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Is the focusing on the Sigma 1.4 *really* that bad?

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Norkusa

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I need a fast 50mm for my new 7D because I shoot in a lot of low light situations and the f3.5 28-135mm doesn't cut it. At first I looked at the Canon 1.4 but everyone says it looks 'hazy' below f2.0. The Sigma 1.4 sounds perfect for me but the only thing that's keeping me from getting it are many focusing complaints I'm hearing about it.

Is focusing really that big of a problem with these Sigmas or is it being overhyped?
 
This is a lens you have to learn, when you get it you are going to have some focusing problems with it because your depth of field (DOF) is - or can be - very shallow wide open. Realize that not only is the f stop set on the camera important for DOF, but distance to subject as well.

But first to your question, there were some focusing issues but also many issues of folks who don't realize this and others like it, (e.g. Canon 50mm f1.2 and f1.4) have the same problems. Its easy to blow the focus and if you don't know any better blame the lens. I bought an early one and I haven't had any problems that have been cause by the lens, but I have had problems caused by me.

I find in street photography for example, you are definitely better to have all your focusing points turned on and not just the center point. Its just to easy to have the center point not at its optimum spot, and voila - a softer picture. When I have used all the focusing points I've cranked out some very sharp pictures. Problem was, last time I was out shooting, I forgot my initial lesson and used the center point and got some not great results.

You will notice the bokeh on this lens is excellent, one of the reason's to love it so. In the second pic, the red behind the gal is her boss, I took this at a greasy spoon in French Creek, BC, it was closing time, the light wasn't too bad.

Here is one I have shown here before:

Sep 10, 2008
1283×1600 pixels – 157KB
Filename: IMG_0623_0083.JPG
Camera: Canon
Model: Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XSi
ISO: 100
Exposure: 1/2000 sec
Aperture: 2.0
Focal Length: 50mm



On this one, taken at f1.4, you can see the hair on this gal's head is sharp just before her eyes, since I didn't get her closest eye sharp, the image looks softer than it would have with the eye sharp. I took this shot quickly because she didn't like having her pic taken; I was very close to her, maybe four feet, very shallow DOF:

Sep 26, 2008
1105×1600 pixels – 111KB
Filename: IMG_0975_0576.jpg
Camera: Canon
Model: EOS DIGITAL REBEL XSi
ISO: 200
Exposure: 1/1000 sec
Aperture: 1.4142135
Focal Length: 50mm
Flash Used: No



--
An excellent lens lasts a lifetime, an excellent DSLR, not so long.
 
Thanks a lot for the info and those sample pics. Nice contrast and I love the bokeh. Before I read your post I convinced myself that I'm going to get Sigma. After reading it though, I'm 100% sure it's the right lens for me now. : )
 
Norkusa said:
Is focusing really that big of a problem with these Sigmas or is it being overhyped?
Click to expand...
Mine works... my 24LII (and former 35L) not so much.... so...???

--
-CW

よしよし、今日も生きのいい魂が手に入ったな
 
Not had mine long and have noticed some focus shift at different fstops shooting close when testing. So i tried a few real use shots (I don't plan on using it for close shots anyway) and so far I'm happy. I do like the look it gives. This is a test grab shot at ISO6400, f1.4, 1/45th on a 5D11. It was pretty noisey as you might guess in this sort of light so it had a dose of Noise Ninja.



There is a full size version in the set but it's not pretty at full size :)
 
The auto-focus on the one I tried recently was terrible, I hope you get a good copy as the bokeh is fantastic. It was not a lens I could rely on.
 
There have been several threads on this topic.
My experience and a quick summary:

There is a good chance, that you will get a lense, which is OOF - most likely is a front-focusing problem.
If you have a camera that can do microadjustment you might be fine with that.

Otherwise you have to be prepared to send the lense to sigma for calibration - you can also change it at your retailer, but this can be a never ending story.

I have two sigmas the 30/1.4 and the 50/1.4 - both with FF - both went to sigma and are great lenses after the calibration.

Lev
--
My gallerie at:
http://www.fotocommunity.de/pc/pc/mypics/490628
 
Peter Dumont said:
Here is a little head to head test between the sigma & the canon 50mm f/1.4 :

http://www.pbase.com/peter_dumont/sigma_50mm_f1_4
Click to expand...
Wow, big difference there. Very obvious from the pics that your Sigma has focus issues. It sounds like this is an easy fix though if it's sent back to Sigma for calibration. What exactly do they to fix it and do they need my camera body too? And is this something that is covered in the warranty? I'm new to DSLR's and don't know much about this process.
 
No problems with AF on my Sigma 50/1.4. It focuses as well as my 24L, 35L, 85L.

My former Canon 50/1.4 was a nice lens closed down to at least f2.8. My Sigma is extraordinary starting at f1.4.
 
rsn48 said:
Here is a review of the two lenses, you will see the Sigma edges the Canon by just a small bit:
Click to expand...
rsn48 said:
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/...=0&FLI=0&API=1&LensComp=473
Click to expand...
Yes that seems to be the consensus, but don't forget the OP was asking about focus accuracy. Those crops at TDP don't take AF into account.

According to the owner of the site, they take shots using AF, but also several MF shots, and then use the best of many shots for the final official crop.

So for all we know the Sigma (and even the Canon, who knows) may have focused horrendously, but then they used MF and that is the shot we are looking at.

Maybe you already knew that, but just in case...
 
slydog said:
Yes that seems to be the consensus, but don't forget the OP was asking about focus accuracy. Those crops at TDP don't take AF into account.
Click to expand...
And most critically: the futility of reading real world results out of f1.4 MTF plots. I can only speak for myself, but I can hardly make out the bokeh on that line chart :p

--
-CW

よしよし、今日も生きのいい魂が手に入ったな
 
I think that many people who have complained about the Sigma 50 1.4 are new to really large aperture lenses and some of their quirks. I have been using 1.2 and 1.4 lenses for some time now, since before auto focus, and know that these lenses can have variable rates of focus shift at closer distances when the lens is stopped down a little from wide open. Users say the Sigma is best stopped down a little, whatever that means, but the problem people may have by doing this with either manual or autofocus is that the lens shifts focus a little when the aperture is closed, and other lenses do this too. You either get used to this and adjust your focus based on experience, focus stopped down to the aperture you are shooting, or leave the lens wide open. The further your subject is away, and/or the smaller the aperture you set, the fewer focus problems you will have with these types of lenses, but I don't think it is a fault of the Sigma, and I have been very pleased with my lens and believe it functions to what my expectations were/are.
 
I just picked up the Sigma 50 1.4 on Friday. Shooting with it over the weekend, I started to notice it seemed to be front focusing when wide open. I took it to Sigma in Hong Kong today to see about getting it adjusted.

They adjusted it so that it was no longer front focusing when set to One Shot focus on 5D2. But according to the technician there, and I later tested, when on AI Servo, the focus can still be off. Not always, but seems to depend on what the 5D2 thinks it's focusing on.

I'm still a bit perplexed and haven't had a chance to really test out the adjustment yet.

Does what the technician said to me make sense? That under One Shot the focus would be consistent, but not under AI Servo?
 
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