Sigma 19 and 30 Nex Primes

[Birma]

Does anyone have any experience of the Sigma 19 and 30 primes for the Nex, mark I and II versions? Is there any marked optical improvement between the new and old versions?

The Mark I versions are a very good deal for around £90 each at the moment.

I'm most interested in the 30mm as I'm happy with the SEL 16.

[Vidgamer]

Does anyone have any experience of the Sigma 19 and 30 primes for the Nex, mark I and II versions? Is there any marked optical improvement between the new and old versions?

The Mark I versions are a very good deal for around £90 each at the moment.

I'm most interested in the 30mm as I'm happy with the SEL 16.

I only have the first-version of the Sigma 30. From reading many messages (mostly on DPR), it sounds like there's not a noticeable difference optically between the old and new versions. These things are an incredible deal at these prices. Where else are you going to find a lens at this price, and it happens to be one of the sharpest? What's interesting about this lens is how sharp it is even at f2.8. I'm not too thrilled about the bokeh; it's OK I guess. I also don't think the lens is going to work with the PDAF. But if you want a very sharp lens, this one should satisfy. Overall, I'm not sure why I don't get more excited about the lens.

The impression I get is that the 19mm lens isn't quite the performer that the 30mm lens is. There are some that lump these lenses together, but you can check the tests at Lensrentals, for example, to get a better comparison.

[Birma]

Thanks for the reply and round-up Vidgamer - much appreciated. I will check out the Lens Rental site as well.

[Vidgamer]

This is the Lensrental test.
http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2012/04 ... comparison

[Birma]

Thanks Vidgamer. Wow . I realise this is a bench test but interesting never the less. I think the clincher is the review they have of the Sigma 30 which in summary says, "please don't rent this as it's not worth it, just buy it!".

[bakubo]

A month or two ago in the States the 19mm and 30mm were being sold for $100 each. I had absolutely no need for either one, but I almost bought them. This was right before Sigma announced the new versions. Aren't the new ones just new cosmetics?

[Birma]

Hi Henry. That was the impression I had gotten - there are just cosmetic changes. Vidgamer suggested he also had the same impression from DPR posts. At the price the old ones seem a bargain even if they are not quite as good as the new ones. (I think I prefer the old styling as well.)

[UrsaMajor]

That was the impression I had gotten - there are just cosmetic changes. Vidgamer suggested he also had the same impression from DPR posts. At the price the old ones seem a bargain even if they are not quite as good as the new ones. (I think I prefer the old styling as well.)

There is an old saying - "Better is the enemy of Good Enough".

I do not know whether or not the new version of the Sigma 30mm NEX lens is actually better than the "old" version, but I have been more than satisfied with using the "old" version on my NEX-6. Below is a cropped image of my son's four year-old boy that I shot last Saturday at a birthday party for my son's younger boy. This image was taken wide open at f:2.8 and 1/250 second.

As you can see from his complexion and his wet hair, he had been very active physically just before I took the picture. As "art", the image is nothing special, but I think that I does illustrate why I consider the "old" Sigma 30mm NEX lens to be very satisfactory, and to be a real bargain at the price of $99 that I paid for it. I find it hard to conceive of the "new" Sigma 30mm having enough improvement (if any) to justify buying it instead of the "old" version that I have. (BTW, I chuckle every time I refer to my 30mm Sigma as the "old" version, since it was introduced such a short time ago.)

- Tom -

[UrsaMajor]

Here is another image taken on the same occasion as the previous shot with the Sigma 30mm f:2.8 lens on my NEX-6. It is a shot of my son's wife with their younger son, who had just turned 1 year-old. This image was taken with the shutter at 1/200 second, and the lens at f:3.2, i.e. almost wide open. For the pixel-peepers, I'm including a 100% crop from that image. The only sharpening done is the modest amount that Lightroom applies automatically on export.

- Tom -

[Birma]

There is an old saying - "Better is the enemy of Good Enough"

Good point Tom. Thanks for the samples and thoughts - much appreciated.