Sigma 30mm F/14 Dc Hsm Art Lens Review

Sigma, hot on the heels of the outstandingly successful 35mm f/1.4 Art lens, has been releasing and announcing new lenses in their Global Vision realignment like crazy. Recently they released the 30mm f/1.4 lens for APS-C cameras, and I had high expectations for it afterward existence told that the president of Sigma was aiming information technology to meet the operation set past the 35mm. So did it?

Ane thing to note about the 35mm f/1.4 is that despite existence amazing in near every category, it is a large and heavy lens. This is not necessarily a flaw, simply when going with a smaller APS-C camera information technology makes what is generally a lighter and easier-to-manage packet less light and easy to manage. In developing the 30mm f/1.4 specifically for these crop sensor cameras, information technology appears that size was discussed past the Sigma development squad. The 30mm f/ane.iv is half the size of the 35mm f/one.4, which means it'southward easier to travel with due to reduced length and weight. However, my business concern when get-go seeing how much more compact it is was, what did they have to cut out? What was sacrificed?

Every bit information technology turns out, non much. It's a pretty darn skillful lens. All the same, information technology's not quite as awe-inspiring as the famed 35mm f/one.4. Let's start with the good:

Where the 30mm shines is what it isn't. That is to say, it's an unobtrusive lens that performs where it needs to and doesn't become betwixt yous and what you're photographing. Every bit I've said before, the all-time lenses are the ones that only permit you lot piece of work without distraction or hiccups.

I quickly snapped the image above just to requite yous an idea of scale. Though it's smaller, it's notwithstanding a fantastic-looking lens. The final APS-C lens Sigma released, the 17-70mm, had a lot of plastic parts and felt lite and a little flimsy. This is not the case for the 30mm f/1.4. It has a lot of metal parts that work well together with what plastic and rubber there is. The combination just looks slick. Information technology carries on the new Sigma design that just nearly anybody is a fan of. Some folks still can't believe something with such a swell design is a Sigma.

Every bit with every lens in the new lineup from Sigma, I found the AF speed to exist top notch. Sigma's Hyper Sonic Motor is precicely that: it's fast, placidity and, by and large speaking, authentic. In that location were a few instances where it cycled in and out, trying to discover the subject, but they were limited to relatively low light situations aimed at blackness targets. It likewise had issues with cogitating surfaces, which can be irritating equally I often shoot objects and products that are covered in reflections. I am not the normal kind of photographer though, and in most situations you won't observe poor auto focus performance slowing y'all downwardly or getting in your way. Photographing landscapes and people won't be a problem (unless yous're doing a shoot inside of a dark closet).

What matters to a vast number of photographers is, above all else, sharpness. It has to be spot on precipitous as sharp can get or nosotros aren't interested. I'm happy to say that in no particular circumstance can I characterize the 30mm as blurry or irksome. At every aperture from wide open at f/ane.4 to fully closed at f/16, the lens is more than acceptably sharp. It has a sweet spot between f/5.vi and f/viii, but for me this is splitting hairs.

This is the sweet spot at f/v.6:

Here is a sampling from the rest of the aperture range:

f/1.4 & f/one.viii

f/2 & f/4.5

f/8 & f/10

f/13 & f/16

If you arrive close and really scrutinize the details, aye you can most definitely see a difference and it'south not quite as sharp at f/1.iv and by f/10 as it is in its sweet spot. At its most broad open, you can see some chromatic aberration (more on that below) around the banana. At f/16 the image quality starts to wane slightly, merely not much. However, yous've really got to be looking closely to run across the differences. Outside the sweet spot it however performs really well. Actually, outstandingly well compared to other lenses I've shot with. It's rare to detect a lens that performs pretty consistently across the aperture range. While testing the 30mm, I found myself existence more than critical than I probably should, having been spoiled by the 35mm f/1.iv. Is it equally proficient as the 35mm? No, honestly it isn't. Should it be every bit skillful based on what it is, who it is aimed at and how it is priced? No, it shouldn't. It's no all-star quarterback, but it'south a darn fine second option in this section. Not quite Steve Young to Joe Montana status, but close.

So auto focus is adept and sharpness is really good, but what about the other areas? What about vignetting and the same chromatic aberration? Unfortunately, I did run into problems here.

Vignetting never really bothers me. Like Lee Morris has said in the by, sometimes vignetting is a adept thing. A lot of photographers add a vignette in post. If you don't like it, Adobe Camera Raw does a good chore of helping yous eliminate information technology. Still, if yous're a purist and detest a vignette rearing its head without your 100% consent, the 30mm f/1.4 does take some issues with a vignette broad open up through f/ii.viii. Vignettes wide open up are a relatively common issue with lenses at this price point and focal length, and here the 30mm is non the exception to the standard. The vignette is by no means terrible, merely it is noticeable to the discerning middle.

I am more than willing to look past the vignette, but the one place where the 30mm let me down was in the chromatic aberration department. This sucker aberrates frequently all the way from wide open through f/iv.5. Thankfully, past the time we become to the sweet spot the aberration vanishes for the remainder of the aperture range. Just wide open up, you lot are going to run into issues. This is a real shame, considering many of the states would pick upwards this lens specifically for that broad-open discontinuity and it's merely at its about broad open where the issues exist. For every lens Sigma has released thus far, by and large speaking the chromatic abnormality has been manageable and merely occurred in extreme or unusual circumstances. However, it seemed that no matter the light conditions or my whereabouts, the lens would notice some mode to prove light-green and purple fringing around a contrast point. Let me be clear: it's never enough to ruin an image, but information technology is very often present.

Similar I said, my standards are extremely loftier now due to recent outstanding experiences with Sigma. It's difficult to continue to go on to that level of awesome, and I respect that I'll take to concede some points as time goes on.

I practise really love the quality of the depth of field. Even on a smaller sensor, the wide open f/i.4 looks fantastic. You lot volition beloved the command you take over lite and the depth of field that y'all can go with this lens, especially given the price.

When used for video, the quality and operation was good, simply I was hankering for some image stabilization of some sort. Calorie-free taps on a tripod will muddle upwardly a shot (actually pretty normal) and hand belongings is basically out of the question if y'all don't want to make your viewers sea sick. This is not something I'm going to dock points for though, as Sigma hasn't put any IS (or in Sigma-speak, OS) on their Art lenses. That's non what they want to focus on with that line. When you lot are lined upwardly and in focus, information technology works actually well equally a 2d photographic camera for your wide shots. I ordinarily shoot my primary photographic camera though a 5D MKIII and my secondary camera through a 60D. We did this recently in an Fstoppers Original shoot and I had this 30mm f/1.iv on the 60D. The footage looks darn expert and I was pleased with the outcome. Just recall to tripod it (honestly ever call up to tripod/stabilize everything).

What I liked:

Lite weight and compact size
Beautiful build
Fast and quiet autofocus motor
Loftier-quality sharpness throughout

What could use improvement:

Inconsistent accurateness of machine focus on nighttime or reflective surfaces
Some vignetting wide open up
Pervasive chromatic aberration from f/1.4 through f/4.5

Besides my gripes with the chromatic aberration, the 30mm is a solid APS-C prime number lens. It'southward a fantastic second camera lens for video and is also a great choice if you lot're trying to travel light. It's not quite up to the standards prepare by the 35mm f/1.4, but it'southward also almost one-half the price. For what bug it has, at this price point it'south a really skillful option peculiarly if you want the DOF command that comes with a lens that opens as wide as f/1.4. For $500, it's non even too heavy on the wallet.

*All tests were washed on a Catechism 60D DSLR*

shivermagas1938.blogspot.com

Source: https://fstoppers.com/reviews/reviews-sigma-30mm-f14-dc-hsm-prime-lens-3224

Share this post