Super tiny Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 for mirrorless camera (E / L Mount)

[herein2020]

On 2/24/2021 at 2:07 PM, Mark Romero 2 said:

Please People!!!! Stop saying it is going to be a good lens. My wallet can't take the pressure!!!

I was really thinking of picking up a used 20-60mm (they go for around $375 used) to put on a gimbal but now this Sigma lens is putting a damper in my camper.

My 20-60mm is gathering dust after using it once while I waited for the EF adapter. It was just too slow for me on the long end. If I ever switch to L mount lenses the 20mm end might be interested as long as its daylight.

 

On 2/24/2021 at 2:20 PM, noone said:

I used to lust for a lens like this but now I realise I would use it 90% of the time at the short end and the long end and it isn't wide enough really for me and it is slightly too short for me too.     24-60/70 would be more appealing.

I used to have the Sony FE kit lens and I actually did like that (I know most do not) and it was the right size for me for a lens like this and useful as a longer body cap when carrying other lens.

Now, if i DO get a lens like that it will be either the Tamron for the extra 5mm at the long end at a tiny increase in weight or the new 28-60 Sony kit lens or even the 24-70 f4 Sony Zeiss (another lens i like but many don't).

I thought the exact same thing when I read it. I really like 24mm on the wide end and I also really like F1.4 when there is no light or I'm shooting detail shots; so this lens is interesting but falls right outside of what I need both in speed and in FOV. Right now my favorite 3 lenses on my S5 are the Canon EF 24mm F2.8, the Canon 24-105mm F4.0 L, and the Sigma EF 50mm F1.4 prime. A lens like this almost replaces all of them....but falls short of each of them in some way. Now a 24-105mm F1.4 would absolutely replace all of them (I'd even take a 24-70 F2.0)....but it would then be way too big and heavy for gimbal work so back to square one.

[Lux Shots]

My Panny 24-105 f/4 stays glued to my S1H at least 90% of the time for video work. I also have the Sigma 35 f/1.4 and the lens is killer sharp, and a great full body photo lens, but it's speed is wasted on the video side because of the horrid autofocus not being good enough, even at f/8. I also have the Panny 20-60 that I kept when I sold my S5. It's a nice compact lens that gives me just enough to keep me from having to pull out my adapted (and optically bad) Sigma 12-24 f/3.5-5.6. 

Like everyone else here, the 28-70 checks a lot of boxes, but is not wide or long enough, though it's the perfect compromise from a speed perspective. I'd love a 24-105 f/2.8 to keep me at around ISO-6500 instead of the under exposed ISO-10000 I'm running now for reception video work, but there goes my wrist and my back running this on my gimbal. I may try and grab a used Sigma 24-70 f/2.8 for stills and manual video work, if I can find one around $750. Before I sold my S5, I used it on an adapted Canon 80-200 f/2.8 in manual focus mode for stills for weddings, and I'm definitely not looking forward to shooting this beastly lens on my S1 while the S1H rocks the 24-105, just too much damn weight!

[IronFilm]

14 hours ago, Marcio Kabke Pinheiro said:

The new lens is not in Camerasize yet, but even with the bigger Sigma 24-70, the size difference is not so much:

https://j.mp/2NGzUFd

The lens hood makes the difference seem bigger than it is. 

[MrSMW]

I've just ordered one and it arrives this next week!

Why?

Taken a few bookings recently for '22 jobs so the coffers have had a little top up. Still at least 4+ months from my wedding season getting going, if it even does this year, but...

I made a final decision to run with 2x S5's and not the pairing of an S1H with an S5.

There were pros and cons to both set ups but in the end I decided the S5 has enough for my needs and I prefer it's compact form. If only it had the S1H screen though...

I have my (used, courtesy of a member of this forum) 24-105mm f4 and it's a great lens, but... although it's not huge or heavy for what it is, it is larger and heavier than I'd like any lens to be and it's still f4 which at the longer end is not so bad, but at the wider, as someone who likes a shallow DOF, it's not quite right for me.

I'm keeping it though and it's going in the bag that stays in the back of the car and only comes out for specific purposes which will be certain commercial jobs and church weddings (very rare here in France) where I need something longer than everything else I have got.

So my main workhorses are going to be a pair of S5's (not buying the second body until I know my season is about to start, but I do have various marketing projects and styled shoots prior) with as principle lenses; this Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 on one body and the Sigma 65mm f2 on the other. Also buying that lens later when I actually need it.

Some crossover there surely with the 65 falling into the top end of the zoom?

Well I shoot 4k 50p for 90% of my work so actually the zoom lens is going to be used more like a 42mm at the wide end and 105mm on the long, ie, will be used as a 'twin prime' only at these equivalent focal lengths which is perfect as my needs are pretty much 50, 100 and occasionally 150 (which the 24-105 provides in APSC crop mode).

I do need something wider for just a couple of scenarios and that is covered with the 20mm of the kit lens.

My complimentary Sigma 45mm f2.8 becomes redundant in this mix but keeping the only other lens I have which is the Panny 85mm f1.8 as it's a '130mm' for low light indoor rare church weddings where I need a bit more reach, but kept in the same bag as the 24-105.

The bottom line in all this is when weddings actually do start back up, I will effectively be shooting 90% of all my work with a 40mm f2.8 on one hip (the zoom) and a 100mm f2 (the prime) on the other which is as close to my ideal as I can realistically get.

[John Matthews]

So Sigma's promoting this lens as a "family" lens? I'm sure it would do fine, but this system seems a little over-kill. I'd buy if I had an fp though.

[MrSMW]

I’ve seen quite a few reviews now with some fairly mixed results.

It seems that for Sony users (who are in the majority of maybe 10:1?) it’s a mixed bag. Something it seems (on the negative side) to do with the coding?

However, it’s a different story in L Mount land where it seems universally loved.

I should have received mine yesterday but it appears that despite stating on their website it was in stock, this was in fact not true and it’s ‘special order’.

Ah well, I’d prefer to have it ASAP so I can test and confirm 100% it is right for my needs as I expect it to be, but next shoot not until the 20th so some time yet for it to hopefully arrive. 

[MrSMW]

It's finally arrived.

First impressions, - I really like it, - the size and weight. On my S5 with Smallrig baseplate, it's a moderate weight (a good thing as in not too light) but compact set up and when I think back to my old DSLR Nikon D3S with 24-70mm f2.8... it's a huge amount smaller and lighter and far more capable for stills, never mind video.

1/8th mist going on and then I'll be putting it's through it's paces soon enough.

I can't at this stage see the 24-105mm f4 being here for much longer...

[Vintage Jimothy]

9 hours ago, MrSMW said:

It's finally arrived.

First impressions, - I really like it, - the size and weight. On my S5 with Smallrig baseplate, it's a moderate weight (a good thing as in not too light) but compact set up and when I think back to my old DSLR Nikon D3S with 24-70mm f2.8... it's a huge amount smaller and lighter and far more capable for stills, never mind video.

1/8th mist going on and then I'll be putting it's through it's paces soon enough.

I can't at this stage see the 24-105mm f4 being here for much longer...

How's the manual focusing? Is it linear and if so, how long is the focus throw?

[MrSMW]

I haven’t got that far with it yet...

My bread & butter is sunny outdoor weddings.

Yesterday it really clouded up but it’s in harsh and direct sunlight I need a camera and lens combo to work in all regards.

It’s my ‘yay or nay’ test as it were and if it works in those conditions, everything else is a given. 

Having said that, I have bought this lens for hybrid work but more towards the stills side...but then it could be my video go to in 4K 50p in APSC crop mode equivalent of 42-105mm (suits me perfectly as 50-100 is my ideal focal length for my work) paired with the 24-105mm f4 shooting purely FF stills on another body.

I like my stills & video to having matching focal lengths for most of what I produce!

I’m not sure whether I like F4 for stills however...but DOF equivalent to my old Fuji XT3 and 16-55mm f2.8 so...

[omega1978]

3 hours ago, MrSMW said:

I haven’t got that far with it yet...

My bread & butter is sunny outdoor weddings.

Yesterday it really clouded up but it’s in harsh and direct sunlight I need a camera and lens combo to work in all regards.

It’s my ‘yay or nay’ test as it were and if it works in those conditions, everything else is a given. 

Having said that, I have bought this lens for hybrid work but more towards the stills side...but then it could be my video go to in 4K 50p in APSC crop mode equivalent of 42-105mm (suits me perfectly as 50-100 is my ideal focal length for my work) paired with the 24-105mm f4 shooting purely FF stills on another body.

I like my stills & video to having matching focal lengths for most of what I produce!

I’m not sure whether I like F4 for stills however...but DOF equivalent to my old Fuji XT3 and 16-55mm f2.8 so...

How is the performance in AFC with face detect ?

[MrSMW]

3 hours ago, omega1978 said:

How is the performance in AFC with face detect ?

That's the main thing I have been testing this morning despite it being less than 5% of my needs on any job.

The short answer is as 'good'...or as bad as any native Panasonic lens.

That is actually a result in my book as the two previous Sigma lenses I have tried with the S5 have been less than stellar.

I'm actually looking at the Sigma 65mm f2 being my main video lens with this 28-70 being more for stills, but it will pull video duty also on every job, just maybe 20-25% overall.

I've tried it in both stills and video.

Nice bokeh/out of focus rendering, stills and vid.

Stills with the S5 are a given. AF just is not even a thought, - it just works. 

Fairly static subject video such as people chatting, bride having makeup put on, a couple canoodling etc, is pretty 'good' using AF & face tracking.

As always with the S5 and anything Panasonic S flavoured, it's really only with forward (and backwards) motion it can become unfocused!

As with every/any bit of kit, I will never be 100% confident in it until I have shot it at multiple weddings, the ultimate real world test for any bit of kit!

To conclude, for my use case, so far it's a big thumbs up.

[omega1978]

1 hour ago, MrSMW said:

That's the main thing I have been testing this morning despite it being less than 5% of my needs on any job.

The short answer is as 'good'...or as bad as any native Panasonic lens.

That is actually a result in my book as the two previous Sigma lenses I have tried with the S5 have been less than stellar.

I'm actually looking at the Sigma 65mm f2 being my main video lens with this 28-70 being more for stills, but it will pull video duty also on every job, just maybe 20-25% overall.

I've tried it in both stills and video.

Nice bokeh/out of focus rendering, stills and vid.

Stills with the S5 are a given. AF just is not even a thought, - it just works. 

Fairly static subject video such as people chatting, bride having makeup put on, a couple canoodling etc, is pretty 'good' using AF & face tracking.

As always with the S5 and anything Panasonic S flavoured, it's really only with forward (and backwards) motion it can become unfocused!

As with every/any bit of kit, I will never be 100% confident in it until I have shot it at multiple weddings, the ultimate real world test for any bit of kit!

To conclude, for my use case, so far it's a big thumbs up.

Thank you, thats the problem with DFD in video, but i had problem also with stills. You will never know if works or not. Today i have made another test with the C70 speedboosted and Canon lenses( i have a lot of them 😉 )and AF is very reliable and smooth...

[MrSMW]

57 minutes ago, omega1978 said:

but i had problem also with stills

I'm surprised about that. S5 or other S1?

I have zero experience of anything DFD other than the S5 but for stills, it's just nailed it every time for me.

Yes, there's the odd miss if someone really runs at you and zig zags, but that's not a requirement for me.

I've only shot around 500-1000 frames on it and I think it...or I, missed focus maybe twice. A far higher hit rate than my old Fuji XT3 that was no slouch.

But then I saw one test a few months ago from a Polish (I think) guy in the UK called Pav and he back to back tested the Panasonic 85mm f1.8 against the Sigma 85mm f1.4 (the new one).

In his test, the Sigma was better than the Panasonic for stills, but the situation was reversed for video!

 

[omega1978]

2 hours ago, MrSMW said:

Yes, there's the odd miss if someone really runs at you and zig zags, but that's not a requirement for me.

With S1.
Right, never nail focus in shooting my kids or in the single weeding i made as photograph was a big hit and miss in run and gun...

[MrSMW]

12 hours ago, omega1978 said:

With S1.

Was this prior to the firmware upgrade that brought the AF up to the level of the S5?

[omega1978]

7 hours ago, MrSMW said:

Was this prior to the firmware upgrade that brought the AF up to the level of the S5?

the wedding yes and with MC21 and 24-70 G2. But after firmware with 24-105 in moving situation is not as good as my A6400 ...

[Trek of Joy]

On 2/24/2021 at 10:04 AM, newfoundmass said:

This is an interesting lens but I hope it's properly weather sealed, as I've read a lot of people complain about dust getting into their 24-70mm Art lenses from e-mount and L-mount. 

I'm one of those that had issues with the 24-70, an early copy was an absolute dust vac so I sold it. I bought another at the end of last year when it went on sale for $899, after a few months of heavy use all outdoors (I don't shoot inside ever LOL!) its still 100% clean inside. Pic is the old lens, all the specks are dust UNDER the front element. There's a YT video showing its pretty easy to pop out the front element, I opted to ditch the dusty copy. IMO the sealing was quietly improved without acknowledging the defect to avoid a recall outcry.

Chris

[andrgl]

I’m glad at least sigma is pushing the envelope.

Wasn’t the whole point of short flange distances to make lenses like this?

Maybe this will put pressure on Sony to reduce the weight and size of their zooms. They still seem to be about identical to the a-mount stuff.

[XNYC]

Some lenses to be recalled due to "ghosting"???

[MrSMW]

I ain’t ‘fraid of no ghost.

But I will check my serial number later though...