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Check 17photo. $418, and you wouldn't have to pay sales tax (unlike me, when I got it there).
Posted 83 months ago.
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Earlier today, Amazon's counter went back up to "1 left in stock". After I canceled my order, they have "2 left in stock." Too bad they are lying.
I ordered the sigma from 17photo.com with overnight shipping. Hopefully it will arrive before the weekend.
After that, I took another look at their website and found that they are the only shop with the MC-DC1 wired remote in stock. I ordered one of those too, will be interesting to see if they bulk the two orders together or not.
Posted 83 months ago.
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Mine is on the way from Germany (www.tecknikdirekt.com) to Paris. I wonder how long this might take.
Posted 83 months ago.
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I received it this morning :) I'll try it and post pictures this week-end.
Posted 83 months ago.
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I got mine half an hour ago.
17photo and B&H are now vying for the top spot in my list of photo suppliers. Amazon is a distant second.
Posted 83 months ago.
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Awesome! If it's not run by the Hassidim, it's not a good photo store, haha.
Posted 83 months ago.
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I gave up ever buying photo gear in NYC on Saturday long ago :)
Also, 17photo did the same call-to-verify-the-order process that B&H does. Unfortunately, I was still asleep when they called me yesterday and forgot to ask them to bulk the two orders together. I guess I'll get my remote next week.
Posted 83 months ago.
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My computer is repaired i'll post 30mm pix tomorrow.
Posted 83 months ago.
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Got mine from sigma4less.com, $379.95. www.sigma4less.com/sess/utn;jsessionid=15431337ae158c2/sh...
link is to Canon version.
Originally posted 82 months ago.
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Manuel W. edited this topic 82 months ago.
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Nice! A definite "must-buy" at that price.
Posted 82 months ago.
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Yippee! Narrow dof returns for meeee! i've been really missing this, now i am happy :) i suspect my 18-70mm will begin to collect dust promptly, this and the nik 50 1.8 will be in high rotation :)
Check out some sames shots here.
Originally posted 78 months ago.
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sammurphy.net.au edited this topic 78 months ago.
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I finally ordered mine today from B&H. For the last week I've been debating whether or not it would be worth it to order from preferredphoto or sigma4less. In the end, my peace of mind was worth the little extra I paid to B&H. I should have the lens by Friday.
Posted 78 months ago.
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Had mine less than 24 hours. I got one at Adorama, the Manhattan store, their last one -- I guess it is a hot lens. To be honest, I thought "this is my last one" was a hard sell, but I got it anyway. (When I returned it, it turned out it really was their last one.)
A day and many test shots later, I found the autofocus slow and, much more importantly, quite inaccurate. I also found chromatic aberration a go-go -- check out the purple fringing on the AC unit right in the middle of this shot (view large):
www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=84886986&size=l
I've already asked carpeicthus but I thought I'd throw this to you all: did I get a bum lens? I'm tempted (by my optimism) to think I did and rush to B&H tomorrow to get another one. Let me know what you guys think about both autofocus and CA problems.
Posted 78 months ago.
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If you had not said you shot that with the sigma 30, I would have guessed it came from the Nikkor 80-200 2.8, at close to 200. I have never seen chromatic aberration like that on my sigma, perhaps that "last unit" was a heavily abused demo unit?
I find my Sigma to be on par with my pro Nikkors.
Originally posted 78 months ago.
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niobite edited this topic 78 months ago.
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I don't notice CA much since I don't shoot in strong light like that, but I've never had a focus problem with mine. In general my Sigma 30mm f1.4 is sharper than the Nikkor 50mm f1.4.
Did you try actually doing a focus test on a ruler? I was convinced my 50mm f1.4 had a focusing problem until I actually tested the thing and found out the problem was pilot error.
If you see any CA in these let me know:
www.flickr.com/photos/learningtosee/search/tags:30mm/
Posted 78 months ago.
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Frustratingly, a few shots turned out accurate on the autofocus, including a ruler test. But what to make of this?
Top half: Sigma 30mm, f1.8, 1/320th, ISO 200. Tungsten plus pretty decent daylight from window.
Bottom: Nikon D70 kit lens (18-70m), 31mm, f4, 1/60th, ISO 800. Tungsten plus heavy overcast light from window.
Two shots in a row with the Sigma produced this result. This was shot at about 6 feet. According to Dofmaster (best site ever!) I should have .86 feet of depth-of-field. WTF? I shot slowly and carefully and as you can see the shutter speed eliminated hand-shake.
I got a much better result with the kit at the same focal length and much longer shutter speed.
UPDATE: Oh, and Michael, your shots are lovely in sharpness and in color. That's why I want this lens to work! It is looking likely that I'll go to B&H today and see if one I get from them is better than Adorama's copy...
Originally posted 78 months ago.
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lanegreene edited this topic 78 months ago.
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Yeah, that one's faulty. Hope you have better luck with the next run. I doubt the store matters as much as the individual copy, but I got mine from 17photo…
Posted 78 months ago.
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Mine came from 17photo as well, but if you want to ensure that you get the best, walk over to B&H. They should have plenty of inventory and should let you take a few test shots with a lens before you buy.
Posted 78 months ago.
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Got one tonight at B&H. Early results are good. This is the lens I wanted! Photos to come soon.
Posted 78 months ago.
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Glad to hear it! Definitely a strong showing of why people should always buy equipment at places with good return policies.
Posted 78 months ago.
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For every person who complains that B&H's prices are too high, there seems to be a corresponding person who got burned elsewhere.
Now I will be looking for your images in the pool.
Posted 78 months ago.
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Not a great composition (the pole is annoying) but this is the quality I was going for, made for the garbage light in the subway.
Posted 78 months ago.
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For what it's worth, I got mine from sigma4less.com $354 before shipping. It is definitely a good copy:
Posted 77 months ago.
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It is nice to be able to take indoor shots without worrying about redeye at all.
Posted 77 months ago.
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Got mine today. Boy, I hadn't expected that focusing at f/1.4 is _that_ hard. Then again, it's not particularly easy with the Canon 50/1.8 either.
Posted 77 months ago.
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Focusing at 1.4/1.8 isn't so bad on film cameras, which usually have one of those split screens or other such aids to help you focus. (Also, I find the view finders in digital SLRs aren't as bright.) It's a shame Canon didn't include something similar on their digital SLRs. I guess auto-focus is so ubiquitous no people would complain the screen gets in the way.
Posted 77 months ago.
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AF film SLRs typically lack the split prism focusing aid also. You usually have to go back to an old MF film SLR, or get a pro-grade SLR that supports interchangable focusing screens.
Also, it appears that consumer-grade dSLRs only stop down to f/2.8 for focusing. If I point my d70s at some traffic lights at night, set the focus to the minimum distances, and set the aperture to f/1.4, the resulting out of focus light circles are significantly bigger in the image than they were in the viewfinder.
Fortunately, the Sigma 30mm 1.4 works very well with AF.
Originally posted 77 months ago.
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niobite edited this topic 77 months ago.
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Picked up mine for $399 CDN used at Henry's in Toronto, and I couldn't be more pleased. Awesome lens.
Posted 77 months ago.
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There was quite a following of this lens at the latest sflickr meetup. Emily Ann, Pinhole, and I all have them for our 20Ds now, and then Stewart shows up with one on his D70 as well!
-/\/
Posted 76 months ago.
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Must have been quite the low-light fest. I've seen Emily's work with it; she seems to love it.
Posted 76 months ago.
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Finally! Getting used to each other wasn't easy, but now we're talking:
Posted 76 months ago.
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hey all,
just got my 30 in the mail today. I'm getting CA according to my patented CA bright light test.
It's somewhat less than what i was getting with the Nikkor 50 1.4. If you had asked me a week ago, I might have said this would have to be a bad sample, but its just one of those things to work around I suppose.
But I'm glad I sent back the 50 and got this one instead: bright, nice color, sharp, quiet focus, good build, and ultimately the range I was looking for (50 is too tight a crop.)
Posted 76 months ago.
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Im thinking that I might get one of these ;)
Posted 76 months ago.
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better get one soon, NikonShooter :-)
got mine from B&H three weeks ago for USD399. today i checked and its at USD429 on their website?!?
Posted 76 months ago.
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anyone have any samples of 100% crops of focus area and edges and shot wide open?
Color and sharpness is definitely better than the Nikkor 35mm f2, but from what I've seen I can't say for sure how it measures up with the Nikkor 50mm f1.4
Any samples shot at 1.4/2/2.8 ?
Posted 76 months ago.
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Random-
oooo...dang.
Posted 76 months ago.
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OK found some in 100% size from fresh posts. wow, this prime sure has good color and sharpness even at f1.4
Posted 76 months ago.
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I have this lens in my sights now for the same reason as others - I love my 50 1.8, but find my self climbing out windows too often to get shots (it's always easier to get closer).
Re-reading the thread, I laughed, because 7 months later, I asked at my local Calumet, and they said the same thing "no, we don't stock it, but gee, everyone is asking about it." Only one place had it in stock (Boston area) for $449. I see 17photo is down to $379. Some eBay realtors have it for $356, but think I'll pay the extra to order from a good shop.
Posted 75 months ago.
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ha! you're from my neck of the woods. I asked the guy at newtonville camera about this lens and he said it didn't sell very well so they sent it back to sigma. He tried to foist a 28 1.8 off me too. (don't get me wrong: nice enough lens, but not close compared to the 30)...
I haven't shot much with it as my d200 is going in for treatment at Nikon Melville Hospital. but the images I did manage to shoot were very nice indeed.
Posted 75 months ago.
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btw, i bought mine at sigma4less.com for $390 ship included.
international warranty, tho : (
Posted 75 months ago.
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I ordered today from 17photo. $398 including shipping (but US warranty). Should arrive tomorrow. I'll have the body at work and will walk home with it :)
Posted 75 months ago.
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I got the lens today and took some shots at work and on my walk home, starting in the dusk and finishing in the dark.
I'm sorely disappointed in the results. It makes me think I have a dud. Distortion is almost shocking, pictures aren't all that sharp, and there's far more noise than I've seen on the kit lens or the 50mm f/1.8.
I'll post a set of pictures for feedback. I'm hoping 17photo is easy to deal with sending back.
Posted 75 months ago.
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:(
Posted 75 months ago.
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jdr3k-
I dunno man. I think you've got to give it an apples to apples comparison here. I'm not familiar with the d50, but with the d200 1600 is really noisy and will tend to soften up the image.
In a couple of the shots you haven't followed the 1/1.5 x focal length rule so hand shake is definitely the usual suspect here.
Also you're shooting it wide open whereas 2.8 with the 50mm, so DOf can be yet another factor.
The way I tested mine is shooting product labels with fine text and a tripod at proper exposures.
Play around with it some more and see if it will grow on you.
Posted 75 months ago.
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Popozao: check out these shots: www.flickr.com/photos/52232039@N00/sets/72057594077410605/
All taken indoors without a flash with a 50mm lens (a few with the kit lens). I think I have a pretty steady hand. Some taken at 1600, others at 800. I always feel like I can take sharp shots at about 1/40 w/ the 50mm. Decent shots at 1/30 and even 1/20 if I'm trying really hard and have a few takes.
Originally posted 75 months ago.
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jdr3k edited this topic 75 months ago.
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interesting. I haven't shot too much with my 30 as my d200 is getting repaired. I didn't expect it to be sharper than the 50, though. I bought it mostly for the focal length. I owned the 50 1.4 but had to send it back due to bad CA.
When my cam comes in I'll shoot more with it and post.
P.S. Been meaning to go to Upper Crust, supposedly the best pie in town. Which really isn't saying much.
Posted 75 months ago.
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You may want to try another copy; although it usually takes a little while to get used to using a lens to its fullest, there's no harm in trying. 17th street photo is very understanding about lens returns within a week.
Posted 75 months ago.
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