SIGMA 30mm

[exiledbummer]

HAs this lens arrived yet? Does anyone knows where to get? I think i saw at DPreview some weeks back about a PEntax DA35mm Macro lens...would anyone know when that will arrive too and roughly how much it will cost?

[fengwei]

Originally Posted by exiledbummer HAs this lens arrived yet? Does anyone knows where to get? I think i saw at DPreview some weeks back about a PEntax DA35mm Macro lens...would anyone know when that will arrive too and roughly how much it will cost?

OP might have this lens for you Or at least they can order it for you. The price is very good I think, should be less than 600SGD ...

[fengwei]

And the DA35 macro ... oh well, I don't think we are gonna see it in another 6 months ...

[exiledbummer]

Another 6 mths? would you be able to guess the price of the 35mm macro? for the Sigma, would the HSM work with pentx bodies?

[fengwei]

Originally Posted by exiledbummer Another 6 mths? would you be able to guess the price of the 35mm macro? for the Sigma, would the HSM work with pentx bodies?

The price of the DA35 macro? I've no idea, but I'm guessing it'd be around 700SGD.

And no, the HSM of the Sigma lens won't work with Pentax bodies. It works just like normal AF lenses.

[istDeS]

I think airconvent has this lens. It should be available in OP (thought i saw it). That Sigma lens for Pentax does not have HSM.

[creampuff]

Think of it. Because of the 1.5x crop factor it becomes a 45mm. Almost a normal lens in 35mm film equivalent. But at about SGD 600?

[airconvent]

You talking about the 30f1.4? yes I have it. The price is not that excessive for an f/1.4 lens though. Actually its quite usable as compared with my 50 f/1.4 which tended to be too narrow for general shots. But compared with the 50f1.4 its quite heavy and bulky actually.
OP has it in stock the last time I checked.
Image quality is good but then again, I am not too fussy on lens quality as I am on focus...heh heh

[VSonic06]

The sigma 30/1.4 for Pentax K does not have HSM but this lens seem to be more responsive and focus much faster on a K10D than the HSM versions. OP had one few weeks back but I think its gone.

[creampuff]

It's a wideangle, so the benefits of HSM isn't going to be that significant focusing speed wise. After all, how much movement of the focusing ring does it take from infinity to 40cm on a wideangle? HSM might account for quieter focusing compared to slotted drive but the large maximum aperture is the primary reason why the camera can lock focus better.

[creampuff]

Originally Posted by airconvent You talking about the 30f1.4? yes I have it. The price is not that excessive for an f/1.4 lens though. Actually its quite usable as compared with my 50 f/1.4 which tended to be too narrow for general shots. But compared with the 50f1.4 its quite heavy and bulky actually. OP has it in stock the last time I checked. Image quality is good but then again, I am not too fussy on lens quality as I am on focus...heh heh

Don't worry I used to own several fast wide angles in the past so I know they don't come cheap. Years back, I had the privilege to talk to a senior Minolta lens specialist. He told me that designing a fast, large aperture wide angle lens is extremely challenging as it is difficult to correct lens aberrations like CA and coma at large apertures and at the same time have the wide angle of view to be free from barrel distortion.

So to compare it with the 50 f1.4 isn't really a fair comparison as the fast wide angle would typically need to have aspherical elements, low dispersion glass and probably a floating element construction, something you'll unlikely to find in the 50mm.

[airconvent]

Originally Posted by creampuff Don't worry I used to own several fast wide angles in the past so I know they don't come cheap. Years back, I had a priviledge to talk to a senior Minolta lens specialist. He told me that designing a fast, large aperture wide angle lens is extremely challenging as it is difficult to correct lens aberrations like CA and coma at large apertures and at the same time have the wide angle of view to be free from barrel distortion. So to compare it with the 50 f1.4 isn't really a fair comparison as the fast wide angle would typically need to have aspherical elements, low dispersion glass and probably a floating element construction, something you'll unlikely to find in the 50mm.

ahh..thanks. That explains the weight and all the optics needed in there to maintain the image quality.

[VSonic06]

Originally Posted by creampuff It's a wideangle, so the benefits of HSM isn't going to be that significant focusing speed wise. After all, how much movement of the focusing ring does it take from infinity to 40cm on a wideangle? HSM might account for quieter focusing compared to slotted drive but the large maximum aperture is the primary reason why the camera can lock focus better.

Actually I was referring to HSM v screwdriver AF responsiveness. HSM feels lethargic on the Sigma 30/1.4 and the Pentax version just focus almost instantaneously on the K10D. The focusing ring does move a fair bit, about 90deg from near to infinity.

[creampuff]

Originally Posted by VSonic06 Actually I was referring to HSM v screwdriver AF responsiveness. HSM feels lethargic on the Sigma 30/1.4 and the Pentax version just focus almost instantaneously on the K10D. The focusing ring does move a fair bit, about 90deg from near to infinity.

Actually I feel it depends on the camera used. Tried this lens on a Canon 1DMkII a while back and the focusing is very quick. Not tried the Pentax mount version on a K10D but I'm guessing the difference isn't that significant.