Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM Reviews

I have owned this lens for quite a while, and it has been really a great all-around performer. Even at f1.4 it's still fairly sharp (getting really sharp past f2.0), and the bokeh is great.

The things to be aware of are that it's not a macro lens and so does not have an especially close focusing distance - also it has a maximum aperture of f16.

The reason for purchasing this lens is I wanted a fast normal lens to use on my Nikon D80 camera. Based on my experience with film cameras, the normal lens has been the most useful in creating the best images in my portfolio. I also wanted this lens to be sharp wide open because I wanted a shallow depth of field.

The first thing I did when I got this lens was to test it under control conditions. I found this lens to be very sharp when shooting wide open . I also noticed this lens has a slight barrel distortion and at the very corners of the frame, there is more distortion than normal. You will not notice this distortion unless you are photographing something like a brick wall or something with straight lines in the frame

During a practical photo shoot section, I shot this lens wide open and I found this lens to be again extremely sharp which verified my controlled test. The auto focus is fast and quit, but personally, I prefer manual focus because I have better control on exactly what I am focusing on. The manual focusing is a little disappointing. Instead of being smooth and silky like the older AIS manual focusing lens from Nikkor, the focusing is stiff.


Conclusion:

With the exception of the slight barrel distortion, this is a top notch normal lens for the Nikon digital cameras. This lens is sharper than any of my film Nikon lenses when shooting wide open. The added advantage of this sharp fast lens is it is excellent for low light photography.

In my personal option, the manual focusing could be greatly improved by making it smother. A smoother manual focus ring would make this lens far more valuable for my personal use.

i like this lens, AF is very fast, aperture is wide open and it is my prefered angle on a DX camera. it is very sharp in the center – even at f1.4 – it is light-weight and small for every day use. but not good enough to sell my other (zoom)lenses.

Very sharp at the centre already at f1.4. Clean at the corners from f4, with just some light CA visible. Fast and silent auto focus, but hardly ever 100% accurate. Problem is visible because of very low depth of field at f1.4 and is gone over f2.8, but when taking pictures under existing light at full opening, manual focusing produces better results. Very light distortion is visible only with long straight lines, e.g. in architecture photography. Looks and feels rock solid. Great grip on the D2X. Personal view: a lens for existing light conditions, but not the general purpose standard lens Sigma claims.

Fabulous lens, if you have extremely low standards. Compare with the Canon 35 1.4L, and it is a dog, and the Canon 35L isn't that great of a lens to start with. Downright awful compared to the Pentax FA31. Usable for quick snaps, not for anything more demanding. Average AF, Terrible edges and corners, CA, strange bokeh, and that well-know Sigma-Yellow cast.