Sigma 24-60 f2.8 vs DA 18-55 v.1 test attempt

zorobabel · 05-08-2008, 11:58 PM

As I got my Sigma yesterday, I have comitted the bigest sin and started pixel peeping, and wasted a lot of time. Now I realize that the subject wasn't the best for this stuff, but it's too late and I'm not doing this again pretty soon.
Here's the subject:

I was shooting with a cheap tripod about 4-5 feet from the wall. Time was about 5:45 PM and the wall was sunlit.
Unfortunately the Sigma over-exposes or the kit lens underexposes, I wish I caught that on time.

I'll only be posting these tonight:
24mm f4

24mm f8

35mm f5.6

Oh, I give up. I can't find an image hosting site that would allow me to link full size here. You can see the full-size test pictures here:
sigma_2460_test Photo Gallery by amada at pbase.com

The Sigma has a soft corner at 24mm, which I assume would get worse when mounted on a full frame camera...
I'm in a big dillema right now, should I return it or not?
I love the build quality, it makes the K100D feel like a toy, internal focusing is nice too. This is my first 2.8 zoom after all ...

Last edited by zorobabel; 05-09-2008 at 11:06 AM.

gkopeliadis · 05-09-2008, 12:22 AM

Originally posted by zorobabel

...The Sigma has a soft corner at 24mm...

If softness is on one corner only then the lens has a centring problem. You should think of replacement or repair.
But be careful: photographing a wall is a bit tricky thing. If the camera (sensor) is not absolutely parallel to the wall on all planes, then on wide apertures, when the centre of the image is in focus the corners are out of focus (different distance and shallow depth of field)

zorobabel · 05-09-2008, 12:36 AM

Here are a few pics from me and my K100D:

60mm f4

Not bad for f2.8 - 60mm

Not bad at all, here's a 100% crop. 37mm f2.8

And a bug. 60mm f4

One last flower, cropped. 60mm f4

I'll post some more pics and comments another time, it's kind of late now

hmmm, damn photobucket resized my test shots...

zorobabel · 05-09-2008, 11:12 AM

Originally posted by gkopeliadis

If softness is on one corner only then the lens has a centring problem. You should think of replacement or repair.
But be careful: photographing a wall is a bit tricky thing. If the camera (sensor) is not absolutely parallel to the wall on all planes, then on wide apertures, when the centre of the image is in focus the corners are out of focus (different distance and shallow depth of field)[/SIZE] [/FONT]

Thanks for the comment gkopeliadis. Please take a look at the test shots, you should be able to see them now

. The corner stays soft stopped down a bit too, it's definitely not the DOF. I've seen it soft in other situations too, I'll post some this evening.

05-08-2008, 11:58 PM	#1
zorobabel Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 104	Sigma 24-60 f2.8 vs DA 18-55 v.1 test attempt As I got my Sigma yesterday, I have comitted the bigest sin and started pixel peeping, and wasted a lot of time. Now I realize that the subject wasn't the best for this stuff, but it's too late and I'm not doing this again pretty soon. Here's the subject: I was shooting with a cheap tripod about 4-5 feet from the wall. Time was about 5:45 PM and the wall was sunlit. Unfortunately the Sigma over-exposes or the kit lens underexposes, I wish I caught that on time. I'll only be posting these tonight: 24mm f4 24mm f8 35mm f5.6 Oh, I give up. I can't find an image hosting site that would allow me to link full size here. You can see the full-size test pictures here: sigma_2460_test Photo Gallery by amada at pbase.com The Sigma has a soft corner at 24mm, which I assume would get worse when mounted on a full frame camera... I'm in a big dillema right now, should I return it or not? I love the build quality, it makes the K100D feel like a toy, internal focusing is nice too. This is my first 2.8 zoom after all ... Last edited by zorobabel; 05-09-2008 at 11:06 AM.

05-09-2008, 12:36 AM	#3
zorobabel Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 104 Original Poster	Here are a few pics from me and my K100D: 60mm f4 Not bad for f2.8 - 60mm Not bad at all, here's a 100% crop. 37mm f2.8 And a bug. 60mm f4 One last flower, cropped. 60mm f4 I'll post some more pics and comments another time, it's kind of late now hmmm, damn photobucket resized my test shots... Last edited by zorobabel; 05-09-2008 at 01:16 AM.

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05-09-2008, 12:22 AM	#2
gkopeliadis Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: ATHENS, GREECE Posts: 308	Originally posted by zorobabel ...The Sigma has a soft corner at 24mm... If softness is on one corner only then the lens has a centring problem. You should think of replacement or repair. But be careful: photographing a wall is a bit tricky thing. If the camera (sensor) is not absolutely parallel to the wall on all planes, then on wide apertures, when the centre of the image is in focus the corners are out of focus (different distance and shallow depth of field)

05-09-2008, 11:12 AM	#4
zorobabel Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 104 Original Poster	Originally posted by gkopeliadis If softness is on one corner only then the lens has a centring problem. You should think of replacement or repair. But be careful: photographing a wall is a bit tricky thing. If the camera (sensor) is not absolutely parallel to the wall on all planes, then on wide apertures, when the centre of the image is in focus the corners are out of focus (different distance and shallow depth of field)[/SIZE] [/FONT] Thanks for the comment gkopeliadis. Please take a look at the test shots, you should be able to see them now . The corner stays soft stopped down a bit too, it's definitely not the DOF. I've seen it soft in other situations too, I'll post some this evening.