Sigma 50mm f1.4 EX DG HSM

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Martylaa

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Anyone got one of these lens, its a toss up between this and the Canon 50mm 1.4 or the Canon 35mm f2 on a Canon 550D.
Like the looks of the Sigma but the only thing bothering me is the amount of good and bad reviews on the autofocus.
 
Martylaa said:
Anyone got one of these lens, its a toss up between this and the Canon 50mm 1.4 or the Canon 35mm f2 on a Canon 550D.
Like the looks of the Sigma but the only thing bothering me is the amount of good and bad reviews on the autofocus.
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Although i have it on my nikon D3s, i would never part with it. Stunning lens, and focus is spot on!!!:thumbs:
 
wilko said:
Although i have it on my nikon D3s, i would never part with it. Stunning lens, and focus is spot on!!!:thumbs:
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Agreed, fantastic lens, although I would prefer the 35mm on a crop body such as yours, 50mm is equivalent to around 75mm on a crop sensor so maybe be a bit tight!
 
mh photography said:
Agreed, fantastic lens, although I would prefer the 35mm on a crop body such as yours, 50mm is equivalent to around 75mm on a crop sensor so maybe be a bit tight!
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ok so how about either the sigma 30mm f1.4 or the canon 35mm f2 then?
 
got the sig 50mm, gets consistantly better reviews than the canon.

cracking lens. the bokeh is supurb.

if youre worried about getting a bad copy (be warey though, shooting at 1.4 is an art and people easily mistake user error for an issue) then it may be worth seeking 2nd hand so you can get example shots.
 
I have this lens. You won't regret owning one.
 
Martylaa said:
ok so how about either the sigma 30mm f1.4 or the canon 35mm f2 then?
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The canon would be the way to go between those too, I've owned the sigma 30mm in the past, it's nice, but not up to the standards of sigmas more recent lenses such as the 50mm. Mind you, what will you be shooting mainly?
 
My Sigma 50mm f1.4 is going back to Sigma for AF calibration. It's an amazing lens on the 1DmkIII, 5DmkII and 7D as they all have micro AF adjust, however on my other bodies that don't have micro AF it is just out. Sigma will sort this for free so not a major problem. Also I had to do similar on some Canon primes to get them spot on when wide open.

I love using this lens, really great results.
 
The Siggy 50mm f1.4 has been my default 20D lens for months now, I've had no focus issues at all. I decided to test mine against my Canon 50mm f2.5 which I've read is regarded as one of Canon's sharpest lenses and I found that the Siggy is at the very least a match for it at every aperture. It's a good lens IMVHO.

I also have the Siggy 30mm f1.4 and it too is a good lens and if anything sharper than the 50mm. The only two criticisms I have of the 30mm are that it's small sensor only and that the focus mechanism feels a little gritty when manually focusing, I've tried others in the shop and they felt just the same so I assume that it's just the way it is rather than a fault.
 
ok gents thanks for the pointers its a siggy 50 then, the one thing what was concering me was the focus issues i read about seems to be a bit of a lottery if you get a good one.
anyway cheers
 
Wide open at 1.4 the siggy is sharper centrally than it is in the corners. This is generally the most important part and you need to be a pixel peeper to notice any fall off.
 
Martylaa said:
ok gents thanks for the pointers its a siggy 50 then, the one thing what was concering me was the focus issues...
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IMVHO a number of the reported focus issues are people not knowing the implications and demands of shooting at wider apertures.

"If you want something super sharp at f/2.8-4 then definitely a Canon."

Even leaving aside the wider aperture at 30/50mm and this sort of price point the question would be "What Canon?" as they (arguably) haven't got anything to really challenge here so the question is rather redundant.
 
Martylaa said:
ok gents thanks for the pointers its a siggy 50 then, the one thing what was concering me was the focus issues i read about seems to be a bit of a lottery if you get a good one.
anyway cheers
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Most of the problems you hear with the 30mm and 50mm f1.4s are the lack of knowledge on the part of the user. ;)

When I first got the 30mm I thought it was broken etc but once I spent a little more time with it the photos improved. Even the tiniest movement between focussing and taking the picture can have a huge effect at f1.4! I would love to have the 50mm too, and it is supposed to be substantially better than the canon, both from user reports on here and reviews.
 
woof woof said:
IMVHO a number of the reported focus issues are people not knowing the implications and demands of shooting at wider apertures.

"If you want something super sharp at f/2.8-4 then definitely a Canon."

Even leaving aside the wider aperture at 30/50mm and this sort of price point the question would be ***what Canon*** as they (arguably) haven't got anything to really challenge here so the question is rather redundant.
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The 35mm f/2!

Supurb little lens!
 
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I think that that lens highlights what I was trying to say. I've no doubt that it's a good lens but it's a f2, 5 blade and lacks USM. With the Sigma you get f1.4, 8 blades and HSM plus you get a hood and a case too. Although the Siggy is more expensive it seems to offer a lot more too.

Next to all that the Canon looks like it's a design from a generation behind.
 
Possibly. But it is a stellar lens, and has made me fall in love with primes again!

But the IQ from the 35mm f/2 is gorgeous, the focusing is noisy but still adequate speed wise, and of course it's not as expensive as the Sigma.
 
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I've had the siggy for around 5 months and it's my favourite lens. 30mm is perfect on a crop sensor camera - not wide enough to distort and not so tight that you need to keep backing up. It's so sharp at 1.4 and as said above the bokeh is beautiful. More than that though it's a very nicely weighted and sturdy lens.

+ If you ever go to a full frame - it does a great job on the 5D - heavy vignette but very stylish.

Anyone looking to buy this lens and who doesn't mind fixed focal length will find the results very rewarding :)
 
Had the Canon 50mm 1.8 AND 1.4, but ended up trading them both in for the Siggy. Definitely find the latter a better lens (it is more expensive after all) - and this from a bit of a Canon fanboy.
 
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