| Author: | | Junior Member Registered: May, 2015 Posts: 38
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 28, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $90.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | fast, apperature ring, AF in general | | Cons: | flare, hard to find, | | Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-5, K-3 II, K-50
New Or Used: Used
Autofocus: 10
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I got this lens and the 30mm 1.4 EX DC and i'd say that the Sigma 28mm F1.8 "HIGH-SPEED WIDE" Aspherical II is...
+corner sharpnes is better wide open then the 30
+vignetting is also better then the 30mm of course its a FF lens
+apperature ring is a bonus for film and my trusty old worn K-50
+weight and size, its not smll or light but it feels much lighter then the 30
+pictures have an more analoge look
+shorter min focus distance
+quick AF
+reliable AF (significant higher keeper rate then the 30 even if the user is drunk)
+AF very very usable in low light, like low low light at slower pace of course
-does not deliver thet 3D look thet the 30mm gives wide open
-flares, it does it alot but not in any plesant way, i was hoping for it to flare like a Super Wide II but it doesnt, far worse then the 30mm
-camera wont balance well if i stand it on the attached lens hood (we all have bad habits right ^^ )
-feels mor plasticy
-bokeh is not as smooth as the 30
-even 16mp seem to be overkill for this lense on the plus side you can get away with les resolution and save space 
-AF fine adjustment of +5 (coincidently the same as the 30mm )
-hard to find for PK
-tubus coating will degrade into Sigma Goo (TM)
Final update: got it out in the sun, guess i was all wrong about it. Colors are great, greens are as green as you could ask for and a blue sky will satisfy you. Its a really great lens untill you poke it into the sun or other bright light sources. With the Super Wide 2 you could get away with it here you don't even get a nice flare just. Ghosting can be an issue but thats only in low light with some lightsources in frame, nothing you will encounter in daylight.
f 1.8
f 4.5
i think its not super sharp and 24mp are just ways more then this lens can handle but i also really like to shoot wide open (another bad habit?). Colors are good, its not perfect but i find it usable pp FTW 
The more I think about it the more I think the 30mm is now on the edge of retirement. 3D look is only cool if the focus is where it should be and even sober I could not pull as many sharp images as i can do with this one while drinking and stuff. If you keep bright skies and strong light sources in mind this one is fool proof. Money well spend!
final update No.2
it has now replaced the 30 1.4 EX DG as to go lense. The AF works suprisingly well in dim bone fire light. The keeper rate will drop in low low light but i still manage to get usable images. Would be cool to pair it with K3 III low light performance as ISO 6400 with K3 II is beyond borderline.
If you want a normal prime with good AF for low low light: this is it!
would buy again if i found one! (its good to have spare right | | | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: February, 2007 Location: Aurora, CO Posts: 6,340
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 29, 2011 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Speed, sharpness, KA mount | | Cons: | size, flare | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 9
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My lens is the manual focus version, identical to the others except for that. My experience has been the same as the other reviews. Sharpness is competitive with my other sharp 28mm lenses, the Pentax-F 28mm f2.8 and the Vivitar 28mm f2.0. The lens would be really great with Pentax coatings. The 7 aperture blades make great sun stars, but with flare. Size could be better - the Vivitar is way smaller - but worse, like the new version of this lens.
The manual focus throw is exactly the same distance as the AF version, which is too short. However, the maximum aperture and sharpness mean that focusing precisely is easy, even with a stock screen. The MF version is nicely damped too. At first I hated the short throw, but the bright viewfinder and precision makes up for it.
I didn't post a price because the MF version should be cheaper. I paid $175 in early 2010, which I think is about right.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: March, 2009 Location: Salt Lake City, UT Posts: 509
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 14, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $150.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Good IMQ, compact, good built, large aperture | | Cons: | A bit flare and distortion. | | Sharpness: 8
Aberrations: 7
Bokeh: 8
Handling: 8
Value: 9
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Used it for a while. Enjoyed the lens so far. Better than expected. Largest aperture usable. In fact, the resolution is fine. However, resolution does not improve much with stopping down. Color rendition is OK, but nothing to rave about. Reasonably lightweight.
How is it compared with the famed FA* 24mm f2?
1. Both of them focus fast. FA* seems ever so slightly faster.
2. FA* is significantly better built. It does not mean the Sigma is shabby.
3. FA* is better for manual focusing. It has IF which means faster focusing and smoother focusing. It feels much more precise in hand.
4. Sigma has better resolutions than the FA* at the largest aperture (surprise surprise  ).
5. FA* produces much better color and contrast. But the Sigma is not too bad (I doubt whether I can see the differences in color without putting photos side by side).
6. The Sigma is about 1/4 of the cost of the FA*. So the value equation favors the Sigma.
7. Sigma is significantly more subject to flare. One can always use hands to extend the lens hood. 
Certainly, 24mm is a more useful focal length on an APC camera than 28mm. BTW, the Sigma has a near focusing problem on my Kx. I can correct the problem by manually focusing or by using live view. Not sure why. Maybe it is a compatibility problem. I am amazed to see how far Sigma has improved over the years.
Built: 8 (far worse than FA primes)
IMQ: 8 (acceptable even at f1.8)
Color rendition: 7 (not as good as most Pentax lenses, especially at f1.8, but acceptable)
Mechanical: 7
Value: 9.5
Pleased so far, particularly good at videoing.
| | | | | New Member Registered: February, 2010 Location: Utah Posts: 7
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 22, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $200.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | fast, sharp, light, AF, value, size | | Cons: | flare, CA | |
I've been really happy with this lens for indoor snapshots. It has all the ingredients you need for indoors: wide angle, AF, fast aperture. I never have to use a flash. It also makes a great lens for videos. The kit lens gave me grainy videos but not with this lens.
The autofocus works. It performs about the same as the kit lens. No complaints.
Sharpness of this lens is great. It's good at f/1.7 unless you pixel peep. It gets peep worthy at around f.2.8 and maxes out around f/5.6.
I like the size of this lens. I also considered the newer Sigma 28mm 1.8 lens but it was much bigger and more expensive. The newer version has macro though this one has a pretty short minimum focus distance of about 1.3 feet. With a little cropping you can get the same effect.
I've had some good bokeh with this lens and some not so good. I'd rate it neutral. At close distances and max aperture the bokeh is smooth. At longer distances and smaller apertures its just ok.
Flare can be a problem. Mine came with a petal hood and that helps a bit. I've also noticed CAs at large apertures under tough conditions.
Here are some example shots at f/1.7:
* This one is slightly cropped
 | | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: July, 2009 Location: Berlin, Germany Posts: 344
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 14, 2010 | Recommended | Price: $180.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | fast aperture, great sharpness | | Cons: | all plastic build, very prone to flareing, harsh bokeh, MF | |
Rating - 1 to 10 with 10 being the best possible
Build quality: 7 - all plastic with the main lens body being coated with rubber
Focusing: 6 - short 60° focus throw, not damped, feels exactly like it is: moving gears inside (compareable with the 18-55)
size: 8 - small lens - cleraly bigger than other 28mm lenses, huge compared to M series 28mm f/3.5 or Vivitar 28mm F/2(.8) Close Focus, tiny next to the 16-50
Aperture ring: 9 - posive clicks ever 1/2 EV, very smooth action
Sharpness: 9 - very little edge falloff - perfect at f/4
Bokeh/blurring: 6-8: nice wide open, get's worse as you stop down because blades aren't circular
Contrast: 8 - very prone to contrast loss when shooting directly into light, slightly less contrasty than SMC lenses
Colour rendering: 8 - almost identical to Pentax
Value: 8
Biggest weakness of this lens is flare and loss of contrast due to flare. Contrast can be recovered in PP but you have to keep the sun out of the frame.
Unprocessed image f/1.8
Postprocessed
Worst case - f/11, straight into the sun
http://www.pic-upload.de/view-5634170/SRGB8464.jpg.html
Sharpness at f/1.8
http://www.pic-upload.de/view-5635535/Sigma-28mm-F1.8-alt-F1.8.jpg.html
Sharpness at f/4
http://www.pic-upload.de/view-5635837/Sigma-28mm-F1.8-alt-F4.jpg.html | | |
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