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Sigma i 35/2 and Sony 35/1.4 GM. Sell One or Keep Both?

chiron
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Sigma i 35/2 and Sony 35/1.4 GM. Sell One or Keep Both?

Problems, problems!!

I have both the Sigma i 35/2 and the Sony 35/1.4 GM. I like them both for their rendering and size. Both lenses are excellent copies that I went to a lot of trouble to get. The GM is a little larger and heavier than the Sigma, but they are both of moderate size and weight. Both will fit with two other lenses and a body in the bags that I like to use for travel and other occasions.

35 GM weighs 524 grams and is 3 X 3.8 inches

35/2.0 weighs 325 grams and is 2.8 X 2.7 inches

Is there any good reason to keep both? If not, which one should go?

Sep 03, 2023 at 09:45 AM

chez
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Sigma i 35/2 and Sony 35/1.4 GM. Sell One or Keep Both?

If you are happy with the size of the GM, I see little need for the Sigma.

Sep 03, 2023 at 10:15 AM

tschopp
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Sigma i 35/2 and Sony 35/1.4 GM. Sell One or Keep Both?

To me the 35 GM is small enough that I don't see much benefit from a smaller lens. Neither one fits in my pocket on a camera or would be small enough to mount un-noticed to my belt.

But some of it is about you, do you have different roles that you use each for? If you do then it seems fine to keep both, unless this would free up room for something more different you would like instead.

As for me I'm keeping my 35GM and have no need for any other 35 primes.

Sep 03, 2023 at 10:25 AM

Jonas B
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Sigma i 35/2 and Sony 35/1.4 GM. Sell One or Keep Both?

If you need f/1.4 keep the 35GM. The same is true if you need "sharpest" possible and fastst possible AF.
If you don't need anything of the above compared to the Sigma I don't know why you should keep the GM.

The Sigma has way better haptics, is smaller, has less weight and as you got a good copy it is a "good enough" lens in my book.

Sep 03, 2023 at 10:33 AM

Newenglandrocks
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Sigma i 35/2 and Sony 35/1.4 GM. Sell One or Keep Both?

I acquired both this year. In general, I like the 35GM better but there have been times when I have gone out to shoot and I just wanted to bring a smaller 35. Like yesterday - I had the 35i and the 70-200GMii with thr 1.4TC and it was a perfect combination for a few candids of my adult children and a few photos of some relatively close by wildlife. I didn't feel like I needed the 35GM to catch photos of them just hanging out with me and it was mid day and I was going to stop down anyway.

If you like shooting 35 and don't mind having both lenses, I'd keep both around.

Sep 03, 2023 at 11:04 AM

ramesesthe2nd
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Sigma i 35/2 and Sony 35/1.4 GM. Sell One or Keep Both?

I had both. I sold the Sigma and kept the GM. I don't really see a reason to keep both. Sigma wasn't really small enough to be a true compact lens and GM is better than Sigma in IQ and feels about the same in handling.

Unless a lens provides something truly unique (classic rendering, manual focusing experience, true compact feel, zoom convenience, AF performance, etc.) it just takes more space in your bag and creates more mental weight.

Sep 03, 2023 at 11:47 AM

nehemiahphoto
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Sigma i 35/2 and Sony 35/1.4 GM. Sell One or Keep Both?

I have owned them both a couple times but kept the 35i. Aside from 1.4, they are both modern smooth draws and I would rather put the money for something different, not largely redundant. I personally don’t like the feel of the 35GM files as much as the 35i. Both are pretty wonderful options, and better than the Sammy or FE 35/1.8’s for my uses.

- The 35i is smaller, cheaper, has nicer colors/contrast (imo), better build, and a bit of SA (good).

- The GM 35 has better AF, flare resistance, MFD correction and is sharper (though sharpness hasn’t ever been an issue with either lens).

Those were the main factors for me. And the rendering generally. Not sure what type of shooting you do, but I find even the 35i is bigger than I would like, so that’s my bias.

Sep 03, 2023 at 12:59 PM

chiron
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Sigma i 35/2 and Sony 35/1.4 GM. Sell One or Keep Both?

nehemiahphoto wrote:
I have owned them both a couple times but kept the 35i. Aside from 1.4, they are both modern smooth draws and I would rather put the money for something different, not largely redundant. I personally don’t like the feel of the 35GM files as much as the 35i. Both are pretty wonderful options, and better than the Sammy or FE 35/1.8’s for my uses.

- The 35i is smaller, cheaper, has nicer colors/contrast (imo), better build, and a bit of SA (good).

- The GM 35 has better AF, flare resistance, MFD correction and is sharper (though sharpness hasn’t ever been...Show more →

Yes, the main draw of the i 35 is that it is smaller and has lovely rendering, probably thanks to some SA. But I find the 35 GM also has a lovely draw.

My shooting tends to emphasize the spontaneous and my presence in situations, as with family or traveling, that are not organized around photography. So I prefer small and I could easily see the i 35 on a A7Cr as a very handy combination for me.

I also like to have my lenses in series (which perhaps is silly). If I liked the new i series 50mm/2.0, I would be inclined to happily have a set of i series 35, 45, 50, 65 for my most common shooting lengths. But I had the i series 50/2.0 for a week and it didn't wow me. So then If I pair GM lenses together to make a set, I'd get the well-thought of 50/1.4 GM and pair that with the 24 and 35 GM and I would expect Sony to be introducing an 85 GM II in the next year that would be consistent in size with the other GM lenses.

Part of the problem here is that I have acquired too much gear. I often find myself resonating with Phillip Reeve's self-description that he has two hobbies--photography and photographic gear and that they are relatd only to a small degree.

Sep 03, 2023 at 08:26 PM

ramesesthe2nd
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Sigma i 35/2 and Sony 35/1.4 GM. Sell One or Keep Both?

chiron wrote:
... Part of the problem here is that I have acquired too much gear. I often find myself resonating with Phillip Reeve's self-description that he has two hobbies--photography and photographic gear and that they are related only to a small degree.

You have to draw a line somewhere. My personal rule was no more than five lenses, then I got into manual lenses and now my new rule is no more than ten lenses. As of right now, I have 6 AF and 4 MF Loxia lenses, so I am on one in and one out situation right now. No matter how much I like something new and shiny, it must replace something in my existing set and not be an addition.

Sep 03, 2023 at 08:44 PM

chiron
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Sigma i 35/2 and Sony 35/1.4 GM. Sell One or Keep Both?

ramesesthe2nd wrote:
You have to draw a line somewhere. My personal rule was no more than five lenses, then I got into manual lenses and now my new rule is no more than ten lenses. As of right now, I have 6 AF and 4 MF Loxia lenses, so I am on one in and one out situation right now. No matter how much I like something new and shiny, it must replace something in my existing set and not be an addition.

That's a good rule. I think it was St. Augustine who prayed, Lord give me the virtue of chastity, but not yet.

Sep 03, 2023 at 08:57 PM

Newenglandrocks
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Sigma i 35/2 and Sony 35/1.4 GM. Sell One or Keep Both?

chiron wrote:
That's a good rule. I think it was St. Augustine who prayed, Lord give me the virtue of chastity, but not yet.

You need to evolve. The rule I have is “no more than 3 primes with (about) the same focal length”. That way, you can feast at the zoom smorgasbord to your heart’s content, but you don’t get too flummoxed by selecting primes when you head out.

Sep 03, 2023 at 10:22 PM

SpecFoto
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Sigma i 35/2 and Sony 35/1.4 GM. Sell One or Keep Both?

Sorry, I am no help as I own both the 35GM and 35i, plus the 35 f2.8 ZA Sony compact...

Each fills a different need.

I was going to get rid of the Zony, but now that I am buying an A6700, I may just keep it as the resale value is so low and it is the smallest lens I own.

Sep 03, 2023 at 11:59 PM

Sutro
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Sigma i 35/2 and Sony 35/1.4 GM. Sell One or Keep Both?

if the smaller size of the sigma makes a big difference at times, and at other times the gm for its 1.4 makes a big difference, i would have to keep both. although for me personally the gm would be small enough for everything. but i do think i like the rendering of the sigma more.. but probably not at the expense of the 1.4..but maybe. don't think i helped. i couldn't settle on a single 35 myself. ended up with the sigma 1.2 and the zony 1.4.

Sep 04, 2023 at 12:15 AM

Oogappeltje
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Sigma i 35/2 and Sony 35/1.4 GM. Sell One or Keep Both?

Both the 35GM and 35i are AF lenses. My view is that the GM is the better one solution lens except size. But the 35i is not a small or light lens compaired to other non-1.4 AF lenses. So the difference is minimal on this part.

I had both, kept the 35GM

Sep 04, 2023 at 03:18 AM

swldstn
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Sigma i 35/2 and Sony 35/1.4 GM. Sell One or Keep Both?

I own both. I justify it by having two kits optimized for differentiating uses. There is my GM kit for lenses to use on my A1 and A7RV and then my I-series Sigma kit optimized for travel with the A7C or A7 IV. I am selling those bodies and will place them hopefully with an A7C II.I will also use the 35i on APS-c as a 50mm as well.

Sep 04, 2023 at 03:23 AM

KarmaKramer
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Sigma i 35/2 and Sony 35/1.4 GM. Sell One or Keep Both?

Keep the Sony. Every time. The 35GM is amazing and light, I barely know its on the camera. Can’t imagine any 35mm lens better, for “haptics” or otherwise.

Sep 04, 2023 at 05:49 AM

InFocus2014
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Sigma i 35/2 and Sony 35/1.4 GM. Sell One or Keep Both?

I would, as a minimum, keep the GM 35mm f1.4. It is the most optically perfect lens available in E-mount. I really like the ability to crop images from this lens and maintain sharpness; plus, the ability to shoot at lower ISO's in lower light. The added bokeh at f1.4 is nice as well.

The following table is from www.sonyalphablog.com and nicely illustrates the sharpness advantage of the Sony lens at f2:

TABLE FROM WWW.SONYALPHABLOG.COM

Sep 04, 2023 at 06:40 AM

Mzrk
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Sigma i 35/2 and Sony 35/1.4 GM. Sell One or Keep Both?

I have the 35mm f2 and while I like it I wonder if a 1.4 will be much better. The f2 is perfect on my A7C. I was thinking about the Sigma DG DN 35 f1.4 (cheaper) but that one may be too heavy on the A7C? Another concern is the AF, but if it’s at least as good as the f2 I’ll be fine. Anyone here have experience with that lens?

Sep 04, 2023 at 09:18 AM

Jonas B
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Sigma i 35/2 and Sony 35/1.4 GM. Sell One or Keep Both?

KarmaKramer wrote:
Keep the Sony. Every time. The 35GM is amazing and light, I barely know its on the camera. Can’t imagine any 35mm lens better, for “haptics” or otherwise.

As you mention haptics I guess that is a comment on my post.
Honestly, I don't know how to put this really. You really can't imagine a lens with better haptics than the 35GM? That may be true of course considering you barely notice you have mounted the 500 gram thing in front of the sensor. But still, really??

Anyway, I'll try to explain:

Manual focusing: The 35GM focusing ring is quite nervous, on the limit to hysterical. You are obviously supposed to use the AF only. I have mentioned this earlier and then I described the problem more in detail.

The AF/MF switch: It is hard to move, doing it in cold weather with glows on is for grandchildren to Houidini only.

The aperture ring: Somebody at Sony decided that form is more important than function. The ring is nearly flush with the barrel making it hard to get a good grip of it. Design over usabilitiy - it's a shame.

The conclusion is that Sony thinks we should use AF only and the camera body controls rather than the features they designed for the lens. That is a lens with bad haptics and the Sigma wins this chapter with 3 to zero.

I'm not a big fan of the Sigma. I really wanted to like it but after having tried three different copies and they all showed a midzone dip at the right side I gave up. The OP managed to get a good copy though.

Regarding "sharpness" and auto-focus Sony is the winner. Anyone has to decide about "good enough", weight, price and so on.

Sep 04, 2023 at 12:47 PM

jaygould
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Sigma i 35/2 and Sony 35/1.4 GM. Sell One or Keep Both?

What about other 35mm options? For example the CV f2 Apo. Does it compare favorably to the Sigma? I know it is sharp but what about rendering and colors?

Also is it true that the Sigma is closer to 30 than 35? I already have the Loxia 21 so a 30mm would be too small of a gap.

Sep 05, 2023 at 01:33 AM

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