Sigma 50mm 1.4?

A

antonyoung

Active member
I need a 50mm prime for a shoot next weekend. I thought I would get the Olympus 50mm f2 macro, which is apparently very highly regarded optically, but it's sorta fly-by-wire on the focus ring, and the motor on the focus (even in manual focus, which is the only way it can be used on M43 cameras and the AF100) is really quite noisy. Noisy to the point of being a dealbreaker for me, and the focus by wire just feels wrong to me. So I'm taking it back to B&H tomorrow.

I want to be able to use the iris wheel on the camera, and I want f2.0 or faster, so it looks like my only other choice is the Sigma 50mm 1.4. Anybody have experience with this lens? Is the focus ring nice, and does it focus silently?
 
I love this lens, it is great, however I do notice some signifigant CA wide open. Other than that it is sharp and with great contrast and color seperation. I have more than ten 50mm lenses by the way, so I know what I am talking about. Test it, see for yourself.
 
maybe a Manual Focus prime? from KEH or ebay?
you will get it alot cheaper and the quality will be pretty comparable, especially at 1920x1080

How about: http://www.keh.com/camera/Nikon-Manual-Focus-Fixed-Focal-Length-Lenses/1/sku-NK060102006990?r=FE
or: http://www.keh.com/camera/Pentax-Screwmount-Fixed-Focal-Length-Lenses/1/sku-PS06010800007N?r=FE

both are very well regarded. The Pentax will be a little warmer and, for lack of a better word, smoother in its rendering. The nikon will be crisper an more exacting.
 
If you need a real 50mm then a 24mm would be close. The Panasonic 20mm 1.7 pancake lens is equal to 40mm on AF-100. Its sharp fast and looks really good. Its also very small hence the name. The Sigma 50mm will be a 100mm on the AF-100.
 
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