0 MA and spot on every time. I have been shooting about 700 shots (no AI servo shots) on my 1DX. Among the best wide open performance that I have seen on a f/1,4 or faster lens. overall is the lens very easy to use and give me very good IQ with every aperture. It's sharper than my Zeiss 35/1,4 wide open. But the Zeiss has nicer bokeh. It beats the Canon 35/1,4 in about everything except AF speed. Which probably is about the same. MF is rather good but I wouldn't mind a bit longer Focus throw (like Zeiss)
Looks like the AF issues that some are experiencing with this lens may not be straightforward or easy to detect, as Roger suggested in his last message. Also seems from the poll that about 22% of people who voted are having significant back or front-focus (though from the responses, as I recall it seems front-focus is far more common). Also apparent that there are some excellent copies out there.
Unfortunately I still don't have my 5D3 back from Canon yet. The Irvine service center is apparently very backed up. So I haven't been able to re-test my copy yet.
Invertalon wrote:
Having used the Sigma 35 with my 5D3 the past week with hundreds if not thousands of shots on my vacation.
Mine requires 0 MA outdoors in natural light. Near to far, focus is spot on and accurate as can be. Add any MA at all and the image gets softer. 0 is perfect at all distances from MFD to infinity.
Indoors I run into some issues. I ran FoCal multiple times are various distances before my trip using 1000W halogen lighting... It constantly gave me +9 over and over again. I noticed indoors with certain lighting, it does require that +9 to be sharp. Having it set at 0 MA looks terrible and severely front focused. But outdoors, +9 looks terrible.
Not sure what causes this behavior... I have confirmed this behavior doing tests plenty of times now, and I can 100% confirm it is happpening. But indoors in natural light, 0 is perfect. Only with artificial light does it *sometimes* not work and require the +9 to be sharp. Distance does not change this. It is constant throughout at any distance.
Outdoors, +9 has no chance at all of working... It is simply soft always. Indoors, 0 works sometimes and other times there is no way. It really has something to do with types of light. Just not sure which or how, though.
I may exchange my lens with another, but performance has been downright spectacular as long as I change the MA value as need be. Indoors, sometimes, I need to switch to +9.... Otherwise, it stays on 0 the other 90% of the time and performs perfectly at any distance. Extremely consistant.
Anybody know what would cause this behavior? Does it sound like a lens or body issue? My 5D3 was with Canon weeks ago for a check/clean, and months prior as well so it has been checked and all that routinely. Roger, any help here with your lens knowledge? What could cause this behavior? I would love to hear from you!
Lens performs so dang good other than this little quirk. Just tying to figure out if exchanging lenses will fix this problem and risk worse performing lens... It really is blowing me away with its performance honestly. I have owned the 35L and many others L primes and this one as just as good if not better. I just want to figure out my little phonemonom here!...Show more →
Crap. Now I'm going to have to test this outdoors today. Here I was thinking everything was ok...
Also, does it seem like more people are having front-focusing with the 5D3 than any other camera? This isn't really a large enough sample size to detect a pattern, but I wonder.
I did with the first one. It's been cold and rainy here in Ohio! Plus this is my indoor low light lens; it'll normally be way stopped down outdoors. Just got #2 yesterday. Blah blah blah
Yeah I will be curious if anyone shares my same issue... If nobody does, ill be sending back mine for an exchange Monday next week when I get back home. But the thing is it does not always happen indoors, only in some types of artificial light. Appreciate anybody who can check theirs closely.
Outside this lens is so perfect at 0.... Wish it was indoors always too without having to change MA value.
My issue is not the result of indoor target testing either but real world shooting. Since I am on vacation, this lens has been used probably 75% of the time for me here at Disney, Knotts, Universal, etc... I would estimate about 1000+ photos with this lens.
One hard example was at Knotts.... At this indoor holiday show, taking a photo of the stage from 75+ feet back at my 0 MA setting the image was soft over and over after five images or so. Switched to +9 and perfectly sharp instantly.
The next day in midday light, I was getting soft images over and over. Seen I didn't switch my MA back to 0 and after that, flawless images.
I have been able to confirm this behavior over and over and over again. Not something that is made up.
Invertalon wrote:
Having used the Sigma 35 with my 5D3 the past week with hundreds if not thousands of shots on my vacation.
Mine requires 0 MA outdoors in natural light. Near to far, focus is spot on and accurate as can be. Add any MA at all and the image gets softer. 0 is perfect at all distances from MFD to infinity.
Indoors I run into some issues. I ran FoCal multiple times are various distances before my trip using 1000W halogen lighting... It constantly gave me +9 over and over again. I noticed indoors with certain lighting, it does require that +9 to be sharp. Having it set at 0 MA looks terrible and severely front focused. But outdoors, +9 looks terrible.
Not sure what causes this behavior... I have confirmed this behavior doing tests plenty of times now, and I can 100% confirm it is happpening. But indoors in natural light, 0 is perfect. Only with artificial light does it *sometimes* not work and require the +9 to be sharp. Distance does not change this. It is constant throughout at any distance.
Outdoors, +9 has no chance at all of working... It is simply soft always. Indoors, 0 works sometimes and other times there is no way. It really has something to do with types of light. Just not sure which or how, though.
I may exchange my lens with another, but performance has been downright spectacular as long as I change the MA value as need be. Indoors, sometimes, I need to switch to +9.... Otherwise, it stays on 0 the other 90% of the time and performs perfectly at any distance. Extremely consistant.
Anybody know what would cause this behavior? Does it sound like a lens or body issue? My 5D3 was with Canon weeks ago for a check/clean, and months prior as well so it has been checked and all that routinely. Roger, any help here with your lens knowledge? What could cause this behavior? I would love to hear from you!
Lens performs so dang good other than this little quirk. Just tying to figure out if exchanging lenses will fix this problem and risk worse performing lens... It really is blowing me away with its performance honestly. I have owned the 35L and many others L primes and this one as just as good if not better. I just want to figure out my little phonemonom here!...Show more →
goosemang wrote:
heh, i just came in here to make a similar post.
i dialed in my MA a couple of days ago as i posted, but it seems to be a little wonky. sometimes it's spot on, other times it's completely wacked out. i know for a fact that i can get tack sharp images out of this thing - even sharp as hell at 1.4 - but getting them *consistently* is proving to be a challenge.
and i'm not talking about the normal challenges of shooting at 1.4 here..... i'm talking lens is spot on, then i take a photo ten minutes later in the same conditions and it front focuses by five feet.
honestly, i've been thinking about this too much. i need to take a few days off and go take some photographs of things that actually matter. ...Show more →
That was basically the same experience I had with my second copy of a Siggy 50 (the first one was a piece of c**p, BTW). That makes me hesitant to get the 35mm.... I am tempted but still resisting . None of my Canon lenses has that issue.
See but for me, mine is consistant as can be. As long as I change my MA to 0 outside or +9 inside *sometimes when required*. Once at the proper MA, it nails almost everything near to far in any light level. It really is extremely reliable and accurate. I don't get any crazy random oof shots or anything like that. Performs just as good as any L honestly... It just is that indoor front focus issue I get on some artificial light. Lol.
Yesterday shooting at a target in our rental home at night with the lights on required +9 to be sharp... Today now in natural light, 0 is perfect. It directly relates to some type of artificial light.
Sigma got their AF commands by reverse engineering, which itself is destined to "can cause trouble sometimes".
But main problem is, that Canon and Nikon has some manufacturer tolerancy (which with advent of MA went higher) so if you are unlucky and get body which is on border of tolerancy and then piece from Sigma which is on border too, you can get very bad AF.
Most likely its not issue of Sigma QA (which really improved a lot lately), but simple "tolerancy" issue.. And maybe bit caused by that reverse engineered commands. Which is unfortunately unavoidable.
Why Im writing this? Well maybe someone didnt know.
Invertalon wrote:
See but for me, mine is consistant as can be. As long as I change my MA to 0 outside or +9 inside *sometimes when required*. Once at the proper MA, it nails almost everything near to far in any light level. It really is extremely reliable and accurate. I don't get any crazy random oof shots or anything like that. Performs just as good as any L honestly... It just is that indoor front focus issue I get on some artificial light. Lol.
Yesterday shooting at a target in our rental home at night with the lights on required +9 to be sharp... Today now in natural light, 0 is perfect. It directly relates to some type of artificial light....Show more →
If I find this to be the case I'm returning the lens. All it would take is to miss great shots because I forgot to set the MFA adjustment - I'm already thinking about shutter, WB, framing, ISO - don't need another variable to screw up with.
badlydrawnboy wrote:
Anyone have thoughts on how a lens could focus so consistently differently indoors and outdoors?
Most likely cause compatibility with newest bodies can be "iffy". At least if you have 5DMK3 or 1DX. If its older body, then it shouldnt be problem, unless they written some part of code wrong..
Or one small theory of mine. Its not transmitting some part of light which is important for AF on Canon body, most likely something near end of red part of spectrum, close to IR. Or it shift colors, and if Canon AF is near-IR dependant and Sigma shift that near IR part, then it could in theory shift AF. Outside where that part of spectrum is stronger, it wont cause trouble, but inside we dont have much of near-IR light sources.
But just theory..
Jan 11, 2013 at 12:31 PM
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Mescalamba wrote:
Most likely cause compatibility with newest bodies can be "iffy". At least if you have 5DMK3 or 1DX. If its older body, then it shouldnt be problem, unless they written some part of code wrong..
Or one small theory of mine. Its not transmitting some part of light which is important for AF on Canon body, most likely something near end of red part of spectrum, close to IR. Or it shift colors, and if Canon AF is near-IR dependant and Sigma shift that near IR part, then it could in theory shift AF. Outside where that part of spectrum is stronger, it wont cause trouble, but inside we dont have much of near-IR light sources.
^ Light theory - quite possible. I know different lenses can exhibit different AF qualities, depending on the light source - Sigma 35 isn't the only victim of this.
If a camera manufacturer has some AF code that takes the light temp into effect and adjusts the AF routines, then perhaps Sigma hasn't reversed this yet.
I'm not sure if it's spectrum-related, perhaps, or something to do with how certain lights cycle. or maybe a combination of the two.
So for those who say they've got a "fantastic" copy - have you tried it wide open at different distances, both indoor and out?
Outdoors now it appears anything beyond 10 feet it backfocuses really badly, but from MFD to 10 ft (-14) is spot on. This is @ F/1.4.
Shield wrote:
So for those who say they've got a "fantastic" copy - have you tried it wide open at different distances, both indoor and out?
Outdoors now it appears anything beyond 10 feet it backfocuses really badly, but from MFD to 10 ft (-14) is spot on. This is @ F/1.4.
Now for the F/2 + F/2.8 tests.
yeah, this is weird. i thought it was spot on with the MA until i started shooting in different conditions. then up close it's pretty spot on, but like you said further away it gets wonky. mine front focuses severely, not back focus, maybe like 20% of the time at distances of maybe 8+ feet or something. i really started to notice it outside, in good light, when i expected it to be even better and shots were totally off.
i suppose there may be a way to correct this with the dock when it comes out, but whatever. im just gonna return it and hold the cash for a while and see how everything shakes out. i hate playing with this kind of stuff for more than half an hour.
it's a gorgeous lens, and it's sharp as a tack even wide open, but if it's this inconsistent i'm gonna hold off. i can't even MF it on the 5d3 because it's not accurate at 1.4, so what's the point
goosemang wrote:
yeah, this is weird. i thought it was spot on with the MA until i started shooting in different conditions. then up close it's pretty spot on, but like you said further away it gets wonky. mine front focuses severely, not back focus, maybe like 20% of the time at distances of maybe 8+ feet or something. i really started to notice it outside, in good light, when i expected it to be even better and shots were totally off.
i suppose there may be a way to correct this with the dock when it comes out, but whatever. im just gonna return it and hold the cash for a while and see how everything shakes out. i hate playing with this kind of stuff for more than half an hour.
it's a gorgeous lens, and it's sharp as a tack even wide open, but if it's this inconsistent i'm gonna hold off. i can't even MF it on the 5d3 because it's not accurate at 1.4, so what's the point...Show more →
You had me until the last sentence. Why couldn't you use MF? The whole point was the autofocus inconsistency; this has 0 to do with manual focusing.
