sian... I am finally giving up on the Sigma 20/1.8
[SunChasersSG] - TCSS thread (Part IV)
- Thread starter wildcat
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Numnumball
Senior Member
Bro, why leh? tot u said wanna wait... or jus place order with TK la.. did u call up Iphoto, OP and MS?
akerue
New Member
woah what happen, thought u got a meet-up for the 20 1.8 today...??
think OP got stock...
winkoo88
New Member
What happen bro???
coolthought
Senior Member
this means he has found a "new love" and have to put his "ex-love" on the chopping board....
dingaroo
New Member
Maybe seller aeroplane on him. One of the worst things to happen.
coolthought
Senior Member
Hey Wildcat... did you post this Male Bodybuilder Available for Hire??:sweatsm:
scubagolfer
New Member
wildcat
Senior Member
Very funny :angry: yeah, I saw that also, when he posted in the same thread. I wish I could qualify. I think my CEO also wish I could qualify
Wish only hor... dun ask me go train with NNB
wildcat
Senior Member
Oh great! Congrats!!
(I was still trying to figure out what's ICA, then after zz, I geddit)
The one I saw, the lens is in very very good condition. But funny thing is, when I use matrix metering, it underexposes everything by 1 full stop. Tested like crazy on my D300s but that is the consistent result. When on spot meter, it works ok. When attached to the seller's D70 on matrix metering, no problem whatsoever. I think it has something to do with being a older batch. I read that older 20/1.8 have exposure issues with newer EOS models like 40D/50D while working perfectly with 10D. Something about the chip in the lens not compatible with newer metering systems. Maybe this is the case with Nikon mount as well. Here are the test pics. No adjustments, just straight out of cam.
Matrix metering @ F/1.8
click to download full size (very large)
Spot Meter center AF point @ F/1.8
click to download full size (very large)
Another thing. When I reached home last night, I loaded the test pics into my PC. I looked at the pictures, and I realized one of the characteristics of the lens, which made the lens looked bad in the reviews. When at large apertures from F4 to F1.8, if you focus on far objects, it looks very cloudy. Here is a 100% crop of the center of a test pic. Focus is on the man in the flowery shirt. No adjustments, just straight out of cam. And yes, note the underexposure too, as this is shot in matrix metering mode.
Click for large version
Compare this to my Nikon 50/1.4. Shot at F/1.8 and matrix metering, focused at around the same distance.... blows the sigma away.
Click for large version (very large)
Now a little sian. The lens is not that great. At wide apertures it shoots ok for nearer subjects (around 1m to 15m). For far objects at wide apertures, it is terrible. Only when you stop down to around F4, the problem goes away. I also notice when I stop down to smaller apertures, the underexposure problem with matrix meter gets less pronounced. But still a little underexposed, shot at F/3.2 matrix metering. Notice that it also also much sharper than F/1.8 and the 'cloudiness' is almost gone.
Click for large pic (very large)
One thing about the lens, bokeh is really very very nice. And seriously, when using this lens I will be shooting near subjects a lot instead of focusing to far subjects. But at the current new pricing of around 900 dollars, it is very hard to justify this lens with such a glaring issue with being not sharp wide open at inifinity. I read that the 24/1.8 does not show this problem. And the 24 is cheaper at slightly over 700. Some people say the 35mm FOV is good because it does not distort people. But it is a lot tighter than a 30mm FOV or 26mm FOV.... Need to rethink the whole thing all over again.
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Ghaz1
Senior Member
Yeah, the image is horribly cloudy, almost ghostly. Perhaps you could try out a newer batch from the shops to see if they have these problems. Sigma updates their lenses from time to time and the 20mm has been around awhile i think. :think:
coolthought
Senior Member
Very funny :angry: yeah, I saw that also, when he posted in the same thread. I wish I could qualify. I think my CEO also wish I could qualify
Wish only hor... dun ask me go train with NNB
This is something you can surprise her on your wedding night.... I mean the six packs...
coolthought
Senior Member
DD123... have you consider getting the lens calibrated? I have came across a few of times peeps here mentioning about how soft the sigma lens was until it is calibrated.
The most frustrating thing is the underexposure issue in matrix metering. Every time Nikon or Canon moves to a new metering system, they license their API out to 3rd party lens makers, I think. For the Canonmount ones, I read that many people had to bring their 20/1.8 to sigma SC to get the lens re-chipped for it to work well. Sigma was either slow in getting their new chips in or something else... I think it might be the same issue for Nikonmount also.
Older Sigma batches of 20/1.8 were very cheap, sold new at around 650 SGD including GST as late as mid 2009 in most reputable stores. It got a sudden price hike last year and is now selling for 880-900 SGD new. Could it be due to some improvements? Akerue told me he doubt so. But I am pretty sure the new batches should work well with the newer metering systems (according to what I read).
I can test this lens in the shops, but problem is this. Sigma 20/1.8 is very rare and both TK and SLR-R have to custom order one in if I want it. And if it is a custom order, I will have to accept the lens and go to Sigma SC if there is problem... Making it a hard sell for me. OP has stock I think, but they quoted 900. I think can bargin down. But thing is, with actual performance like this, do I still want this lens? Or go for 24/1.8 instead? Or just use my 17-50/2.8... ? Lots of questions I need to sort out.
That is why so sian.
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Ghaz1
Senior Member
For a price hike by that much it can't be accountable just by the forex rates alone. I think they must have made improvements to the lens. You should try out the OP stock first before going for the other lenses as this is your first choice, no harm going all the way to get what you want. You know the performance for a 2 year old lens, it may not be the "actual performance" for a new one today. If they sell a $900 lens with such bad ghosting effects, Sigma rep will go down the drain for sure but looking at their marketing stance, they wanna position themselves as a very close competitor to the marque brands. New offerings only differ by a few hundreds from the marque brand and performance has been excellent judging by image and reviews. Nevertheless, the baseline performance must be better than your 17-55mm otherwise no point in getting that 20mm.
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coolthought
Senior Member
DD123. Just curious. What are you intending to shoot with the 20 f1.8?
For indoor shots mostly. To cover the wide end. Match it with a 2nd body with 50/1.4. Will be a 2 lens 2 body event combo. Good for weddings, events, kids etc.
I find F2.8 is not really fast enough for indoor with lower lighting. If not, I would have just used my 17-50 tamron. Nikon 24/1.4 will be perfect. But the price is just too unacceptable for me right now.
scubagolfer
New Member
So serious one ah ....... you want to be pro indoor photographer
akerue
New Member
Sorry bro, didnt know abt the metering problem with the older batches, i tried once at OP it seems to work find, thinks the one i tested is a newer batch, but seriously 24 on a crop body it aint that wide for indoors, thats to my impression and personal opinion....
U shld give a last chance at the lens at OP, provided they still have stock, before u make the final jump,
think he got some side projects of his own ma, with baby coming up never hurts to have more cash....
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