Sigma 30mm/1.4

[DaveB]

Does anyone here have this lens in the Canon (EF) mount? Do you love it or hate it?

Or does anyone know of a camera store in the Melbourne area that might have one on the shelf?
I'm considering a new lens (for use on 20D, 30D, and probably 40D bodies) and preferably would like to test its IR behaviour before investing.

[Wocka]

Dave,

I have this lens and love it, I use it all the time. Focus is fast and smooth.

[DaveB]

Focus is fast and smooth.

Are you sure? I toured some Melbourne camera stores today with an IR 20D body, and played two two copies of this lens. In both of them I'd have to describe the focus ring as feeling "rough". Not bad as such, but definitely nothing like the feel of the focus rings in Canon's "ring USM" lenses (such as the EF 17-40mm/4 lens I had with me).
While that wouldn't stop me using the lens, it's a slight disappointment.

While the lens doesn't suffer from any obvious IR flare problems, it does have a severe mis-focus issue in IR:

Sigma 30mm/1.4 ("focussed" on the tree)


EF 28-135mm IS

[big pix]

Dave are the 2 images, the same ??...... or am I missing something

[sirhc55]

Dave are the 2 images look the same ??...... or am I missing something

I’m with you Bernie - the people are in exactly the same position in both pics

[DaveB]

Sorry, that's what I get for pushing the "Submit" button in a rush while being ushered out the door to go to dinner with friends!
I've fixed it now.

[adam]

oh, a little disappointing about the misfocussing - does this mean that it must be callibrated, or focus adjusted somehow? Or does it mean that it can't be used?

[Oz_Beachside]

Focus is fast and smooth.

Are you sure? I toured some Melbourne camera stores today with an IR 20D body, and played two two copies of this lens. In both of them I'd have to describe the focus ring as feeling "rough". Not bad as such, but definitely nothing like the feel of the focus rings in Canon's "ring USM" lenses (such as the EF 17-40mm/4 lens I had with me).
While that wouldn't stop me using the lens, it's a slight disappointment.

While the lens doesn't suffer from any obvious IR flare problems, it does have a severe mis-focus issue in IR:

Agree on the noisy focus ring, mine sounds like its full of sand, noisy and very dissappointing for a premium sigma lens, but I can deal with it since I'm not taking pics of sounds.

Dont know what is going on with your demo focus in IR... something very wrong there!

[DaveB]

oh, a little disappointing about the misfocussing - does this mean that it must be callibrated, or focus adjusted somehow? Or does it mean that it can't be used?

I'm not sure yet. There some things I didn't notice at the time (with a store attendant hovering around to keep an eye on their lens) and I would really like to spend a couple of hours with this lens, my standard calibration lens, and a couple of bodies to be sure.

I *suspect* that it may require significant recalibration of the camera and thus other lenses would mis-behave, but I need to do more tests before I'm sure. Hopefully I'm wrong, as otherwise it's a nice lens.

The results are SO bad that I've got a horrible feeling I'm missing something obvious. Also I wanted to check a different copy of the lens (Sigma's QC is legendary) but most of the other stores I visited that had this lens didn't have it in a Canon mount.
A couple of my shots did come out OK, but I wasn't shooting wide-open at that point.

So the jury's still out...

[DaveB]

Agree on the noisy focus ring, mine sounds like its full of sand

"grainy" is the adjective that came to my mind. Fine sand maybe...