens cap from Sigma has a similar built quality like the lens body. Unfortunately the lens front and rear cap are made from cheap plastic and quite flimsy.
The manual focus bar is wide, smooth and anti creep. Overall this lens has an excellent body construction, up to par with pro grade lens.
Due to the big aperture, the lens are wider than other prime lens, this is helpful for people with average to big hand.
Auto focus operation is fast and quiet due to Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM). But in low light situation such as sunset or dark skin tone, this lens auto focus have problem to lock in the target.
I took several snap shot today to test this lens wide open, the result is impressive. The result is good contrast, and very smooth bokeh or blur due to shallow depth of field. Chromatic Aberration is minimal even in aperture wide open.
Mounted in small sensor camera (Canon Rebels, X0D series, Nikon D40 up to D300, Sony and Pentax digital slr cameras), this lens is equivalent to 80mm (medium telephoto). This focal length and big aperture is ideal for portrait. Other purpose will be low light condition such as indoor sports or art performance.
In Sony or Pentax body, this lens will gain advantage of the image stabilization which gain 1-2 stops than Nikon or Canon cameras. The lens will come with a lens box to store lens when it is not in use. Extra cushion is provided to absorb shock.
Visit my blog www.radiantlite.com for sample photos
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Jun 17, 2009
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RudydG
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Registered: Oct 7, 2003
Location: Belgium
Posts: 99
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Review Date: Jun 2, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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image and build quality, wonderfull bokeh
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Cons:
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Price for a sigma, and i had to try 3 before i got a good one
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Loved the image quality from day one, but not so the focus, it was "all over the place", front, back, you name it, but after the third copy (bought recently 103xxxx serial), the focus is much better, not perfect, but at 1.4 the canon is also not 100% all the time.
For me it is the alternative tot the 1.2L (not the Canon 50 1.4, i think that is an "old design" lens, which should be upgraded as soon as possible.
Ps, i use it on a Canon 5DmkII
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Jun 2, 2009
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jacksons31
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Registered: Mar 9, 2009
Location: United States
Posts: 83
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Review Date: May 29, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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sharp, crisp, focus is spot on
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Cons:
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none
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May 29, 2009
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cdgerston
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Registered: Mar 8, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 304
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Review Date: May 18, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Sharp wide open, very sharp f/2 and on. Gorgeous bokeh and fine transitions from focus to out-of-focus. Focus is quick and accurate on my copy at all distances.
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Cons:
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It's pretty big (but balances nicely on a 5D).
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It's pretty much all been said in previous reviews, and its a shame that some people have had trouble with focusing, but a good copy of this lens is a treasure. I love it. I'm not comparing it just with L glass, of which I've used plenty, but also to some of the Leica glass I use on my M8. Set aside minor issues of build-quality, MTF charts, focusing accuracy, whatever: images from this lens are beautiful.
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May 18, 2009
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poodlelvr
Offline
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Registered: Aug 25, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 490
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Review Date: May 13, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Bokeh......gorgeous
Sharp
Comes with hood & nice padded, zippered case
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Cons:
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Don't like the exterior material of lens - not important compared to lens quality
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After reading reviews I was hesitant to buy this Sigma lens but I am very pleased with my copy. I have owned the Canon 50 f1.4 and this lens is superior in my estimation. That bokeh alone is worth the increase in price; I am also pleased with the sharpness. The lens is not that big to me but definitely larger than the Canon. Much less CA than the Canon 50 1.4. No focus issues for me. It sits in my bag and is always with me. I would recommend this over the Canon.
Canon - Sigma includes the hood and a quality bag for this lens - why don't you?
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May 13, 2009
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mister wiggles
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Registered: Dec 28, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 14
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Review Date: May 7, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $400.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Build quality, bokeh, HSM, weight of glass. The lens comes with a hood and a carry case.
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Cons:
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The actual texture and feel of the lens is a bit "plasticy." The lens does hunt a little under low light conditions.
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The lens is worth the extra money over Canon's varient in the build quality alone. Although the lens doesn't feel "L Class" worthy, it is a significant improvement from the Canon 50 1.4. The bokeh from the lens is very satisfactory; smooth. The sharpness wide open isn't as sharp as say a 35L, but definitely not a deal breaker by any means. The lens takes a 77mm which in my opinion is great so all the little lens children in my bag can share filters; sharing is caring. All focusing issues aside, the Sigma 50 has been a pleasure to use.
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May 7, 2009
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mik68
Offline
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Registered: Jan 23, 2006
Location: Germany
Posts: 2
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Review Date: May 4, 2009
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Recommend? no |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 3
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Pros:
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good solid feeling, hood included
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Cons:
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strong backfocus
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I had this lens for two weeks. Even with my 5dmk2 I could not get rid of the backfocus. If you have the time and patience to send the lens to Sigma for focusing it is probably a great lens. If you are not patient don't buy the lens.
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May 4, 2009
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myy001
Offline
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Registered: Jul 18, 2005
Location: United States
Posts: 454
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Review Date: Apr 28, 2009
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Recommend? no |
Price paid: $499.00
| Rating: 7
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Pros:
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Sharp even at 1.4, good IQ, build and felling, with hood
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Cons:
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Inconsistant focusing. 5D2 micro adj +10, can focus well 50% only.
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Exchanged to EF 50/1.4 eventually due to the focusing issue.
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Apr 28, 2009
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trajan
Offline
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Registered: Dec 3, 2008
Location: United States
Posts: 130
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Review Date: Apr 23, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $450.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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bokeh, fast, little vignetting, sharp, good colors, AF, good at f/1.4-2.0, good at short distance
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Cons:
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CA for OOF objects in front of the focus point, build quality, outclassed at f/4.0+, non-planar design
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Photos I took with this lens: http://highaperture.com/Sigma50mm-Index.html
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 is an amazing lens. But you should know its strong and weak points:
1. Bokeh. Unique bokeh, very smooth and washed. Different rendition than the Canon 50mm f/1.2. I bought this lens for this bokeh alone.
2. Size: big for a 50mm lens. It's actually bigger than the Canon EF 50mm f/1.2, and almost as heavy.
3. Build quality look ok. The plastic feels cheaper than the Canon plastic. There is no comparison with the metal lenses made by Zeiss or CV.
4. Focusing: lots of people complained about the lens having focusing problems. Those may have been earlier copies. My copy works like a charm.
5. MTF graph shows extremely good performance.
6. Vignetting: very low. Better than the Canon 50mm f/1.2 even when stopped down to f/1.4
7. The positive field curvature is a problem for shooting at infinity. It works very good with short distances.
8. For stopped down and distance shooting, the Sigma is outclassed by simpler lenses, such as the Zeiss ZE 50mm f/1.4.
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Apr 23, 2009
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charld
Offline
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: Dec 20, 2007
Location: United States
Posts: 353
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Review Date: Apr 23, 2009
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $442.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Good build quality, sharp, and accurate focus even in low light.
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Cons:
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The first lens i bought has the erratic problems focus.
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Before getting this i looked at the Canon 1.4 and 1.2 and found the sigma to be the best in terms of quality and price. Like all my sigmas this needed some micro adjustment of the 1d/d1s. beautiful bokeh, nice color and contrast.
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Apr 23, 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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132744
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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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