28mm primes, again

[ulrich_brandl]

There was some discussion about the f1.8/28mm here in the last days,

it has got mixed reviews and doesn't seem to be great. I am just

considering the purchase of a fast 28mm lens for low light situations

where my 50mm lens is too long.

 

What about the third party alternative, the Sigma f1.8/28mm ? I

haven't found much useful information about this lens over the web.

Who has experience with the Sigma ? Is it a viable or (optically)

even better alternative or not ?

 

Ulrich

[chris.sager]

After doing a bunch of research on the same subject i am thinking of getting a 35/2. This lens is not a USM but seems to have very good optical quality and decent build quality (metal lens mount at $200).

 

It seems the Sigma 30/1.4 is a good buy if you have a crop camera. The other Sigma's seem to get mixed reviews at best, most of which point to some sort of focusing issue. I have therefor rulled out all the sigma's in my hunt for a good low light lens for my XT. It will be either a 28/1.8 or 35/2 for me! (I am not going to buy any crop lenses as i plan to use this lens on my ELan 7N and future FF digital body)

 

The decision between the two seems to be:

 

28/1.8 -

 

-$400

 

-Excellent build qualtily

 

-1.8 Apeture

 

-USM

 

-Excellent center sharpness wide open, corner sharpness may leave something to be desired.

 

35/2

 

-Around $200

 

-Non-USM

 

-F2 is still pretty bright

 

-Excellent Optically (Especially for $200)

 

 

The 24/1.4L is better than both of these lenses, but its over $1000!

[peter_white2]

Corner sharpness with the Canon 28mm f/1.8 is excellent once the lens is stopped down. At f/1.8 the corners are very soft. But for most applications it's irrelevant how sharp the corners are since most subject matter will be out of focus due to shallow depth of field. For shooting landscapes you'll usually be stopped down to at least f/5.6 where the corners are very sharp. So the corner softness is only a factor when shooting test charts or shooting at infinity focus. If you're shooting the night sky, you won't want to use this lens at maximum aperture.

 

For most people's purposes, the lens is excellent.

[michael_madden1]

Went through same decision.... imho the 35 2.0 would probably satisfy needs...

[ulrich_brandl]

Thanks for your comments so far. I agree with Peter thar corner sharpness isn't a real issue at 1.8, it is unlikely that the corners lie in the same focal plane as the center. But the high level of CA (at leat reported at photozone.de, higher than most zooms at 28mm) looks irritating. The Sigma 30mm is not rated really better than the Canon there. Maybe the f2.0 35mm is a way out of the dilemma (but indoors the 7mm difference can be a big deal).

 

Ulrich

[jon_austin]

Despite the areas in which it falls short of "perfection," the 28/1.8 USM is the prime lens I'm planning to buy in this FL range. In fact, I'm currently considering buying a pristine used one from a fellow photo.netter.

 

I've pretty much decided I won't buy another non-ring USM lens. My little 50mm f/2.5 Compact Macro is sharp, but it's motor is buzzy. It's cute and kinda quaint on the infrequent occasions when I use this lens, but I wouldn't want a bag full of them.

 

It would be great if Canon would release a 28/1.8 II that improves on the optical performance of the current model, but then they'd probably raise the price to $600. I'd also like to buy a true ring USM version of the 50/1.4 (or even 1/8), but I wouldn't want to pay more than $400 for it.

[akajohndoe]

The 28/1.8 with the 85/1.8 make a very nice minimalist set.

[chris.sager]

So i guess I lied -

 

I just bought a Sigma 28mm 1.8 on Ebay. When i get it I will definitly describe my experiences and post some images (if my XT ever shows up!)

 

I paid $177.50 for it used. Given it was $30+ cheaper than the 35/2 and $225 cheaper than the Canon 28 1.8 i figured it was worth a slight risk.

 

I'll keep you posted!

[erick_kyogoku]

<i>Corner sharpness with the Canon 28mm f/1.8 is excellent once the lens is stopped

down. At f/1.8 the corners are very soft. But for most applications it's irrelevant how sharp

the corners are since most subject matter will be out of focus due to shallow depth of

field. </i><br>

<br>

<i>Very</i> good point Peter. Here's a shot taken with the 28/1.8, in <a href="http://

www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~eridium/delete/sirac-orecchio-dionisio-3322.jpg">Siracusa,

Sicily</a>. 1/60 sec, f/2.5 Such a good lens for taking photographs (rather than pixel

peeping).

[micatlan]

To me, the best prime around f = 30 mm in what also appears to be your price range, is the sigma 30mm f1.4EX. way better than Canon EF 28mm f2.8 and Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II.

It's the only lens fitted on my rebel XT :

http://mikeintexas.free.fr/album/

[yakim_peled1]

<p> I agree that wide open corner sharpness, the 24/2.8 and 35/2 (which I had) are better than the 28/1.8 USM (which I have). However, if you put them all on f/2.8 and onwards, they are practically indistinguishable. The former lenses also have better flare protection, but not by much. Another point to consider is that wide open corner sharpness is mostly a moot point in a wide angle lens as it is mostly used stopped down. </p>

<p> I - personally - would avoid the Sigma 28/1.8 as it is bigger, has slower AF and lacks the future proof compatibility that the Canon lenses have. It's optical quality is also not top-notch. </p>

<p> My personal recommendation would go either to the 28/1.8 USM or the 24/2.8. For the money, the 24/2.8 is hard to beat. No USM (and thus, no FTM) but thanks to the IF design it's AF is rather quick. Best of all, optically it's a true gem. If 2.8 is fast enough for you and/or if your wallet is thin then that's the one to get. You want faster aperture, ring-USM, FTM and nicer bokeh? You need to pay. The choice is yours. </p>

<p> By the way, if you look at <a href="http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/index.html">http://www.photozone.de/8Reviews/index.html</a> and at <a href="http://www.wlcastleman.com/equip/reviews/index.htm">http://www.wlcastleman.com/equip/reviews/index.htm</a> you will see that the 28/1.8 is very close in its performance to the 24/1.4 USM L. From this point of view, it's a true bargain. </p>

 

 

<p> One last thing: Balance. If you have a 1 series body, I would not recommend any light lens like these. They are just not balanced well. Since I got the 1D, I sold my 85/1.8 USM because of that and I am selling my 28/1.8 USM because of that. If you are interested, drop me a line. </p>

 

<p> Happy shooting, <br>

Yakim. </p>

[tommyinca]

If you manual focus, you can also consider the old 70s-80s Vivita 28/1.9 Series 1. With the proper focus aid (split prism or focus chips), its great still. You trade off AF to a well dampen manual focus feel.

[anthony_hicks]

<i>

"the best prime around f = 30 mm in what also appears to be your price range, is the sigma 30mm f1.4EX. way better than Canon EF 28mm f2.8 and Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II"

</i>

 

Really? A friend of mine had a Sigma 30/1.4 for a short while, and the results confirmed what I have read many times - that the definition away from the centre was mediocre. Whereas the Canon 50/1.8 is rated as a "must have" lens, and the Canon 28/2.8 is reported as a more than reasonable lens too - albeit ancient, slow, noisy etc.

 

Canon - PLEASE can you revamp your wideangle prime range, it is well overdue! A light weight 30mm f2 with ring USM would be nice...

[stb]

I think the non-USM motors issue on these small lenses is way overblown. I own the

28/2.8 and the AF noise is never a problem. At these focals, focusing rarely involves big

movements.

 

I also think those lenses from the first years of he EOS line are under rated. They offer

exceptional value. They are also small and light. At the long end, the 135/2.8 is also a

gem and great great value.

 

St鰨ane

 

http://www.lumieredargent.com

[manuel_zamora_morschhaeuse]

I do own the Sigma 30mm/f1.4. As many others have said, it's very sharp in the center even wide open but the corners are soft (stopped down, everything is fine btw). Still, when I shoot at ~f1.4-f2 I do not care about corner sharpenss, but about the photograph itself. Most of the time it's a portrait or candid shot or any other darker scene where I just do not need razor sharp corners. If and when I should need that, there's the thing called tripod and f8.