Sigma 24-60mm - seriously impressed! (100% crops)

[Rutherfordium]

Hi guys,

I asked for advice on here a while back when I was looking for something to replace my old kit lens. After reading your advice I eventually got myself a nifty fifty and a Sigma 24-60mm. I managed to pick this up on eBay for £150 and so far I'm thinking bargain of the century!

Yesterday I had an unexpected visit to a wildlife park and was gutted to only have this lens with me. When I got home and set about cropping my images I was shocked by the quality this lens gives.

Here is an example of the kind of distance I was shooting from (no processing on any of these except conversion from RAW):

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/data/500/RAW1.jpg (http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=81398)

.. and this is the 100% crop

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/data/500/IMG_2966_100pc.jpg (http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=81395)

Now I'm no pixel peeper but I was impressed with that :)

A couple more 100%:

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/data/500/IMG_3030_100pc_small.jpg (http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=81397)

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/data/500/IMG_3028_100pc_small.jpg (http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=81396)

And from this today,

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/data/500/RAW2.jpg (http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=81399)

(processed obviously)

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/data/500/Skater1.jpg (http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=81400)

So basically, thanks to you guys for suggesting it! I'm chuffed :D

[Vertigo1]

Had two Sigmas now and they're cracking lenses, providing you can find a good one. Their perennial problem seems to be consistency and there are far too many "bad copies" around, which I think puts a lot of people off. That and brand snobbery of course ;)

[Sloper]

Sigma make a 24-60 as well as the 24-70? :thinking:

I'm looking for a general zoom that is also great for portraits, without spending a fortune! How is DoF and bokeh at 60mm?

[Rutherfordium]

Sigma make a 24-60 as well as the 24-70? :thinking:

I'm looking for a general zoom that is also great for portraits, without spending a fortune! How is DoF and bokeh at 60mm?

The 24-60 was the forerunner of the 24-70 I think, they don't make them any more but you can pick them up on websites like onestop digital or on eBay like I did. From reading reviews it seems to be more highly rated than the new one, as well as being much smaller and lighter.

It's f2.8 throughout so you can get shallow depth of field..

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/data/500/Portrait4.jpg (http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=81432)

This isn't shot wide open (it's f5.6) but it gives a good idea of the bokeh...

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/data/500/Portrait31.jpg (http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=81431)

I haven't had a chance to try it out on humans in good light unfortunately, these aren't super sharp because they were handheld at quite long shutter speeds, but the lens is sharp wide open. Not as good as at f4 and above, but definitely acceptable.

f2.8 31mm 1/30s

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/data/500/Portrait12.jpg (http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=81433)

f2.8 60mm 1/50s

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/data/500/Portrait22.jpg (http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=81430)

Hope that helps :)

[Sloper]

That's very helpful indeed Lauren; thanks very much for your trouble :)

[Mike.P]

I use on on my K10D .. lovely little lens. Mine cost me just over £100 from the USA a year or so ago.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2646/4072326195_9460f42c0a_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/25848431@N02/4072326195/)

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2422/3644193376_f6fd906b57_o.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/25848431@N02/3644193376/)