Sigma 30mm F1.4 EX DC A-mount lens review by mvanrheenen

mvanrheenen#9192 date: Jun-29-2011
sharpness: 4 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.4	tested on: film camera: APS-C: 6MP; 10MP; 12MP; 14MP; 16MP; 20MP; 24MP full frame: 12MP; 24MP; 36MP; 42MP; 61MP
ownership:	I own this lens
compared to:	missing
price paid:	399 EUR (new)
positive:	Fast Very smooth bokeh Center sharpness Build quality
negative:	Corner sharpness Loose focus ring Clumsy hood
comment:	I have a love/hate relationship with this lens. For all large aperture shots with good center sharpness and very smooth bokeh, this lens cannot be beaten on this focal length. Stopped down, center sharpness only improves. I use cropped shots as fake-macro shots, it can be that good. Build quality is also very good, as can be expected of the Sigma EX-series lenses. Only thing I noticed after about 6-8 months of use is that the focus ring loosens and wobbles more and more over time. As I MF all the time, this is a bit of a letdown. As a landscape shooter, the biggest negative is the corner softness. Even stopped down, the corners are not as sharp as I expect from these kind of lenses. Only thing I really don't understand is how hard it can be to design a hood that can actually be attached in one go?! Most of the time, I leave it off. I don’t know about QC at Sigma, because I just own one copy of this lens. Maybe other copies are sharper in the corners, but from what I’ve read in several reviews, I doubt it.