prime lens choices

nickjohnwatson

nickjohnwatson

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Nick
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Hiya folks

Just wondering if someone might be able to offer some wisdom here.
I'm looking at getting a prime to use over the 50mm 1.8, the main reason is it sometimes misses focus in lower light.
It'll be for portraits and also my first wedding at the end of the year. I dread the thought of missing focus on an important shot.

I've been looking at the following........

Sigma 30mm 1.4 EX DC HSM
Canon 50mm 1.4 USM
Sigma 50mm 1.4 EX DC HSM

All around the same sort of money.

just wondered what peoples thoughts are?

I'm edging towards the 30mm as its a little wider and i sometimes feel 50mm is a tad long on a crop, havent made my mind up yet, as you can probably tell.

Would appreciate some help if anyone can offer some :-)

Thanks
 
I found the Sigma 30/1.4 the perfect walkabout lens on a 40D. It's good for group portraits, but can be unflatteringly short for anything closer than a 3/4-length individual/couple portrait in my opinion. Paired with the Sigma 85/1.4 I would think it would make the perfect 2-prime combination for most scenarios - avoiding the awkward 50mm focal length that rarely sits well on a crop sensor.

If you're specifically looking for a portrait lens, I'd definitely go longer than 50mm rather than shorter (except for full-length group shots). Either the Sigma 85/1.4 or the Canon 85/1.8.
 
What kind of focussing technique are you using? Before rushing out and buying more gear, maybe it would be an idea to work on reliably nailing down your focus technique with the kit you already have?
 
Phil Young said:
I've often thought about the sigma 30/1.4 but unanimous reviews explaining it's softness for anything other than the centre of the frame has put me off indefinitely.
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Shame, because I love my Sigma 30/1.4 and until I made the switch to Fuji I was using it for >80%of shots taken with my 40D. It's one of only two lenses for the Canon I won't be selling, as it get relegated to "spare body" status.
 
Phil Young said:
What do you say to the softness comment?
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Some people will find any lens soft, after checking and seeing that it doesn't say "Canon" or "Nikon" on the front. Sigma suffers a lot of that type of "softness", and from those that quote and believe it without trying a lens for themselves - whilst declaring that such reviews are "unanimous", when a cursory check of this forum will find I'm not the only one very happy with the 30/1.4.
 
Alastair said:
Some people will find any lens soft, after checking and seeing that it doesn't say "Canon" or "Nikon" on the front. Sigma suffers a lot of that type of "softness", and from those that quote and believe it without trying a lens for themselves - whilst declaring that such reviews are "unanimous", when a cursory check of this forum will find I'm not the only one very happy with the 30/1.4.
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So in your opinion as an owner...

Is it sharp and detailed when composing to the sides of the frame? ...or are the MTF tests correct?
 
Phil, as far as I can tell the Sigma 30/1.4 is sharp enough on a scale of "Is it sharp enough? (Y/N)" which is the only measurement of sharpness I know, appreciate or consider relevant to photography. So please don't quote MTF charts at me. if I found myself wanting to take photos of closely spaced black and white lines using the edges of the frame I'd drop my camera gear off a cliff rather than resort to reading an MTF chart. Because at that point there would be nothing meaningful or worthwhile to my photography.
 
Alastair said:
Phil, as far as I can tell the Sigma 30/1.4 is sharp enough on a scale of "Is it sharp enough? (Y/N)" which is the only measurement of sharpness I know, appreciate or consider relevant to photography. So please don't quote MTF charts at me. if I found myself wanting to take photos of closely spaced black and white lines using the edges of the frame I'd drop my camera gear off a cliff rather than resort to reading an MTF chart. Because at that point there would be nothing meaningful or worthwhile to my photography.
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What a very good post,well said.
 
Alastair said:
Phil, as far as I can tell the Sigma 30/1.4 is sharp enough on a scale of "Is it sharp enough? (Y/N)" which is the only measurement of sharpness I know, appreciate or consider relevant to photography. So please don't quote MTF charts at me. if I found myself wanting to take photos of closely spaced black and white lines using the edges of the frame I'd drop my camera gear off a cliff rather than resort to reading an MTF chart. Because at that point there would be nothing meaningful or worthwhile to my photography.
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That's fair enough if that's your feelings...I know there are plenty that frown upon science and tests but...

....MTF is a way of measuring how well an optic renders details and for others that would appreciate that indication, it's there, and for me at least, has always been accurate (that goes for lenses I've been satisfied and dis-satisfied with).

Of course it's your privilege to ignore charts and figures, that's absolutely fine - even applauded by some... but like I said, charts are there for those that want to take notice of and are useful to many people.

I only suggest OP does his research and makes a decision based on what he needs - if he needs hair detail throughout the frame but that lens doesn't meet these requirements then it shouldn't be in the options (I don't know if it does or doesn't - just pointing it out as a factor).
 
I understand what you are saying Phil and can see why some people use MTF charts and the like. I guess we are all different, thank God.
 
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