Junior Member Registered: February, 2023 Posts: 38 | | Review Date: February 12, 2023 | Not Recommended | Price: $15.00
| Rating: 6 |
| Pros: | Economical, Durable, Above Average Optical Quality (being a zoom of this age) | | Cons: | Heavy, Handling | | Sharpness: 7
Bokeh: 6
Handling: 6
Value: 9
Camera Used: Canon T70
New Or Used: Used
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The Sigma XQ 39-80mm f3.5 was introduced in 1975 as the first zoom lens in the Sigma XQ series. The XQ series is the predecessor of the modern EX series, all lenses in this series have above-average optical quality and most of them are faster than other lenses with similar focal lengths. This XQ 39-80mm f3.5 was called the “mini-zoom” by Sigma but it is by no means “mini” in the modern standard. First of all, beside the rubber grips, the whole lens is made of metal and glass. It has a 62mm filter thread and I am pretty sure it has many chunks of glass inside judging from its weight.
The XQ 39-80mm f3.5 uses the Sigma YS interchangeable mount system which is similar to the more well-known Tamron Adaptall mount. The YS mount system is based on the the original T-mount but provides automatic diaphragm operations. The YS mount attached to my XQ 39-80mm is for Canon FD mount bodies. The XQ 39-40mm also has a macro feature enabled with a separate macro ring. This allows the lens to focus pretty close, up to 1:3.5 magnification at 40mm setting. However, since there is no spacing between the macro ring and the zoom ring, it is almost not possible to keep the zoom ring stationary while adjusting the macro ring unless both hands are used (thus, you need a tripod)!
Handling is a big issue for this lens whether than its optical quality. The lens has a total of four separate control rings: focusing, zooming, macro and “A” aperture mode which make it quite troublesome to use. Moreover, the levers of the macro ring and the switch for the “A” aperture are made of a thin piece of metal with no rubber taps. This makes operating the lens under freezing temperatures quite painful for my fingers.
Sample image below is a 2400dpi film scan, shot wide open at f3.5 using Fujifilm REALA followed by its 100% crop.
Yes, it is soft but please remember this is a very old zoom lens. Wide to short telephoto zoom was difficult to design/make at the time when this lens was introduced in 1975. The first mid-range zoom with 35mm as its wide-end, the Canon FD 35-70 f2.8-3.5 S.S.C., was introduced only 2 years earlier and zooms with wide-ends was discussed in an 1977 issue of Popular Mechanics magazine as “new” technology!
Anyway, by stopping down, this lens could give satisfactory results. However, possibly due to its coatings, it gives pale and dim colors when compared to more modern lenses. Sample image below shot at f5.6~f8, also with Fujifilm REALA.
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Junior Member Registered: February, 2020 Location: Houston, Texas Posts: 31 | | Review Date: March 15, 2020 | Not Recommended | Price: $16.00
| Rating: 5 |
| Pros: | Parfocal in normal mode, Short focus throw | | Cons: | Heavy,Not sharp, Strange macro mode, Uncomfortable to use, Normal MFD 6.5ft | | Sharpness: 4
Aberrations: 6
Bokeh: 5
Handling: 3
Value: 5
Camera Used: Canon T3i
New Or Used: Used
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Ooo boy this lens. Its heavy and uncomfortable to use. The macro settings are switched by pressing down a thin plate of metal behind the zoom ring and turning. While in the close focus modes the focus ring barely does anything and you must focus with the zoom ring which is really odd. Talking about the macro still, you're able to get 5.5 inches away in the 1:3.5 mode while at 39mm. But at 80mm you have to move much further back and is extremely soft. The 7ft MFD is a pain and annoyance when working with this lens since it only zooms to a medium telephoto focal length. The lens is odd and cumbersome. I bought this to use in video due to it being a parfocal two touch zoom with a constant wide open aperture, but after putting through some tests I'm thinking there's better options out there.
1:3.5 39mm f3.5
1:3.5 39mm f16
1:3.5 80mm f3.5
1:3.5 80mm f16
Normal mode 5.6
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