Sigma 35mm 1.4

drb5 said:
Yes, but its only worth it if you keep it for the 3 years, because as far as I know it's non transferable?
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Yes, but as part of a sale you'd honour an agreement as a go between. As with the sale of any item within warranty period always holds a higher value.
 
Can't wait to get mine. It looks superb and from what I have been reading it smokes both the canon and Nikon performance wise

Cagey where did you choose as the focus point as that doesn't seem very sharp?
 
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Right on the nose, she may have moved a little, she doesn't like the camera. Nose is in focus though, I know the eyes aren't. I need to test some more. Anyone know a good and proper way to test a lens? Because I have never used micro focus or anything like that before, never needed to. But j.i.c this one is off?
 
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Just google lens focus test chart cagey. Then you just print it on a4 paper. It's straightforward enough to do. The only camera body I've had to AF fine tune is the D7000, after doing it the camera performed flawlessly. All my lenses seem grand on the D800 AF wise after giving them a good run through. I was prepared to have to adjust due to the huge MP count.
 
I'm stunned at how good the AF system performs on the D800. It's a real notch above the D700s
 
I think you might be right on this one, it seems to be off a bit, seems to front focus, especially at 1.4, though could be my rough testing - basically just aiming at text on bottles and jars. I fiddled about with micro adjusting, and at +5 it seems to be more spot on. Best try in more detail on the tripod later.
 
Pal there's a USB dock you can get for that lens to calibrate it for AF issues. Haven't looked into it much yet but recall them mentioning it when they announced the lens
 
How reliable is the old battery test? I got a good result when testing here: closest I could focus with the camera resting on the table

drxemuL.jpg


f/1.4, ISO 100, focus point was dead center of frame [this is cropped down, there was nothing else bar OOF backdrop of course], around the G logo. Looks to be right on, no front/back obvious? My earlier fears may have been just shakey hands from the man-flu I'm currently suffering?
 
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Cool, first time ever doing one of those :D

Silly cat must have moved earlier, that and I'm forgetting the extreme shallow DOF at 1.4, as I'm so used to 2.8 so wasn't as precise as I should have been.
 
The focus on the batteries does look good.

But if you decide to test further you need a large, flat, contrasty surface, perpendicular to the lens. Then you can angle a ruler to one side, to judge dof (y)
 
More testing definitely needed asap. I'll wait for good daylight tomorrow. It's bugging me here, it seems real hit and miss, I've been aiming it at just about anything that will display sharpness tonight and most of them are off, hand-held. Now, I don't think I'm unsteady at all, I think I'm pretty good hand holding as I rarely ever use a tripod. It would be just my luck to get a dud copy though.
 
Shift it back to the retailer whilst you have the chance mate
 
i don't know if you've ever had a wide angle, wide aperture prime before but i have the canon 35L and it is probably the hardest lens to master that i've used. it is very unforgiving wide open, often because you have to be so close to the subject. give it a spin in daylight and see how you get on.

if it is focussing spot on consistently when tripod mounted at various distances then i think (hope) the lens is fine. i had a bad time with the sigma 50 1.4 where the lens would be spot on at one distance, but when the subject move closer the focus would be out.

look forward to seeing the results - it looks a great lens.
 
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Unfortunately it's going back :/ I tried everything, I've been testing it on the tripod all morning and just cannot get it bang on using micro adjust - and, you shouldn't have to with a brand new lens really. If I could get it bang on, even using that, I would be happy enough. But it seems when I get it seemingly sharp focus up close, it's way off at a distance. Very frustrating. Guess I'll have to wait now another week or two for replacement and hope for the best on that one!

I hope those of you waiting on yours don't experience same, as a quick look around on other forums shows others having the same problems, especially D800 users. FM forums have a couple of threads on the issue.

And just to prove to myself it wasn't just my eyes going wonky, I carried out similar tests with my 85 1.8G and that is perfect.
 
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That's hard luck. Seems that Sigma still have more than their fair share of these issues. Hope you get it sorted.

Just speculating here, but rather than take a punt on a replacement, do you have the option of sending it to Sigma for calibration, at their cost of course? Just might be an option that offers you a more guaranteed result.
 
I looked into that, it would cost as much to send to them as return to the store. And I would imagine the wait time will be much longer?

I'll take a chance on a replacement, chances of 2 bad copies?? ... and if that one has the same issue it'll have to go to Sigma. I hate having to send anything back, I'm sure everyone does. We wait long enough for these things to arrive in the first place :(
 
Cagey75 said:
I looked into that, it would cost as much to send to them as return to the store. And I would imagine the wait time will be much longer?

I'll take a chance on a replacement, chances of 2 bad copies?? ... and if that one has the same issue it'll have to go to Sigma. I hate having to send anything back, I'm sure everyone does. We wait long enough for these things to arrive in the first place :(
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:( Good luck with it.
 
I hope your next one is much better. The shots ive seen on Flickr with this lens are unbelievably sharp at 1.4. The shot you posted on the cat had alarm bells ringing for me. D800 will show AF issues more no doubt but I have found its AF so good it rarely misses the mark. What about the USB dock sigma was talking about for calibrating their new lenses?

http://www.canonrumors.com/2013/01/sigma-launches-the-sigma-usb-dock/
 
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The autofocus issues were on the DPreview and Fred Miranda forums. On FM up to 30% reported issues and even people sending it to Sigma received it back and it didn't work properly.
 
Reading the Fred Miranda forums. I am going to hold back on this lens for now as I was going to buy from Panamoz! May start to consider the 35 1.4G although its a hefty £££ and the sigma(provided its AF is right) seems better at a fraction of the price
 
I'm wondering if this isn't a nice way for them to sell a bundle of this upcoming usb dock! They wouldn't be that sneaky, surely! :D

I wonder what the price on that will be?

If the second copy I get is same, I'll ask for a refund and go for something else. Fingers crossed, as I really do like this lens for it's build quality and overall feel. It's dead silent too, as expected and I did find it very quick .... pity it's just not focusing precisely where it's meant to!
 
I must admit I figured with this latest range Sigma were trying to make a big statement that they were the ones to go for. I would have thought this was a great opportunity for them to show the world they were a serious option and that previous focus issues were a thing of the past.

Were I MD I would have insisted no dodgy copies go out the door. Knowing this was going to be an eagerly awaited lens I would have wanted tolerances/quality control to be ramped up to maximum. Instead they screw up and leave people thinking "I may have to pay more for a Nikon lens but at least it will work"

Sigma - will you ever learn?
 
I'm going to be my usual voice of caution on this subject.

With wide aperture lenses your DoF is reduced and the smaller the camera to subject distance the more this is true. You also need to give the kit a fighting chance and aim at something that there's a good chance of achieving a good focus lock on. Sometimes you can be pushing at the limits of what the kit can do.

When pushing things to the limit personally I try to take more than one shot as Canon themselves (I'm a Canon user but I asssume other makes are more or less the same) say somewhere on their web site that if you take three pictures you will see focus differences between them and that this is perfectly normal. So, taking this into account I suppose that if you are pushing it with minimum DoF and possibly also with a subject that is going to task the hardware you're going to see even greater differences. It's only after discounting user error such as bobbing forward or backward when taking the shot (a surprisingly common thing,) camera or subject movement, tasking choice of focus point and Canon's (in my case) stated differences between three shots that you can decide if there's another problem.
 
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Tried it all, honest. I took shots of the kids, your standard portrait type, sat them by a window, took a few shots - eyes OOF ... tried at 1.4/2/2.5/2.8/4 things were much better at f/4 but I didn't buy an f/4 lens.

On the tripod I tried flat text, a doll! various cartons ... it is definitely off. I would know by now if it was just me. But comparing it directly at 1.8, to my new 85mm 1.8 really showed up the off-focus.

I think most people know 1.4 give shallow DOF, especially close up. I wouldn't splash on a lens I didn't think I could handle ;) I shoot macro, with insanely shallow DOF, hand held, manually focusing and get sharp shots. After re-trying over and over with this lens I just know it was off, nothing to do with it being a 1.4. Unfortunate, but it's now at the post office. I bet they'll make me wait weeks for the return now ....
 
I never realised most of these specific softwares and charts existed until now. Well, I mean I knew people used charts for intense testing, but for me, I'd only have bothered if I was getting some dodgy focus lenses. I must have been lucky to date!? I think I will be checking any that I buy in future though. No point waiting until you're doing a paid shoot to notice you're not getting sharp images!
 
Oh the irony ... it seems my sample image of scrappy, the cat, has made explore on Flickr :LOL:

I've never made explore before, and it's never bothered me. Now I have an OOF cat pic up on there, apparently [that search tool for explore doesn't bring it up, but it keeps getting newlikes and someone's commented to say "congrat's on explore"] - Think I'll concentrate focus on noses from now on :D
 
Cagey75 said:
Oh the irony ... it seems my sample image of scrappy, the cat, has made explore on Flickr :LOL:

I've never made explore before, and it's never bothered me. Now I have an OOF cat pic up on there, apparently [that search tool for explore doesn't bring it up, but it keeps getting newlikes and someone's commented to say "congrat's on explore"] - Think I'll concentrate focus on noses from now on :D
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LOL niceone mate
 
Just goes to show, what we knew already really. That on Flickr - Cat > sharp shot, every time :D
 
Check POTN. There's a specific thread on about inconsistent AF with this lens.

Same old Sigma unfortunately.
 
Cagey75 said:
I think most people know 1.4 give shallow DOF, especially close up. I wouldn't splash on a lens I didn't think I could handle ;)...
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Good. I was just checking as there are people who expect to get a smack on focus shot every time (and in reality you're never going to get a smack on result every single time) and panic when they dont.
 
Nah, I've had many 1.8 lenses, they can be temperamental enough! And I would mostly stop these lenses down. But I bought the 1.4 for a bit of fun, to do some more artsy farsty shots maybe. Just to have at least one 1.4 in the bag. No doubt I'd combine it with flash most times indoors and stop it down at least to f/2 outdoors.

I just noticed that image was actually my 2nd in explore, realised if you choose to include ones that were in but have since dropped out they show. Never even knew the first one got there in the past. Irrelevant, but nice to know.
 
I have had this lens for a few days, really like it. My lens setup is now a bit overflowing and I am considering selling the 24-70mm f2.8 and keeping my line up thus: Tokina 16-28mm f2.8, Sigma 35mm f1.4, Nikon 50mm f1.4G, Nikon 85mm f1.4D..

Here are a couple of samples (full res on flickr):

8437106251_402abaa74e_b.jpg


8437110949_67449228e3_b.jpg
 
So what do you think of it John. Is focus accurate and are images sharp at 1.4?

Seems like the jury is still out so I'd be interested in your own findings....
 
ryanyboy said:
So what do you think of it John. Is focus accurate and are images sharp at 1.4?

Seems like the jury is still out so I'd be interested in your own findings....
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I really like it so far but that is a combination of things; I really like the focal length, design and quality of the lens and so far love the images I am getting from it.

I haven't done much shooting at 1.4 yet, just did this shot, is there a better test of it? I focused on the T/in Korea:

Full Res http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8190/8440228159_e6796bb1e1_o.jpg

8440228159_15edc2c4b0_k.jpg
 
Yup. Been spoken about on this thread earlier.

Out of stock for quite a while now.
 
Yeah that's the one, I paid a lot more than that but I am impatient! And with the chance that it could need returning I decided to go with a UK company...
 
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