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Comments
I know, sometimes I'm just too thrilled about a product. I was not expecting that kind of optical quality from Sigma and I was not expecting that kind of care they took for the simpler things like focus ring, switch, caps and hood. And the dock as idea was a real surprise. Of course, I don't buy it for this lens alone. I really hope this turns out great for you - but if not, it's not the only option as two others are possible, too.
Large: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fantinesfotos/8682120378/sizes/o/in/photostream/
The latest one you shots is sharp. Like i said I can post here when the lens focused properly and the sharpness hits my eye its a good lens trust me. i'm not denying it. The focus Hit rate is my problem here. You take 20 photos of that glowing lamp you shot and everytime do this focus on the wall behind, then focus on that repeat that 20 times and you'll probably notice the same problem im noticing.
@JJ_SO: I hear you
I may have experienced exactly what you have suggested...some strange glitch in focus. And, I will get the dock and correct this. But, most of the shots from the past few days in Chicago..impress me.
"Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what nobody else has thought"--Albert Szent-Gyorgy
http://renardrichie.com/blog/?p=876
I couldn't be more happier. focus is snappy fast. dead accurate every time. Though im sure sigma will fix their problem as soon as that firmware is updated.
Here it is all three taken with nikon 35mm f1.4 yesterday
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fantinesfotos/8683476816/sizes/o/in/photostream/
I've tested out the Nikon 35g in a Calumet store and loved it. I also used the 85 1.4g and WOW!!! I really like Nikon's 35G and if money wasn't a concern (isn't it ALWAYS ? ) I would go with it if used price difference was $300 or less. So, if I can find a used 35G for $1,100 I will probably buy it. But seeing how unlikely that it is, I'll go with the Siggy. I don't care about absolute sharpness at 1.4....but could you tell us about the vignetting, bokeh, sharpness at, say F/1.6 - 4.0, the overall AF speed and accuracy, etc. on the 35G ? Thanks
But i would love to tell you about AF accuracy etc sharpness bokeh and vignetting to a certain degree (i'll look more into it tonight and shoot into the white wall to see).
AF accuracy vs sigma: Again i'm talking pre-firmware update factory condition. Nikon wins here hands down. which is why i switched. everything is snap snap snap on point focus.
AF Speed: This one is hard to discern. They both focused about the same speed with sigma probably edges out a bit. Remember any of the G lenses af speed is slower than the older mechanized nikon version for some reason.
Sharpness: I've said this to the lens store as well as to everyone i met. If sigma manages to snap those focus perfectly, Sigma sharpness is hard to beat in fact impossible to beat by the Nikon. Sigma's sharpness is just knife edge sharp. I shot zeiss 35mm just to test it out and i can't replicate what sigma has done here.
That doesn't mean nikon is no slouch. Regular people (clients) wouldn't tell the difference between nikon vs sigma. edit: I re-read what you wrote. So at f1.4-f2.8 sigma wins after that it really is hard to tell which one is which.
Contrast: Nikon is more contrasty here. You'll know cause all nikon glass so far their personality gives more contrast and saturation to the photo than any other lens (for nikon).
Bokeh: Sigma wins here. Nikon is slightly busier. At f2.8 Nikon's bokeh gets "better" less busy but yeah sigma wins.
Vignettes. I get some from sigma though not as much as the nikon one. This one is a toss up. The difference doesn't really matter. They both gets vignette but less than say 50mm f1.4g. Lightroom fixes this right up no problem here.
Chromatic Aberration: Sigma wins. Nikon i have to literally fix the chromatic aberation through lightroom every photo (i shot with my subject behind the sun and light their faces using flash sometimes just using the building around to bounce the light to their faces). If say any trees are on the background wiht the sun behind it would get chromatic aberration.
Sigma is less. I will say you will also get chromatic aberration at wide aperture on any lens. But here Sigma wins handily. Again trivial cause lightroom fixes it pretty good without detering the quality of the image.
The lens is sharp, sexy and well balanced. That said, those that have stated/compared this lens, be it sharpness and/or performs, in par with Nikon's 24 or 35 1.4G are stretching the truth...IMHO. The focus ring, on the lens that was provided my Sigma, was also not as smooth (buttery) than I had hoped for. In fact, the resistance was very much noticeable, more than any lens that I have ever held in my hand. For those of you that own this lens, please elaborate on this.
With respect to focus speed, I was very pleased with it's performance. It is faster than the Nikon's 50 1.4G by a noticeable margin, but not as fast as the 24 1.4G.
For those that have a DX and are seeking a lens within the 35mm range, the Sigma 35 1.4 is an over kill. Nikons 35 1.8G will give this lens a run for its money; moreover, you will be very happy with the money you save. But if you need 1.4 then this is a great choice.
The Sigma 35 1.4 is made to live on a full frame/FX body. Given its price and performance, it is definitely worth consideration.
So will I get one….maybe. (Upate July 1, 2013....Maybe my butt....just got one and happy to do so.)
Lastly, the Sigma rep informed me that all lenses shipped to Sigma repair center are fixed within 2 days after they arrive at the Long Island, NY service center. In addition, firmware update are for life of the lens...this lens come with a 4 year warranty.
The images below are for your examination and discussion.
D4 Sigma 35 1.4G 1/100 ISO 400 @ f/1.4
Full res version.
D4 Sigma 35 1.4G 1/100 ISO 400 @ f/1.4
Full res version.
D4 Sigma 35 1.4G 1/80 ISO 8000 @ f/8
Full res version.
I don't like giving away high-res photo but i'll choose the test shots i guess thats fine. (I know not michael jordan of photography not even close of being in the big league but i've had a couple bad experiences.)
d800, Nikon 35mm f1.4g
Sun behind the trees
iso 100
f1.4
1/3200
no edit whatsoever, straight raw to jpg
http://renardrichie.com/n_rumor/test.jpg
@ Golf007, Renard, MsMoto, & all others: These are the Jpegs SOOC from the 35/1.4G I tested at Calumet back in Oct of last year. I was still new to the nikon system and also had a salesman practically breathing over my shoulder as I was testing out this glass. I liked it lots with the little time spent with it. Not all shots were taken wide open...and the few that are --- VERY VERY little is actually in focus. I took some at 2.0 or 2.2, I believe. Which is where it would mostly be used if I owned it. So judge for yourself. Both the Sigma & Nikon are A++++
Your test shots with a comparably low res D4 (and without AF fine tuning, I assume?) in well lit conditions with a still holding model... well, you know, each lens should shine under this circumstances. This weekend I had a couple of candle lit shots. Focuswise and technically, I'm happy with half or 2/3 of it. And again, I need to improve my technique to adapt better on the given technique of Nikon and Sigma. I still don't know which was the part of Sigma and which the one of the D800?
As far as I see, I wouldn't recommend it for DX as well. And Sigma themselves would not compete their own 30/1.4 DX for half the price of the 35/1.4 FX. The same could be said in a much larger scale about 35/1.8 and 35/1.4 from Nikon
"not as fast as 24/1.4" - well, that's a bit ridiculous to compare and I guess you know that. Each lens at 2/3 of focus length of the 35 HAS to be quicker in focus given the same distance to the subject. For the simple reason the AF doesn't have to move so much.
After Renard's experiences with missed focus I checked a bit more before binning them after this weekends. And I've to say, I also got missed focus but I can't answer my question "would it have been better with Nikon glass?" It should, given the extra money you need to spend - so I'm looking forward to the dock and the firmware, too. Maybe the 100% reliable AF is what you pay for? I would also like to try out a fresh Nikon 35/1.4 but that won't happen as the rental prices are pretty steep here. So, all I can say about this AF reliability: I was not wondering too much because I'm shooting very often in lousy light conditions and each lens/body fails here from time to time.
On the other side, my *expensive* *genuine* 85/1.4 G is awaiting an exchange of the SilentWaveMotor since 2 weeks because it became totally unreliable in focussing. So I know two things: How embarrassing missed focus in an otherwise nice shot can be. And Nikon glass is no guarantee for not having that experience. And the third thing: How high our expectations are these days. Out of focus shots in "FX" in the pre-digital, pre-AF era?
Yawn.
Edit: I just did a re-check of the AF-fine tune from last week and corrected it. It was 3 steps closer to 0 than I found to be correct last week with my low cost text equipment. No I understand the tiny backfocus of some of the shots better. It's just hard to see on a wide angle, even at f/1.4
I was a bit skeptical buying the Sigma but it has proven to be as good or better than any Nikkor lens I have (14-24, 24-70, 70-200 all f/2.8; and 85mm f/1.4). It does not have that intangible tonal/contrast quality that my Zeiss Makro-Planar T*2 100mmZF.2 has but neither do any of the Nikkor lenses I own.
@JJ.SO: My Nikon 105 2.8 manual focus ring is very smooth. If yours is like the Sigma then you are in luck, most of the ones I have had in My hands have not had the same characteristics.
@Beso: The Sigma 35 1.4 service a very unique function...comparing it to a ultra-wide lens or telephoto, regardless of the manufacture, is unfounded and lacks comparison. I can go on listing those "comparison" but that is not the intent here and would muddy the topic.
I'm interest in this lens is due to my intentional usage of having a full frame lens at the 35mm focal length to mount on my D4...period. I go by what feels right for me and I'm sharing with each of you my thoughts on it. Take my comments with a grain of salt. But for now I find the Sigma 35 1.4 to be a fine peace of human engineering and welcome it as an option to go with.
And as for smoothness of this ring: probably you meant the moment of stickiness before Sigma's ring is moving smoothly and more firmly than i.e. the 24's?. After adjusting my finger's testing precision (don't ask how I did that) I'd say, the 105 micro is in both directions working smoothly from the first moment your finger puts force on. While the Sigma does face a kind of stick-slip effect the first move in one direction. If you stop moving and continue lateron in the same direction, it's a different feeling and you don't need the same "force to convince" it to move. But if you reverse the direction, the effect reappears. I can feel it but it didn't disturb me.
But of course, I'm curious about how it will feel after one or two years in use. That can make a big difference as well. The 24 is one of my "oldest" lenses and still performing smoothly. Let's see about the Sigma.
My old Zeiss 35/1.4 for Contax was even harder and much more greasy to move than the Sigma, but my memory might make that up.
Also, I'm not saying there are not some things being better on the Nikon 35 but under certain aspects, important to me, it's clearly outperformed and overpriced and a smoother focus ring doesn't make that better.
And +1 for your last paragraph. Go for what feels best. Before the Sigma there were "only" manual focus alternatives, so now we have a real choice.
If I have misread, please set me straight.
And, if one examines the published MTF charts, the Sigma is extremely sharp, actually much sharper than the Nikon 35mm f/1.4G. 30 lines/mm resolution starts at 0.65 for the Nikkor, but 0.75 for the Sigma. At 10 lines/mm the Nikkor is 0.87, the Sigma is 0.95. The curve is similar for both lenses with the Sigma showing higher l/mm throughout.
But, if the focus is inconsistent, that will drive one nuts. I sent a Zeiss back for exactly that reason, purchased the 24mm f/1.4 Nikkor instead and was very happy.
But.
Even if the AF keeps this state of reliability, the lens could be used manually like a Zeiss with LiveView and still would give sharper (not necessarily better!) images.
We also should keep in mind, Nikon updated their firmware for D800 and others after Sigma's 35 was released. And Nikon did improve the AF performance, so I hope, the only thing Sigma needs to do is to adapt their firmware to make everything work together again. I can't tell, but my impression was not having so much missed focus with the Sigma before the update. Also, my D800 was in Service so it takes time to do all the finetuning again.
As for autofocus issues, I have not done any real testing personally but it appears Sigma has acknowledged some issues and will correct those either upon return to Sigma or through the USB dock. I have noticed the lens autofocus will hunt a bit in certain situations where contrast and/or light is low but I have found that to be true of most autofocus lenses.
@JJ_SO - glad you mentioned the D800 firmware upgrade. This may play a role and it will be interesting to see how that pans out. I know I was very disappointed in the D800s focus tracking prior to the upgrade but haven't had an opportunity to test since the firmware upgrade.
Last Sunday I was a bit travelling with 5 lenses. 2/3 of the pics I made with the Sigma. It became principal lens on my D800. After 1200 keepers I still didn't find really weak points but admit, I was not very hard searching. Never tried the Nikon, some say it's bokeh is nicer. My advice: get both rented and see what you like best.
You mention the price tag, I think that's one of the points so many people, me included, go crazy about this lens. But if I had suffered RenardRichie13's experience, I'd keep a low profile about that lens.
Couple of weeks I got my 85/1.4G back from Nikon. They exchanged the focus drive which took 5 weeks waiting for spare parts. Before it has been at Nikon service twice. Meaning: Nikon's not necessarily that much better.
Edit: Out of curiosity and because it's easy to do, I run a statistic of "how often do I use the lenses I have" - average pics per day of ownership. Recently the 35 and the 70-200 are the most in use:
Alright: @SkinBrit.
Quick and dirty answers. I agree with JJ_SO at the pricepoint it is hard to beat. If my lens isn't reacting the way it did i would so keep it. As of now i'm loving my NIkon 35 f1.4g to hell (would never sell it period).
You cannot update the firmware without the dock (you have to buy the $60 dock) i'll say it is worth it since it also gives you more custom option to speed up the auto focus on the lens (by sacrificing minimum focus distance etc).
This sigma has no weather sealing. Nikon 35 f1.4g does. end of story. I don't think anyone would willing to test the weather sealing capabilities of their lenses. But i shot in a rain with d800 and my nikon knowing it would take it just fine, and yeah it works perfectly. i have no regret and not worry since it is weather sealing.