The new Sigma 30mm F/1.4 - so far, I love it!

[Wilk]

Hello everybody,

I got this lens a few weeks ago (ordered within the first hour b&h had them, didn't want to take a chance). I haven't really had a LOT of time to use it but this is from my first outing. When I first zoomed into this @ 100% I was kinda shocked it was this sharp wide open. No scientific test by any means, but still...

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And the 100% crop - I know it's in the center, but that's where most of the detail is.

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[allen_a_george]

I'm _thinking_ of getting this lens. However, I'm leery of becoming someone who simply collects camera equipment instead of actually using it.

After my courses are done I'll put some serious thought into getting a wide angle. Either the Tokina 12-24 or Sigma 10-20. That'll complement my kit lens until I 'figure out' where I want to go.

I'm somewhat hesitant because I have a 50mm 1.8 and it's definitely the far lesser used of my two lenses right now...

 

[Wilk]

Hey Allen,

I'm TOTALLY with you on your thoughts. Not sure exactly what you have, but if it's just the kit and 50, I would CERTAINLY look at another good zoom first, one of the utlra wides you mentioned may indeed be a good choice, especially if you find yourself wanting wider when you're at 18mm with the kit.

I have loaded my rig with fast primes, because I do a LOT of hand held night work. It's simply required for that type of work. I'd have to be at H2 on the D2x to shoot with the kit at night, and that would still be a compramise for me. With the fast primes, I can use auto ISO and go with the flow (H1 & 2 DO not figure into auto iso on the x).

The other thing I totally love about the fast primes is the killer defocus detail I can get in shots.

If you are where you say you are, I would definately stick with your current plan. I have the Nikkor 12-24 and totally love it, though I don't use it enough :roll:

Hope that helps!

 

[allen_a_george]

Hi Steve,

Currently I own the 18-70 (D70 kit) & the 50 1.8 In retrospect, both were mixed blessings.

I appreciate the fact that the 18-70 is a good lens for the price. I wish however, that I'd known more at the time to buy a fixed apeture lens. There are times when I zoom in to 70mm, that I'm frustrated at the change to f/5.6. But we live with what we have :~) If a newcomer asked for my opinion on which lens to get with the D70, I'd suggest the Sigma 18-50 f/2.8. This is also the one reason I'm really leaning towards the Tokina instead of the Sigma wide angle. It's a hard choice. 2mm extra and somewhat mixed reviews vs. constant aperture and general satisfaction...

I really love the ability to shoot handheld - even as the light's fading. That was one of the reasons I bought the 50mm f/1.8. It does give me the ability to reduce my DOF significantly - something I enjoy! But for some reason, it's not on my camera a lot. I don't know why...

Unfortunately I don't use my camera enough (other priorities) to figure out what I really want in terms of lens choices. I'll figure it out over time though.

I hope :~)

 

[Chris101]

Ya know Steve, this lens tempts me too. i'm using the 35mm f/2 now and love it. Not just for it's speed and sharpness, but images from it have a particular ... contrast character. Your night shots mask this as they are mostly of illuminated signs against black. That in itself is contrasty. Your dusk pic Flight Plan wasn't very contrasty so it's hard to judge by that. So I'll just wait and watch what 'early adopters' like you who have the lens do - a whole 'nother stop would be nice.. Thanks for the post!

ps, if you have something with detail in the corner, and it's (supposed to be) in focus post that too!

 

[Wilk]

Ya know Steve, this lens tempts me too. i'm using the 35mm f/2 now and love it. Not just for it's speed and sharpness, but images from it have a particular ... contrast character. Your night shots mask this as they are mostly of illuminated signs against black. That in itself is contrasty. Your dusk pic Flight Plan wasn't very contrasty so it's hard to judge by that. So I'll just wait and watch what 'early adopters' like you who have the lens do - a whole 'nother stop would be nice.. Thanks for the post!

ps, if you have something with detail in the corner, and it's (supposed to be) in focus post that too!

Hey Chris,

Flight Plan wasn't a very contrasty scene either. I'm trying to use it as I'm out and about - going out tomorrow for a few hours, I'll try to find a good test type image that has detail in the corners same as the center - hopefully good contrasty detal and shoot it wide open and mebby stopped down at a couple settings, 2.8 a 8 for example to get a feel for it. I'll make sure i have pleanty of light so shake won't be a factor... I've had a couple of pints of everclear this evening, and I'm usually very shakey the day after :twisted: (A joke... I don't drink hardly at all, except when with a friend that wants to tip one or two back - BEERS, not pints of evercllear :wink: ) I've shot with it some last couple days too, and have to sort through all of this for next week's inbox... I'll do what I can, but don't look for it tomorrow :roll: :lol:

I'm NOT trying to sway you one way or the other, but if you don't really NEED the extra 2 stops (or really want the extra defocus - the dof is RAZOR thin) you may want to stick with what you got :wink: but that's totally up to you... I wanted the two stops because I do a lot of hand held night work and didn't have a "normal" prime. Non-the-less, I'll do what I can to do a totally anechdotal non measurebation type test :lol:

Stay tuned.

 

[Wilk]

Hi Steve,

Currently I own the 18-70 (D70 kit) & the 50 1.8 In retrospect, both were mixed blessings.

I appreciate the fact that the 18-70 is a good lens for the price. I wish however, that I'd known more at the time to buy a fixed apeture lens. There are times when I zoom in to 70mm, that I'm frustrated at the change to f/5.6. But we live with what we have :~) If a newcomer asked for my opinion on which lens to get with the D70, I'd suggest the Sigma 18-50 f/2.8. This is also the one reason I'm really leaning towards the Tokina instead of the Sigma wide angle. It's a hard choice. 2mm extra and somewhat mixed reviews vs. constant aperture and general satisfaction...

I really love the ability to shoot handheld - even as the light's fading. That was one of the reasons I bought the 50mm f/1.8. It does give me the ability to reduce my DOF significantly - something I enjoy! But for some reason, it's not on my camera a lot. I don't know why...

Unfortunately I don't use my camera enough (other priorities) to figure out what I really want in terms of lens choices. I'll figure it out over time though.

I hope :~)

I wish I was more familiar with the two zooms you're see-sawing, but I don't. Not sure what the negatives on the mixed reviews are one the one, but I would try to find out which one seems to be sharper, that can be a hard slog... sometimes searching in the *cough* dpreview nikon lens forum can be helpful, but always remember you read things there from authors with varying skill levels, etc. Maybe google both of them and look for reviews too.

Trust me, having a box full of primes is no picnic. Depending on your bag(s) especially it can be a real pain in the patoot. I have a think tank belt that holds all my primes (non micro, at least) and it totally rocks because it's the ultimate in accessibility (imho, of course), but even with good accessibility, it's a lot of work switching out lenses all the time - not to mention the fact that you'll have to clean the sensor a lot more because of all the lens changes. But the upside is fast to very fast glass, great bokeh, less flare and usually better to much better sharpness compared to a zoom you might own. The latter outweighs the former for me, but I DO pack and use my zooms when I shoot in good light, and it can be a much easier trip when I do ) But I always carry a few primes no matter what I'm doing. eg, I usually pack my 60mm micro in my tamrac velocity backpack (which I always wear with the think tank).

It's a lot to think about... but doing your homework will give you a better chance of being happy with the purchases you make.

Have fun! :shock: