canon 35mm F2.0 - now do i need it ?

from what i read about sigma its best to have a warrenty on them... unless its cheap on ebay for the sake of saving £100 odd id perfer to have a new one from jessops !
 
this thread has got me thinking about this lens also.

i don't think i'd use the canon 35mm 1.4 enough to justify the cost of it, but the 35 f2 isn't that much slower in light gathering terms for me (i do most of my stuff outside), but what would be interesting is this- if anybody could help -

the difference in background blur and dof on a similarlly positioned subject shot with the 35 f2 wide open and 35 1.4 wide open. it would be interesting how those extra stops really translate into the aesthetic qualities on a wide focal length lens.

i have the 24-70 2.8 so i have this focal length covered but it would be interesting for me to see if the image rendered by the 35/f2 is closer to 35mm on the 24-70 2.8 or closer to the 35 1.4.

it's a bit annoying that sigma don't do a full frame alternative to the 35 1.4 as it would be loads cheaper than the canon and probably not look that much different optically - great for people like me that don't use it that often, but want it their bag just in case.
 
actually thinking about it and reading reviews, im now steered towards the sigma 1.4.. point is jessop's cant get me one for a month though... grrr ! annoying !
 
humm... i can now get the canon 35mm F2.0 for £200 delivered or wait and get the sigma 1.4 for £360... what would you do !
 
the 70 - 200 is what £700 quid ? its not a lens id use that often either... the 30mm 1.4 sigma sounds good to me...
 
tomkbucks said:
the 70 - 200 is what £700 quid ? its not a lens id use that often either... the 30mm 1.4 sigma sounds good to me...
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If you've got the money then get the lens you really want even if you have to wait a little while (few weeks) or you'll regret it and always have a doubt about the lens you buy instead.
 
i will have to take a trip to the photography shop in reading and see if they have both i can try.. you never know.ive read lots of good things about both lenses BUT there seems to be a very high number of people saying the 1.4 sigma has bad back focusing issues - anyone able to comment ? i dont want to risk it.. Jessops have the canon 35mm for around £210 that makes it good value - do i really need to go as low as 1.4.. does it make that much difference ? humm.. tricky !
 
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tomkbucks said:
i will have to take a trip to the photography shop in reading and see if they have both i can try.. you never know.ive read lots of good things about both lenses BUT there seems to be a very high number of people saying the 1.4 sigma has bad back focusing issues - anyone able to comment ? i dont want to risk it.. Jessops have the canon 35mm for around £210 that makes it good value - do i really need to go as low as 1.4.. does it make that much difference ? humm.. tricky !
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I read that the focus wasn't always right but after asking the question on here and researching from actual users and reviews, I haven't found any 'real' person who has had an issue with it.

I'm another who hasn't got focussing problems with my 30mm.
 
annoying jessops dont have it in stock - they also do the interest free credit and 2 extra years warrenty for £40 .. so does seem worth it, arse is id need to buy it to see if i actually like it !
 
tomkbucks said:
annoying jessops dont have it in stock - they also do the interest free credit and 2 extra years warrenty for £40 .. so does seem worth it, arse is id need to buy it to see if i actually like it !
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Why pay £40 extra for something that Sigma include for Ex lenses anyway?
I would use Jessops for primary kit (bodies & lenses) unless I absolutely had to.
 
the sigma is only 1 year warrenty so adding 2 more years extra from jessops for £40 seems worth it
 
Sigma offer a 3 year warranty on Ex lenses; so no, it isn't.

Nice of Jessops to let you know that you'd be paying for what you've got!
 
hum not according to there website ? ive also had a mate suggest the canon 28mm 1.8 im now confused !
 
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If you look at their website you should find a reference to one year warranty + another two years free warranty... They say...

"All you need to do to take advantage of this exclusive offer is fill in the extended warranty form on the right and click Register. But don’t delay; this offer is available for a limited time period only!"

But I think they always offer it, at least they have every time I've bought a Siggy.
 
ah fair enough i see did not see that on there website , so im now down to 3 lenses.. hum really confused !
 
Now there is small print with the Jessops warranty which i have read.

They say that you can at any time ask for a refund on your warranty and get it back in full providing you have not used it and it is still within the manufacturers warranty period, therfor you could take a 3 year warranty out, which would cover you for damage, and providing you did not make a claim, get your money back in full at the end of the three years.
 
If you didn't spot it on the site I don't think it matters as AFAIK you get a little card in the box, you fill it in and send it off and you're covered.
 
I think I am going to enjoy this lens:


IMG_2589 by Iris_255, on Flickr

This was at 1/60 at F2 with bounced flash with her trying to squirm away from me
 
Bought one from MPB a week ago for £180 and I'm enjoying it alot.

35macro.jpg


The bokeh really is much smoother than I'd been expecting going from some reviews.
 
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Moreorless said:
Bought one from MPB a week ago for £180 and I'm enjoying it alot....

The bokeh really is much smoother than I'd been expecting going from some reviews.
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I have been keeping my eye on there too, can't believe I missed it

Got mine from onestopdigital for £230 delivered (the Canon one) - ordered Wednesday and first delivery attempt was yesterday, can't knock that considering it came from Hong Kong
 
Iris said:
I have been keeping my eye on there too, can't believe I missed it

Got mine from onestopdigital for £230 delivered (the Canon one) - ordered Wednesday and first delivery attempt was yesterday, can't knock that considering it came from Hong Kong
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I'v found thats the problem with trying to buy the 35mm f/2(and the mk1 version of the 50mm 1.8) used, they tend to sell almost as soon as there put up, I got lucky and checked the site just as MPB had listed it.

As far as the focal lenght goes I wouldnt go with it if your looking for something to take landscapes but I'd found the range just above 50mm is ideal for full body portaits and objects.
 
Moreorless said:
I'v found thats the problem with trying to buy the 35mm f/2(and the mk1 version of the 50mm 1.8) used, they tend to sell almost as soon as there put up, I got lucky and checked the site just as MPB had listed it.

As far as the focal lenght goes I wouldnt go with it if your looking for something to take landscapes but I'd found the range just above 50mm is ideal for full body portaits and objects.
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I really enjoy using my Primes so bought this a slightly wider portrait lens (which on my 500D comes in a few mm's under 50). At the minute I use my 18-55IS for landscapes because I don't get the opportunity to shoot them so often
 
Slightly missed the party here but I'm currently considering options - I want a "standard" prime for my 40D so something in the 28-35mm area is about right so the 3 lenses mentioned here should fit the bill (Canon 28mm 1.8, Canon 35mm 2.0 and Sigma 30mm 1.4)

I don't really mind price wise - I can afford the 320 or so that Kerso charges for the Sigma 1.4 and I'd rather get a lens I'm really happy with.

I've read various reviews and looked at photos on Flickr. I'm personally leaning towards the Sigma as I love the 1.4 and the fact that it's designed for APC sensors - I don't have any plans to go FF.

Aside from cost and FF considerations (neither of which come into play here for me), is there any reason you'd go for either of the Canon's over the Sigma?

I think for me the Canon 35mm would be a touch too long at 56mm for a Standard lens. I've read about the apparent focusing issues with the Sigma but people seem to be saying it's mainly user error (people not used to shallow DOF). I think someone on this thread said they've not come across anyone personally who has had AF issues so that's not putting me off (given the 3yr warranty if there do happen to be issues).

Any thoughts welcome.

Cheers,
Eddie.
 
teddyt72 said:
Slightly missed the party here but I'm currently considering options - I want a "standard" prime for my 40D so something in the 28-35mm area is about right so the 3 lenses mentioned here should fit the bill (Canon 28mm 1.8, Canon 35mm 2.0 and Sigma 30mm 1.4)

Aside from cost and FF considerations (neither of which come into play here for me), is there any reason you'd go for either of the Canon's over the Sigma?

I think for me the Canon 35mm would be a touch too long at 56mm for a Standard lens.
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Besides price and maybe AF accuracey the other thing the Canon 35mm has in its favour is weight/size, about half that of the Sigma.

I wouldnt say theres really anything ideal about 50mm itself, 5-10mm either side will provide much the same level of "normal" perspective. Personally I find the 56mm equivilent is ideal for my purposes but if I wanted to take landscapes and wider scenes with it I'd likely go wider than the Sigma aswell, 28mm or even 24mm.
 
I don't personally think I'd notice much difference between a 28 and 30mm lens :D but I think I would notice the difference between the f1.4 of the Siggy and the f2 of the Canon 35mm.

One advantage the Siggy has (along with having a wider aperture and coming with a hood and a case and having better shaped highlight bokeh than the angular bokeh of the Canon, IMHO) is that it has HSM and alows full time manual focus adjustment even in auto focus mode which I find very useful, I don't think that the Canon has that, being an older design than the Siggy.

The Canon is a FF design though but I think I'd go for a 28mm f1.8 if I wanted a FF lens.
 
That's a good point Moreorless, I hadn't really considered that. I don't think size/ weight would worry me too much, but worth taking into account. Agree you're probably right re focal difference - both would work fine. I'm hoping to use this as a walkabout, street, low light lens so not really landscape or proper portrait so a few mm here or there shouldn't matter.

woof woof, you're right, I was meaning 30mm vs 35mm but it's still probably not too much difference in reality. I agree though, the wide aperture is really appealing to me - I think I'm sold!

I've been looking through pics in both groups on Flickr and I have to admit I'm saying wow a lot more in the Sigma group.
 
Given the potential issues with this lens (if you believe what you read) is it better to buy from a high st shop so you can easily return if required, or would you always return directly to Sigma for any issues? (I would ordinarily buy from Kerso if he has in stock)
 
The company took delivery of the 30mm and its a great bit of kit to use on my colleagues 7D. Tested it last night in a dimly lit room, no focus issues, creamy bokeh, even the highlights are nice. My only gripe is that its not FF compatible or I would have one too. Instead I am looking at the 35mm 1.4 for 3x the price.
 
33L said:
The company took delivery of the 30mm and its a great bit of kit to use on my colleagues 7D. Tested it last night in a dimly lit room, no focus issues, creamy bokeh, even the highlights are nice. My only gripe is that its not FF compatible or I would have one too. Instead I am looking at the 35mm 1.4 for 3x the price.
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Looking at your kit list, I think you would get more versatility out of swapping your 17-40 F4 for a 16-35 F2.8 II over straight adding a 35 F1.4.
 
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