Favourite focal length?

[Dr. Harout]

Looking for a Sony 35 sam now. Would fit the bill I suppose.

Mark

You won't be disappointed.

[Greg Beetham]

What one could do with the standard prime (thinking back too my early days with a 35mm camera) is get a 2X auto extender; that turns the 50 prime into a not very expensive but still quite handy 100mm lens, also one could get as I did a set of tubes and a couple of + filters for dabbling with close ups. I heard of wide filters but never saw one in the flesh, I think they would have to match up to a particular lens and probably wouldn’t be overly cheap.
Greg
Ps I wonder why the big discrepancy between your experience and agorabasta’s with the 30 Sigma Mark, the reviews by owners of the lens at B&H seem very good as well? It’s hard too believe you could get more than one dud lens of a particular size/brand so that’s all very confusing.

[jcoffin]

135 -- or on APS-C, 85. I like wider angles, but if necessary I could stitch a panorama...

[mvanrheenen]

Ps I wonder why the big discrepancy between your experience and agorabasta’s with the 30 Sigma Mark, the reviews by owners of the lens at B&H seem very good as well? It’s hard too believe you could get more than one dud lens of a particular size/brand so that’s all very confusing.

Hi Greg,

My conclusion, after having 2 of these lenses (took first back after the disappointment), was that center sharpness is very good, but the mid and corners are not so for the kind of lens it is (Sigma EX, expensive). Furthermore, the lenses didn't focus that accurate even in good light, which led me to MF, which did increase the keepers in the long run. I had a love-hate relationship with the things, and when the Samyang 35 came out decided to sell it. Size, build and weight are good, although the focus ring will rattle after a few months of use. I miss the focal length, speed and bokeh yes, but that wasn't key for me in the end.

Mark

[agorabasta]

Mark,

Getting two duds in a row is quite possible. First - they both could be from a 'dud batch'; second - they may have been sold and returned a few times already if you buy from the very same retailer.

I still think that mine is a normal good one and not some kind of exception.

[mvanrheenen]

Hi agorabasta,

You could be right on both points. My retailer would probably not acknowledge that if I asked him. Oh well, maybe I'll give one a shot again in the future.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Mark

[Dr. Harout]

... the lenses didn't focus that accurate even in good light, which led me to MF, which did increase the keepers in the long run. I had a love-hate relationship with the things, and when the Samyang 35 came out decided to sell it. Size, build and weight are good, although the focus ring will rattle after a few months of use. I miss the focal length, speed and bokeh yes, but that wasn't key for me in the end.

Mark

Mark, so that's why you decided to sell the Samyang. Anyway, did you try to fix that issue?

[mvanrheenen]

Doc, I may have made an error in my sentence above. I meant the Sigma's build had issues, not the Samyang. The reason I sold that one is that the kit I was using on my travels was too bulky and heavy. I realized this when I was in Rome last december. After a good days hike, my shoulders, neck and head would hurt for a week. The strain of my kit was wearing on me. So, I decided to do what's best and replace my beloved primes for a zoom. In the end, I sold the Samyang 35 and SEL 16, to make up for buying the CZ16-80. Only lens I can't seem to sell is the Samyang 14. Although the CZ has the wide end covered, I like the Samyang 14mm too much to let it go. So from now on I'll be traveling with my CZ16-80 and 70-400G on big holidays and the CZ16-80 and 55-200 SAM-2 for short holidays. This clearly is a lot better suited than taking a 14, 35, 90 and 70-400...

I did not try to fix the issues I had with the Sigma's. After getting the second one I concluded it had the same issues with the sharpness and AF. Furthermore, after using it for a few weeks, it developed the exact same issues as the first: rattling focus ring. That did it for me. I traded it to someone who obviously didn't care about those things. Don't know why, was my luck though.

/rant

Mark

[Mark K]

I have recently got the 35/1.8 and found it extremely useful on my a77, very similar to one 50mm on FF bodies. The large aperture allows me to use under many adverse light conditions. I also mounted a 50/1.4 but...the 75mm is simply too long for my type.

I am not sure 24 mm on an APS C body...maybe I　 should try it out first before going for Nex 7 and 24/1.8