Sigma 50-150 & DA* 50-135 Street Shootout - Page 2

jsherman999 · 03-04-2009, 09:05 PM

.

I meant to post some images in here beyond AF sharpness tests to show what
both lenses can do out in the real world.

So here are some images from each - sorry for the somewhat restricted theme,
my usual shooting haunts are frozen solid.

First, Sigma, followed by DA*.

jsherman999 · 03-04-2009, 09:35 PM

.

DA* 50-135 shots:

*Igilligan* · 03-04-2009, 09:45 PM

Hi Jay, can you do me a favor... on the first shots where you did the crop on the sign... could you instead crop over on the green/yellow part of the right front leg of the dinosaur on the far left of the pic... it may just be the contrast difference I am seeing in these resized shots. But I would love to see how the sharpness holds up out wide like that.

Thanks a bunch for this post... you do both cameras and lens combos proud... (well, with the exception of the AF sigma close shot....)

but the MF look very good to me.

PS A really great real world last series you posted here. It looks like there are some action shots with the sigma/nikon in this series and none really with DA... was that by choice?

Was this ride moving? I think this is a great shot either way

jsherman999 · 03-04-2009, 10:09 PM

Originally Posted by Igilligan

Hi Jay, can you do me a favor... on the first shots where you did the crop on the sign... could you instead crop over on the green/yellow part of the right front leg of the dinosaur on the far left of the pic... it may just be the contrast difference I am seeing in these resized shots. But I would love to see how the sharpness holds up out wide like that.

Sure - both are pretty bad at this level of crop.

DA*, followed by Sigma crop:

Thanks a bunch for this post... you do both cameras and lens combos proud... (well, with the exception of the AF sigma close shot....) but the MF look very good to me.

PS A really great real world last series you posted here. It looks like there are some action shots with the sigma/nikon in this series and none really with DA... was that by choice?

Was this ride moving? I think this is a great shot either way
(water ride)

Very astute - Yes, the first ride was moving very fast, the water ride was
moving pretty fast but slowing down.

It's easier to get the action shots with the Nikon/Sigma combo. I bought
the D90 in large part just so I could shoot the Sigma 50-150 HSM - I
need the speed.

.

*Igilligan* · 03-04-2009, 10:23 PM

That was fast... much appreciated

Oh, that D90 is calling me for these action kid shots...
1 year and it is an old model, the economy has turned and I have more work.... a boy can dream

stevebrot · 03-04-2009, 10:24 PM

Jay,
What an interesting thread! The posts with general shots from the D90/Sigma followed by some from the K20D/DA* are pretty telling. The first set has a fairly typical Nikon look. I don't know how to describe it except to say that they almost have too much snap and the contrast seems exagerated. The second grouping just looks more natural to me. Maybe I have just been looking at Pentax images for too long

Steve

tarheel13 · 03-05-2009, 06:45 AM

Jay: What about the size and weight of each lens. I had the 50-135mm in my hands a year back with the lens hood on and it was one big sucker at the end of my camera. I've heard that the 50-150 is lighter and not as long.

*SCGushue* · 03-05-2009, 07:02 AM

Originally Posted by jsherman999

Stephen, I take it you like that 100-300 f/4? I've been reading rave reviews
about it and have seen some images that really impressed me. Normally I
ignore zooms that go beyond 200mm - either too much is compromised optically
or they're way too expensive, but that 100-300 f/4 looks like it makes images as
sharp as a 70-200 2.8, and can be shot wide-open just fine... Is that your
take? Do you have any images uploaded somewhere from it?

It's not cheap, but around a grand for something that long and that good isn't
outrageous.

.

My personal experience with the Sigma 100-300 f4 EX DG is that it is extremely sharp across the spectrum of focal lengths. It is sharp wide open, but like any lens improves with stopping down a little. The lens is large and somewhat heavy, but that is what one should expect from a full frame lens of quality build.

I found that there is absolute minimal reduction in image quality when coupled with the dedicated 1.4X APO exender. The 2X works fine too, but as you might expect there is a little less sharpness, though it is quite usable. I carry the 2X at times but most of the time I will use a Pentax A* 600 or a 645 *600 ED IF as there is no compromise at all there.

While I don't "chart test" most of my lenses, I have to say that while most zooms suffer at the upper end of their range from softness and reduction in contrast, this lens does not appear to succumb to those problems. The focal range is simply fantastic and the fact that it is a fixed f4 across the field is a bonus. I do not find CA's or other zoom distortions to be field relevant. And while I love Pentax lenses and prefer sticking with them, I have sold off my A*300/4 and and K 300/4 and have only kept the A*300/2.8 for the occasional outing.

As to as sharp as the 70-200 2.8 EX DG version. Yes, probably as sharp with the caveat that one must rember that the longer any lenses focal length is, there will always be a reduction in resolution in lines per mm. That is simply a fact with longer focal lengths. They will never resolve like 50mm lens.

Now, I noticed your cereal boxes. Interesting to me is that cyan/blue-green balance in the DA was more neutralized under the low light of the kitchen (?) and the balance fo the Sigma shifted to the red-magenta end. That is why I sometimes pick the lens for the environmental light I am shooting in. I also have a logbook, that I note the lens image casts on every site that have photographed in. Overall, the shift isn't bad and is easily corrected in CS3.

And...

from earlier up I assume that you live in Minnesota or nearby Wisconsin. Yeah, winters can be brutal at this time of year. I lived up in North Dakota for seven years. We called the Twin Cities the banana belt because you guys were always soooo much warmer than us.

Stephen

*farfisa* · 03-05-2009, 08:47 AM

Originally Posted by tarheel13

Jay: What about the size and weight of each lens. I had the 50-135mm in my hands a year back with the lens hood on and it was one big sucker at the end of my camera. I've heard that the 50-150 is lighter and not as long.

Comparing dimensions on the Sigma and Pentax sites, it seems the Sigma 50-150 is 95g heavier and 4mm longer.

Sigma 50-150 for Pentax:
Dimensions
Diameter 76.5mm X Length 139.7mm
3 in. X 5.5 in.
Weight 780g/27.5 oz

Pentax 50-135:
Dimensions: 3.0" x 5.4" (76.5mm x 136mm)
Weight: 24.2 oz. (685g) without hood, 27.0 oz. (765g) with hood

kenyee · 03-05-2009, 10:40 AM

The Sigma images still look like they have a lot more "pop" (contrast/color). Any difference in focusing speed in that bright lighting?

Glad mall security isn't hunting you down as a child perv w/ a camera

jsherman999 · 03-05-2009, 12:52 PM

Originally Posted by tarheel13

Jay: What about the size and weight of each lens. I had the 50-135mm in my hands a year back with the lens hood on and it was one big sucker at the end of my camera. I've heard that the 50-150 is lighter and not as long.

You see the weights in the post above - on the cameras, they look and feel
almost exactly the same, actually, and I don't really notice much of a weight
difference. They both look very 'pro', and I've had other shooters come over
to get a closer look and ask about them.

Originally Posted by SCGushue

My personal experience with the Sigma 100-300 f4 EX DG is that it is extremely sharp across the spectrum of focal lengths. It is sharp wide open, but like any lens improves with stopping down a little. The lens is large and somewhat heavy, but that is what one should expect from a full frame lens of quality build.

I found that there is absolute minimal reduction in image quality when coupled with the dedicated 1.4X APO exender. The 2X works fine too, but as you might expect there is a little less sharpness, though it is quite usable. I carry the 2X at times but most of the time I will use a Pentax A* 600 or a 645 *600 ED IF as there is no compromise at all there.

While I don't "chart test" most of my lenses, I have to say that while most zooms suffer at the upper end of their range from softness and reduction in contrast, this lens does not appear to succumb to those problems. The focal range is simply fantastic and the fact that it is a fixed f4 across the field is a bonus. I do not find CA's or other zoom distortions to be field relevant. And while I love Pentax lenses and prefer sticking with them, I have sold off my A*300/4 and and K 300/4 and have only kept the A*300/2.8 for the occasional outing.

As to as sharp as the 70-200 2.8 EX DG version. Yes, probably as sharp with the caveat that one must rember that the longer any lenses focal length is, there will always be a reduction in resolution in lines per mm. That is simply a fact with longer focal lengths. They will never resolve like 50mm lens.

Now, I noticed your cereal boxes. Interesting to me is that cyan/blue-green balance in the DA was more neutralized under the low light of the kitchen (?) and the balance fo the Sigma shifted to the red-magenta end. That is why I sometimes pick the lens for the environmental light I am shooting in. I also have a logbook, that I note the lens image casts on every site that have photographed in. Overall, the shift isn't bad and is easily corrected in CS3.

And... from earlier up I assume that you live in Minnesota or nearby Wisconsin. Yeah, winters can be brutal at this time of year. I lived up in North Dakota for seven years. We called the Twin Cities the banana belt because you guys were always soooo much warmer than us.

Stephen

Stephen, excellent, thanks for the detail.

Originally Posted by kenyee

The Sigma images still look like they have a lot more "pop" (contrast/color). Any difference in focusing speed in that bright lighting?

I may revisit the JPEG settings on the D90, because in my testing/calibration at
home they looked a little bit more natural/muted - out in the technicolor real
world they maybe look a little too punchy. Still, not an unpleasing look for
a festive place like "Nickelodian Universe" in MOA!

Glad mall security isn't hunting you down as a child perv w/ a camera

I have had mall security approach me when I inadvertently took shots of
a "security procedure" in progress - apparently they were testing a bomb
disposal procedure or something. Looked to me like a confused mall security
woman standing by a garbage can. But it was a "Security Procedure."

Plus I'm always shooting mostly this guy:

Although, sometimes....

*farfisa* · 03-05-2009, 01:25 PM

Originally Posted by jsherman999

I have had mall security approach me when I inadvertently took shots of
a "security procedure" in progress - apparently they were testing a bomb
disposal procedure or something. Looked to me like a confused mall security
woman standing by a garbage can. But it was a "Security Procedure."

Good thing they didn't find the security woman's butt shots on your camera, then there'd be real trouble.

*Leaf Fan* · 03-05-2009, 01:58 PM

Originally Posted by jsherman999

Although, sometimes....

Bwaahhaahahahahahahaha.......... I thought I was the only one.....

... actually it was of my wife when she wasn't paying attention. On a later date I was flipping through thumbnails on my computer and she gave me one of those, "Hey, why did you take a picture of a lady bending over?" when I told her it was HER, she just gave me the big rolling eyes and asked me to delete it, which I did.

AlexanderMayorov · 03-05-2009, 03:46 PM

Thanks for sharing.

Ive published this review on PentaxTurkey.com

jsherman999 · 03-07-2009, 10:18 AM

.

Was shooting another couple lenses at the MOA yesterday for a bit...

Take a wild guess what this first lens is.

First, the resolution/FOV shot taken from the exact same location as with the
DA* and Sigma the other day:

Compared to other two crops (DA*, Sigma):

Now the snaps. Hint on this lens - It didn't cost me what the DA* and Sigma did

Crop of next shot: