lovin the sigma 30mm f/1.4 on the d90 :)

raphmeister · 29th November 2008

hi all

just got my d90 recently and as i wanted to take some shots of my boy at home without flash, got interested in picking this lens up... i thought i'd just share some first time shots... any comments/criticisms are welcome

[pls move if its in the wrong thread]

cheers
raph

AbangR · 29th November 2008

Thanks for sharing. I am interested in getting the same lens.

In your pics, bokeh is nice, but the sharpness is lacking.
Is this because the lens was wide open? How do you find sharpness in all other f numbers?

raphmeister · 29th November 2008

Originally Posted by AbangR

Thanks for sharing. I am interested in getting the same lens.

In your pics, bokeh is nice, but the sharpness is lacking.
Is this because the lens was wide open? How do you find sharpness in all other f numbers?

the lens was wide open and may be the reason for the sharpness lacking. i haven't played around with it enough so cant speak of how it performs at other f stops... hopefully others who own the same lens can chime in

cheers
raph

entropy_h · 29th November 2008

Looks out of focus to me

cherps · 29th November 2008

i agree that the shots look out-of-focus. looks like the lens is focusing in front of where you want it to. the sigma 30mm has some QC issues (like many Sigma lens), but if you have one that focuses accurately, it is rather sharp even at f/1.4!

Of course, it's not the super sharpness that you find at f/5.6, but which lens is razor sharp at f/1.4 anyways? Perhaps Zeiss but I haven't tried those before. At least for me, for the nice wide-open look, the creamy bokeh, the gentle way the focus falls off your subject, it's more than sharp enough for me.

Did ya test for focussing issues on your sigma? If not, just gotta get used to the lens and this ultra-thin DOF wide open..

David Kwok · 30th November 2008

Well there's the love and hate of this lens. When in focus it's super sharp, I have witness it's capability hands on

But it is often out of focus. I understand at f/1.4, the DOF is shallow, but it cannot be so shallow to the extend of OOF so often. At least it's not happening with my Nikon 50mm f/1.4

If you are having time focusing, try keep depressing the shutter button a couple of times and when it doesn't refocus anymore, it should be quite in focus. This lens give very good sharpness even when wide open, so no worries.

When the subject is moving. It's sad to say it's either hit or miss

oneofakind · 30th November 2008

Sigmas have been known to have problems with their QC. When i first got this lens 2nd hand from a CSer, it had slight focusing problems as I didnt find the pictures to be tack sharp. Brought the lens down to Sigma Service Centre to had it calibrated to my D80, and from then on, totally love this lens. Sharp even when it's totally wide open at f1.4.

Here's an example to show what this lens is capable of doing wide open. This was taken after calibration.

Hope to see more fantastic photos of your boy taken with the Sigma in the near future! f1.4 sure comes in handy for kids. cheers

29th November 2008	#1
raphmeister New Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: east side is the best Posts: 47	lovin the sigma 30mm f/1.4 on the d90 :) hi all just got my d90 recently and as i wanted to take some shots of my boy at home without flash, got interested in picking this lens up... i thought i'd just share some first time shots... any comments/criticisms are welcome [pls move if its in the wrong thread] cheers raph

29th November 2008	#2
AbangR Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 328	Re: lovin the sigma 30mm f/1.4 on the d90 :) Thanks for sharing. I am interested in getting the same lens. In your pics, bokeh is nice, but the sharpness is lacking. Is this because the lens was wide open? How do you find sharpness in all other f numbers?

29th November 2008	#4
entropy_h Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: floating in space. Posts: 800	Re: lovin the sigma 30mm f/1.4 on the d90 :) Looks out of focus to me __________________ D∞X, 1-∞ mm F0.17. I like to show off my equipment list because I'm pro. My Flickr

29th November 2008	#5
cherps Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 80	Re: lovin the sigma 30mm f/1.4 on the d90 :) i agree that the shots look out-of-focus. looks like the lens is focusing in front of where you want it to. the sigma 30mm has some QC issues (like many Sigma lens), but if you have one that focuses accurately, it is rather sharp even at f/1.4! Of course, it's not the super sharpness that you find at f/5.6, but which lens is razor sharp at f/1.4 anyways? Perhaps Zeiss but I haven't tried those before. At least for me, for the nice wide-open look, the creamy bokeh, the gentle way the focus falls off your subject, it's more than sharp enough for me. Did ya test for focussing issues on your sigma? If not, just gotta get used to the lens and this ultra-thin DOF wide open..

30th November 2008	#6
David Kwok Contributor Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Singapore Posts: 562	Re: lovin the sigma 30mm f/1.4 on the d90 :) Well there's the love and hate of this lens. When in focus it's super sharp, I have witness it's capability hands on But it is often out of focus. I understand at f/1.4, the DOF is shallow, but it cannot be so shallow to the extend of OOF so often. At least it's not happening with my Nikon 50mm f/1.4 If you are having time focusing, try keep depressing the shutter button a couple of times and when it doesn't refocus anymore, it should be quite in focus. This lens give very good sharpness even when wide open, so no worries. When the subject is moving. It's sad to say it's either hit or miss __________________ D3\|N70-200\|N24-70\|N24-85f2.8-4\|N50f1.4\|N35f2\|SB800\|SB900\|Yashica GS www.flickr.com/photos/davidktw

30th November 2008	#7
oneofakind Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 222	Re: lovin the sigma 30mm f/1.4 on the d90 :) Sigmas have been known to have problems with their QC. When i first got this lens 2nd hand from a CSer, it had slight focusing problems as I didnt find the pictures to be tack sharp. Brought the lens down to Sigma Service Centre to had it calibrated to my D80, and from then on, totally love this lens. Sharp even when it's totally wide open at f1.4. Here's an example to show what this lens is capable of doing wide open. This was taken after calibration. Hope to see more fantastic photos of your boy taken with the Sigma in the near future! f1.4 sure comes in handy for kids. cheers __________________ Fuji. flickr Last edited by oneofakind; 30th November 2008 at 12:36 AM.