[Bui]

I know it sounds a bit stupid, but I can't decide which one of these 2 to bring with us for our next trip. We are travelling again, and I always bring the 18-135 for day shots and the DA 40 Ltd for night one. However I have recently acquired a Sigma 30mm 1.4 and should I give it a chance? We are doing with a baby, a lot of (heavy and big) things for her, with only cabin luggage, so every item counts. I will bring only one of them together with the zoom and the KS2.

Thanks ^^

[Saltwater Images]

Have you considered only taking the Sigma 30mm on the APS-C sensor it would be a normal perspective. You could use smaller camera bag too.

[jab2980]

I know it sounds a bit stupid, but I can't decide which one of these 2 to bring with us for our next trip. We are travelling again, and I always bring the 18-135 for day shots and the DA 40 Ltd for night one. However I have recently acquired a Sigma 30mm 1.4 and should I give it a chance? We are doing with a baby, a lot of (heavy and big) things for her, with only cabin luggage, so every item counts. I will bring only one of them together with the zoom and the KS2.

Thanks ^^

What sort of night shots are you referring to? People? Landscape? Buildings?

[Bui]

I have no problem taking only 1 prime for a short trip or a weekend walk, but for a long trip I think I would miss the flexibility of the 18-135, it will still be my main travelling lens. The 40 Ltd or Sigma 30 will be a complement for it.

---------- Post added 02-24-17 at 03:04 PM ----------

What sort of night shots are you referring to? People? Landscape? Buildings?

Hi, I think for night shots that would be mainly streets, buildings and maybe some people too. We are visiting some city in Portugal.

[jab2980]

I have no problem taking only 1 prime for a short trip or a weekend walk, but for a long trip I think I would miss the flexibility of the 18-135, it will still be my main travelling lens. The 40 Ltd or Sigma 30 will be a complement for it.

---------- Post added 02-24-17 at 03:04 PM ----------



Hi, I think for night shots that would be mainly streets, buildings and maybe some people too. We are visiting some city in Portugal.

Based on your criteria, I'd recommend the DA 40 without hesitation. It focuses extremely quickly in low light (It's my go-to on dance floors), has superior corner sharpness to the 30mm, and is way lighter and smaller.

[MadMathMind]

Friend of mine uses the Sigma 30 on a Canon 5D Mark 2. It does very poorly in the dark. Focus with Pentax seems to be worse in general with Sigma lenses so I'd not recommend it for shooting in the dark.

[Na Horuk]

I have DA 40mm XS and I like it. But it is only f2.8, so it is not great for dark, night photos. Unless you are using tripod! If you use tripod or flash, then DA 40mm is good even in night shots. But if you plan to shoot handheld without flash, then you will need fast aperture. And there is a big difference between f1.4 and f2.8. Even 30mm lets you use slightly longer exposure before motion blur becomes apparent than 40mm.

AF might be an issue with Sigma, but AF in the dark with f2.8 lens is not going to be easy, either. If its really dark, you probably want to use MF and zone focusing anyway.

Hi, I think for night shots that would be mainly streets, buildings and maybe some people too. We are visiting some city in Portugal.

For this, I would think wider angle will come in handy. When I visited Spain, I mostly used Samyang 14mm and DA 35mm

It comes down to these:
a) how dark are we talking here?
b) handheld or tripod? flash?

That said, I don't own any Sigma lenses, so I cannot attest for their quality.

tl;dr: I like DA 40mm, but n this case the Sigma 30mm f1.4 might make more sense. Enjoy your trip!

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Last edited by Na Horuk; 02-24-2017 at 04:32 PM.

[THoog]

Which Sigma 30 are we talking about? The 30 Art, or the older 30 EX? The 30 Art is so flare-resistant that it doesn't do streetlight "stars" worth a darn; the 40 Ltd might be a better choice there.

[leekil]

I kind of think the question is, "Should I bring the Sigma?" I know you are traveling light, but the DA40 is so small as to be almost unnoticeable compared to the other two lenses. If you really want to save weight, leave either the Sigma or the zoom home. If you want/need to bring those, it won't really be any weight increase to bring the DA40.

[UncleVanya]

Have you considered only taking the Sigma 30mm on the APS-C sensor it would be a normal perspective. You could use smaller camera bag too.

What did I miss? KS2 is apsc.

---------- Post added 02-24-17 at 07:50 PM ----------

The difference is 2 stops. The difference is some amount of size and weight. The da 40 is stunning and yes f2.8 isn't super fast. 1/125th at f1.4 is 1/30th at f2.8.

[pres589]

What's the Sigma 30 like to manually focus? I also think that they focus better with the camera in Live View than using the viewfinder.

I'd want the 30 in the dark way way before an f2.8 max lens. That said, I've used my K-5 II and an f2.8 prime to take some nice pictures in a bar setting before, so it's not impossibly bad. Still, I'd give the Sigma a shot.

[ChristianRock]

What's the Sigma 30 like to manually focus?

If we are talking about the new Art version, it is buttery smooth. I haven't used the older versions but i hear they aren't nearly as good.

[THoog]

I would describe my 30 Art as "smooth but very stiff". Some describe the 30 EX as "gritty", but that wasn't the impression I got from my copy (I've had both). I actually found the 30 EX easier to manually focus because of the stiffness of the 30 Art.

[Simen1]

Hi, I think for night shots that would be mainly streets, buildings and maybe some people too. We are visiting some city in Portugal.

For streets and buildings, it doesent matter of the focus is slow and the distance is far so too shallow DoF wont be a problem. For people you will probably stop down to f/2,8 or so anyway, and focus is easier. In case of emergency you might want to use the built in flash and a cheap flash mirror to bounce the light of a wall or ceiling. It may ruin the lighting so use this solution with care and not on all shots.

Based on your criteria, I'd recommend the DA 40 without hesitation. It focuses extremely quickly in low light (It's my go-to on dance floors), has superior corner sharpness to the 30mm, and is way lighter and smaller.

The corner sharpness of the Art is quite good already at f/1,4 and even the EX surpasses the DA40 in corner sharpness when stopped down to f/2,8. The EX should be focused with only one focus point because of the curved focus plane. If not, it will will be confused, hunt and miss a lot.

Personally I would go for any for the Sigma 30's in stead of DA40. I think the DA40 is more for show off for its size. I have both the Sigma 30 EX and the DA 40 SX and i use both. Actually I dont use the Sigma 30 EX anymore because I prefer my Sigma 18-35 f/1,8 over it. But its a heavy beast so I choose the DA 40 XS sometimes because of the size and weight.

[cyberjunkie]

A couple of years ago i did a night street parade for Loi Kratong Thai festival.
Most shot with the old Sigma EX DC 30mm.
The way it flares with electric lights, the very good center sharpness, and the field curvature that gets the attention to the subject, plus the chance to separate the planes if shot wide open.... all that is perfect for night photos.
The Art might be "better", but the EX DC is a very, very interesting lens.

cheers

Paolo