go wide(er?)

i had a nifty fifty, but i found that shooting on a crop body, i found myself hugging walls or shooting from the other room. decided to go with something a bit wider so that i can effectively get to a normal FL on my T2i. ive been looking at the canon 28 1.8 and the sigma 30 1.4... it seems that sigma is the better of those 2, as reviews mention terrible CA on the 28 1.8.

after speaking to a friend, he suggested that, while i will have a close-to-normal lens with either one, i lose the portraiture compression from using a 50mm. i dont really do portraiture, so not sure if ill miss the compression. even at my F&F events, i prefer to capture a scene with ppl/ambiance rather than focus on one person and fill the frame with their face. OTOH, the discussion it got me thinking if i should maybe stick with 50mm (but upgrade to the 1.4, since the AF noise of the nifty-fifty was driving me nuts). plus i love bokeh in my shots, so the shallower the better

i mostly shoot friends/family events. i dont do landscape, so not much need for UWA. i have a 17-50mm tamron, and a 24-105 f4.

what are your comments/critiques/rec​ommendations?

thanks!

If you plan on upgrading to full frame get the 28 1.8 if not get the 30 1.4. Enjoy

ekinnyc wrote in post #12152246
even at my F&F events, i prefer to capture a scene with ppl/ambience rather than focus on one person and fill the frame with their face. OTOH, the discussion it got me thinking if i should maybe stick with 50mm...

Stick to your own style. There is an inexplicable obsession with the 50mm lenses in this forum (and I say "lenses" because they seem to be recommended regardless of sensor size).

the 30 1.4 is a great little lens, and perfectly usable for portraits, especially indoors "across the table" type. And it'll do great for friend/family events.

Downs Photography wrote in post #12152441
If you plan on upgrading to full frame get the 28 1.8 if not get the 30 1.4. Enjoy

I've never understood this recommendation. If I were moving to full frame I'd sell the 30 and get a 50mm because of the change in equivalent focal length between FF and crop.

Sorry to hijack... Anyways, I say go with the 30mm. It's the same price as the 28mm and its aperture is 2/3 stops wider, and sharper than the 28mm. To top it off, it comes with a lens hood and a warranty that's 3 years longer.

now, if i could only find one lightly used... dont see them popping up in FS threads too often.

It just goes to show that people think it's a keeper

ekinnyc wrote in post #12152246
after speaking to a friend, he suggested that, while i will have a close-to-normal lens with either one, i lose the portraiture compression from using a 50mm.

Maybe stick to discussing with your friend subjects where he is knowledgeable.

"Compression" is a facet of perspective, and that is determined completely by the distance you are from the various elements of the composition. It is completely independent of focal length, which controls framing, and little else besides the effect it may have on maximum available f ratio ("aperture" in the common parlance).

All depends on what is more important to you. The Sigma is noticeably sharper but the Canon has better skin tones. Also, for indoor situations such as family gatherings, the extra 2mm of the Canon could help. I don't usually recommend the 28, but it might be better for your situation.

Since you mentioned bokeh, here are a couple from the 30mm @ f/1.4

I have the 28mm f1.8 and always have to process out CA's. I've also had a bit of luck with it for full-body portraits on my 40D. It was a good investment for the money, so I guess I gotta take the good with the bad...

I recently picked up the Canon 35mm f/2 as a wider alternative to the nifty 50 (for family and friends small group shots as you describe), and I'm quite pleased with the results so far (although I've only had it for a week). it seems to perform better than the nifty 50 in my hands, and it's considerably cheaper then the 28/1.8 or the Sigma 30/1.4

Could be another option to consider?

Cheers,
Stephen

Velorium wrote in post #12165490
It just goes to show that people think it's a keeper

or people just dont buy it, hahah

speak of the devil, there are 2 available in the FS section... sweet. looks like i get a new toy to play with


thanks everyone for your responses. it looks like the sigma 30 is a safe bet

I use the 28mm and never really noticed issues with CA. THe corners are a little soft at large apertures, on full frame. But on crop you use the sweet spot of the lens.