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08/23/2005 06:01:10 PM |
Originally posted by vaxocentric:
how do you like that 30mm sigma lens? i was looking at getting one. is it worth it? how often do you use it? |
There might be more people interested in this, so I'll react here and not trough a private message.
I like my Sigma 30mm f/1.4 a lot.
It has actually become my standard lens, but that is also because I like shooting with primes. With a prime you do not need to worry about zooming and how it will end up perpective wise. When you know your prime you know how it makes pictures look. You just move yourself to fill the frame. Because you move a lot you are interacting more with your subject and that gives far better results than being static and using a zoom lens. You experiment more with it.
For me 30mm was a perfect size on a DX/APS-C camera, it comes close to my old 35mm rangefinder with a 40mm lens. The view does not distort perspective, while indoors or in a street you are not constantly with your back against walls and when you want a close up you really need to come close. You're not hiding in the crowd with a long lens, people seem to appreciate that a lot more.
Another important reason was the f/1.4 max aperture and how sharp it looked at that aperture in the first online tests. I got the lens to shoot in low light conditions without a flash or minimal fill flash. When you are walking trough a city in the morning at sunrise and can take the shots where someone with a F4 lens needs to push up his ISO or use a tripod.
In both aspects the lens hasn't let me down. It is sharp, sharp enough at f/1.4 and very, very sharp from f/1.8 onwards. It already made me capture shots that would be impossible with slower lenses. When you shoot a scene with the main subject at a distance and use f/2.0 for example, you'd be amazed how much dof you still have. It also worked on the streets, I need less room to work with.
Here is an example of a shot I took at f/1.4 and processed for DPC:
//www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=211483
Technically; It is very sharp, has good contrast, neutral color, focus is fast and silent with little hunting and good focus lock on the right spot, very little CA.
Downsides: Corner softness, my sample is pretty good, it doesn't bother me at all, but I've seen some complaints here and there.
Vignetting, this is often visible and could be bothersome. But I shoot Nikon NEF and run them trough Nikon Capture, which has a good Vignetting correction tool. So this too is not really a problem.
I wish it had a lens cap like the Nikon 18-70 DX. With the hood on (forwards) I cannot get the lens cap on or off.
The way I can work with it is for me far more important that a bit of corner softness and vignetting. I guess a 2nd place with the very first entry with this lens proves that. :)
Is it value for money? For me it is.
When you want to see some fullsize samples on a D70, check:
//www.pbase.com/azrifel/fullsize
Hope this helps. |
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08/23/2005 06:16:55 AM |
Love this shot - the mood of the moment has been wonderfully captured, after much patience no doubt.
The steam effect really gives it life and frames the subject locomotive in a nice way.
The sky adds rather than detracts from the overall effect.....well done! |
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08/23/2005 02:21:05 AM |
beautiful photo!
how do you like that 30mm sigma lens? i was looking at getting one. is it worth it? how often do you use it? |
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08/21/2005 06:09:01 AM |
Originally posted by nshapiro:
Curious about the museum aspect of this. Are the people real? They look real! Well done and congratulations! |
Yep, they are real. This was shot at Wognum trainstation. In the summer some people dress up and load stuff on and off the train for example. Also some people on the train are actors. The main musuem is in Hoorn, but they don't dress up there. In Hoorn you can look at the app. 10 trains they have.
I'm not sure if they have an actor on all trains. This is the most favorite locomotive and it runs on special days and in the summer. These carts are the oldest and most authentic as well. |
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08/21/2005 12:21:50 AM |
| Curious about the museum aspect of this. Are the people real? They look real! Well done and congratulations! |
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08/19/2005 01:46:25 PM |
Thanks all, didn't expect this at all. You made me very happy. :)
About the angle this is shot at (why not more attention to the steam at both sides): There is a modern big and ugly industrial area right behind the train. The train hides it all. An angle to include more of the steam would also have shown that area. |
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08/17/2005 11:54:43 PM |
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08/17/2005 09:32:27 PM |
| One of my favorites. This image captures not only the historical significance but the beauty and artistry of engineering. Congratulations on your RED. |
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08/17/2005 04:55:06 PM |
Wonderful picture and wonderful process.
Congrats on your ribbon! A very well deserved ;-) |
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08/17/2005 01:53:38 PM |
| Congratulations..was one of the best images in this challenge..excellent composition. |
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08/17/2005 12:55:05 PM |
Congrats on your 2nd ribbon.
Verdient! |
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08/17/2005 10:49:00 AM |
| Beautiful shot - congrats! |
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08/17/2005 10:10:28 AM |
| Congratulations! Love the angle of the shot as well as seeing the steam puffing out and the people on the platform, very nice! |
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08/17/2005 09:34:32 AM |
| Congratulations on your ribbon with this well captured and presented image! + |
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08/17/2005 09:16:18 AM |
| Lovely work! Congratulations! |
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08/17/2005 04:16:38 AM |
| Cngratulations ! Well done ! |
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08/17/2005 02:39:19 AM |
| CONGRATS... for your ribbon... i gave you a 10... well done.. the photo is perfect... |
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08/17/2005 01:51:57 AM |
| Very nice! Interesting to see steam locomotives take 2 ribbons here :-) Congrats on your ribbon. |
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08/17/2005 12:26:52 AM |
| Congrats on your ribbon! Great historic catch. |
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08/17/2005 12:18:38 AM |
| Congratulations on your red, I have to love trains. |
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08/17/2005 12:01:53 AM |
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08/17/2005 12:01:53 AM |
| YAY! great pic, hon...congrats! *hug* |
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08/17/2005 12:01:44 AM |
| Perfect for the challenge! Congrats! |
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Comments Made During the Challenge  |
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08/16/2005 08:59:50 PM |
| Great picture – the feel – the subjects- the presentation & nothing modern to give it all away. 7 |
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08/16/2005 12:35:34 PM |
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08/16/2005 11:40:36 AM |
| Great old-style shot, it retains the period feel. Especially fond of the steam venting! Very well done! 9 |
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08/15/2005 03:57:51 PM |
| IMO, the bright washed out sky distracts from this otherwise brilliant photo. |
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08/14/2005 11:24:36 PM |
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08/14/2005 10:42:57 PM |
| Good one. Perfect filter. Love the steam!!!! |
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08/13/2005 10:55:30 PM |
| This is a wonderful image; the sepia works well with the train, having the two people in the picture gives it life...9 |
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08/13/2005 09:08:37 PM |
| this looks like a winner to me... 10 |
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08/13/2005 12:43:22 PM |
| Very old-time feel with your coloring. Have a nice day. |
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08/12/2005 11:38:55 PM |
| FInally! Someone who followed directions, used the year for the title and submitted a GOOD photo. You deserve a 10! |
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08/12/2005 09:25:39 PM |
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08/12/2005 10:17:07 AM |
| This is a very cool shot! Nice work 9 |
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08/12/2005 09:11:59 AM |
| 8 - Met the Challenge (I think a photo of this put into a 'time capsule' would give future generations a good depiction of this era/year, if that is the correct 'interpretation' of the Challenge). This is a great shot. Criticism; not much at all. I really like the steam you have captured, the characters, the texture/surface of the train - ok, maybe those power lines I just noticed should not be there in 1922 for 'true authenticity' - who knows. The lamp posts look good, the b/w or sepia? looks very good - perhaps just a slightly more front on angle to get more perspective on the train and platform, and get both those (but especially the 'left) shot of steam in the frame. |
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08/11/2005 07:28:54 PM |
| Great shot, and one that could pass as having been taken during that year. |
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08/11/2005 03:02:36 PM |
| If I didn't know any better, I would think this photo was actually taken in 1922. Very good job in aging this photo. Very authentic. 10 |
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08/11/2005 01:59:27 PM |
| Great shot in my opinion. Love the look. |
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08/11/2005 05:10:46 AM |
| This one give a good past sensation. great work |
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08/11/2005 04:48:43 AM |
| thank goodness you have decided on a sharp focus and not an "old photo" look for this, because i really enjoy the details on the locomotive. 10 |
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08/11/2005 02:27:48 AM |
| That's a great photo! Perfect color. |
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08/10/2005 10:30:00 PM |
| Wonderful shot, Really impressed with the clarity of the shot. I really that there is nothing in the background to break the sense or period. |
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08/10/2005 05:05:19 PM |
After searching high and low I finally found an image I feel worth of a 10
Good job! Love the cloud texture and that reflection emitting from the (black?) paint |
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08/10/2005 01:35:12 PM |
| This feels like some of my parents photos. I like the sepia |
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08/10/2005 12:12:57 PM |
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08/10/2005 11:24:37 AM |
| Excellent, this may benefit from cropping off the left to right behind the people. |
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08/10/2005 09:33:19 AM |
| Maybe you should have cropped on the train, making it seem endless and perfecting the leading line..? :) |
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08/10/2005 09:23:22 AM |
| Great colorization. Very well done |
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08/10/2005 07:19:16 AM |
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08/10/2005 02:20:03 AM |
| a touch bright but very nice! |
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08/10/2005 01:02:07 AM |
| Great shot!! Looks like one of the pictures out of the old box from grandpa! |
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1922
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