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18-35mm F1.8 Sigma DC zoom lens
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  • brianc1959brianc1959

    @Baramed : The 24-105/4 plus Speed Booster combination that Kholi mentions is a 17-75mm f/2.8.

  • BaramedBaramed

    Thank you but i need a faster aperture than f4 maybe i will wait for the rumored 24-70 f2

  • Brian202020Brian202020

    I just received my 18-35 last night. Unfortunately I won't be able to test it out until next week.

    I wanted to share my first impressions after taking out of the box.

    The good:

    • build quality
    • Internal focusing and zoom mechanics (does not extend when focusing or zooming, like Tokina 11-16)

    The Bad:

    • Canon focus rotation even tho it's a Nikon mount
    • Focus ring keeps spinning like a Canon lens

    I know the optics are good and I can't wait to test it out.

  • kholikholi

    Since I'm likely getting an SB, I'm thinking that I may also pick the 24-105 up, deal with losing OS, and having a long 2.8 zoom that matches the 18-35 until the rumored 24-70/2 comes out.

  • lonely1lonely1

    I've read about the Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS HSM ART Lens, which is a addition next to the Sigma 18-35mm Lens, with the same build quality. Maybe that is what fits your description best for a 50-85mm view.

  • BaramedBaramed

    Hi,

    I plan to purchase this Sigma 18-35 with Speedbooster for my Gh3. What is the best long lens for portrait or longer shots ( 50mm, 85 mm) can match with this Sigma? Any idea?

    Thanks a lot.

  • MikeLinnMikeLinn

  • matt_gh2matt_gh2

    Anyone by chance shoot any footage of Sigma 18-35 on GH2 using Intravenus v2 ? I'm curious on that combo.

  • ala_imgala_img

    Here you can compare brightness of two wide open lenses. No big difference between Panaleica and Sigma + SB. Samyang 85mm at f1.4 a bit darker than both this lens, but almost the same.

    leica.jpg
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    sigma.jpg
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  • _OZ_OZ

    Yeah, I finally got a chance to actually watch that last video from @ala_img

    Bokeh is indeed looking good there, as is pretty much everything else. Nicely done and thanks for posting. This Sigma is not gonna be something I can avoid for much longer...except for the scarce availability. ; )

    O

  • kholikholi

    Sorry I take that back, I just went through my email chain and I DID get a response about the PL adapter Speedbooster.

    Just not a date.

    Apologies.

    I agree, a SB+PL Combo would make for some incredibly interesting options when it comes to the S35 Superspeeds, but also slower and older PL primes like the Super Baltars (I have a set that I borrow), go-to-favorites like Cooke S4s, and even better, using Cinema Anamorphics on the Pocket and 2.5K to get the FOV back.

    Kowa 2.4s + SB + Pocket Camera... dreamy.

  • brianc1959brianc1959

    Just occurred to me that the Zeiss Superspeeds for S35 would make a very interesting pairing with the Speed Booster to create a wide-ranging set of high performance f/0.90 lenses for m4/3 and Blackmagic cameras.

  • brianc1959brianc1959

    @kholi You're right about the S35. I was thinking S16. I just checked the price of a few samples on eBay, and unfortunately this will not be an inexpensive experiment! May have to wait a few months. In the meantime, my 18-35 appears to finally be shipping, so I should be able to do some test shots with and without a Speed Booster in the near future.

  • kholikholi

    The Zeiss SS MKIIs are S35, so they would cover M4/3 down to Pocket Camera for sure, but I don't have them in my possession right now. I meant T1.3 by the way, sorry about that.

    You could compare them to the 16, 18, and 24 as the 12's a lot more rare in a set. I'm pretty positive the differences in bokeh would be startling.

    I actually think I have some S16 Zeiss Superspeed footage on Vimeo, shot wide open... I have to check.

    On the subject of T-Stop, I've heard recently that the Sigma's rated more like a T2.4!? That sounds crazy to me...

  • brianc1959brianc1959

    @ala_img Since you are comparing exposure you are effectively comparing T/#, not f/#. To measure f/# you would need to measure the entrance pupil diameter and the paraxial focal length, and then divide the latter by the former. Alternatively, you could measure the cone angle in image space by determining the blur circle diameter at a certain distance from focus.

    Bear in mind that the Sigma 18-35/1.8 has 17 lens elements, so its going to lose significantly more light due to internal reflections and absorption than a typical prime lens like the 25/1.4.

  • brianc1959brianc1959

    @kholi I would love to see a comparison between, say a 12mm f/1.2 Superspeed and the Sigma/SB at 12.8mm f/1.2 so that I could fully understand what you are talking about. Do you have the former lens? I assume the Zeiss SS wouldn't cover 4/3 format, but a careful crop would suffice.

    At f/1.2 the Speed Booster contributes less than 1/4 wave of spherical aberration, so I really do believe that its having little or no effect on the lens bokeh.

  • ala_imgala_img

    @brianc1959 No, its real brightness near f1.4 compared to another lenses.

  • kholikholi

    Yeah I agree it still looks fine, more so than a Lot of tests so far.

  • brianc1959brianc1959

    @ala_img f/1.2; T/1.4 I presume.

  • ala_imgala_img

    @oscillian Yes, i am testing it mostly at max wide angle and wide open, because i bought it for indoor and low light shooting project. It is 13mm f1.2 (but for real it is about f1.4)

  • oscillianoscillian

    @ala_img So most shots are at 13mm f1.4 then? Looks very nice to me :)

  • ala_imgala_img

    Almost all this frames were made at 18mm, because it is most interesting distance for me now. I think that bokeh is good enough for so wide focusing distance.

  • _OZ_OZ

    Yeah, bokeh definitely looks more nervous than creamy with the SB.

  • kholikholi

    You nailed it, it's super soft and mushy wide open. My frame of reference for something as fast as a 1.2's Zeiss Superspeeds, and the bokeh isn't busy, it's smooth, but it is not soft/blurry.

    SB wide open looks like a 35mm Adapter wide open.

    But, from what I've seen in my own passive testing. Sigma 18-35/1.8 + SB set to around 2 looks fine, and that's beneficial enough.

  • itimjimitimjim

    @kholi What is it that you don't like about the bokeh wide open. Seems OK to me, better than some lenses even. I find busy bokeh quite distracting. I suppose it renders bokeh quite soft. I'd really like to see some A/B comparisons with and without the SB. Hell, I might just buy one (Sigma 18-35) and do my own testing :)

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