Just returned the Sigma 30mm, what should I be opting for ?

shaolin95 · Jul 31, 2014

Indeed I would not think of a 30mm as a Portrait lens and I had it before and while very sharp, bokeh quality was not my favorite. I got the SEL35F18 after that and liked it more.

Euell · Jul 31, 2014

If you are looking for something in approximately the same focal length, I also would recommend the Touit 32, even though the AF hunts (firmware update for PDAF is supposedly coming from Zeiss someday).

José B · Jul 31, 2014

Euell said:
If you are looking for something in approximately the same focal length, I also would recommend the Touit 32, even though the AF hunts (firmware update for PDAF is supposedly coming from Zeiss someday).

My Touit 1.8/32 used to hunt prior to the latest NEX-6 firmware. After that it hardly hunts with my NEX-6 and definitely does not hunt with my A6000. Going back to the NEX-6 firmware upgrade, after I did this the PDAF function was activated.

TheAngryAudiophile · Jul 31, 2014

shaolin95 said:
Indeed I would not think of a 30mm as a Portrait lens and I had it before and while very sharp, bokeh quality was not my favorite. I got the SEL35F18 after that and liked it more.

captura · Jul 31, 2014

Ah, Lakeshore-Etobicoke smooth bokeh!

It's quite good bokeh for a lens in that wide range.

captura · Jul 31, 2014

José B said:
captura said:

Ah, Lakeshore-Etobicoke smooth bokeh!

It's quite good bokeh for a lens in that wide range.

Click to expand...

thanks, bokeh is excellent given the focal length.

You also use white background areas which add to the blur-ignore effect. Don't know the correct name for that, except maybe white highlights.

captura · Jul 31, 2014

José B said:
captura said:

José B said:

captura said:

Ah, Lakeshore-Etobicoke smooth bokeh!

It's quite good bokeh for a lens in that wide range.

Click to expand...

thanks, bokeh is excellent given the focal length.

Click to expand...

You also use white background areas which add to the blur-ignore effect. Don't know the correct name for that, except maybe white highlights.

Click to expand...

That matters less than the distance I am from the subject and hers from the background. With a focal length like this you need to be close to the subject to blur the background more.

Of course, I've just never seen anyone use the white effect so much.

nevercat · Aug 1, 2014

GaryW said:
While it's true that focal length allows more or less bokeh, the quality of the resulting bokeh (how smooth) can vary between lenses.

Those two lenses (50mm and 18-105) have been praised for having good, smooth bokeh. The 30, not as much. Sometimes lenses can make a difference.

Absolutely and 100% true!

GaryW said:
Having said that, the Sigma 30 isn't too bad, still probably better than bokeh from most zooms. At first use, I wasn't too impressed with the Sigma's bokeh, but I've used it for portraits and other things, and the bokeh seems pretty good. I've seen smoother, but really, nothing comes close to the 30 for the price, for what it can do.

The Sigma 30mm is a great lens for a great price, as every lens it has its flaws (a bit more CA, that is easely corrected in post, and not the best bokeh, but when you can pay attention to the background it is not bad either ) but for that price it is a nobrainer...

GaryW said:
--
Gary W.

Pepe-Lepue · Aug 1, 2014

Mark100 said:
Mark100 said:

Depending on your budget, you might want to look at the Zeiss Touit 1.8/32. It is my standard lens for the A6000. Love the colors, contrast, flare and purple fringing control and the bokeh is beautiful.

Click to expand...

Wow, nice images. I have seen a lot of great photos posted from that lens, am starting to wish I had picked up the 2 Touit deal that B&H had recently.

Jose, did you use lighting/reflectors on those models and is there a lot of post processing in those photos? Photographing people is not my thing but I'd like to get better at it. Those shots look great, hard to believe you used the same camera I own!

Mark

You can still get the Touits cheap on Amazon. Less than $500(usd) for the 32 and less than $650 for the 12
I'd go for the 12 first since the e mount lacks a great wide prime otherwise (if you need a wide)
--
'I am ze locksmith of love, no?'
Stephen Reed

TheAngryAudiophile · Aug 1, 2014

Pepe-Lepue said:
Pepe-Lepue said:

José B said:

Depending on your budget, you might want to look at the Zeiss Touit 1.8/32. It is my standard lens for the A6000. Love the colors, contrast, flare and purple fringing control and the bokeh is beautiful.

Click to expand...

Wow, nice images. I have seen a lot of great photos posted from that lens, am starting to wish I had picked up the 2 Touit deal that B&H had recently.

Jose, did you use lighting/reflectors on those models and is there a lot of post processing in those photos? Photographing people is not my thing but I'd like to get better at it. Those shots look great, hard to believe you used the same camera I own!

Mark

Click to expand...

You can still get the Touits cheap on Amazon. Less than $500(usd) for the 32 and less than $650 for the 12
I'd go for the 12 first since the e mount lacks a great wide prime otherwise (if you need a wide)
--
'I am ze locksmith of love, no?'
Stephen Reed

the 12mm Touit was #1 on my list of desired lenses, but damn it is just too expensive at the moment for me haha. Would like to see how it handles portraits and some video quality examples of it.

Pepe-Lepue · Aug 1, 2014

TheAngryAudiophile said:
Pepe-Lepue said:

TheAngryAudiophile said:

José B said:

Depending on your budget, you might want to look at the Zeiss Touit 1.8/32. It is my standard lens for the A6000. Love the colors, contrast, flare and purple fringing control and the bokeh is beautiful.

Click to expand...

Wow, nice images. I have seen a lot of great photos posted from that lens, am starting to wish I had picked up the 2 Touit deal that B&H had recently.

Jose, did you use lighting/reflectors on those models and is there a lot of post processing in those photos? Photographing people is not my thing but I'd like to get better at it. Those shots look great, hard to believe you used the same camera I own!

Mark

Click to expand...

You can still get the Touits cheap on Amazon. Less than $500(usd) for the 32 and less than $650 for the 12
I'd go for the 12 first since the e mount lacks a great wide prime otherwise (if you need a wide)
--
'I am ze locksmith of love, no?'
Stephen Reed

Click to expand...

the 12mm Touit was #1 on my list of desired lenses, but damn it is just too expensive at the moment for me haha. Would like to see how it handles portraits and some video quality examples of it.

The 12 is not a good portrait or video lens. The 32 would work just OK for portraits. But a 50 or higher is much more suitable.
The 12 has a very limited use. BUT! It's limited use can create some of the most interesting photography.
--
'I am ze locksmith of love, no?'
Stephen Reed

TheAngryAudiophile · Aug 1, 2014

These are great snaps, but I just pulled the trigger on the Sony 50mm. Budget and all...maybe a Zeiss will appear in my future.

José B said:
TheAngryAudiophile said:

Rolled with the Sigma 30mm with my A6000 and I enjoyed it, but I was hoping for something with better bokeh, something that also has better color vibrancy that isn't a zoom. I also own the 210mm and I enjoy it, but I need a portrait lens that is a bit smaller than that. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Click to expand...

Depending on your budget, you might want to look at the Zeiss Touit 1.8/32. It is my standard lens for the A6000. Love the colors, contrast, flare and purple fringing control and the bokeh is beautiful.

Here are some images from the lens

cheers,

José

Pepe-Lepue · Aug 1, 2014

TheAngryAudiophile said:
These are great snaps, but I just pulled the trigger on the Sony 50mm. Budget and all...maybe a Zeiss will appear in my future.

I have both Zeiss Touits. And still my 50mm Sony is my most used lens. The bokeh on the 50 is better than the 32 Zeiss. And the OSS helps a great deal as well.

But I still really like my 32 Zeiss!

Euell · Aug 1, 2014

José B said:
Euell said:

If you are looking for something in approximately the same focal length, I also would recommend the Touit 32, even though the AF hunts (firmware update for PDAF is supposedly coming from Zeiss someday).

Click to expand...

My Touit 1.8/32 used to hunt prior to the latest NEX-6 firmware. After that it hardly hunts with my NEX-6 and definitely does not hunt with my A6000. Going back to the NEX-6 firmware upgrade, after I did this the PDAF function was activated.

Nah, still hunts. Firmware up to date. IQ is great though.

Euell · Aug 1, 2014

Pepe-Lepue said:
The 12 has a very limited use. BUT! It's limited use can create some of the most interesting photography.
--
'I am ze locksmith of love, no?'
Stephen Reed

Not all that limited.

Itamath · Aug 1, 2014

what so bad about this ?

nevercat · Aug 1, 2014

First, when you are sattisfied with it that is good, forget about all you read (even what I tell next) and keep enjoying your lens!

But when you look at the tree in the left of your picture you see all kind of distracting "orbs" with a bright edge. A better bokeh shoud be smooth. look at the tree in this picture (taken with the Sony 50mm f1.8 at F4 (so not the best apperture for bokeh) you will see that the "orbs" have no bright edge and are much more smooth and so less distracting.

Itamath · Aug 1, 2014

It's a 30mm lens not 50mm and f2.8 not 1.2.. you can not change physics. For what it the Sigma is it's doing a good job. It's not a classic portrait lens just normal.

José B · Aug 1, 2014

TheAngryAudiophile said:
These are great snaps, but I just pulled the trigger on the Sony 50mm. Budget and all...maybe a Zeiss will appear in my future.

José B said:

TheAngryAudiophile said:

Rolled with the Sigma 30mm with my A6000 and I enjoyed it, but I was hoping for something with better bokeh, something that also has better color vibrancy that isn't a zoom. I also own the 210mm and I enjoy it, but I need a portrait lens that is a bit smaller than that. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Click to expand...

Depending on your budget, you might want to look at the Zeiss Touit 1.8/32. It is my standard lens for the A6000. Love the colors, contrast, flare and purple fringing control and the bokeh is beautiful.

Here are some images from the lens

cheers,

José

Click to expand...

congrats with the 50/1.8, it's an excellent lens!

cheers,

José

Pepe-Lepue · Aug 1, 2014

Euell said:
Pepe-Lepue said:

The 12 has a very limited use. BUT! It's limited use can create some of the most interesting photography.
--
'I am ze locksmith of love, no?'
Stephen Reed

Click to expand...

Not all that limited.

Actually, I say 'limited' in the more typical photography sense. But you're right; It's actually broadened my possibilities more than any focal length.
--
'I am ze locksmith of love, no?'
Stephen Reed

Just returned the Sigma 30mm, what should I be opting for ?

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