well the last 4 weeks have been nothing short of a roller-coaster ride with this lens. The first sample that turned up on Amazon was good and gave me some great pictures until I started the dreaded pixel peeping with this lens. AF was considerably as fast as a Canon but was front focussing - test with focus charts too proved the same. Some sleepless nights since the lens had never come off my Canon t3i since I put the two together - the pictures were keepers (atleast most of them) but I could not live with a new lens with front focus issues. I called up Sigma NY and they were willing to fix the problem in 1-2 working days (minus shipping time back and forth) but I could not afford to send my only camera body across for more than a week. Amazon to the rescue - a call to customer service - bang without asking a question they send a replacement that reaches me in 1 day. I used both the lenses together but the one that was sent later seemed to be of the newer lot (serial number, construction - matter finish). Gingerly as I put on the lens and prayed and clicked some pictures and went testing again with focus charts. AF was spot on - and they alternately using both the lenses for a couple of days before shipping the "defective" lens back to Amazon, I came to the following conclusions:
Pros:
1. This lens has an Amazing DOF - very narrow. At 1.4 this should be the case anyway. Don't know why one reviewer put it as a negative trait.
2. If you can focus properly (tripod helps at f1.4) - the center sharpness is amazing.
3. Construction is solid - much better than Canon 50mm f1.4 coupled with 4 year Sigma warranty
4. HSM pretty fast - as good as Canon AF
5. F1.4 means its great for low light conditions and pictures are pretty usable with some sharpening in PS come out great.
6. VFM not cheap - till Canon has a 28/30 f1.4 - effective 50mm on APS-C sensors at a competing price - this is always going to be a better choice.
7. Lastly great PQ - good contrast and great bokeh. Period.
Cons:
1. Poor QC for lenses/maybe the reason put out by Sigma does hold true wrt variation of AF on DSLR bodies not being standardized. Anyway their customer service folks have heard of this problem and have a fix for it. Only if there was a better solution than shipping the lens with body to Sigma.
2. Can be difficult at f1.4 since DOF is narrow. This is both a pro and con - depends on the end user
3. Cant find any for the last two mins - Sigma could have included a coupon for ice cream along with the lens. The packing and box was good. (its not a con).
Pretty much to sum it up - its a good lens - great IQ and good contrast coupled with a VFM label means its always going to be a good seller. Can fall into the great category if Sigma can do something to address the focus issues. Overall a great buy for crop sensor cameras' provided you get a good copy/get is calibrated.
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This item: Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras
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This Item  Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras | Recommendations  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $599.00 | $399.00 | $199.00 | $419.95 | -10% $112.00 New Price: $125.00 | -14% $689.00 List: $799.00 |
| Delivery | Get it May 12 - 19 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 7 | Get it as soon as Saturday, May 10 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 7 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 14 | Get it as soon as Wednesday, May 7 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Sold By | Wall Street Photo Authorized Seller | Minty Gadgets (we track serial numbers) | Amazon.com | PhoenixPhoto | TEKlinq | Wholesale Photo |
| lens type | Wide Angle | Standard | Standard | Standard | Standard | Wide Angle |
| compatible mountings | Canon EF-S | Canon EF | Canon RF | Sigma SA | Canon EF | Canon EF-S |
| lens design | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Zoom |
| focus type | Ultrasonic | Ultrasonic | Auto/Manual | Auto/Manual | Stepper motor | Ring-type ultrasonic |
| minimum focal length | 30 millimeters | 30 millimeters | 50 millimeters | — | 50 millimeters | 18 millimeters |
| max focal length | 30 millimeters | 30 millimeters | 50 millimeters | — | 50 millimeters | 35 millimeters |
| fixed focal length | 30 millimeters | 30 millimeters | 50 millimeters | 30 millimeters | 50 millimeters | 1 millimeters |
| real angle of view | 45 degrees | 45 degrees | 46 degrees | 50.7 degrees | — | 76.5 degrees |
| model name | ex dc hsm | art dc hsm | CNRF50F18STM | 301205 | 0570C002-cr | 210101 |
| max aperture | — | 1.4 f stop | 50 millimeters | 1.4 f stop | 1.8 millimeters | — |
| diaphragm blades | 8 | 9 | 5 | — | 7 | 9 |
Product information
| Product Dimensions | 2.32 x 3.03 x 3.03 inches |
|---|---|
| Item Weight | 15.2 ounces |
| ASIN | B0007U0GZM |
| Item model number | 300101 |
| Batteries | 1 Lithium Ion batteries required. |
| Customer Reviews |
4.3 out of 5 stars |
| Best Sellers Rank | #1,922 in SLR Camera Lenses |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Date First Available | October 21, 2005 |
| Manufacturer | Sigma Corporation of America |
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PERFECT but shoot RAW for occasional overexposed shots
I had the Nifty-Fifty (Canon 50mm f1.8 II) for last two years and absolutely loved it for its low light capability. There were however occasions when i wished it was wider eg. shooting a wedding reception (not professionally). My original plan for upgrade was to get the 50mm f/1.4 and live with 50mm focal length but then i did some research and came across this Sigma 30mm f1.4. On paper it seemed PERFECT for me. Faster than 1.8 and wider than 50mm; actually pretty close to "real" 50mm on my crop-sensor Canon. I considered the Canon 28mm f1.4 also but thought it might be a bit too wide for me and also i didn't care if i could use it on a full sensor or not - with cameras like 7d around; i don't think i will splurge for a full-frame. This lens met all my expectations but it does gets couple of shots overexposed. My solution is to shoot in RAW+JPEG that way i get to fix the occasional overexposed shots with no issue. It looks very nice on my T1i and captures unbelievale shots even in extremely low light. If Canon 28mm 1.4 does not have this overexposure issue; that might be a better option but i can't pass the judegement as i have not used it. Even at 30mm when shooting portraits of kids, i find it a bit wider than desired having been using a 50mm for 2 years for same but i can always crop its output; reverse is not possible :) If you are just starting with Fast Primes (or with DSLRs), I would recommend getting the Canon f1.8 50mm to experiment with and to learn the "tricks of the trade". If you are concerned with its 50mm focal length; don't be - i lived with it for 2 years and never took it off of my camera. Yes you will have to back way off to take a group shot but its do-able. Also if you happen to have the 18-24mm kit lens, that would cover your wide-angle shots just good enough though you will need to use the flash in low light with it. That lens will get you amazing portraits and costs 1/4th of this step-up lens. 08/24/11 UPDATE: I read a review that also mention this overexposure issue and concluded that this lens is actually faster than the advertised 1.4 aperture! Looking at that, its really amazing but you do need to compensate for overexposure either at the time taking the shot (not ideal) or shoot RAW and adjust afterwards which is much better as there are times when it does NOT overexposes. 05/04/12 UPDATE: I finally experienced the front-focus issue with this lens. My subject was about 12 feet away and even though i used center-point focus lock, it still did not focus on the subject. I did more tests and find out it can focus accurately at closer distances but for larger distance, there is an issue. I am a bit disappointed at that and decided to switch to a Canon lens. I had 28mm 1.8 in mind but reading many reviews about its issues, i settled for the old and trusty 35mm f2 and am loving it! I wish Canon would update this old lens (will love to get USM on it) but as for performance, its superb.
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- Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2011
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SavayReviewed in Germany on July 9, 2012
Gute Standard FB für APS-C mit toller Lichtstärke!
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