Sigma 30mm 1.4 - opinions

[Rusty Rogers]

And I love it!
I don't have the T2i yet, but the stills are amazing!
Great improvement over my 50mm f/1.8 for composition. I can't imagine why anyone would pick a 50mm over this lens on a crop-sensor camera.

I saw Khoi's video and had to have one.

:~)

[Jon Fairhurst]

Having both is best. Use the 30 for a normal view and the 50 for medium closeups. All you need is a wide lens (18mm or less) for establishing shots and you've got the basic range covered.

[Rusty Rogers]

I agree about 50mm for medium closeups.
I also have a Sigma 12-24mm f/3.5-4.5, it's so wide I often (accidentally) shoot my toes.

[Fergus Anderson]

Just to thank everyone again for their input into this thread.

Also to update that I have just ordered the Sigma 30 1.4 from Jessops. I decided to pay a bit extra due to the ease of return with Jessops etc in case of quality issues.

The only annoyance is that I have to wait 28 days for it to arrive!

[Carlos Tovar]

Some great posts... I'm looking at the sigma 30mm myself for my 7D and I think based on the generally positive feedback and images, I can probably pick one up with confidence.

[Aaron Almquist]

I bought the Sigma 30 and I love it. I have a video i'll post when i get home of a subject in nothing but candle light. Simply amazing. I would skip the 50mm and go for the canon 85 1.8 which i did. Then I also bought the 15 2.8 canon. It was an early christmas this year :)

[Fergus Anderson]

Hey Guys



I just received a sigma 30mm 1.4 from Jessops. Very dissapointing since the lens is clearly a return! It has a returns sticker on it and is very obviously not new. It seems to front focus too and has a mark inside the rear of the lens. For video though it is fantastic - shame it doesnt have hard stops.

I am really not sure what to do. I want to return the lens but am not inclined to get another from jessops! I am wondering if I might be better saving some money and getting the Super Takumr 50 1.4 and maybe the 28?

I currently have the 18-55 IS kit lens which I am selling - was thinking of spending a little more to get the 18-135 for daylight shooting just because it looks like it has a nicer focus ring.

Any thoughts? Should I risk another sigma 30 1.4? Am I missing any good options on an APS-C body?

Cheers

[Stephen Henderson]

Thanks for all the info. I'm thinking about getting that lens.
Another lens in this catagory seems to be the Nikon 35mm 1.8.
Has anyone used that one?

[John C. Chu]

Originally Posted by Stephen Henderson

Thanks for all the info. I'm thinking about getting that lens.
Another lens in this catagory seems to be the Nikon 35mm 1.8.
Has anyone used that one?

That Nikon 35mm 1.8 is a "G" lens so it doesn't have a dedicated aperture ring on the lens itself and would be a no go on the T2i.

I just recently bought a used Nikkor O 35mm f2 for $125 that works quite wonderfully however.

[Stephen Henderson]

Thanks for all the info, I went ahead and took the plunge.
There's a 10% off sale going on this week over at NeweggMall.com
on all sigma products (free shipping too). Coupon is 47STPHOTO10
That's where I just bought mine.

[Sam Tansey]

Hi, I just picked this lens up today and I'm seriously considering returning it due to some pretty extreme corner softness. I took a picture of Melbourne from the banks of the yarra and objects towards the edges look out of focus. When I say towards the edges I mean about 25% on the left side of the frame, it doesn't seem as bad on there right hand side. Picture was taken at F4. Pretty bad barrel distortion is also evident on the left had side.

Seriously thinking getting the Canon 28mm instead because being FF I know these 2 things will be much less of an issue.

Ill post the image soon.

Also even in the centre I think my 50mm 1.8 is pretty close to pipping it for sharpness.

edit: picture here.

[Yaniv Glaser]

Hi,

I was planning on the Sigma 30mm 1.4, seemed like a good option.
The problem I had with it is the fact that it's DC - meening that it will only fit APS-C cameras. I plan on one day upgrading to a full frame, and I don't know if it'll hold it's value and that I'll be able to sell it... plus - it's a pain...
Instead, I went for the Sigma 28mm 1.8 - and I have to say that I am VERY happy!
That 2/3 stop really doesn't make that big a difference in low light - especially with these lenses that tend to be very soft wide open.
The other good thing about it is the size and the focus ring. it's a big lense, has a good solid feel to it and the focus ring is big and has a great feel to it - it's a bit heavier to turn (but not too heavy), meaning you'll have an easier time locking focus.
The auto focus isn't amazing (for stills, I meen), but that's a known problem with these sigma lenses.
That's my two cents - get the 28mm. If you ever upgrade to a full frame, you'll have a good wide lens.

[Sean Woods]

It's been my understanding the Sigma 30mm becomes a 48mm because of the 1.6 cropped sensor.

[Augusto Alves da Silva]

Seemed a tempting lens...bought it and returned it after two days. I´ll explain why

1- APS only
2- No manual aperture (1/3 stop increase not really good for video)
3- Not really sharp at 1.8 and below
4- Expensive considering it´s not a Canon or Zeiss.

I own a Zeiss 28mm 2.0 and can´t even compare with the Sigma. Not on the same league. Although there is a difference from 1.4 to 2.0 Zeiss is a truly excellent lenses compared with the Sigma.
Also the Nikon AI-S 35mm 1.4 still available on ebay with manual aperture and FF is a quarter of the price of the Sigma and still 10 times better in all aspects. I still gave a chance to the sigma to shoot on a bightime job but didn´t perform well...unfortunately.

[Andy Wilkinson]

Augusto, very useful information. Thanks for posting.