Sigma 30mm f/2.8

segedi said:
I'm debating on getting one for my 5n, but I already have a 25mm ZM, two 35mm M-mount lenses and Hawk's Adapter. Other than AF, any real benefits?
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For the 5N, probably not much. You may still get improved edge resolution, but I'm not sure how noticeable it would be. You also get lighter weight and lower cost. Of course, on the NEX-7, you get better edge performance.

I actually sold my ZM 35/2, ZM 35/2.8, Contax G 35 and Nokton 35/1.4 after I bought the silly little Sigma, because it performed as good or better than all of them at comparable apertures for only $199. :bang: Ended up with an extra $3K in my pocket. 🙂
 
ddutchison said:
Gotta' say that I don't get all the excitment that these lenses engender.

I can't say I've read anything in this thread that suggests the 30mm or 19mm Sigmas have any great advantages over the kit-zoom, other than their smaller size (which for some, admittedly, is an important factor).

They're sharper than the kit zoom, but not a lot. They're faster than the kit-zoom, but not a lot. They aren't expensive, so why not- I guess - other then that the kit-zoon encompasses both FL's and won't require a lens change at a crucial moment.
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I like the kit zoom -- it's really pretty solid throughout its range (even on the NEX-7), and especially good around 24-30mm. For an inexpensive zoom, it's really quite good, and the VR is very handy (crucial, even, for video, though not many here will care about such things). It's exceptional, even. Still, the Sigma 30 is sharper at all comparable stops, and sharper in the corners at f/2.8 than the kit at f/8. It's essentially a no-issues compact prime, which is what people have been chasing with the NEX with Leica and Zeiss glass for the past year. You simply don't have to worry about corners, or flare, or color shift, or much of anything else. It does all that for two hundred bucks.

The kit zoom is good; the Sigma is better.
 
Agreed, Smiert. I still keep the kit zoom around for home movies, but the cheapie Sigmarit liberated me from trying to find the right combination of expensive M lenses.
 
Yeah, I'm sure I'm driving some nuts with that obnoxious name that I came up with, but I think it's pretty funny, too. 🙂
 
Ken Ford said:
That would be sweet, along with a 60/2.8 Macro.
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Ah, yes -- the Macro-Sigmarit.

Heh, heh.



At the risk of inserting some reality, the Sigma 70/2.8 is well-liked, and a dedicated NEX version would be pretty handy. Not sure how much of an optical redesign would be necessary to trim the size down from SLR proportions, though.
 
Both lenses do the same thing when focusing on my 5n. Even when set to center focus, it will hunt in the same manner, even with objects that are right next to each other. It seems to go through the entire focus range twice and then locks on. Is this how it's working on other's?
 
segedi said:
Both lenses do the same thing when focusing on my 5n. Even when set to center focus, it will hunt in the same manner, even with objects that are right next to each other. It seems to go through the entire focus range twice and then locks on. Is this how it's working on other's?
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What version of the 5n firmware do you have? If you are still using the original 1.0 firmware, there was an update that is supposed to help reduce hunting for AF.
 
I'd be using the 30/2.8 for a week; I found a similar hunting-focus issue that an earlier poster had discussed. I was going to live with it and then found a Contax G1, 28, 45 and 90 for a very good price. So the Sigma was returned, and a Kipon adapter was bought and is in the mail.
 
segedi said:
Both lenses do the same thing when focusing on my 5n. Even when set to center focus, it will hunt in the same manner, even with objects that are right next to each other. It seems to go through the entire focus range twice and then locks on. Is this how it's working on other's?
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Mine does not do this on my NEX-7.
 
dbm said:
What version of the 5n firmware do you have? If you are still using the original 1.0 firmware, there was an update that is supposed to help reduce hunting for AF.
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Thanks for that. Hunting appears to be be cut in half, but still hunts. Will check in daylight to see if that makes any difference.

The odd thing about this AF is that if you focus on something, take your finger off the release and focus on the same object without moving the camera, it goes completely out of focus before locking on again. Maybe that's what it needs to do, but it's not what I'm used to from the DSLRs.

Look forward to getting some shots in though.
 
Yup, it's good. In that regard, it performs much more like the normal focal length lens that it is (roughly the diagonal of the sensor), rather than a cropped full frame wide. The corners are very good wide open, and improve further stopped down a little.
 
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