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  Reviews by: sethny  
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Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM

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Review Date: Oct 18, 2010 Recommend? yes | Price paid: Not Indicated | Rating: 3 

 
Pros: good at 2.8 and up.
Cons:
AF not good at all: sporadic, jumps. nikon mount makes no sense being the 35 1.8DX much better and cheaper

Sigma likes to advertise absurd apertures , like we don't know how to see that they are not really 1.4 or 1.8 but 2.8 at the most. This lens is a joke wide open. Good only at 2.8 and up.

Nikon gave to Sigma a first "wake-up call" with the cheaper and much better 35mm 1.8DX. I wish Canon will do the same.

Sigma should work harder on the AF imitation (and reverse engineering) instead of marketing "joke" aperture at absurd prices.

and call this lens a 2.8 please.

I shoot Nikon and I had to return this lens immediately to get the 35 DX , which is a real "1.8" with a stable AF (for much less money)

please excuse the "tone" of this review but I believe that Sigma should really "review" their marketing, price their second grade products as such and don't play the "numbers" with us. If not they should expect reviews like this one.
 
Nikon 35mm f/1.8G AF-S DX Micro-Nikkor

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Review Date: Oct 18, 2010 Recommend? yes | Price paid: Not Indicated | Rating: 10 

 
Pros: sharpness wide open. AF is accurate (fast enough but not the fastest)
Cons:
if "feels" a bit longer than 35mm

at 1.8 (wide open) is sharp. By 5.6 is first class, up there within the best. I have the feeling that since the lens is cheap still doesn't get the due respect. If the cost was in the $400-500 range then maybe this gem could get better reviews (dpreview included)

in other words if we take other primes and compare none will perform better (with the only exception of the 1.4 , maybe)

Dunno what the expectations are but this lens does everything a prime used to do, only better than everything I saw in the Nikon mount so far .

better than 50 1.8D, 50 1.4D, 35 f/2, 24 and 28 2.8D.

on DX the hood is useless, better to use the hood of the 55-200 first version (fits perfectly and gives more protection)