Sigma 50mm f1.4 - new batch = outstanding performer

[sammedia]

understand wat you saying. this lens is quite sharp. but i like the bokeh more! as for the color and contrast, it is good! though CZ is much much better wahhaa

just enjoy your lens, if worry, just call sigma & arrange for a calibration.

anyway, i seen people using only a cheapo Kit lens & produce stunning award winning pict while some people who own all sort of "POP" lens produce nothing. Never get too obsess with equipment, just a tool afterall. Good to have, dont have also would not stop you from taking good pict. :bsmilie:

 

[wildcat]

just enjoy your lens, if worry, just call sigma & arrange for a calibration.

anyway, i seen people using only a cheapo Kit lens & produce stunning award winning pict while some people who own all sort of "POP" lens produce nothing. Never get too obsess with equipment, just a tool afterall. Good to have, dont have also would not stop you from taking good pict. :bsmilie:

Can't enjoy a lens if it has front or backfocusing issues though :embrass:

If pictures taken come out OOF, then I don't think it's an obsession, but rather a detractor stopping one from taking a good pict. :bsmilie:

 

[sammedia]

Can't enjoy a lens if it has front or backfocusing issues though :embrass:

If pictures taken come out OOF, then I don't think it's an obsession, but rather a detractor stopping one from taking a good pict. :bsmilie:

after calibration still have problem?

 

[wildcat]

after calibration still have problem?

Just quote generally, coz sometimes taking a picture also need good reliable equipment :thumbsup:

I haven't tried a serious shoot yet but worried if technician did overcalibrate and if I may have a front focusing prob now :bsmilie: it happens with very near distance objects but hopefully at normal portrait distance, it has improved. But that's another story.

When I made my decision to get this, it was basically a choice of sharpness wide open over reliability (both from reading reviews as well as trying in the shop comparing with the Nikon 50mm f1.4). So it was a calculated risk I took, and yes, I do understand that.

My point is that I have weighed the pros and cons of equipments and made my choice of one over the other, and that should matter. Of course the pros can take much better pictures than me even with kit lens, and neither will equipment make me a better photographer but the fact of the matter is, I did make a choice to purchase the equipment over continuing using kit lens. Not obsessing over equipments, but sort of an expectation. Do you know what I mean?

 

[devilcup]

just enjoy your lens, if worry, just call sigma & arrange for a calibration.

anyway, i seen people using only a cheapo Kit lens & produce stunning award winning pict while some people who own all sort of "POP" lens produce nothing. Never get too obsess with equipment, just a tool afterall. Good to have, dont have also would not stop you from taking good pict. :bsmilie:

this i have to agree! kit lens do produce decent photo. to make it the next level, it is all depending on the man behind the camera

 

[arrowtown]

just enjoy your lens, if worry, just call sigma & arrange for a calibration.

anyway, i seen people using only a cheapo Kit lens & produce stunning award winning pict while some people who own all sort of "POP" lens produce nothing. Never get too obsess with equipment, just a tool afterall. Good to have, dont have also would not stop you from taking good pict. :bsmilie:

:thumbsup:

 

[1912123]

If you use it for a living, that's a different story.

 

[sammedia]

No worry, I do understanding the problemm u are facing. In fact not 100% of my piece shooting at F1.4 are in foucus too. As I do have the Nikon 85 F1.4 & 50 F1.8, both lens does not give me 100% in foucus every time... BUt at F1.8 or F2 onwards, no problem at all.

U ever try sending back to sigma & tell them your problem?

Maybe you might want to rent a Nikon 50 F1.4 & try it for 1 day & compare the success rate in focusing.

As for sharpness, Fast lens are not really sharp at at their biggest F Stop.

http://www.geocities.jp/danjiri60/85mm.html

85mm f1.2MKII vs Carl Zeiss Planar 85mm f1.4ZE vs Planar 85mm f1.4 AEG

Just quote generally, coz sometimes taking a picture also need good reliable equipment :thumbsup:

I haven't tried a serious shoot yet but worried if technician did overcalibrate and if I may have a front focusing prob now :bsmilie: it happens with very near distance objects but hopefully at normal portrait distance, it has improved. But that's another story.

When I made my decision to get this, it was basically a choice of sharpness wide open over reliability (both from reading reviews as well as trying in the shop comparing with the Nikon 50mm f1.4). So it was a calculated risk I took, and yes, I do understand that.

My point is that I have weighed the pros and cons of equipments and made my choice of one over the other, and that should matter. Of course the pros can take much better pictures than me even with kit lens, and neither will equipment make me a better photographer but the fact of the matter is, I did make a choice to purchase the equipment over continuing using kit lens. Not obsessing over equipments, but sort of an expectation. Do you know what I mean?

 

[alliedhero]

Tried mine at 1.4 this morning and it is pretty sharp in the middle, guess the previous softness are due to low shutter speed and hand shake. Save the trouble to send for calibration. LOL
Fun lens with slight 3D pop effects.

 

[wildcat]

No worry, I do understanding the problemm u are facing. In fact not 100% of my piece shooting at F1.4 are in foucus too. As I do have the Nikon 85 F1.4 & 50 F1.8, both lens does not give me 100% in foucus every time... BUt at F1.8 or F2 onwards, no problem at all.

U ever try sending back to sigma & tell them your problem?

Maybe you might want to rent a Nikon 50 F1.4 & try it for 1 day & compare the success rate in focusing.

As for sharpness, Fast lens are not really sharp at at their biggest F Stop.

http://www.geocities.jp/danjiri60/85mm.html

85mm f1.2MKII vs Carl Zeiss Planar 85mm f1.4ZE vs Planar 85mm f1.4 AEG

Thanks for the feedback.. actually yes, next plan is to rent the Nikon version for trials.
I did send it back and probably planning to re-send it back one more time because now the problem is worsened by (probably) being front focusing. Suspect an over-adjustment when I needed just a slight tuning (dunno what it means but there was a +20 written on the paper before the lady passed back to me).

My suspicions are because
i. the lens stop down to f2.0 is still a lot softer (OOF?) than a 35mm@f1.8 (before I sent it in, if I stop down to f2.0, I could get very clear pix)
ii. when I do get it (estimated probably one in ten pix), it is very sharp
iii. using the ruler method, I consistently get front focusing but not sure if it's still a valid test for this lens (read somewhere that the lens will front focus very near and back focus very far objects).

I might try to put in some sample pix for technician.. not sure if it'll help. Or can I just give him a value to adjust :sweat:

 

[kineticworks]

Center area of the car looks sharp. You can identify by the grass patch on the right.
Any thing before (bonnet) or after look soft.

pop or not???:bsmilie: Dont ask me, till now I dont know understand how lens can make any pict "POP".

To me, whether a pict "POP" depend on the subject, lighting, Mood, colour, tone ect. ect. not only the lens IQ.

Your pict have no subject. try shoot somthing closer at F1.4, in order to bring out the sharpness & the bokeh.

As I always say, this lens is not about sharpness, if one want sharpness, get a F1.8 50mm canon or nikon betrer. What for waste so much $$$. :bsmilie:

 

[sammedia]

I would suggest u resend back to sigma & get it Fix.

At F2, this lens will give u almost 100% spot on target & sharpness is very impressive even at low light.

Below is taken at F2, AF-C.

Taken At F1.4, foucus spot on target.

Thanks for the feedback.. actually yes, next plan is to rent the Nikon version for trials.
I did send it back and probably planning to re-send it back one more time because now the problem is worsened by (probably) being front focusing. Suspect an over-adjustment when I needed just a slight tuning (dunno what it means but there was a +20 written on the paper before the lady passed back to me).

My suspicions are because
i. the lens stop down to f2.0 is still a lot softer (OOF?) than a 35mm@f1.8 (before I sent it in, if I stop down to f2.0, I could get very clear pix)
ii. when I do get it (estimated probably one in ten pix), it is very sharp
iii. using the ruler method, I consistently get front focusing but not sure if it's still a valid test for this lens (read somewhere that the lens will front focus very near and back focus very far objects).

I might try to put in some sample pix for technician.. not sure if it'll help. Or can I just give him a value to adjust :sweat:

 

[devilcup]

nice!

anything F2 and higher should be sharp! this is the case for my lens too! F1.4 still abit soft.

 

[wildcat]

New developments: almost wanted to throw the lens at technician when he said he cannot find any problems, even when I shoot in front of him and still giving excuse. Apparently his "test" consists of shooting direct at target straight on, then see if can see wordings.

My "test" consist of selecting an obvious target on wall from 45 degrees angle, shoot at target and then finding the sweet spot, which obviously isn't on the target (the clearly focused area is to the nearer part of the wall to me), even though target can still "see wordings" but to me, obvious OOF already. Then show him the obviously front-focusing issue and yet still insists is okay. I don't know how else to explain to him already.

Anyway now still with him.. he said he will try to fix it. If cannot, then have to send to Japan. Let's see what development comes up later.

 

[sammedia]

New developments: almost wanted to throw the lens at technician when he said he cannot find any problems, even when I shoot in front of him and still giving excuse. Apparently his "test" consists of shooting direct at target straight on, then see if can see wordings.

My "test" consist of selecting an obvious target on wall from 45 degrees angle, shoot at target and then finding the sweet spot, which obviously isn't on the target (the clearly focused area is to the nearer part of the wall to me), even though target can still "see wordings" but to me, obvious OOF already. Then show him the obviously front-focusing issue and yet still insists is okay. I don't know how else to explain to him already.

Anyway now still with him.. he said he will try to fix it. If cannot, then have to send to Japan. Let's see what development comes up later.

bro, i would suggest you rent a Nikon 50mm F1.4G test & compare with the sigma using your method.

From the method you test, I think even my Nikon 85 F1.4D & 50 F1.8 D will be OOF.:sweat:

 

[wildcat]

well whatever he did, it resolved the problem. he set up a tripod for the testing and focus was spot on. next i tried various shots within the office and happy with the results. once outside i took various shots and none were OOF at the various distance i expect to use the lens at. surprising details popped up at a road sign that i took. in fact camera is still hangin around my neck as taking photos is simple n straightforward now. some indoor photos just took had motion blur, not OOF blur. i guess i should be happy.

 

[happyranchu]

will it be more cheaper to get this len at Bangkok? i will be there for the motorshow during Apr.

 

[vocalmind]

will it be more cheaper to get this len at Bangkok? i will be there for the motorshow during Apr.

It may be cheaper but when you go to SSC in SG they will charge you. So i guess no meaning.

 

[sabee]

well whatever he did, it resolved the problem. he set up a tripod for the testing and focus was spot on. next i tried various shots within the office and happy with the results. once outside i took various shots and none were OOF at the various distance i expect to use the lens at. surprising details popped up at a road sign that i took. in fact camera is still hangin around my neck as taking photos is simple n straightforward now. some indoor photos just took had motion blur, not OOF blur. i guess i should be happy.

Now I know why you wanna come for the 50mm shoot already!!!

Hahaha

 

[wildcat]

Now I know why you wanna come for the 50mm shoot already!!!

Hahaha

:embrass: