Some Sigma 28-70 f2.8 tests

[misaj*]

Hello to everyone.

I’m recently upgraded from my bellowed Canon G2 to 10D :) and as I live in Eastern Europe, money is (big) issue. I’m taking photos professionally for my design’s, covers, AD's etc., for various companies, advertising agencies etc. (yes, I do it with G2 too, and there was no big complaints.) But now it’s time for G2 to retire.

So I need for start one good but cheap lens and I try Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 EX ASPHERICAL DF http://www.sigma-imaging-uk.com/a_pages/standz1.htm

But as I don’t have too much experience with those big zoom’s I made a little experiment and find it very disappointing for such expensive zoom to have such unusable picture when use with f2.8 or f3.5?

Croped sample on:

http://users.verat.net/~miodragj/sigma/sigma_28-70_28_10d_test.jpg

What are you thinking? Is it just this lens or all lens are like this. And is it better to buy a much cheaper 28 – 105 3.5/4.5 Canon USM lens, and save for Canon 24/28 - 70L or buy Sigma?

Thanks.

P.S.
Picture of “train” are best one I made with that lens so I post some crop too. I think that is best lens can do.
Data for 10D are 100ISO without any picture correction, only crop in Photoshop and compression 10 in save as JPG menu.

[Jeppe]

Well, a 2.8-zoom in that pricerange will be soft @ 2.8. Especially on an DSLR (wich i have found to be more demanding than an ordinary SLR).

If you are in the buisness of selling your pictures, you will need the proper tools for the job. Go get the EF 24-70/2.8 L.

By the way.. most sigmas have their sweetspot @ f8-f11

Like for instance, i tested the Sigma 70-200/2.8 EX HSM and compared it with the EF 70-200/4L and found the Canon EF 70-200/4L sharper @ f4 than the Sigma stopped down to f4.

So.. if you earn money on your pictures, dont get budget. You really need more money than just enough to buy the house.

[misaj*]

Thanks Jeppe,

Actually I mostly selling finished art, like magazine cover, brochure, billboard etc., because I’m a designer also.

But my clients are not so demand and when I print A4 format, I use to have very good results when blow G2's 4 mp on A4, and because of that, I presume that when I blow up Canon's 6 mp on A4 that's has it be better.

Here is still most important thing artistic value of the final product, because my client can't pay me to much, so he know that he can't expect razor sharp picture.

Anyway, 24-70/2.8L is very expensive here, about 1800 E so I must ask someone of my friends to bring me one from USA.

So I probably end up for now with one 28 - 105, and couple of used primes. 20mm f2.8, 50mm f1.8 and 100mm f2.8 (here, they can be found for as low as 100 - 150E).

Greetings.

[Stoneh]

did you know that some (older) sigma lenses need to be upgraded in order to work correctly with the D10? Sigma do this service for free. Check out the posts in forums relating to this.

[misaj*]

Sorry, but lens upgrade in Eastern Europe is Sci-FI :)
I can't even buy sigma, except on grey market.

And to be honest, this Sigma has excelent functionality with my 10D, just it was very unsharp (soft) on 2.8 and 3.5.

Finally, I buy for begining 28 - 105 mm 3.5 - 4.5 Canon USM lens, and:

1) Auto Focus is minimum two times faster than sigma.
2) Lens is minimum 1.5 x sharper than sigma.

I also try Sigma on infinity to be sure that Focus is not wrong at f2.8 and f3.5 and simply, diference beetwen Sigma and Canon is huge.

Canon is apsolut winner.

I would post some crops soon.