Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear => Topic started by: shadowblade on September 20, 2016, 06:59:35 am

Title: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: shadowblade on September 20, 2016, 06:59:35 am
12-24 f/4 Art (http://www.sigma-global.com/en/lenses/cas/product/art/a_12_24_4/)

500 f/4 Sport (http://www.sigma-global.com/en/lenses/cas/product/sports/s_500_4/)

85 f/1.4 Art (http://www.sigma-global.com/en/lenses/cas/product/art/a_85_14/)

Some very promising lenses here - the 12-24 and 500 look particularly interesting.

I just hope they come with with an E-mount version at some stage, and make it available via their mount conversion program. After all, they already have an adapter that allows full E-mount functionality - it can't be all that difficult to make a permanently-attached version that replaces the lens' existing mount.
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: GrahamBy on September 22, 2016, 08:22:10 am
At a theoretical level, it's disappointing that they aren't releasing in Pentax mount, and they didn't bring an update of their 24-70/2.8.

At the pragmatic level, I already have the pre-ART 85/1.4 (now discontinued). It's already sharper than I need... although it's true that the AF is a little slow. I'm not sure I see the value of adding a bunch of extra weight and cost to something that is already excellent.
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: Paul2660 on September 22, 2016, 08:47:35 am
Hopefully one day Sigma will extend mount support back the K.

These lenses don't appeal to me as much as they wide Arts.

Thankfully Samyang still supports the K.

Paul C
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: Hulyss on September 22, 2016, 10:02:00 am
Sigma is not as complete (mount choice) as before and I think it is a mistake. They are completely hooked on the "Otus line" as a market bait at the moment and miss their original purpose : Lenses for every mount and for every body.

They seek sharpness before all and just started to speak about "bokeh" in their kina speach. Meanwhile I think the real third party lens maker is actually tamron, not Sigma anymore. Tamron at least offer Weather sealing on their glasses, stay low in price and perform very well without any pretentious PR. I, for now, never seen any bad factual review about Tamron prime performances. They are light, rugged and the 85 is stabilized ... What else ?

And yes, the old Sigma 85 DG is just a very good 85 with a lot of character, sharp but yet with subtle rendering. I bet the new one is sharp as a katana and lifeless (apart if you PP behind, thing not really needed with "old " lenses with character).

Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: GrahamBy on September 22, 2016, 11:36:04 am
For a Pentax user, Tamron is complicated: they have a license deal to sell their lenses rebadged as Pentax... at a considerably higher price. Then they do not sell the K-mount badged as a Tamron :(
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: Zorki5 on September 22, 2016, 12:31:46 pm
I think the real third party lens maker is actually tamron, not Sigma anymore.

Kind of agree... Sigma definitely changed their strategy. Well, good for them (and for the majority of folks on this forum), but those huge hunks of glass are not my cup of tea, thank you very much.

Tamrons are (thankfully) completely different animals. It is amazing what they pulled with 16-300, for instance: I saw a review where it compared very favorably to Canon's 70-200/2.8 (!) in the latter's range... The only downside is "nuclear" CA in 200-300 range, but hey, that's 200..300 out of 16(!)..300. Bought one for my daughter's 100D, she couldn't be happier...
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: shadowblade on September 22, 2016, 01:15:19 pm
Since when did 'third-party' mean 'crap'?

Zeiss is as much a third-party manufacturer as Sigma, Tamron and Tokina. They make great lenses. Sigma used to make crap lenses, but now they're making good ones. They're still a third-party manufacturer - just not a low-end one making budget lenses aimed at those who don't want to pony up the cash for high-end gear.
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: NancyP on September 22, 2016, 07:54:38 pm
The big question about the 500 f/4 will be the speed and accuracy of autofocus, which is reverse-engineered. The other issue might be obsolescence via incompatibility with future cameras, although Sigma has the option to support updates via their dock.
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: Paulo Bizarro on September 23, 2016, 11:28:53 am
I suppose Sigma still make cheaper all-purpose zooms for the general photo population?

So it is good that they embarked in the high tier with their ART series; almost-Zeiss quality at a fraction of the cost. Or almost Canon L quality again, at a fraction of the cost.
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: NancyP on September 23, 2016, 07:15:08 pm
Sure - the "contemporary" line has affordable zooms, including a nice 150-600mm f/variable zoom for about $1,000.00, and many other less weighty and less expensive lenses.
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: shadowblade on September 23, 2016, 07:51:49 pm
I suppose Sigma still make cheaper all-purpose zooms for the general photo population?

So it is good that they embarked in the high tier with their ART series; almost-Zeiss quality at a fraction of the cost. Or almost Canon L quality again, at a fraction of the cost.

I wouldn't say 'almost' in relation to Canon L lenses. The Art-series primes released so far tend to equal or exceed the Canon lenses in optical performance.

It remains to be seen, though, whether they can produce a zoom which matches the 24-70 or 70-200, or whether their AF system will hold up in a lens primarily used in an AF-critical role - so far, they haven't really tried (the 120-300 essentially being a rehash of a pre-Art/Sport lens, with identical optics and mechanics). The 500 f/4 will be very interesting in this respect.
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: kers on September 26, 2016, 08:49:11 am
...They are completely hooked on the "Otus line" as a market bait at the moment and miss their original purpose : Lenses for every mount and for every body.

They seek sharpness before all and just started to speak about "bokeh" in their kina speach. Meanwhile I think the real third party lens maker is actually tamron, not Sigma anymore. Tamron at least offer Weather sealing on their glasses, stay low in price and perform very well without any pretentious PR. I, for now, never seen any bad factual review about Tamron prime performances. They are light, rugged and the 85 is stabilized ... What else ?....
It is a good time for photographers; the choice on 85 mm lenses is immense.
The new Tamron you mention is good but suffers from focus shift.
I tested it against my nikkor 85mm 1.4g - it is clearly better at f5.6 but at f2 the nikkor has a flat uniform sharpness at infinity that i really like.( unlike the Tamron)
Also the VR does not work on a d810 body ( due to the specific shutter vibration).
It all comes down on the little details and personal interest.
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: adri on September 27, 2016, 02:48:42 pm
I'm not happy about the near/childish way Kevin and Nick's photokina 2016 report said some very mistaken things about Sigma cameras as if they never had interchangeable lenses before. Are they forgetting SD9, 10, 14,15, and Sd1/M?

Also no mention at all about the new lenses Sigma introduced.

Kevin once promised to review the DP zero Quattro. Nothing so far.

They show bias. They should read Sean Reid's reviews on Sigma's latest offerings.

The problem is that they do not understand that Foveon based cameras remain a niche product, while they are expecting it to be more and judge it on the basis of its supposed shortcomings rather than seek out it fantastic strengths which are it's fantastic image quality under the right light. That is its niche. What's wrong with that????

I'm disappointed by the callous attitude towards Sigma. I come from a medium format film shooting past. To me speed of taking photos and processing them would be nice and SPP needs to be made faster. But for pure IQ joy, despite these shortcomings, so far Sigma has kept me captivated.

Of course I'm interested in the Hassy 50mp x1d. I am awaiting a demo day from the local rep.



Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: alatreille on September 27, 2016, 06:32:27 pm
I'm looking forward to a line up of this 12-24 vs the Nikon and Canon 11-24.

Also wondering if it has as large an image circle as the Canon.
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: NancyP on September 27, 2016, 06:53:43 pm
The 12-24mm FF lens has been a Sigma staple for a long time. This is a re-design, hopefully better than the previous ones. It's a good time to be an Ultra-Wide Angle lens DSLR photographer - Irix 11mm coming up, Irix 15mm f/2.8, Laowa (?) 12mm f2.8, Samyang 12 mm f/2.8 fisheye and  slightly redesigned 14mm f/2.8, Tamron/Pentax 15-30 f/2.8, Sigma 20mm f/1.4 (!),  not to mention the Canon 11-24, 16-35 f/4 IS, 17mm f/4 TS, and Nikon offerings (with which I am least familiar) newer than 14-24 f/2.8. Plus, for macro lovers, the Laowa 15mm f/whatever 1:1 macro, with addied shift function for APS-C/ DX users.

I find it quite difficult to use ultra-wide angle lenses effectively. It is harder (for me) to come up with a composition that works and doesn't look either boring or gimmicky.
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: Cornfield on September 28, 2016, 07:32:06 am
From my time at Photokina last week the two standout products are the Hasselblad X1d and the Sigma 12-24.  The X1D looks like a perfect camera for me.  Build quality was superb as expected and handling was excellent.  It really is quite a small when compared to a DSLR with a grip or a d5. 
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: Hulyss on September 28, 2016, 08:02:01 am
It is a good time for photographers; the choice on 85 mm lenses is immense.
The new Tamron you mention is good but suffers from focus shift.
I tested it against my nikkor 85mm 1.4g - it is clearly better at f5.6 but at f2 the nikkor has a flat uniform sharpness at infinity that i really like.( unlike the Tamron)
Also the VR does not work on a d810 body ( due to the specific shutter vibration).
It all comes down on the little details and personal interest.

It is a good time for photographers who have a full time job to pay their passion : photography equipment. Nothing as changed for pros or artists, besides cmos tech in MF, lens refreshing and miniaturisation. The 85 mm focal lenght is overstated, largely overpowered by forums stating : " for portrait you'll need a 85 mm". Then it escalate quickly with comparisons and dxo scores. Industry base their production upon that as well as "speed" or "f1.4". Made up non senses for buying more.

I say that the best lense for a camera is a lense of the same brand, simply for omogenous quality and compatibility. This last word is the core problem of sigma. Manual focus lenses manufacturers do not care about that, just mechanical mount and exif transmition. It work for zeiss. Sigma should produce some key manual lenses without the assle of compatibility and electronics, focusing on what is important and of course weather sealing.

This kina was boring.


That is its niche. What's wrong with that????

I'm disappointed by the callous attitude towards Sigma. I come from a medium format film shooting past. To me speed of taking photos and processing them would be nice and SPP needs to be made faster. But for pure IQ joy, despite these shortcomings, so far Sigma has kept me captivated.

Of course I'm interested in the Hassy 50mp x1d. I am awaiting a demo day from the local rep.


Nothing wrong with that, just common sense and sense of responsibility for a big community. It would be a bold mistake to lead someone into sigma masochist biotope actually as it is a bold lie to tell it is MF equivalent. The shortcomings are so HUGE in today technology that it can even disgust a photographer. No need to name anymore those shortcomings.

If one want to taste what foveon should have been in 2016, just buy a K1. First, you'll be able to work your files as you want with industry leading latitude. Use pixel shift and you'll taste something outrageously good, better than any foveon to date. Then rent a quattro, shoot normally (mhe) and shoot in the so called "bracketed in disguise sfd mode" for an another "mhe". The K1 isn't expensive, lenses either and the "niche" community is far greater/gentler/competent; period. 
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: GrahamBy on September 28, 2016, 11:28:12 am
I find it quite difficult to use ultra-wide angle lenses effectively. It is harder (for me) to come up with a composition that works and doesn't look either boring or gimmicky.

 :) Ah, so it's not just me! Thank you.
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: adri on September 28, 2016, 02:30:22 pm
To Hulys:

You should be better informed. The reason for Sigma to go the route of better lenses us out of necessity as well as the desire to up the brand and produce truly quality products.

The notion that only brand X lenses should be used on brand X cameras makes no sense. So many photographers are already using non Sony lenses on Sony cameras via an adapter, which includes canon lenses, sigmas, etc.

Several Art lenses by Sigma outperform camera brand lenses. At lower costs. And nearly as good as Zeiss.

I really do not follow your whining.

Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: NancyP on September 28, 2016, 05:25:22 pm
Heck, I occasionally use vintage Nikon lenses on Canon bodies.  ;)  Mostly because it is nostalgic and I like shooting manual focus anyway.
My "I need f/1.4" lens is a Sigma Art 35 f/1.4. I enjoy it. My multi-lens hiking kit normal-ish lens is the cheapo Canon 40mm f/2.8 STM pancake lens, for its low weight and good performance at the medium apertures used for landscape. Why lug more weight if the lens is going to stay at f/8?
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: Hulyss on September 28, 2016, 06:00:15 pm
I'm really informed about Sigma... and not only, adri.

I do not care if a lens "outperform" an another lens. I care much about rendering consistency. Again "outperform" is a bold statement for charts. Sigma lenses give more performances in only one area : resolution. And again, if we speak about Sony... latest sony lenses have nothing to envy to sigma. The latest Canon L 35mm have nothing to envy to Sigma. The very light Zeiss 35f2 have nothing to envy to Sigma. Finally, the Nikon 35f1.4 is simply a pro choice for the very reason I stated : Rendering consistency.

I understand someone on a budget might skip the brand lenses offering and go full sigma art. But the after sale service is far from Nikon service I'm afraid and that's not gonna change tomorrow.

Adapting a lens x on a camera y is nice (for the whole market and user wallet) but often come with drawbacks. Professionals do it with only few lenses, often the canon 17 TS and other very useful professional lenses. The rest are hobbyist with lots of lenses up their shelves and lot of time for forums and social media's.

I never been a third party or alternative lens photographer.

My comment above was more toward Sigma cameras than Sigma lenses, by the way. This is a good thing to have such performance from a third party lens maker. It push other company to refresh some optics BUT is this the most important ? Resolution ?

I do not think so.
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: shadowblade on September 28, 2016, 08:43:33 pm
I'm really informed about Sigma... and not only, adri.

I do not care if a lens "outperform" an another lens. I care much about rendering consistency. Again "outperform" is a bold statement for charts. Sigma lenses give more performances in only one area : resolution. And again, if we speak about Sony... latest sony lenses have nothing to envy to sigma. The latest Canon L 35mm have nothing to envy to Sigma. The very light Zeiss 35f2 have nothing to envy to Sigma. Finally, the Nikon 35f1.4 is simply a pro choice for the very reason I stated : Rendering consistency.

I understand someone on a budget might skip the brand lenses offering and go full sigma art. But the after sale service is far from Nikon service I'm afraid and that's not gonna change tomorrow.

Adapting a lens x on a camera y is nice (for the whole market and user wallet) but often come with drawbacks. Professionals do it with only few lenses, often the canon 17 TS and other very useful professional lenses. The rest are hobbyist with lots of lenses up their shelves and lot of time for forums and social media's.

I never been a third party or alternative lens photographer.

My comment above was more toward Sigma cameras than Sigma lenses, by the way. This is a good thing to have such performance from a third party lens maker. It push other company to refresh some optics BUT is this the most important ? Resolution ?

I do not think so.

As a landscape photographer, corner-to-corner resolution is not only the most important, but just about the only important thing in a lens. The only other things which even rate a mention are the number of aperture blades, which influences the quality of sunstars, and the amount of CA.
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: BernardLanguillier on September 29, 2016, 03:01:25 am
I do not care if a lens "outperform" an another lens. I care much about rendering consistency. Again "outperform" is a bold statement for charts. Sigma lenses give more performances in only one area : resolution. And again, if we speak about Sony... latest sony lenses have nothing to envy to sigma. The latest Canon L 35mm have nothing to envy to Sigma. The very light Zeiss 35f2 have nothing to envy to Sigma. Finally, the Nikon 35f1.4 is simply a pro choice for the very reason I stated : Rendering consistency.

This is in fact a very important point. I currently use lenses from Nikon, Zeiss, Leica (tele lenses) and Sigma (mostly wides)... and try not to mix them within a given shooting session.

The renderings are different in terms of color, bokeh, micro-detail,... Leica and Zeiss are more or less or to mix, but I would never mix them with Nikon or Sigma. I pretty much only use Sigma by itself.

Cheers,
Bernard
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: GrahamBy on September 29, 2016, 06:33:55 am
out of necessity as well as the desire to up the brand and produce truly quality products.

Another way of putting it: to create products that compete in the pixel-peeper and mtf vanity stakes. For taking photos, the difference between the pre-ART and ART 85/1.4 I predict to be irrelevant... except maybe if it focuses a little faster. But then it already focused much faster than a Zeiss  ;D
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: muntanela on September 29, 2016, 08:33:27 am
As a landscape photographer, corner-to-corner resolution is not only the most important, but just about the only important thing in a lens.

I have just bought the wonderfully built Zeiss Distagon T 25 2.8, maybe the most notorious Zeiss lens for field curvature...,  I  dare hope to use it not only for close ups, but even for mountain landscapes ;D. It is lighter than my Nikkor 16-35 (which has some field curvature, too).
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: NancyP on September 29, 2016, 11:37:03 am
Hulyss, you shoot fashion, don't you? I would agree that your approach makes eminent sense for fashion. Your gear money would be weighted heavily toward decent flash gear and enough modifiers and stands (or voice activated holders, eg assistants) to be maximally versatile.
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: Hulyss on September 29, 2016, 05:36:27 pm
Hello Nancy,

I shoot Women first and fashion when it is needed. My approach have almost nothing to do with material; it was, few years ago when needed. Most of my work is training girls because none of them are models. I find them in the street or they seek my services to be trained, over a short or extended period of time. I have no assistants, no money and not that much material after all. In my position brain and patience are more important tools than any gear. But I'm surrounded by gearheads who lend me good stuff sometimes this is why I do have a sharp eye on photographer's need.

A photographer need at first a subject to shoot or inspiration; then come the material :)

(http://images.popmatters.com/misc_art/d/dvd-horsewhisperer-splsh.jpg)
Title: Re: New Sigma lenses - 12-24/4 Art, 500/4 Sport, 85/1.4 Art
Post by: kers on September 30, 2016, 09:10:15 pm
Must say that i very much like the Sigma Art 50mm lens.
Not only the sharpness but also the rendering, coating and colour.
I have used the two latest 50mm lenses from Nikon and the 58mm.
The 50mm were mediocre and cheap, the 58mm is a speciality lens with outstanding coatings and colour, butnot very shrp in the center wide open and never really sharp in the corner.
A plain good 50 mm is still lacking.  I am very glad Sigma filled that gap.