Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 5.6 x 5.4 x 4.9 inches ; 15.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0007U0H06
• Item model number: B0007U0H06
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (140 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 21, 2005

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description
Designed to match the APS-C size image sensors of Nikon digital SLR cameras, the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 lens is an ideal choice for a wide range of applications, including snapshots, portraiture, indoor shooting, and landscape photography. The 30mm lens relies on two special-low-dispersion glass elements and a glass-mold aspherical lens. Combined, the construction details correct for all types of chromatic and color aberrations. The lens is also equipped with a Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) that supports quiet, high-speed autofocus, but also turns off should you prefer full-time manual focusing. Other features include a maximum aperture of f/1.4, a 62mm filter mount, and a one-year warranty.

Specifications

• Focal length: 30mm
• Maximum aperture: f/1.4
• Lens construction: 7 elements in 7 groups
• Angle of view: 45 degrees (SD format)
• Number of diaphragm blades: 8
• Minimum aperture: f/16
• Minimum focusing distance: 15.7 inches
• Maximum magnification: 1:10.4
• Filter size: 62mm
• Corresponding AF mounts: Nikon
• Dimensions: 2.97 inches in diameter and 2.3 inches long
• Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Warranty: 1 year

Product Description
This large aperture 30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM lens is designed to match the APS-C size image sensors of digital SLR cameras. Two SLD glass elements are especially effective in the compensation of magnification chromatic aberration. Glass mold aspherical lens at rear group of lens reduces color aberration and provides high-quality image results. From 40cm (15.7 inch) minimum focusing distance to infinity, this lens creates very sharp images with high contrast. The HSM models provide quiet high-speed auto-focus shooting, as well as full-time manual focus. Large Maximum Aperture of F1.4 can perform superbly in a great range of applications, including snapshots, portrait, indoor shooting and landscape photography. Minimum Aperture - F16 Minimum Focusing Distance - 40cm, 15.7 inches Maximum Magnification - 1 - 10.4 Filter Size - Diameter 62mm Lens Hood DiaPetal Hood Two SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements and an hybrid aspherical lens, provides the utmost correction for all types of aberrations Dimensions - Diameter 75.5mm X Length 59mm, 2.97 inches x 2.3 inches Weight - 15.2 ounces (430 grams)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

184 of 187 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet Lens, August 16, 2005

By	Jim Hunt (Indiana, USA) - See all my reviews

This is a sweet little lens that really has no middle ground. You either love it or hate it. Most of the haters really either expect too much from this lens such as focusing in no light or on objects with no contrast and marginal light. The other reason there are detractors come from focus issues.

This seems to be a user problem in my opinion. When you shoot at f 1.4, the area in focus can be pretty shallow. An example is at f1.4 and at a distance of 5 feet, the areas in focus is just .45 feet. If you have a DSLR with multiple focus points, you might find what you want in focus is not selected by the camera. This gives the impression of a focus issue with the lens which it is not.

If you move into close focusing such as 2 feet using f1.4, the focus area becomes less than ¾ of an inch. Even the slightest movement by you or the subject can blow the focus. Again, this is not a lens problem but a user issue.

However, don't be discouraged by the above comments. This lens has so many possibilities from creative images to group portraits to low light photography. You just need to put in a little effort to learn the lens (and your DSLR). Also remember that stopped down to f4 at 10' gives you 5.45 feet in focus.

The 30mm lens also is about as close to a 50mm lens on a 35mm film SLR as there is. A 50mm lens was considered the de facto standard for an SLR in the old days and many people never had anything else. This is a very versatile lens.

The lens itself has an excellent build quality and includes extras such as a lens hood and case. It is sharp and offers great contrast and compares well against such a well regarded lens as the Canon 35mm f1.4L which is about 3 times the price.

You will not be disappointed in this lens at all and I highly recommend it. It is one of my favorite everyday lenses for my Canon 20D. (My everyday kit includs the Canon 17-40mm f4L, 70-200mm f4L, and a Canon 580ex flash.)

64 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful addition to a lens collection, August 14, 2005

By	luv my 20D! (SF Valley, CA) - See all my reviews

I've had this lens for a couple of days and have shot in a variety of situations. The image is somewhat soft at f/1.4, but sharpens quickly as you stop it down -- f/1.8 looks much sharper and f/2 is excellent.

From a purely practical standpoint, you can shoot in lower light w/o external lighting, and you can run higher shutter speeds in low light for better action-stopping when shooting people or animals. I was also amazed at the incredibly small depth of field I could attain -- for example, I was able to narrow the focus down to a single stem of a plant and have every other part of the plant far out of focus. Not something I've been able to do with my Canon 17-85mm and 10-22mm zooms.

It's a heavy lens but it balances well on a 20D. Autofocus seems nearly as fast as with my Canon lenses. My one complaint is that the focusing mechanism (in auto or manual) isn't as smooth or quiet as with my Canons -- it sounds a bit rough in auto, and makes a slight "barking seal" sound as you go from close to distant focus manually.

Nice of Sigma to include the lens hood and case, instead of charging exhorbitant amounts for the hood as Canon does.

Overall, this is a very useful addition to my zooms, and it will definitely allow me to get usable natural-light photos in situations where I couldn't before.

126 of 134 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding 50mm-Equivalent Prime Lens!, August 13, 2006

By	Christopher Nielsen (Rochester, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After researching the various offerings from Nikon and others, I purchased this lens to serve as a Portrait and general-purpose low-light lens. The published reviews have been very positive, which ultimately made my purchasing decision easier. [For those interested, I am utilizing this lens with Nikon's D2X top-of-the-line digital SLR.]

First off, bear in mind that this lens is intended to be a 50mm-equivalent, and is designed exclusively for Nikon DX digital SLRs. (All Nikon digital SLRs have a 1.5x "lens factor," due to the fact that the sensor is smaller than 35mm film.) Sigma states the following in the product specifications, but let me repeat it here: it is NOT designed for full-frame (e.g. 35mm) use!

In terms of comparable offerings from Nikon, they are: Nikon 28mm f/2.8D AF, Nikon 35mm f/2D AF, Nikon 50mm f/1.4D AF and 50mm f/1.8D AF. The two latter lenses are not really in the same category, as they are 75mm-equivalent on Nikon digital SLRs. The two former lenses are close in terms of focal length, so they are reasonable alternatives.

There are several key differences between Sigma's 30mm lens and Nikon's aforementioned 28mm and 35mm lenses. First up, Sigma's lens is equivalent to a Nikon "G-type" lens. Specifically, this means that Sigma's lens does not have a dial to set the aperture; instead, the aperture is set on the camera body. This is incredibly convenient, and allows one to quickly change the aperture while framing the picture in the viewfinder. Nikon's 28mm and 35mm lenses, in contrast, are the older "D-type" lens. Meaning, they both utilize an aperture dial.

The other key difference between Sigma's lens and Nikon's 28mm and 35mm, is that Sigma's utilizes a "Hyper Sonic Motor" for autofocusing. As a result, autofocus action is extremely fast and quiet. Nikon's 28mm and 35mm do not utilize a comparable technology, and instead make do with an older -- and slower/louder -- mechanism.

And finally, a word on optical quality. Because Sigma's lens is so super-fast optics-wise (i.e., the fast f/1.4 maximum aperture), depth-of-field can be extremely shallow. So shallow that, when taking a portrait at, say, 3 feet away, one can focus on the tip of the subject's nose -- with the rest of the subject's face slightly soft! (One might want to generally focus on the subject's eyes, but that is neither here nor there.) The point being, that when fully opened up at f/1.4 or f/1.7, it is easy to confuse the optical quality of the lens (which I have found to be outstanding!) with soft focus due to shallow depth-of-field. [For any newbies: this is a "feature" of fast aperture optics.]

Bottom line, the Sigma 30mm lens provides superb low-light performance (thanks to the fast f/1.4 maximum aperture), along with outstanding optical performance. It is highly recommended for any Nikon digital SLR owner who is looking for a 50mm-equivalent portrait/general-purpose lens. You will not be disappointed!