Opinions of the Sigma EX 28mm DG

http://www.sigma-photo.com/html/pages/28_ex.htm

 

Does anybody have any experience with this lens? How is the quality?

My primary portrait lens is my Nikkor 50/1.8, but it is WAY too

tight for medium-large group shots, and I need something wider. I

can in NO WAY shape or form afford the Nikkor 28/1.4, and was hoping

this would be a good substitute.

 

I already have Sigmas 70-200, and 105mm Macro lenses and they are

fantastic. Anybody have any specific knowledge of this specific

lens? Sharp? soft? build? Thanks everybody for your info.

I have the version for Canon and like it a lot. I used it a on film body for 80% of my shots on a recent trip to Europe. It's very sharp, well built. It does suffer from barrel distortion, but I can live with that. The manual focus switch is a bit ackward, I'd have preffered full-time manual as in the 70-200. I find it a little tight 10% of the time, so you may consider the 24mm instead.

Thanks for the info! I really appreaciate it. What would make the 24mm better then the 28? I really want to avoid barrel distortion as much as possible, and I need it to be pretty sharp.

 

Why the 24 over the 28? Woudn't a wider lens have more distortion? Aren't the aspherical lenses supposed to be pretty much distortion free?

Sometimes I find 28mm not wide enough; however, not often enough to trade it for a 24mm. It depends what one'd use it for. I don't know if 24 has more distortion than the 28. The 28 is not free of distortion. If you put a very tall, very skinny building, like a tower, close to the left or right border of your composition, it may end up looking like the tower of Piza. Apparently, such distortion could be corrected nowadays with various software, but I am not too concerned about it; instead, I am trying to learn how to use such a look to my advantage. I don't have my photos with me right not, but will post samples.

Does anyody have any examples taken with either the 24mm or the 28mm? I really would like to see how sharp this lens is, and how bad the distortion is.