Sigma 30mm f1.4

Ethan Lane · January 3rd, 2011, 01:48 AM

It's fine focusing for video. I find it in some ways better than the 50mm 1.4 since that lens is a bit on the loose side

Kurt Zhuang · January 3rd, 2011, 04:32 PM

been using ths 30 1.4 for quite a while now; it's wonderfully sharp stopped down a bit and has great smooth bokeh.

My focus ring started messing up after a few months; the rubber ring would turn, but I could feel that it was detached and wouldn't change focus as it should have, and if I just ran it back and forth, it would "catch" again and start focusing. This is annoying as I'd be shooting and then have to stop to make sure the focus ring has caught. I dunno if this is a common problem, but it seems to have gone away..for now.

Anyways, great lens. :)

Heiko Saele · January 10th, 2011, 08:48 AM

I just used the Sigma 30mm 1.4 a lot on my latest short project, mostly stopped down to 1.8 or 2.0, because there was just too much light to use f1.4 even at ISO 100 (and I don't yet have any ND filters for this lens). If you're working with daylight and/or professional video lighting, you might want to invest in an ND filter or two, or you'll never be able to use f1.4 :)

The look of the lens is great, the bokeh is much nicer than that of the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 (the other lens I used on the short).

Focus pulling is a little stiff, but goes well when you have a stable rig or tripod. The only issue I have with focussing is that the ring, being an HSM ring, has no end-points. You can just turn it further as long as you like, but the focus itself of course stops at its end point.
I had to do a quick turn from 2 meters to the closest setting yesterday, while moving the camera in on a hand - I missed the shot at least 5 times because I couldn't feel the end of the focus, so I moved the camera in to 20cm, but the focus was still at 30cm.
However, I don't want to complain too much, usually it doesn't matter, and the HSM AF is really fast for taking stills.

January 3rd, 2011, 01:48 AM	#16
Ethan Lane Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Dallas/Phoenix Posts: 39	It's fine focusing for video. I find it in some ways better than the 50mm 1.4 since that lens is a bit on the loose side

January 3rd, 2011, 04:32 PM	#17
Kurt Zhuang Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: z Posts: 49	been using ths 30 1.4 for quite a while now; it's wonderfully sharp stopped down a bit and has great smooth bokeh. My focus ring started messing up after a few months; the rubber ring would turn, but I could feel that it was detached and wouldn't change focus as it should have, and if I just ran it back and forth, it would "catch" again and start focusing. This is annoying as I'd be shooting and then have to stop to make sure the focus ring has caught. I dunno if this is a common problem, but it seems to have gone away..for now. Anyways, great lens. :)

January 10th, 2011, 08:48 AM	#18
Heiko Saele Major Player Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Wurzburg, Germany Posts: 316	I just used the Sigma 30mm 1.4 a lot on my latest short project, mostly stopped down to 1.8 or 2.0, because there was just too much light to use f1.4 even at ISO 100 (and I don't yet have any ND filters for this lens). If you're working with daylight and/or professional video lighting, you might want to invest in an ND filter or two, or you'll never be able to use f1.4 :) The look of the lens is great, the bokeh is much nicer than that of the Sigma 18-50mm f2.8 (the other lens I used on the short). Focus pulling is a little stiff, but goes well when you have a stable rig or tripod. The only issue I have with focussing is that the ring, being an HSM ring, has no end-points. You can just turn it further as long as you like, but the focus itself of course stops at its end point. I had to do a quick turn from 2 meters to the closest setting yesterday, while moving the camera in on a hand - I missed the shot at least 5 times because I couldn't feel the end of the focus, so I moved the camera in to 20cm, but the focus was still at 30cm. However, I don't want to complain too much, usually it doesn't matter, and the HSM AF is really fast for taking stills.