GH4 Shooting Wide Open On Sigma 18-35 1.8 ALWAYS

B

brandonanthony1

Well-known member
Hello! Have some questions about the Sigma 18-35 1.8...

I'm currently going to be purchasing and only have the capabilities to use a dumb adapter for the Sigma 18-35 1.8. I'll be shooting @ 1.8 the entire time, and using an ND filter to mess with my light intake.

Honest opinion, does this sound like a bad idea? I've heard the lens is tack sharp wide open, so I'm not terribly worried about focus, but.. Just seems limiting to only being able to shoot wide open.

Thanks
Brandon
 
It's not impossible but it might be a pain in some situations... For example I've had some lenses slowly close down on their own after some use on a dumb mount, so if that happens you'll have to find a powered mount to open it back up on... That was on EF mount lenses. How will you even be sure the lens is wide open? What mount are you going to buy the lens in? Why not just get nikon and use a dumb adapter that had a mechanical aperture ring that controls the lens's mechanical aperture?
 
That seems extraordinarily limiting. A good Nikon adapter from Metabones is less than $150. The price is a steal because they're damaged goods (details mention scratches on the "screen". What screen? Lens? If so, big problem)
 
What camera are you going to use it on? What native mount Sigma are you buying? If you are buying a Nikon mount sigma you could probably buy a cheap adapter which would let you manipulate the iris manually. If you are dead set on buying a Canon mount version maybe if you have an old canon camera sitting around you can manipulate the iris and remove from camera while it is on and then mounting on your intended camera.

EDIT: noticed that this way posted in GH4. In that case I suggest buying a nikon mount unit and cheap nikon adaptor for manipulating iris if you can afford a active ef mount (metabones). Or like I said use a traditional canon camera to set your iris and then remove from that camera and mount on your GH4 and dumb adapter
 
@SamirPatel - Do they make cheaper nikon adapters which also adjust the iris of the lens? I am not seeing anything besides the metabones variety.

@mcbob - I highly doubt any of the Amazon Warehouse items will have any problems whatsoever visually.
 
Fotodiox makes a less expensive adapter ($60?) with iris ring, but the iris creeps and it actually separated in half on me while using it. Happened to another guy here too. It's unfortunately total crap.

The Metabones MFT-Nikon G adapter (not the Speedbooster) is better than any other adapter I've used, the iris ring is solid and well-cammed, and is reasonably affordable.

As per the warehouse items, here's the quote from one of the lenses in your link:
"Item is in original packaging, but packaging will come damaged. Small scratches on screen (less than 1/4 in. x 1/4 in.). Small scratches on front of item (less than 1/4" x 1/4"). Small scratches on sides of item (less than 1/4 in. x 1/4 in.). Item has been tested and is fully functional. Missing Owner / User Manual. Some accessories have cosmetic imperfections."

Yeah, it MIGHT be just fine in use. Or it may not. Either way, you'll have to mess around with never being able to change iris on an otherwise awesome lens. You can certainly make it work, but why limit it so much on purpose? Is that really worth ~$400 saved? Would you buy a car for half off the sticker price that could only run at full throttle?
 
I think you have a couple of options. You could use a dumb mount EF to M43 adapter to mount on your GH4 and then hypothetically use a Nikon G to EF mount adaptor on top. Something like this:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...LWf2K6Q6sQCFRJqfgodrhUAvw&Q=&is=REG&A=details

Basically the way it works is that you mount this onto the Sigma lens which I suspect would be Nikon G. And you would be able to manually manipulate the iris while shooting. (You wouldn't know the exact fstop though just visually see the brightness change)

There is also a non-speedbooster version of the metabones which is nikon g direct to m43:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1002612-REG/metabones_mb_nfg_m43_bm1_nikon_g_mount_lens.html

But keep in mind you mount it to the lens correctly and still have to manually modify the iris. but the advantage of this is you could technically be between for example f/1.4 and 1.8 rather than have to be at either.
 
brandonanthony1 said:
Hello! Have some questions about the Sigma 18-35 1.8...

I'm currently going to be purchasing and only have the capabilities to use a dumb adapter for the Sigma 18-35 1.8. I'll be shooting @ 1.8 the entire time, and using an ND filter to mess with my light intake.

Honest opinion, does this sound like a bad idea? I've heard the lens is tack sharp wide open, so I'm not terribly worried about focus, but.. Just seems limiting to only being able to shoot wide open.

Thanks
Brandon
Click to expand...
Dude, get the Nikon mount version and an adapter that controls aperture. Seriously, what you're describing sounds like a recipe for disaster. If it means saving up for a bit longer to afford it, it'll be worth it.
 
I think the analogy about buying a car with half the throttle is resonating with me. It also appears that all of the $400 18-35 1.8's for SA Mount are gone. So, yeah, looks like I'm saving for a 12-35 2.8... Anybody selling one of those? Haha.
 
everything about the 12-35 is great, but understand the FOCUS is "fly by wire" or something where it is not mechanically fixed. Probably affects nobody, but marking for MANUAL can get tricky. I have one and that focusing has never bothered me, but I didn't understand this when I bought it, and it could have been a MAJOR deal breaker if I shot a lot of manual focus, planned movie shots.
 
The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 lens is gorgeous and a great piece of kit.

I have the EF version and use it with the Metabones EF - M43 Speedbooster, and it's the perfect combination. An 18-35mm, f/1.2 equivalent ZOOM lens!!!

My philosophy is buy once and buy the best, that way you can enjoy the benefits for years to come and won't have regrets.

Yes, the Speedbooster is almost half the cost of the GH4. But the way I reasoned it was, I was selling my Canon 5D MkIII body to buy the combination of Speedbooster and GH4 (I actually bought the Speedbooster before the GH4, to make sure I had the capability to use my EF mount lenses from day 1). It worked out almost a wash price wise, and I've never looked back.

I know you might not be in a position to buy that level of mount right away, but in either case, think longer term in the set of lenses you want to invest in (which should carry across many iterations of bodies before needing replacement or upgrading), and let that guide your purchasing decisions.

For me that was my Zeiss ZE prime lens set I already had, but if you're starting fresh the mount you choose will have the main bearing on where to put your money for best image/price ratio.

HTH!

Cheers,

Paul :)
 
I have to agree. The Sigma 18-35, plus the right speed booster is the way to go. I've had that combo for about a year and love it. I will say I usually don't shoot with it wide open, maybe an F2, and use a Tiffen ND with it when in the sun. Waiting to buy the speedbooster is the smart move if you can wait. I have a Nikon mount and it's been great to use on some of the cheaper Nikon primes too like a 50mm F1.8, and a 35mm F2 that I had. I know it's hard to wait, but it is sooooo worth it.

For what it is worth,
Neal
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top