Used Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM AutoFocus Standard Lens for Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras

2012-11-18T19:00:00

First let me say that I am a photography enthusiast, and that I am still improving my skills. I invested in a Canon T3i body about a year ago. I first bought the Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 zoom lens. I soon found that I needed a longer zoom and picked up the Sigma 50-150 F2.8 lens (the version that is now discontinued without image stabilization). After buying these two lenses, I decided to invest in my first "prime" lens and selected the Sigma 30mm F1.4 primarily to help with indoor low light shooting and to increase my depth of field. F2.8 lenses are "okay" for indoor shooting without a flash, but a wider aperture helps tremendously. After reading all the reviews I decided to buy the Sigma 30mm F1.4, the Canon 50mm F1.4 and the Canon 50mm F1.2 to compare them all. I also had access to the Canon 50mm F1.8 "nifty fifty" lens for testing although I wanted something with a wider aperture so did not seriously consider that lens. I am a value shopper and was not willing to spend more than about $500-600 for a single lens. I did read about some of the other Canon lenses, like the 24mm F1.4 and the 35mm F1.4 lens, but they both cost ~$1400-$1500 per lens which put them out of my price range. I ended up with the Sigma lens because it was the best of the bunch. For starters, the overall build, weight and feel of the Sigma lens was superior, in my opinion, to any of the 3 Canon lenses. Second, the Canon F1.8 and F1.4 lenses were not sharp at maximum aperture - they both had to be stopped down to get a really sharp image - whereas this was NOT an issue with the Sigma it was very sharp at F.1.4. I was very surprised about this finding with the Canon 50mm F1.4 although published reviews on the internet seem to allude to this as a shortcoming of that lens. The bokeh was comparable between the Sigma and the Canon F1.2 and F1.4 lenses, although the Canon F1.8 lens was sub-par (as expected) but not really "bad". However, when stopping down on the Canon lenses, the depth of field was increased and thereby minimized "artistic" opportunities. Since I planned to use the lens for indoor shooting and for portraits, it was critically important for me to know that I could use the lens and be happy with the output at F1.4. The Sigma focuses very fast, I think faster than the Canon 1.4, definitely faster than the Canon 1.8 and perhaps similar to the Canon 1.2 lens. I also realized through my testing that because my camera body has an APS-C sensor, that a 30mm lens is more or less equivalent to a traditional 50mm lens in its performance whereas the 50mm lenses performed more like an 80mm lens on my camera's body. I found that the 50mm lenses did not provide me with enough of a wide angle for my shooting indoors at family events. The only issue I've ever experienced with the Sigma lens is that occasionally, perhaps 1/40 times when I first turn on the camera, is that every image taken will be out of focus. Simply turning off the camera and turning it back on resolves the issue entirely. Also, I haven't experienced this problem in a few months so it might have been due to a dirty connection between the body and the lens. Ultimately, this is a terrific lens. It is on my camera at least 80% of the time since I've purchased it. I only regret that I did not buy this lens first. It works great in low-light, even without a flash, indoors and without hitting ridiculously high ISO levels. The images are bright, with good color rendition and sharp, sharp focus. It is fantastic for shallow DOF artistic photography. It provides a wide enough view for shooting indoors at close range (whereas the 50mm had too much zoom). It is a really fantastic lens and I highly recommend it.

ANDREW S.

2012-08-12T21:00:00

I love being able to shoot in low light situations without a tripod or flash... this is the perfect lens for this application

SUSAN K.

2012-08-12T21:00:00

This is an excellent lens when you find yourself in an time, and distance limitation coupled with low light .....this lens will certainly get you out of a jam.

The P.

2012-05-23T21:00:00

If you are the type of person who strives for excellence in your photographic work, this lens is for you. I purchased this lens on the recommendation of the sales rep. because he uses this lens and I couldn't be happier with it. It has not failed me in any respect after 1,000 photos in just 2 weeks time. It is lightweight, amazingly sharp and enables you to make an ordinary image into a work of art. With the 1.4f stop, and the 30m focal length which is equivalent to a 50m in film cameras or full frame digital, this is an excellent walk around city lens. I would highly recommend this lens to anyone who cares about both the quality of the product and final image. I have 15 years of photographic experience and this lens has brought me to a new level. My order was handled in a helpful, efficient manor and was delivered very quickly. I have never been let down by Adorama and will continue to use them for all my photography needs.

LYDIA W.

2012-05-06T21:00:00

It's a shame that there isn't really a cheap, fast, normal FOV lens for Canon's APS-C cameras, but the Sigma 30mm 1.4 comes awfully close to filling that void. It's a moderately priced, well-built, and optically excellent lens with good sharpness, good color, and very pleasing bokeh. For reasons I can't quite pin down, on an APS-C camera, I consistently preferred the results from this lens to what I would get from Canon's 35mm f2. The only disadvantage to be aware of is that different copies of this lens may vary in quality on your particular camera. This is where warranties - and patience - and microadjustments - come in handy. Other reviews purport that this lens is soft in the corners, but my copy was excellent across the frame.

Corpulence P.

2011-11-20T19:00:00

I am loving this lens! This lens is known for focus issues, but mine was perfect out of the box. Very sharp. I'm not noticing any softness wide open. It has not left my camera since I got it.

Carrie

2011-11-13T19:00:00

I bought this because the traditional 50mm 1.4 I owned was a bit long for what I wanted to do on my 7D. I considered the Canon 35mm f1.4L but with a price difference of about $ I thought it would make sense to at least give it a shot. This lens is just awesome. Bokeh is gorgeous. Even at f1.4 it is extremely sharp and taking it to 1.8 it becomes unbeatable. I would put this lens up against the L glass any day. I don't need the weather sealing, I love knowing I have a MUCH longer warranty, and the build is superb. I have absolutely no plans to "upgrade" because I'm afraid I would spend a lot of money for nothing.

KEVIN F.

2011-10-02T21:00:00

Bought this lens for indoor portraits of my kids and it does not disappoint! You're getting as close to that 35mm look as you can get with a cropped-frame sensor. Nice bokeh, just wish it was a tad bit sharper wide open. Still, excellent results and absolutely no complaints for black and white shots. Would give it 5 stars if not for a slight front focusing issue.

DOMINIK S.

2011-09-24T21:00:00

this lens is a great buy!!! sharp as heck and fast fast fast focus! excellent color and very minimal distortion and blur stopped down to 1.8/2.0. At F2.8 and above its dreamy nice!I use this as a walk-around and keep it F8 for zone focusing ( you get 20ft to infinity on a cropped sensor). I have L glass for my wedding and studio work but needed a prime for compact and lightweight around town hauling. this lens fits the bill.my reason for not giving a five star rating is the plastic construction of this lenses casing... my hood mount now has a chip from my storing the hood reversed in my camera bag. otherwise this is great glass!

RICHARD W.

2011-09-24T21:00:00

Quick focus, tack sharp

John G.

2011-09-03T21:00:00

At 1.4 ruis lens is amazing. Very sharp. Brear for video.

Phil

2011-03-28T21:00:00

GREAT glass for the price!!! I found it to be sharp. I purchased the canon 28mm for my 50D and found that the canon did not seem to focus spot on. the keeper rate was about 65%. I called canons tech support about a possible calibration issue ( I've owned my 50D few a few years now)and they suggested I use a different camera with all my lenses(200L, tamron 17-50, sigma 10-20, canon 85L, canon 50mm 1.4) on another body to check my RE-calibration needs. I borrowed my neighbors 40D and checked my other glass and they had no focus issues. the canon 28mm was off! I got this instead after checking another copy at the store. I kept within my budget and was amazed at the results.

RICHARD W.

2011-02-05T19:00:00

I wanted a fast prime to complement my 15-85MM. After reading all the reviews, I decided to give the Sigma 30MM f/1.4 a try. It is my first non-Canon lens, and so far I'm very pleased. As other reviewers mentioned, it's a little "soft" in the corners when shooting wide open, but that's not important to me. It's great in low light and that's what I wanted. The gray market lens at Adorama is an awesome deal.

Dabuku

2011-01-16T19:00:00

Probably the best all around lens for the 7d/T2i (550). Well built, good price, great optics.

DERRICK B.

2011-01-14T19:00:00

This is my first lens upgrade for my kitlens of my canon 500D. I live in the middle east and camera accesories and lenses here are few and very expensive. I am just a beginner in photography so I do alot of research before I purchase my next lens. I shoot mainly indoor events, portraits and candids of my friends so i need a fast lens. My options are canon 35mm f2, 28mm 1.8 and this lens. Compared to the other 2 canon lenses according to the reviews sigma is more sharper and faster if you can get a good copy. After reading some bad reviews of this lens i become more hesitant. But I noticed that those bad reviews are years back and the good reviews are the ones recent and for the good ones this lens is "L" like quality, so I crossed my fingers and purchased this lens. In my surprise this lens is perfect, no focusing problem and the lens is very sharp even at f1.4. I am very happy with this lens and with iso boost I can shoot in very low light and even in contained spaces. Most of my candids are just single handheld and even without looking in the viewfinder I can capture amazing candid shots.Construction looks sturdy and makes my 500D looks "macho", sigma EX lenses comes with lens hood and nice case.Overall I am very happy with my purchase and I would highly recommend this lens. I've been using this for about a month, and never leaves my camera since day 1, shot almost 2000 pictures. (picture attached taken from a mall few hours after i received this lens)P.S. due to budget shortage (40$ short) I purchased the one from grey market [...]

reagan

2011-01-12T19:00:00

I picked up a copy of this lens (for my Canon T2i) and was initially impressed by the image quality it produced. After closer inspection I found that the lens front focused quite a bit which is a dealbreaker with a fast prime and shallow DOF. I returned it and tried another copy, this one completely failed to autofocus at all. If you risk buying this lens, do full testing immediately, there is a strong likelihood it will be faulty. I decided to buy a Canon 28mm/1.8 instead which I found to have a slightly inferior image quality but a phenomenally fast and accurate autofocus system.

kidcharles

2011-01-11T19:00:00

I bought this lens because I like to take photos in available light and the focal length complements my 50 1.4 nicely. In a dimly lit house, wedding reception, night club, etc this will allow to get shots that you can't get with a 2.8. On a crop sensor camera this focal length works for group shots or torso to full body portraits. For a headshot portrait with a more intimate look, I use the 50mm.

crimsoncloak

2010-06-06T21:00:00

usually for indoor use.

ireic

2010-06-05T21:00:00

Very well built, and it's the only affordable f/1.4 lens for APS-C cameras. Wide open it's very soft, somewhat "dreamy" (fine for portraits though), and the corners remain a bit soft at all apertures. The centre and most of the frame are very very sharp starting from f/2.8. The autofocus is fast and quiet but not terribly reliable (even with my Canon 7D which is really good with all my other lenses); sometimes it will miss focus by a few centimetres -- doesn't sound much, but at f/1.4 and f/2.0 it's enough to defocus what you wanted to be in focus. Bokeh is ok, but not as creamy as e.g., the Sigma 50/1.4 or the Canon 85/1.8.

Ezio

2010-04-15T21:00:00

Just awesome image quality, super fast speed, great autofocus, solid build quality, awesome DOF control, smooth bokeh, and much more! Such a huge difference in IQ from my Canon EF-S 17-85 that it has to be seen to be believed. On the 7D, the 30mm resolves detail to match the 7D's demanding resolution. My older 17-85 was pretty good on my Rebel XT, but on the 7D all the images just didn't cut it when viewed at 100%. Images from the Sigma 30mm are absolutely stunning! Night and day difference! After reading a lot of negative reviews, I was very hesitant to purchase this lens, but what a mistake that would have been! It really is that good!!!

SHAUN M.

2009-12-05T19:00:00

I am just a beginner in investing in an SLR system. I bought this as recommended by [@] as a good lens to start with that is good in low light. For what I use it for - no flash pictures in local indie music venues with very little light I really think this works as good as you could ask. I've been happy with this combined with my 40D in the pictures I've been able to get. I can't really comment on the focus issues that were mentioned since I'm using it wide open a lot which is a challenge in itself. I've also used this on vacation for general picture taking and had no complaints with focus issues there.

Mojo

2009-11-08T19:00:00

This lens is as close as you'll get for getting a pro quality lens for a good price. It's heavy and feels good on my 7D. The IQ says it all... this is a prime lens. No regrets for not getting the EF 35mm L 1.2 since I don't shoot in extreme weather.

TUNG C.

2009-06-13T21:00:00

I've had this lens for about a week; so far it's been absolutely fantastic. Quick and accurate focus, wonderful color and contrast, and phenomenal sharpness. I had been hesitant to buy this lens given the number of complaints I'd read, but my copy seems just about perfect. I can't speak to the durability of this lens, but it seems solid enough. My only real criticism of the lens is that it's bigger and heavier than I'd expect a "normal" prime to be, but that's a pretty minor gripe.

Cameron

2009-05-03T21:00:00

Took on a trip to Washington, not bad. Hard to get started with, but once used to it, worked fine. Got some great shots, and missed some because of the lens. But definitely worth it.

Matt

2009-02-05T19:00:00

I read great reviews of this lens. Along with the great price, I decided to jump in and try it. I've been shooting with the lens for about a month and I've gotta say, the verdict is still out. Some pictures seem to be not as sharp as I expect them to be (I also use the Canon 50mm 1.4 and the Canon 100mm 2.8 macro). I'm hoping this is user error--though doubtful. I will be taking more shots before I make my final decision about this lens. I just have this hunch that the lack of sharp focus is coming from the lens. I hope I'm wrong--a few more hundred shots will tell!

Richard

2008-12-18T19:00:00

Front Focuses on anything within 5 feet. Back focuses on anything beyond 10 feet. Inconsistant in the mid range. Looking at reviews in forums this is a pretty normal thing with sigmas. When they are built well they are really good, when not they are terrible. Trouble is you never know which you will receive. Are you feeling lucky?

Jon L.

2008-08-24T21:00:00

This lens is perfect for low light situation and also for creating beautiful background blur for portraiture photo. Very good construction, fast and precise focus it is what I am looking for.

Smillymike

2008-07-25T21:00:00

Finally decided to order this lens. I was somewhat concerned about the focusing issues mentioned in many reviews. I am happy to report that the lense works great on my XTI. I did the focusing test using three objects in three focus planes and focused on the one in the middle. The tests were done with available lighting in the room. The focus was spot on. This lense will be on the Camera most of the time. Still learning how to use it.

Larry m.

2008-06-25T21:00:00

I really wanted to buy the Canon 35mm f/1.4 lens but didn't have the extra cash...thought I'd settle for this lens. What a shock when I saw how sharp this lens is, great contrast too. Pleasant surprize and will keep this one. Great for portraits!

Deb