Need help with deciding with primes!

Hello again,

as some of you know I am currently searching for something to replace my Tamron 28-75mm.

But i also need some primes. I´ve already got 85mm 1.8 which is quite good for its price.

Most probably I will need two. One around 30mm and one around 50mm.

Both needed for my 7D.

I don´t want to afford the L lenses i think.

What i also have is:
Tamron 28-75mm 2.8
Sigma 150mm 2.8
Canon 70-200mm 2.8
Canon 85mm 1.8

For 30mm i thought about: Sigma 30mm 1.4, Canon 28mm 1.8
For 50mm I thought about: Canon 50mm 1.4, Sigma 50mm 1.4

What would be the best choice for 30 and for 50mm and what other, maybe better, choices do I have?

For the ~30's:
Sigma has is sharper, has better bokeh, is faster has a nicer build (IMO), comes with hood and pouch and longer warranty
Canon has slightly faster AF, closer MFD, canon costs $5 less now

For the 50's
Sigma is sharper at wide apertures, Canon is sharper from ~f4 and narrower, sigma has a proper HSM motor, canon uses micro-USM, sigma uses 77mm filter thread, canon has a smaller one (can't remember off the top of my head), sigma has nicer bokeh, sigma has nicer build, canon is smaller and weighs less, sigma comes with hood, pouch, and longer warranty, sigma costs more. Sigma seems to have a higher than average rate of focus issues, canon seems to have a higher than average rate of the focus motor dying/burning out

What I'd do? I'd go for both sigmas. Especially since you have MA on your 7D you don't really need to worry about focus issues.

According to your information and what i read in the internet I also tend to both Sigmas though i dont like third-party lenses that much!

I just bought the canon 50mm 1.4 and got to say im well happy with it.

stephan902 wrote in post #13787211
though i dont like third-party lenses that much!

IMO this is irrelevant, 3rd party lenses can be, and are, just as good as, if not better than, OEM lenses.

i would go with sigmas as well...

35/2 is no match to sigma 30, unless you are willing to go 35L. Even that is comparable when used on crop.

Canon 50 is again not great except 50L. Sigma 50 is the way to go imo.

Are you not happy with the Tamron and Sigma lenses that you have? I have the Sigma 50 1.4, I really like it. If you are wanting to get back to owning Canon primes, then the choice is clear, probably not going to make much difference in price.

I dont like the Tamron 28-75 2.8 that much, but the Sigma 150mm 2.8 is lovely.

Is the built quality of 30mm 1.4 better than 28mm 1.8 or worse? Is the Sigma 50mm 1.4 better built than the Canon 50mm?

stephan902 wrote in post #13787285
Is the built quality of 30mm 1.4 better than 28mm 1.8 or worse? Is the Sigma 50mm 1.4 better built than the Canon 50mm?

30mm is better IMO going from feel, but some say they're the same, 50mm is better.

stephan902 wrote in post #13787285
Is the built quality of 30mm 1.4 better than 28mm 1.8 or worse? Is the Sigma 50mm 1.4 better built than the Canon 50mm?

Both Sigmas have better build than their Canon counterparts. also don't forget the hood, padded case and longer warranty.

I have the Tamron 28-75, Canon 85 F/1.8, Sigma 150, and Sigma 30. So you should be able to relate to my comparisons.

The Sigma 30 seems to focus almost as fast as the Canon 85. It is built better than the Canon 85 or Tamron 28-75, more like the Sigma 150. It isn't as sharp wide open as any of the others (my copy at least), but by F/2 the centre is very sharp (IMO the corners never get very sharp, but it just means I switch the lens if I need a sharp deep DoF shot). The bokeh is very smooth, OOF areas simply blur which is what I find the 28-75 to do, whereas the 150 has more "character" to it (sometimes good, sometimes bad).

I take the Sigma 30 and Canon 85 with my as a 2 lens kit sometimes. Switching between them they feel like a perfect pair to me.

If you go to the Sigma 30 thread, there are a lot of issues with the focusing and many are taking the lens to be calibrated. I just purchased this lens and I'm not happy with it and I'm going to be returning it. I think I'm going to try the Canon 28 1.8.