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Comparative Digital SLR Lens Review: Fast, Wide Aperture Lenses

July 29, 2009 By 4 Comments

Field Test Report

Peter Burian tests five lenses with great light gathering ability: the Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM, Tamron AF 70-200mm f/2.8 Di LD (IF) Macro, Tokina AF 50-135mm f/2.8 AT-X Pro DX, Nikon 17-55mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX and the Sigma AF 30mm f/1.4 EX HSM DC

Because most digital SLR camera owners demand compact, lightweight lenses, the vast majority of zooms feature a small maximum aperture. A typical kit lens is designated as f/3.5-5.6 indicating that the maximum aperture is quite small at the short end and becomes very small at longer focal lengths. In practical terms, that translates to moderate light gathering ability. The larger the numeral the smaller the opening in the lens and the less light that will reach the camera’s digital sensor.

A wide aperture lens is ideal for fast shutter speeds in low light conditions when you cannot use flash or a tripod. Shooting at f/2.8 allowed me to get many sharp photos at 1/125 sec. during a stage performance, using ISO 1000. With a more typical (smaller) aperture, much higher ISO levels would have been required for the same shutter speed and the images would have been seriously degraded by digital noise. (Nikon 17-55mm at f/2.8.) (c) 2009 Peter K. Burian

A wide aperture lens is ideal for fast shutter speeds in low light conditions when you cannot use flash or a tripod. Shooting at f/2.8 allowed me to get many sharp photos at 1/125 sec. during a stage performance, using ISO 1000. With a more typical (smaller) aperture, much higher ISO levels would have been required for the same shutter speed and the images would have been seriously degraded by digital noise. (Nikon 17-55mm at f/2.8.) (c) 2009 Peter K. Burian

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Sigma 14mm f/3.5 AF Review Round-Up

April 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment

sigma-14mm-f35-af

If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Thom Hogan

Oh my, here’s a lens wide enough to take in almost your entire vision, yet with very little linear distortion (i.e., straight lines remain straight). Sigma has managed to make a very wide angle lens without most of the optical issues that plague them (light falloff, corner softness, chromatic aberration, etc.). With one major caveat, the Sigma 14mm f/3.5 is a decent performer. The edges are a little soft wide open. And I wouldn’t use the lens at f/22, as defraction seems to take a bit of sharpness away at minimum aperture. Fortunately, depth of field is so great even at f/3.5 (hyperfocal distance is less than 8′), that you’ll never really need to stop all the way down. I expected more light falloff in the corners, but this common wide-angle problem is well controlled on this lens. Unbelievably, straight lines really do stay straight. READ FULL REVIEW

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Sigma 180mm f/3.5 EX HSM APO Macro AF Review Round-Up

April 3, 2009 By 1 Comment

sigma-af-180mm-f-35-ex-hsm-apo-macroIf you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Sigma 180mm f/3.5 EX IF HSM Macro Lens for Nikon SLR Cameras

Photo Zone

The is a very capable macro lens with very high resolution figures, marginal vignetting and non-existing distortions. Unfortunately CAs are a on the high side which is unusual for a tele fix-focal lens – this is a correctable issue though (via PS ACR, RawShooter, etc.). The build quality is very high and thanks to HSM the AF operates pretty fast and virtually silent. Compared to similar genuine brand lenses the AF 180mm f/3.5 EX APO macro is an absolute bargain at less than half the costs. However, all-in-all the Sigma AF 150mm f/2.8 EX HSM APO macro DG was a little more convincing. “¦ READ FULL REVIEW

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Sigma 20mm f/1.8 EX AF Review Round-Up

April 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment

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Digital Picture

One of the best situations in which to consider a third party lens is when the camera body manufacturer does not have an equivalent offering. Meet the Sigma 20mm f/1.8 EX DG Lens – as of this writing, Canon does not offer a lens this wide with an aperture this large. Unfortunately, I consider the Sigma 20mm f/1.8 EX DG Lens to be unusable at f/1.8 unless you are looking for a soft-focus effect. This lens is one of the softest I’ve seen wide open. Realistically, this will be an f/2.8 lens to most people as the center does not become decently sharp until this aperture. Sorry Sigma, this one is a dud. If you want a fast 20mm lens, I suggest saving for the Canon EF 16-35mm f/2.8 L USM Lens. It far surpasses the performance of the current Sigma and Canon 20mm lenses in all regards. READ FULL REVIEW

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Sigma 400mm f/5.6 HSM APO Macro AF Review Round-Up

April 3, 2009 By 1 Comment

sigma-400mm-f56-hsm-apo-macro-af

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Photo Zone

The Sigma AF 400mm f/5.6 HSM APO macro may be discontinued but this surely doesn’t originate in performance factors. The lens is capable to delivery high quality images with very high resolution, low vignetting and insignificant distortions as well as a negligible degree of CAs. The build quality is also decent apart from the AF/MF switch and the focus limiter. Same goes for the focusing speed thanks to Sigma’s HSM (ultrasonic) AF drive. So if you’re looking for a high performance 400mm lens on a budget it is surely worth to check out the used market for this lens. However, you should make sure that the lens is still compatible to today’s DSLRs. The tested sample had no real issues on the EOS 350D but older samples with an old firmware may even lock up your camera. This is especially likely for the older variants with a conventional AF motor (non-HSM). Unfortunately Sigma doesn’t seem to be able to provide firmware updates for all these 400mm lenses anymore. “¦ READ FULL REVIEW

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Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX HSM DC AF Review Round-Up

April 3, 2009 By 1 Comment

sigma-af-30mm-f-14-ex-hsm-dcIf you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM Autofocus Lens & Opteka Battery Pack Grip & 2 EN-EL3e Batteries (3400 mAh Total) & Filters & Accessories for Nikon D80 Digital SLR Camera

Photo Zone

We all know that zoom lenses are compromises regarding speed and performance but we expect fix-focals to perform better than that. Sigma AF 30mm f/1.4 EX HSM DC may perform pretty good in absolute terms but for a fix-focal the lens disappoints a little. The center performance is exceptionally high but the borders are not all that impressive. The other image parameters such as distortions, vignetting and CAs are Okay but nothing to rave about. So at the end of the day the only differentiator is its ultra-large aperture – it’s up to you whether this is good enough compared to classic 28mm or 35mm lenses. READ FULL REVIEW

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Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM AF Review Round-Up

April 3, 2009 By Leave a Comment

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Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras

Photo Zone

The new Sigma AF 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM is a refreshing alternative in the long-ignored standard AF lens market. The lens is fairly big and heavy due to unusually big glass elements but thanks to the design efforts it is already capable of delivering very sharp images straight from f/1.4 and the resolution is truly impressive at medium aperture settings. Distortions, vignetting as well as CAs aren’t overly relevant in field conditions. The bokeh can be a bit nervous at f/1.4 but it’s smooth and buttery from f/2 onwards. The build quality of the lens is excellent. The HSM AF drive is very fast and virtually silent. All-in-all – highly recommended but watch out for focus accuracy problems. READ FULL REVIEW

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Sigma 50mm f/2.8 EX macro DG AF Review Round-Up

April 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

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Photo Zone

The Sigma AF 50mm f/2.8 EX macro DG is an excellent lens without any significant optical flaws. Compared to the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM macro it shows less vignetting at wide-open aperture – other than that both lenses perform quite similar. Mechanically the Canon has an edge though thanks to a fast USM AF drive combined with a true IF design (constant length). However, the Sigma is earns some points due to its lower price tag and a more future-proof full-frame design. As such it can be highly recommended. READ FULL REVIEW

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Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX HSM DG AF Review Round-Up

April 2, 2009 By 1 Comment

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If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG IF HSM Aspherical Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Canon SLR Cameras

Photo Zone

The Sigma AF 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX HSM DG is the most extreme full format ultra-wide zoom lens around and it is still a “mainstream” ultra-wide lens when used on APS-C DSLRs. If you’re looking for a future-proof “duo-format” lens in this class – well, here it is. However, there’re a couple of further good arguments in favor of the lens. In the APS-C scope the resolution is very high and even throughout the tested aperture and focal length range and as such more harmonious compared to dedicated APS-C zooms which tend to suffer from edge problems. Distortions are extremely well controlled for a lens in this class and vignetting is generally not a problem except maybe at 12mm @ f/4.5. The only significant issue are lateral CAs at and below 17mm – you better shoot RAW files and correct the issue in your RAW converter, otherwise CAs are too extreme. The build quality of the Sigma is excellent and the fast and near-silent HSM (ultrasonic) AF drive is a welcome feature. The price tag of the lens is fairly moderate in relation to what you get for your bucks. Highly recommended … if you can get a good sample (the tested sample in Canon mount wasn’t quite as good). “¦ READ FULL REVIEW

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Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro AF Review Round-Up

April 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

sigma-af-70mm-f-28-ex-dg-macro

If you own or have used this lens, let us know what you think! Leave your comments and thoughts below.

Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Sigma MACRO 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS

Photo Zone

The Sigma AF 70mm f/2.8 EX DG macro is capable to deliver exceptionally sharp results throughout most of the aperture range. The bokeh (out-of-focus blur) is very smooth and buttery. Typical for macro lenses it also produces a negligible degree of distortions. On an APS-C DSLR vignetting is nothing to worry about. Lateral CAs (color shadows at the image borders) are comparatively high for a fix-focal lens but still fairly low in absolute terms and not really field relevant. The AF performance of the lens isn’t overly impressive – the accuracy is fine but it is both slow and noisy. Other than that the build quality is on a very high level. READ FULL REVIEW

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