A Nitwit's Kit

[Ed Rooney]

I bought another lens today. Some of you will recall that I bought the pricey Sony 24-105 f2.8 zoom just a few weeks ago. I want to use it at the Chester Zoo, but now that trip is off. Maybe in the spring.

 

My newest new lens is the Sigma 56mm f1.4, not as costly as the 24-105 but not cheap. Why am I suddenly spending recklessly on kit? Clearly, I've gone insane. The virus has not yet visited my lungs but the threat of it has invaded my mind.

 

When the lockdown unlocks, I will be selling a few now redundant lenses. After my first trip to the zoo, I might even sell the heavy 24-105.

 

The new Sigma prime opens up the possibility of bokeh once again. It is supposed to be deadly sharp even at f1.4. So far I can report that it's very small and light. I'll get back to you all. Poco a poco.

 

Edo

[Allan Bell]

1 hour ago, Ed Rooney said:

I bought another lens today. Some of you will recall that I bought the pricey Sony 24-105 f2.8 zoom just a few weeks ago. I want to use it at the Chester Zoo, but now that trip is off. Maybe in the spring.

 

My newest new lens is the Sigma 56mm f1.4, not as costly as the 24-105 but not cheap. Why am I suddenly spending recklessly on kit? Clearly, I've gone insane. The virus has not yet visited my lungs but the threat of it has invaded my mind.

 

When the lockdown unlocks, I will be selling a few now redundant lenses. After my first trip to the zoo, I might even sell the heavy 24-105.

 

The new Sigma prime opens up the possibility of bokeh once again. It is supposed to be deadly sharp even at f1.4. So far I can report that it's very small and light. I'll get back to you all. Poco a poco.

 

Edo

 

I might be interested in the 24-105 at the right price.

 

When you are ready to sell let me know.

 

Allan

 

[Ed Rooney]

I will, Allan. I bought it too soon. Don't want to sell it too soon. 

[Allan Bell]

2 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

I will, Allan. I bought it too soon. Don't want to sell it too soon. 

 

Of course, you may find you want to keep it after using it for a while anyways.

 

Allan

 

[Ed Rooney]

The Sony zoom is a great lens, no question. But is it a tool I need? I think it will have to do with if I can access the Chester Zoo as a new subject.

 

I did a walk-around with the Sigma 56mm this afternoon. Wow! This is defiantly a tool I can make use of. I don't usually shoot flowers but I would like to see what I can get with the 84mm view at f1.4 and the super sharpness and bokeh that produces. I'm also thinking of a way I might do portraits. This Sigma is light, small, sharp, and very fast. I'm amazed. 

[John Mitchell]

I splurged on this lens awhile back -- managed to find a barely used copy -- because I wanted a fast standard lens. It has very nice bokeh and is the sharpest lens that I own. I'm actually going out with it later today in search of some "fall colour".

 

I see that there is review of the Sigma 56mm on the same website. Sounds like it should make a nice short telephoto/portrait lens.

 

My legacy Minolta MD 50mm f/1.7 manual focus lens also has pleasing bokeh, and it only cost me $40 CAN.

[DJ Myford]

I intended to hire a Sigma 105mm f1.4 Art at some point this year, but the way things are going that probably won't happen now. I've been avoiding public transport, and I'd have to make several trips to justify the cost of hiring.

[Bryan]

41 minutes ago, John Mitchell said:

 

 

My legacy Minolta MD 50mm f/1.7 manual focus lens also has pleasing bokeh, and it only cost me $40 CAN.

 

My legacy Olympus Zuiko 50 mm f1.7 is probably the sharpest lens in my collection, it lacks a bit of contrast, and is admittedly not brilliant at f1.7, but it's wall to wall sharp at f8 where it is normally employed (on the a6500).  A snip at £10 ( including an as new Olympus film camera).   

 

Bokeh!  A tad too arty for philistines like wot I am.

 

Still looking for a half decent 20 mm lens that won't break the bank. The old Pentax 20mm f4 is rumoured to be good, but copies go for crazy money, and, with a lens that old, there is lots that could have gone wrong.  I'd maybe risk £50, but not a couple of hundred. Sigma appears to have withdrawn the 19mm f2.8 from the market, probably not making enough money from bargain basement glass. Prior to its fall from grace ( something amiss with its innards) mine was always pin sharp in the centre of the frame but the edges were never very good. I'm currently using my RX 100 V as a wide angle lens.

 

Edo - Have fun with your new lenses, my middle name is Parsimonious, but normal folk enjoy using their cash.

Edited October 14, 2020 by Bryan

[Ed Rooney]

Nobody has ever accused me of parsimony. But . . . my main goal right now is to make sure I live on my income and not dip into the piggybank. 

 

By the way, I noticed that all the trad pubs near me were shut today even the ones that served real food, like the Railway. Hmm. 

[John Mitchell]

1 hour ago, Bryan said:

 

My legacy Olympus Zuiko 50 mm f1.7 is probably the sharpest lens in my collection, it lacks a bit of contrast, and is admittedly not brilliant at f1.7, but it's wall to wall sharp at f8 where it is normally employed (on the a6500).  A snip at £10 ( including an as new Olympus film camera).   

 

Bokeh!  A tad too arty for philistines like wot I am.

 

Still looking for a half decent 20 mm lens that won't break the bank. The old Pentax 20mm f4 is rumoured to be good, but copies go for crazy money, and, with a lens that old, there is lots that could have gone wrong.  I'd maybe risk £50, but not a couple of hundred. Sigma appears to have withdrawn the 19mm f2.8 from the market, probably not making enough money from bargain basement glass. Prior to its fall from grace ( something amiss with its innards) mine was always pin sharp in the centre of the frame but the edges were never very good. I'm currently using my RX 100 V as a wide angle lens.

 

Edo - Have fun with your new lenses, my middle name is Parsimonious, but normal folk enjoy using their cash.

 

I have a feeling that my surname should have been Parsimonious (or worse). I'm afraid that, as much as I like them, I miss image stabilization with my old MF lenses, but then you don't have to worry about that now because the a6500 has IS built-in.

[Bill Kuta]

I've been wondering why Sigma stopped making the aps-c 60mm ART lens, which has been one of the sharpest e-mount lenses on photozone. I have it and it is very sharp, currently doing service digitizing old 6cm slides. It wouldn't necessarily have competed with the new 56mm--the 60mm cost less but was f2.8, neither is stabilized.

[John Mitchell]

4 hours ago, Bill Kuta said:

I've been wondering why Sigma stopped making the aps-c 60mm ART lens, which has been one of the sharpest e-mount lenses on photozone. I have it and it is very sharp, currently doing service digitizing old 6cm slides. It wouldn't necessarily have competed with the new 56mm--the 60mm cost less but was f2.8, neither is stabilized.

 

The 60mm Sigma got glowing reviews. Odd that they dropped it. Perhaps Sigma couldn't compete with the Sony 50mm, which I would choose because it has OSS. Used copies of the Sony 50mm are fairly easy to find here. However, the Sigmas have always been somewhat hard to find in Canada.

[MizBrown]

7 hours ago, John Mitchell said:

I splurged on this lens awhile back -- managed to find a barely used copy -- because I wanted a fast standard lens. It has very nice bokeh and is the sharpest lens that I own. I'm actually going out with it later today in search of some "fall colour".

 

I spent part of an inheritance on that one and the Sony/Zeiss 24mm f/1/8 which is my sharpest lens on APS-C Sony cameras, but it doesn't have Steady Shot.

 

 

[Ed Rooney]

I had that very sharp 24mm too, MizBrown. Sold it to Adorama. And I own a Sony 50mm f/1.8, which I plan to sell. 

[Ed Rooney]

Bokeh anyone? Well, at least it's selective focus. The top two were taken with the Sigma 56mm. Above was at f/1.4. And below at f/5, all those faces are sharp and seen in detail.

 

The snap at the bottom was taken with the Sony 24-105.

 

I posted in another thread that an f/1.4 lens doesn't really need IS. I've had no trouble handholding it. 

[CAROL SAUNDERS]

Enjoy your new lens Edo😀

 

Carol

[Ed Rooney]

16 hours ago, Bill Kuta said:

I've been wondering why Sigma stopped making the aps-c 60mm ART lens, which has been one of the sharpest e-mount lenses on photozone. I have it and it is very sharp, currently doing service digitizing old 6cm slides. It wouldn't necessarily have competed with the new 56mm--the 60mm cost less but was f2.8, neither is stabilized.

 

Bill, it would seem that Sigma has replaced the slower f/2.8 60mm with the faster 56mm f/1.4. 

[Phil Robinson]

I've got the Sigma Art 24mm f1.4 and the 135mm f1.8. They are the best lenses I have ever had and I tend to use them on two cameras as my standard kit these days.
They are amazingly sharp and though I have longer lenses I can crop parts of the 135 images and get better results. 

Using fixed focus lenses took a bit of getting used to after zooms, but i think I'm taking better photos as a result.

(Id really like the 105 1.4 but I really cant justify having that too.)

Edited October 15, 2020 by Phil Robinson

[Ed Rooney]

Phil, back in the film era, the 24mm and 135mm where the two primes I used most on my Nikons when out walking around. 

[John Mitchell]

2 hours ago, Phil Robinson said:

I've got the Sigma Art 24mm f1.4 and the 135mm f1.8. They are the best lenses I have ever had and I tend to use them on two cameras as my standard kit these days.
They are amazingly sharp and though I have longer lenses I can crop parts of the 135 images and get better results. 

Using fixed focus lenses took a bit of getting used to after zooms, but i think I'm taking better photos as a result.

(Id really like the 105 1.4 but I really cant justify having that too.)

 

Just wondering, what camera are you using the Sigma lenses on? I like your recent architectural detail images. Were they captured with the Sigma 135?

[MizBrown]

9 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

I had that very sharp 24mm too, MizBrown. Sold it to Adorama. And I own a Sony 50mm f/1.8, which I plan to sell. 

 

I love the Sony/Zeiss 24mm so much that when my a6000 dies, I'll be getting another APSC Sony body if I can possibly afford one.

[Bill Kuta]

B&H has the a6000 body only now for $448. I have the a6000 and a6300. I don't see that any of the subsequent models were that big of an improvement, unless you wanted the in-body stabilization of the a6500. Heck, I'm still using my NEX-6 with kit 16-50mm--my recent non-archive shots were all taken with it. Just too handy a size.

[Bill Kuta]

6 hours ago, Ed Rooney said:

 

Bill, it would seem that Sigma has replaced the slower f/2.8 60mm with the faster 56mm f/1.4. 

 

 I figured if they retained both, it would be like offering f1.8 and 1.4 85mm, which is classic.

[MizBrown]

2 hours ago, Bill Kuta said:

B&H has the a6000 body only now for $448. I have the a6000 and a6300. I don't see that any of the subsequent models were that big of an improvement, unless you wanted the in-body stabilization of the a6500. Heck, I'm still using my NEX-6 with kit 16-50mm--my recent non-archive shots were all taken with it. Just too handy a size.

 

I want the a6400 which doesn't have in-body stabilization because I like fewer moving parts.   My a6000's pop-up flash has died, but everything else is still functional.    My other cameras are two full frame a7 original models with a Batis 18mm, a 35mm 2.8, a 55mm f/1.8, and two adapted manual focus lenses covering 50mm and 105mm.

 

[John Mitchell]

6 hours ago, Bill Kuta said:

B&H has the a6000 body only now for $448. I have the a6000 and a6300. I don't see that any of the subsequent models were that big of an improvement, unless you wanted the in-body stabilization of the a6500. Heck, I'm still using my NEX-6 with kit 16-50mm--my recent non-archive shots were all taken with it. Just too handy a size.

 

The NEX-6 with the 16-50 kit lens attached is my 'take-everywhere' camera. I also have the original NEX-3, which is ten years old and still works fine. Both cameras have paid for themselves many times over.

 

The a6000 is a real bargain. I can't think of any faults to speak of (except the infamous Sony menus of course).

Edited October 16, 2020 by John Mitchell