fstopjojo's reviews

  • Sigma 20mm f/1.8 EX DG Aspherical RF

    9 out of 10 points and recommended
    Great price for 20mm wide and f1.8 speed, FF compatible, Very sharp from f2.5 (good wide open), Very good contrast, 8" minimum focusing distance a boon, Grippy and wide MF ring with solid stops at each limit, Feels like a tank.
    No HSM, AF speed and noise are "okay", Dual-Focus clutch mechanism takes getting used to, Some may not like the 82mm size thread and overall bulk of lens, Shadow cast with hood on and internal flash (no problems with hood off or external flash),

    Sigma has a good lens here to which Canon really has no answer for. My biggest gripe is the overall "handling" of this 20mm beast with its somewhat large build and clunky "DF" focus mechanism. But all in all, the pros far outweigh the cons and the image quality it produces is very good. I've got a good copy and plan to keep it for a long while.

    www.pbase.com/fstopjojo/lenstests

    reviewed November 2nd, 2005

  • Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM

    9 out of 10 points and recommended
    Excellent center sharpness, Fast f1.4, Tremendous contrast, Nice bokeh, Solid EX build, HSM and FTM, Price is right.
    Not FF compatible, 16" MFD is tragic (should have been around 10").

    My copy had to be sent to Sigma NY to get the focus adjusted due to front-focusing (on a 20D). But since its return, I couldn't be more pleased. The lens delivers excellent sharpness and contrast, and the bokeh is superb. The HSM isn't as fast as Canon's 85 f1.8 USM, for example, but it's still quite good. A normally functioning copy of this lens is simply hard to beat.

    www.pbase.com/fstopjojo/lenstests

    reviewed November 2nd, 2005

  • Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro

    9 out of 10 points and recommended
    Very sharp wide open (for a FF standard zoom), Renders nice contrast, Bokeh is pleasing enough, Good focal range (especially on FF), Very slight lateral CA, Good flare resistance, Robust EX build, FF compatibile, Fast AF.
    Edge performance could be better (though very good stopped down), Lacks HSM so buzzy/noisy AF, "DF" clutch mechanism can be clunky to handle, Filters expensive due to 82mm thread.

    It's well-known that I've been a strong supporter of this "EX DG Macro" lens. And while I no longer own it, I could easily see myself getting another one down the road. I found it optically equal to or better than several copies of the Canon 24-70L and at a fraction of the price. It certainly doesn't have the refinement of the L or the silent focusing, but in terms of optical performance per se, it's hard to beat in the standard zoom category. It's a beautful lens that can produce extremely high quality images. I can't recommend this lens enough.

    www.pbase.com/fstopjojo/lenstests

    reviewed November 2nd, 2005

  • Canon EF 35mm f/2

    9 out of 10 points and recommended
    Nice maximum aperture, Good sharpness wide open and excellent by f2.8, Small and lightweight, Fast and accurate AF, MFD a boon for up close and personal shots, Great price.
    Noisy "wasp in a matchbox" AF, Tends to hunt in low-light, MF ring very small, Build construction could be better.

    Considering the price-point of this lens, it's quite a steal. While there are some significant cons to the 35 f2, the pros FAR outweigh them. The lens produces above average contrast, AF is fast (albeit the noisiest I've ever used) and accurate, the size is nice and small, and the MFD is a boon. I highly recommend this lens, but with one warning: If you have little ones that you like to snap pictures of while they sleep, this lens (in AF mode) used in conjunction with the 20D (with its ridiculous mirror slap sound) might cause them to have nightmares. Let's together say: L-O-U-D. But I still dig the lens.

    www.pbase.com/fstopjojo/lenstests

    reviewed November 2nd, 2005

  • Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC

    9 out of 10 points and recommended
    18mm Wide (significant difference v. 28mm on 1.6x body), Great focal range, Fairly small and lightweight, Constant f2.8, Excellent center sharpness wide open, Minimum focusing distance nice, EX black finish, Price.
    Wide open edge performance average, Vignetting at 18mm wide open (somewhat expected though), CA wide open, No HSM/FTM, Not FF compatible.

    This lens has a lot going for it (which I've stated in the "Pros" section above). A properly working copy delivers good sharpness and contrast even wide open. The focal range along with the constant f2.8 aperture makes it a serious alternative to the lovely 17-40L (at least on a crop body).

    www.pbase.com/fstopjojo/lenstests

    reviewed November 3rd, 2005

  • Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM

    8 out of 10 points and recommended
    Fast f1.4 aperture, Small and lightweight, USM (albeit micro and not ring), FTM, Very good sharpness by f2.
    Construction could be better, Ring USM would be nice, 18" MFD.

    Useable wide open but finds its sweet spot around f4.0-f5.6. Very good to excellent by f2.8 though. While the construction is better than its plastic sibling (i.e., "thrifty fifty"), it's no L-grade by any means. AF is fairly quick and silent, but the lens does extend/retract when focusing. Considering it's an f1.4 prime with very good optics, I recommend this lens especially at its price-point.

    www.pbase.com/fstopjojo/lenstests

    reviewed November 4th, 2005

  • Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM

    10 out of 10 points and recommended
    Stellar image quality, Excellent resolving power and stunning contrast, "IS" is a tremendous boon, USM/FTM makes AF fast and silent, Solid "L" build, Takes 1.4xTC very well even wide open
    Not a fast aperture lens, Push-pull zoom takes getting used to, "Dust Trombone" nickname isn't reassuring, Could use the next generation IS unit

    I've commented quite a bit here at my site:

    http://www.pbase.com/fstopjojo/100400is
    http://www.pbase.com/fstopjojo/teletest

    reviewed December 10th, 2005

  • Canon EF 85mm f/1.8 USM

    10 out of 10 points and recommended
    See my site
    See my site

    It's an "L" lens incognito...see my site here http://www.pbase.com/fstopjojo/canon85

    reviewed January 1st, 2006