steventimothy
Well-known member
I'm considering getting this lens - does anyone have any experience with it?
Canon EF 28mm f/1.8 USM Lens
- Thread starter steventimothy
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saneproductions
Veteran
I only handled the 28 for a few minutes, but it made an impression for sure. Nice lens! I did own the Sigma 30mm 1.4 for around a month and that is the lens it is most compared to. There is a reason that 28 is considered one of canon's best non L lenses. The build quality and handling are nice. The other non L lenses that are very well regarded are the 85mm 1.8 the 100mm 2.8 macro.
The choice between this and the sigma 1.4 is tough. The canon is a bit wider which I like and it also works on full frame. It is a bit sharper in the corners and has better/more accurate AF. The Sigma is 2/3rds of a stop faster (which is quite a difference) and includes a lens hood and case (the canon hood is around $30-40). The downsides are that the AF is reverse engineered so the accuracy in middle distances are iffy. It is APS-C only. It is 2mm longer which doesn't sound like a lot but that is 7-8% less FOV than the 28. I find this annoying and like 28 or 24 better (my preference). The corners are also soft wide open, but in practice that doesn't typically matter as DOF is pretty shallow at 1.4.
The choice between this and the sigma 1.4 is tough. The canon is a bit wider which I like and it also works on full frame. It is a bit sharper in the corners and has better/more accurate AF. The Sigma is 2/3rds of a stop faster (which is quite a difference) and includes a lens hood and case (the canon hood is around $30-40). The downsides are that the AF is reverse engineered so the accuracy in middle distances are iffy. It is APS-C only. It is 2mm longer which doesn't sound like a lot but that is 7-8% less FOV than the 28. I find this annoying and like 28 or 24 better (my preference). The corners are also soft wide open, but in practice that doesn't typically matter as DOF is pretty shallow at 1.4.
Chris Johnston
Veteran
When you say the corners are soft, do you mean on a FF or aps-c? (as I understand it, the aps-c is only using the center of the glass,so if this lens is on a FF.....???)
saneproductions
Veteran
The sigma only works on APS-C. Like I said, soft in the corners is not really an issue in most circumstances. Also, all lenses are soft in the corners wide open to some degree.
steventimothy
Well-known member
I think that 1.8 is fast enough for me - and I prefer to be wider. It has the extra advantage imho of better build & AF also. So the 28mm Canon it is then. Since Santa never put that 24mm f1.4L in my stocking 
Chris Johnston
Veteran
My Bad... I thought you were talking about the 28 1.8 being soft in the corners.
Chris Johnston
Veteran
Steven, did you ever get the 28 1.8? Just curious what you thought if you did get it.
Mark Von Lanken
Well-known member
I don't own the lens, but one of my shooters does. Here's some footage with it. The clip contains primarly footage from the Zenitar 16mm 2.8 but the last shot is from the Canon 28mm 1.8. I think the footage from the Canon 28mm is a good example of the possibilities of shooting handheld with the lens.
http://vimeo.com/13346965
http://vimeo.com/13346965