New Sigma 30mm f1.4 Art

werds wrote in post #17081910
Yea, the more I read on the new Art series the more I wonder if it is just a vocal minority with actual issues or if it is a mix of real issues AND technique problems. As a newbie who has a Sigma 30 1.4 Art or the 35 1.4 Art on my radar as the next purchase I make (other than maybe a battery grip). I am having to balance the previous Sigma AF history with what in almost every thread I read about problems seems to be the first response from generally more experienced members stating that at lower apertures any minor technique mistake or issue is magnified.

I''ve been looking through my images more closely, and I'm starting to think that the focus issues aren't as bad as I thought. Slightly too slow shutter speed may be to blame for some of it. The lens is still a little slow to grab focus sometimes though, which is a bummer for me. I really need to do some focus testing, but I don't currently have my tripod..

I am testing out a Canon 28 1.8 for a few days, and it's certainly no sharper than my Sigma. But I think it make be a little quicker to grab focus, and it's ever so slightly wider, which gives a little different field of view that I may like a little better. I'm tossing around the idea of selling my Sigma and UV filter, but can't seem to make up my mind...

werds wrote in post #17081910
Appears that your site/gallery has hotlinking disabled as I see "Content protected by owner" in your post and when I go directly to the URL shown in the properties of your post.

I changed the links--are they correct now?

bms259 wrote in post #17082021
I''ve been looking through my images more closely, and I'm starting to think that the focus issues aren't as bad as I thought. Slightly too slow shutter speed may be to blame for some of it. The lens is still a little slow to grab focus sometimes though, which is a bummer for me. I really need to do some focus testing, but I don't currently have my tripod..

I am testing out a Canon 28 1.8 for a few days, and it's certainly no sharper than my Sigma. But I think it make be a little quicker to grab focus, and it's ever so slightly wider, which gives a little different field of view that I may like a little better. I'm tossing around the idea of selling my Sigma and UV filter, but can't seem to make up my mind...

I changed the links--are they correct now?

Links are working now. As to the Sigma being slower. Only comparisons I have are the only 2 Sigma lenses I have ever compared directly with their Canon counterparts. The Sigma 17-50 2.8 vs Canon 17-55 2.8 - I ended up with the Canon just because the AF was more spot on regularly - I have come to learn over time with using my Canon, it is simply just faster to grab focus and I would have needed to adjust both camera settings and the way I trigger my shutter to compensate with the Sigma on moving objects.

The other I have is the Sigma 50-150 2.8 OS vs Canon 70-200 2.8. Going in knowing that the Sigma's are not necessarily as fast as the Canon counterparts with their AF I have been able to set more aggressive settings in my 70D and changed my anticipatory set. I have gotten more of what I deem keepers but I have definitely seen the difference when I switch between a Canon lens and Sigma lens in terms of the AF.

BTW thanks for sharing your thoughts and pictures, as someone looking towards these lenses I appreciate it greatly as it informs me much more than just having my own perspective

bms259 wrote in post #17081901
Yes, I get the most misses at wider apertures. I'm generally using this lens at 2.0 and below, and almost always using it at 2.5 and below. The reason I use primes is for that narrow DOF, so I want to be able to take advantage of it. I just look through most of the photos' I've shot with this lens at 2.8 and above, and there are significantly less misses there. There are some in low-light at higher f-stop that had some motion blur/camera shake though, and there are still some misses at f4 and above, but not many.

This image was shot at 1.4 1/250th. It's sharp, but the focus is actually on his nose, not his eye.

And I assume you focused on one of the eyes

Looked at some shots on flickr and found some really great stuff.

NOT MY PHOTO ofcourse. Shot @ f/1.8: https://www.flickr.com …596064239/in/ph​otostream/

After having my frustrations with the Sigma 30 1.4 for slow/missed focus, I ordered a Canon 28 1.8 to compare the two.

I've put them both through their paces at an indoor church VBS, photographing moving kids in tight spaces with crazy (and bad) lighting (read: fluorescent, tungsten, and window light in rooms with canvas hanging from the ceiling and walls).

Long story short—I'm keeping the Sigma. But truth be told, they were so close that part of the decision was just that keeping the Sigma would be easier than trying to sell it and purchase a Canon.

Here's what I learned: the Sigma, when it's on, is fantastic. The bokeh and color seems to be visibly better than the Canon. The Canon's bokeh had a choppy feel to it (similar to the Canon 50 1.8). But in my real-world use, the Canon grabbed focus quicker (especially off-center focus points, which I use a lot), and it seemed to miss less.

I also learned that the Sigma does a lot better at higher shutter speeds than what I thought it needed. Last night I used the Sigma almost exclusively at higher shutter speeds than what I am used to using with my 50 1.4, and it seemed to do better.

Again, it still struggles to find focus off-center, in lower light, and in movement in comparison to my Canon 17-55, 50 1.4, and Sigma 70-200 2.8 OS.

I may try to post comparison images of the Canon 28 and the Sigma 30.

Here is a previous thread comparing those 2 lenses that might interest you: https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1297921

Yogi

bms259 wrote in post #17083769
Here's what I learned: The bokeh and color seems to be visibly better than the Canon.

This made me fall in love with the 30mm Art from day 1. I do so little post processing on my Sigma photos compared to the ones I took from my 15-85. Mind you, I don't have any issues with focussing. That's most likely because it spends a lot of time on smaller apertures where the DOF is really big. And, if I do need a big aperture I tend to focus manually with live view. I don't really shoot sports or anything too quick.

bms259 wrote in post #17083769
After having my frustrations with the Sigma 30 1.4 for slow/missed focus, I ordered a Canon 28 1.8 to compare the two.

I've put them both through their paces at an indoor church VBS, photographing moving kids in tight spaces with crazy (and bad) lighting (read: fluorescent, tungsten, and window light in rooms with canvas hanging from the ceiling and walls).

Long story short—I'm keeping the Sigma. But truth be told, they were so close that part of the decision was just that keeping the Sigma would be easier than trying to sell it and purchase a Canon.

Here's what I learned: the Sigma, when it's on, is fantastic. The bokeh and color seems to be visibly better than the Canon. The Canon's bokeh had a choppy feel to it (similar to the Canon 50 1.8). But in my real-world use, the Canon grabbed focus quicker (especially off-center focus points, which I use a lot), and it seemed to miss less.

I also learned that the Sigma does a lot better at higher shutter speeds than what I thought it needed. Last night I used the Sigma almost exclusively at higher shutter speeds than what I am used to using with my 50 1.4, and it seemed to do better.

Again, it still struggles to find focus off-center, in lower light, and in movement in comparison to my Canon 17-55, 50 1.4, and Sigma 70-200 2.8 OS.

I may try to post comparison images of the Canon 28 and the Sigma 30.

The Canon 28 f/1.8 seems like a pretty soft lens from what I've read and seen, especially in the corners (http://youtu.be …=UUxoyIXANauK4c​Efy0Wc09IA).

It should be no match for the Sigma in terms of sharpness compared to the Canon 28 f/1.8.

oskire wrote in post #17039356
I've had a lot of missed focused shots from my 70D/30 1.4 combo. I just received my usb dock today and tried the micro adjustment on the 70D and then setting it on my 30 with the usb. I've never done this before(my old T1i doesn't have the feature) and hopefully I'm doing it right. I'll let you know if the adjustments I've made make a difference.

How did it go?

Even thought I've just ordered canon ef 35 IS USM, I can't help myself for still lustning a bit for this lens. 30mm perfect focal lenght and that 1.4 aperture just makes me drool

So I think I finally figured out this lens. It's a lot different than my 50 1.4...but so long as I'm steady, the subject isn't moving, and I have a quick enough shutter speed, I can lock in shots at f1.4. If i'm close to the subject, I close down the aperture a bit, but it's still a great lens. This, coupled with a 10-22 has become my daily carry.

That said, I just got a good deal on a 5D, so I'm getting rid of this lens. I don't know that I'm allowed to post a link to the listing here, so I won't...but I do want to say that there's a big part of me that wants to keep this to use on my 7D, even with a 5D and 50mm....wisdom insists I should part with it though...

I wanted to chime in on this lens. I bought it today and tried it out on my 40D with the family for a bit. Here is literally one of the first 5 shots I took through it, just trying it out in the kitchen: