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Sigma AF 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM - Review / Test Report |
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Lens Reviews -
Canon EOS (APS-C)
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Page 1 of 3
Review by Klaus Schroiff, published October 2005
Special thanks to Andreas Thaler for providing the lens for testing purposes!
Introduction
The AF 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM is one of Sigma's Digital Camera lenses
designed specifically for APS-C DSLR. It has a reduced image circle so it's not compatible to 1.3x or full-frame
(D)SLRs. Its field-of-view as well as the high speed resembles classic standard lenses (50mm)
on full-frame camera. It's the first dedicated standard fix-focal lens for APS-C though the
gap has been filled by classic 28mm and 35mm fix-focals to some degree. The lens is available
in Canon EF, Nikon and Sigma SA mount so far.
The optical construction is made of 7 elements in 7 groups with one SLD element (Special Low
Dispersion), one high quality ELS element (Extraordinary Low Dispersion)and one
aspherical element. Its minimum focus distance is 0.4m resulting in a max. object magnification
of 1:10.4 - fairly unimpressive here.
The aperture mechanism has 8 aperture blades. The filter size is 62mm.
In absolute terms it is a fairly compact lens with a size of 77x59mm but unlike traditional
standard lenses the AF 30mm f/1.4 EX is comparatively heavy with at 430g.
The construction feels very solid with the typical EX ("Excellence") finish (crinkle style).
The very broad, rubberized focus ring has a smooth action. The front element does not rotate
so using a polarizer is no problem. The focusing speed is pretty fast
and thanks to HSM the AF noise level is very low. Full-time manual focusing is possible.
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