[LFLee]

The item is available to pre-order at BH, and expect availability is end of this month (April), anyone order one already?

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM A1 Lens for Pentax DSLR Cameras 340109

This lens is also FF compatible. Honestly this is the first lens from Sigma that I would like to buy...

Lee

[bossa]

I've got two D800E's with a few Sigma lenses. I have a 50/1.4, 85/1.4, 150 OS Macro and I did buy a 35/1.4 but returned it because I hated the out of focus rendering. Sigma make some great lenses, the 8-16mm comes to mind and the 50/1.4 is fantastic on APS-C and better than the Nikon offerings (IMO) on FF.

What is the point of your question?

[Eulogy]

The item is available to pre-order at BH, and expect availability is end of this month (April), anyone order one already?

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM A1 Lens for Pentax DSLR Cameras 340109

This lens is also FF compatible. Honestly this is the first lens from Sigma that I would like to buy...

Lee

It's a very nice lens, already outdoes Canikon's similar offerings. Around the same sharpness as them, but Ltd. style bokeh. Pentax should consider dropping the price on their 31mm...

[mihnea]

Check DXOMark review...its awesome. I had to try it myself and the results were just incredible. In the center of the image has the same sharpness at 1.4 and 5.6...for real!!! https://fbcdn-sphotos-d-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc6/9984_558339770863940_24918164_n.jpg

[Digitalis]

I tried one last week on my Canon 1DsMKIII it didn't hold a candle to the Leica 35mm f/1.4 ASPH I was also using at the time, it is sharper than the canon EF35mm f/1.4L however it has very average bokeh, I prefer the look of the Zeiss 35mm f/1.4* which I used on the Nikon D800E several months ago - the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 has Bokeh like the interior of a crayon eating babies diaper.

*this lens has perhaps the worst vignetting of all the 35mm f/1.4 lenses I have ever used - but it is consistently sharp across the frame.

[wlachan]

Sigma has never had problem chewing out sharp lenses. The question is how's the colour rendition, boken, future compatibility and long term reliability. Things might be different now, but Sigma lenses used to use really cheap materials and designs that self-destructed within years. Their secondhand values dropped like a rock.

[LFLee]

I've got two D800E's with a few Sigma lenses. I have a 50/1.4, 85/1.4, 150 OS Macro and I did buy a 35/1.4 but returned it because I hated the out of focus rendering. Sigma make some great lenses, the 8-16mm comes to mind and the 50/1.4 is fantastic on APS-C and better than the Nikon offerings (IMO) on FF.

What is the point of your question?

They finally offer it in K-mount... and this lens received really good review all over. So interested to see if anyone order it and wait to see how it perform in Pentax camera.
I am interested in this lens because of it's large aperture (and review said it is sharp at f1.4), and the lens looks really high quality compare to previous sigma lens design...

The price is similar to FA31mm, but larger aperture, eager to see the bokeh compare to 31mm.

Lee

[normhead]

I tried one last week on my Canon 1DsMKIII it didn't hold a candle to the Leica 35mm f/1.4 ASPH I was also using at the time, it is sharper than the canon EF35mm f/1.4L however it has very average boheh, I prefer the look of the Zeiss 35mm f/1.4* which I used on the Nikon D800E several months ago - the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 has Bokeh like the interior of a crayon eating babies diaper.

You realize many of us will live with that image for the rest of our lives?

[dadipentak]

You realize many of us will live with that image for the rest of our lives?

Like his photos, it is a vivid image.

[Adam]

Even though this lens is designed for full-frame cameras, it will probably still work nicely as a standard lens on APS-C. We plan on posting an in-depth review of it once it's available.

[Canada_Rockies]

You realize many of us will live with that image for the rest of our lives?

Excuse me for the delay in posting - I had to run to the little room with no window ...

[bossa]

It's a shame that Sigma wont be releasing the new version of the 30mm F/1.4 APS-C lens for Pentax though. That lens would be a much better balance on a K-5 or K-01. The '35 is a big and heavy lens.

[bossa]

You realize many of us will live with that image for the rest of our lives?

hehe.. yes.

But he's right. The bokeh, when used for landscape, looks like double images and scribble, like it was made with a toy lens. I'd love to see some shots of the ocean and where the highlights on the water were slightly out of focus.. it'd look like a giant bowl (almost typed bowel there to continue the joke) of blue Fruit Loops.

[Digitalis]

like it was made with a toy lens

Speaking of toy lenses, the construction quality of the sigma 35mm f/1.4 is a noticable improvement over previous Sigma lenses - nowhere near as much plastic as sigma used to use. However being a rather old school photographer I prefer the quality of finish used on the Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 lens . Also when manually focusing this lens doesn't have the smooth, precise feel when compared to a real MF lens even the FA31 Limited was better for Manual focusing. Also the lens hood is still made of plastic* which will eventually suffer from wear and become loose - like all the other EX sigma lenses I own

*the Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 lens has a solid metal hood.

[jeffshaddix]

If I didn't already have the Zeiss 35/2, I'd be tempted with this Sigma. My biggest con would be the size/weight needed for 1.4. Other than that, so far it's samples and reviews have been impressive, and I like where Sigma is headed with their lens manufacturing (higher QC, user customization via USB, etc). I'm looking forward to Adam's review.