SIGMA 30mm F1.4 DC HSM | Art

[Zoom] Wide-zoom | Standard-zoom | Tele-zoom | High-zoom  
[Fixed-focal] Wide angle | Standard | Telephoto | Macro

As a lens for APS-C format SLR cameras, this is the first high-speed standard lens in SIGMA's Art line. If you're looking for your first lens to experience bokeh, consider this lens heavily. As we expect from the lineup, it has high optical performance and expressive power and you can let the subject pop out using the shallow depth of field. Together with an APS-C camera, you can create a very compact kit to take high quality images.

( Photography : M.Ito / Text : Taka )

Close-up/wide open. The bokeh is big thanks to the small max aperture. The focused part looks so realistic and it wonderfully explains the texture of the rusted surface. The bokeh is very smooth, too.

More distance/wide open. The bokeh is still big with this distance and it doesn't look messy even though the background is complex. The bokeh taste changes according to the condition including background, distance, and lighting. After getting a new lens, it's always fun to look for the ideal condition. The color reproduction is great even in the overcast weather.

Without the large diameter of the lens, you cannot make the subject stand out in this distance. Sharpness is high wide open, so I recommend you to shoot wide open as much as possible because that's what you expect from a lens like this.

Of course, stop down if you want sharper rendition when shooting something like this. At F2.2, it's already very sharp. The great tonal gradation between highlight and shadow make the image look very realistic.

It's sharp to the corners at F8. There's no halation despite the intense reflective light and this means you can shoot even under backlight condition without hesitation. How about a dry capture of an urban scene like this?

Break time. But actually, I didn't feel tired thanks to the compact package. With a casual system like this, you can shoot all kinds of everyday scenes including tabletop view without looking overdoing.

The combination of large diameter, standard angle of view, and fixed-focal makes a difference among APS-C lenses. And, such compact package has different appeal from full-frame equipment. This is a kind of lens that teaches the basic of photography like aperture and distance to those who started photography using a zoom lens. This is a great lens for beginners, let alone the people looking for a high-speed lens.
If you change a lens, your world will change. And, you can experience it with a lens like this one.