p.38 #1 · Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM first impressions
Rickuz wrote:
A very in depth/sophisticated AFMA that we will be able to do ourselves?..
Interesting. I think that I might just wait for this dock to arrive. I also hope that someone who owns an inconsistent Sigma lens will try the dock and review it for us.
I am wonder what s/w to be used with the dock. Hopefully something like FoCal auto adjustment otherwise AF mapping/reverse engineering can be a daymare for consumer.
p.38 #2 · Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM first impressions
Yakim Peled wrote:
I remember having a Sigma 50/1.4 about two years ago that I tried to calibrate. I spent ~3 hours with the head technitian and in the end he said he could only calibrate it to one body, to one AF point and only to a specific range. He did, but after a few months I felt it was too limiting to I sold it. It's so frustrating to hear these problems still persist.
Happy shooting,
Yakim.
Surely not one of Sigma's technicians?
I have a hard time believing that Sigma's head technicians can't fix their own lenses.
p.38 #3 · Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM first impressions
Rickuz wrote:
Surely not one of Sigma's technicians?
I have a hard time believing that Sigma's head technicians can't fix their own lenses.
I was bewildered as well but I sat with him the whole time. He was a very nice guy, explained everything he was doing to me and openly admitted that third party lenses can not achieve the same level of AF performance (when compared to native lenses) because of the communication protocols. Reverse engineering can get close, very close even but 100% performance is not possible.
BTW, he really put a lot of effort into this. We went in and out of the lab to make sure the modification he did were translated to real world shooting. In the end I got a 50/1.4 which focuses perfectly on the central AF sensor at 3-5 meters range. This is what I asked but in the end, I just couldn't live with it. It was just too limiting.
p.38 #5 · Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM first impressions
mttran - Based on what the tech was saying, there will be included software with the dock which will ask you to enter values and it will adjust accordingly. Assuming it will work similarly to FoCal like you mentioned where the software instructs you on what to do at each step in the process with the main difference being that it will adjust throughout the whole curve as opposed to just finding the right AFMA for whatever distance and lighting you were shooting in in that singular instance.
p.38 #6 · Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM first impressions
Payday today, so I was going to be picking one of these up. No stock anywhere though! Gutted as I was looking forward to using it over the Easter weekend 2-4 weeks apparently. I did find 1 shop that reckoned it had stock online, but couldn't get it confirmed. They were £60 more expensive as well, so gave that a miss.
p.38 #7 · Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM first impressions
jj_glos wrote:
Payday today, so I was going to be picking one of these up. No stock anywhere though! Gutted as I was looking forward to using it over the Easter weekend 2-4 weeks apparently. I did find 1 shop that reckoned it had stock online, but couldn't get it confirmed. They were £60 more expensive as well, so gave that a miss.
B&H has them in stock and should ship out by Wednesday.
Mar 28, 2013 at 12:11 PM
Lars Johnsson Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
p.38 #8 · Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM first impressions
jj_glos wrote:
Payday today, so I was going to be picking one of these up. No stock anywhere though! Gutted as I was looking forward to using it over the Easter weekend 2-4 weeks apparently. I did find 1 shop that reckoned it had stock online, but couldn't get it confirmed. They were £60 more expensive as well, so gave that a miss.
Most of the shops selling it on Amazon UK have it in stock
p.38 #13 · Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM first impressions
Sigh... I really want this lens and I really want it to be great.
I remember right when it came out I basically said if Sigma can ever get AF right, they'd have a winner one of these days. Then I got attacked all over the place by people claiming Sigmas were fine and I didn't know what I was talking about.
Now it looks like history has repeated itself, again. I took a chance with the Sigma 85/1.4 and eventually had to sell it because my keeper rate so bad. I don't know whether I'm ready to take a $900 chance on this lens or not.
p.38 #14 · Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM first impressions
deepbluejh wrote:
Sigh... I really want this lens and I really want it to be great.
I remember right when it came out I basically said if Sigma can ever get AF right, they'd have a winner one of these days. Then I got attacked all over the place by people claiming Sigmas were fine and I didn't know what I was talking about.
Now it looks like history has repeated itself, again. I took a chance with the Sigma 85/1.4 and eventually had to sell it because my keeper rate so bad. I don't know whether I'm ready to take a $900 chance on this lens or not....Show more →
Sigh.....you always say how good the 50L is and how much you like that lens. The Sigma has a lot better AF than the 50L. And the 50L has also got a lot of bad posts here about that. But I suppose it's just Sigma you don't like.....again
Have you even used the lens?
p.38 #15 · Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM first impressions
Lars Johnsson wrote:
You don't buy from B&H or Amazon either So I think you have to be without the lens
Sadly
If I'm getting a grey import, I'd rather buy from an established retailer who charge the import price @ £600. I try to buy all my stuff now from local shops as a rule. Although if there is a huge bargain to be had that can change
p.38 #16 · Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM first impressions
Sven Jeppesen wrote:
Sigh.....you always say how good the 50L is and how much you like that lens. The Sigma has a lot better AF than the 50L. And the 50L has also got a lot of bad posts here about that. But I suppose it's just Sigma you don't like.....again
Have you even used the lens?
I will make absolutely no bones above it. I love my 50L. I bought it new in 2008 and have probably taken 100,000 images with it since then. It's my most used lens and it has been very good and very consistent.
I haven't used the Sigma 50, but I have used the Sigma 85 and what I've found is that while focus is much faster than the Canon "L"s, the consistency and keeper rate just isn't where it should be.
I sold a perfectly good 85L for a Sigma 85 and ultimately had to revert back. I desperately wanted that lens to work for me, but it just didn't. At the end of the day, I will take slow and reliable over fast and unreliable.
I hold no undue grudge against Sigma here. I'm rooting for them. They seem to be about the only lens maker who can really challenge Canon and help keep prices in check. The reality is though if they want to be on the same level as Canon Ls, they are going to have to master the AF consistency that professionals have come to expect. I've seen nothing to indicate that they have figured this out yet, sadly.
That said, I do really want a Sigma 35/1.4 and might even break down and buy one.
Mar 28, 2013 at 02:38 PM
Lars Johnsson Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
p.38 #17 · Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM first impressions
jj_glos wrote:
Sadly
If I'm getting a grey import, I'd rather buy from an established retailer who charge the import price @ £600. I try to buy all my stuff now from local shops as a rule. Although if there is a huge bargain to be had that can change
How do you know it was a grey import? If you never buy from Amazon? And there where 4 different shops selling the lens
Mar 28, 2013 at 02:40 PM
Lars Johnsson Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
p.38 #18 · Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM first impressions
deepbluejh wrote:
I will make absolutely no bones above it. I love my 50L. I bought it new in 2008 and have probably taken 100,000 images with it since then. It's my most used lens and it has been very good and very consistent.
I haven't used the Sigma 50, but I have used the Sigma 85 and what I've found is that while focus is much faster than the Canon "L"s, the consistency and keeper rate just isn't where it should be.
I sold a perfectly good 85L for a Sigma 85 and ultimately had to revert back. I desperately wanted that lens to work for me, but it just didn't. At the end of the day, I will take slow and reliable over fast and unreliable.
I hold no undue grudge against Sigma here. I'm rooting for them. They seem to be about the only lens maker who can really challenge Canon and help keep prices in check. The reality is though if they want to be on the same level as Canon Ls, they are going to have to master the AF consistency that professionals have come to expect. I've seen nothing to indicate that they have figured this out yet, sadly.
That said, I do really want a Sigma 35/1.4 and might even break down and buy one....Show more →
The Sigma 85 have nothing in common with this new wide angle lens. A different focal length, different build both on the outside and inside.
It's like saying your 50L must be bad because I bought a Canon 100/2 lens that was bad............
p.38 #19 · Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM first impressions
Lars Johnsson wrote:
The Sigma 85 have nothing in common with this new wide angle lens. A different focal length, different build both on the outside and inside.
It's like saying your 50L must be bad because I bought a Canon 100/2 lens that was bad............
Know what these lenses have in common? The manufacturer.
Sigma couldn't perfect the 50/1.4 or the 85/1.4. Initial reports suggest more of the same for the 35/1.4 as well. I'm saddened, though not shocked.
That said, I still might just jump for a 35, though waiting a bit longer seems to be prudent.
p.38 #20 · Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM first impressions
Lars Johnsson wrote:
How do you know it was a grey import? If you never buy from Amazon? And there where 4 different shops selling the lens
Read the reviews, it may not be but Amazon UK is full of grey importers. Im not going to take the chance with a market place seller, that is most definitetly not a shop. I didn't say I've never bought from Amazon, I don't buy from them now. I don't like their business practices or customer service. The market place is a shambles.
2-4 weeks apparently. I did find 1 shop that reckoned it had stock online, but couldn't get it confirmed. They were £60 more expensive as well, so gave that a miss.
So I think you have to be without the lens 