Sigma 50mm f1.4 - SOFT?

Get the Sigma 35

Here it is in action -

Full image SOOC shot wide open @ f1.4 -

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/kin2son/8389036​452/

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com/​photos/kin2son/8389036​558/

YOWZA that's good It's also twice the price of the 50mm though

stang67 wrote in post #15713798
YOWZA that's good It's also twice the price of the 50mm though

Well yes, but you get what you pay for

The new Sigma 35 is no joke, it's the sharpest 35mm out there beating out Canon, Nikon and Zeiss.

See, I wanted to first get a great prime that didn't break me and then save for a full frame camera like the 5D Mark II but if I bought something like that 35mm, no way would I be able to get a 5D mark II or similar for at least 12 months My 30D is more or less my general use camera but I really wanted to upgrade to a more modern camera and use my 1D Mark II primarily for sports etc and then have the 30D as backup. Ahh decisions haha. But the general consensus is indeed get better glass first...

50mm like your Sigma & some 85mm lenses have their optic design inherited from the "Planar" formula : in 1896's year by Carl Zeiss manufacturer.

The main characteristics of "Planar" is their weak performances with close focus objects and "glow" at their widest apertures on contrasty scenes (but are very sharp close down). + the depth of field on such can at 50cm is something like 0.4cm...You can make some tests on more distant objects (or portraits...) to check if f/1.4 is usable or not. Personally I consider my 50mm & 85mm lenses as "f/2" lenses and not f/1.4.

Titi

Okay thanks, will do ASAP out in daylight.

Just got my new 50mm from Adorama yesterday. It too was front focusing. I have the 4D2 and put it on a tripod and fiddled with it and got to plus five MA and I might be close to having it good enough. You definitely should have bought a new one for the warranty. That is why I wasn't about to buy one without a warranty. Here's one at 1.8 I think, my daughter.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …/75139101@N06/8​555704779/

I hadn't heard this before. I heard that it had problems but never that inherently it front focuses close and back focuses at range, yet this appears to be what my new one is doing. I got it to plus 5 micro adjustment and it sems pretty close to right. I did take it up to plus 18 until I saw the close ups very very sharp but then at long range it back focused really bad. Plus 5 has me close.

kin2son wrote in post #15713652
I've been to the CRK office in Sydney wanting them to calibrate mine too. But they want my body as well for 2 weeks which I am reluntant to do.

Besides, I think this is the design flaw of the lens, that is front focus in close range, back focus at longer range.

It's well documented and that's the nature of this lens no calibration can fix unfortunately.

Sample looks damn sharp @ f2.5, look treat it as a max f1.8 lens and you'd feel a lot happier

Something is wrong with your lens, either focus issue or other problem. Sigma 50 1.4 is a great lens wide open. Bad photo incoming:

f1.4

It looks like one of the element is slightly de-centered so at 1.4 it gives you that halo.

Wow, those examples look great.

Here are two I just took then (at 9AM).

http://imageshack.us/a​/img35/2395/img2355nf.​jpg
http://imageshack.us/a​/img13/3966/img2366jg.​jpg

Both at f1.4, 320 ISO, 1/2000th (would have dropped ISO but forgot all about it).

Eric Cartman.. LOL, I love the foul mouth kid.

Haha I didn't know what else to take a photo of :P Those pictures look more decent than of the Solo can at least, but I think I will still have to sell the lens

Just got another Sigma 50mm f1.4 haha...
Got it for $285 on ebay used. Knowing my luck it will be soft as hell as well but if that's JUST due to the fact that it needs focus adjustments and isn't stuffed like my one I have now looks to be, that's fine. I bet one way or another I will lose about $70 from reselling either or both lenses but I suppose that was bound to happen anyway. Either way, I'm not broke from this just yet so I can at least compare them when I receive this other one and then decide which to sell.

h4ppydaze wrote in post #15715483
Something is wrong with your lens, either focus issue or other problem. Sigma 50 1.4 is a great lens wide open. Bad photo incoming:

f1.4

Crop, no NR or adjustments from RAW... it'll sharpen up really nicely from here too.

LOL Rainier beer