Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras: Customer Reviews & Product Details

Pros:
Center and large aperture performance
Standard field of view for APS-C cameras
Build quality
Value

Cons:
Poor corner performance

Bottom Line: This lens is the perfect focal length for APS-C. A 35mm lens on APS-C always seems not quite wide enough, and 28mm a little too wide. This Sigma at 30mm (I measured it at 31mm) fits nicely in between. It offers a large aperture for available light shooting, with excellent center performance wide open. If the corners were better it would be perfect.

I am using this lens for Pentax mount on my K-7 (note: the review page doesn't distinguish between lens mounts for this item). Focus has been extremely accurate, even wide open. I have no issue using any of the focus points. I don't know if I was lucky and received a good sample or if the Pentax K-7's special focus sensor that adjusts focus accordingly to light type (tungsten, daylight, etc) makes an improvement, all I know is that it works well.

For the Pentax mount the lens is screw drive and not HSM. The downside is it doesn't offer full time manual/quick shift like other HSM lenses, and the focus ring turns during AF operation. There is no manual/auto selector for Pentax mount like the image shows.

Corner performance is acceptable for portraiture work and anything where corner sharpness is not critical. One of the strengths of this lens is that it is good wide open, and rarely do you need excellent corner performance with the thin depth of field at f/1.4.

In Pentax mount, there is also the SMCP 31mm f/1.8 Limited lens, which is certainly an optically superior lens at the corners, but comes in at nearly 3 times the price. I would recommend this Sigma 30mm for those on a smaller budget. I think some of the online reviews are overly harsh on this lens, as they are looking primarily at test chart data and not images produced with the lens. I recommend this lens, and wish Canon and Nikon made something similar.

the auto focus is snappy. i'm very pleased with the pictures produced with this lens. I would recommend you buy this product.

There are plenty of reviews about image quality so I won't repeat them here, suffice it to say I am happy with this lens.

What did please me was that it came with a hood and an excellent zip-up case that is well padded. I find it hard to part with money for Canon lenses that do not include these inexpensive accessories that cost them less than a couple of dollars to manufacture.
I'm pleased I bought this Sigma lens and recommend it to others!

I really wanted to replace the plastic 50mm 1.8 with something a little faster with a wider focal length. I own a 50d and found that the 30mm focal length was just about perfect for taking indoor pictures of my 1 year old. I struggled for a long time over getting this lens or going for broke and getting the Canon 35mm 1.4. I've read tons of reviews, test charts, and compared direct images from both lenses. From what I found the two lenses are more similar than they are different and the only thing keeping me from getting the Sigma 30mm was all of the focusing issues I kept reading about. Finally I decided to get the lens, here are my thoughts about it below.

Pros:
- Very nice build quality
- Fast, quiet focusing
- Manual Focus override
- $1000 cheaper than the Canon 35 1.4
- Sharp in the center at 1.4 and decent in the corners, super sharp from corner to corner by 2.8.
- 1.4 at 30mm on a crop is so great. I can take pictures indoors without a flash.

Cons:
- All of the focusing comments about this lens are completely true. The copy I got of this lens front focused like crazy. I took around 1000 pics with it and about 50 were in focus. After dialing in +13 micro focus compensation on my 50d this lens focuses perfectly.
- This is a very minor complaint but the manual focusing ring is pretty stiff. I've gotten used to it but it's much stiffer than the 70-200 f4 Canon I own.
- Another minor complaint for the pixel peepers out there. This lens has quite a bit of purple fringing at 1.4 if you're looking at your pics at 100% detail.
- Minimum focus distance is 15.7 inches, a little longer than the Canon 35 1.4 which focuses at 12 inches.

Summary:
I really like this lens but I wouldn't buy it unless I had a camera with the ability to micro adjust. If you've got a 50d or higher than it's probably a safe buy. Once I adjusted the focus on my camera I can honestly say that the pictures that come out of this lens are truly special. Even wide open at 1.4, the pictures of my son are sharp with great colors and contrast. If you own a camera that doesn't have micro focus capabilities than you better be a patient person that's willing to trade out 3 or 4 lenses to get one that focuses properly.

WIth hundreds of reviews already, I'll try not to be too redundant. Fast, low light performance. Nice bokeh. Most of the reviews cover the variations between the different camera's that this lens is made for. I've used this lens on the Canon Rebel XT 8MP, and the Canon EOS 50D. The main reason for purchase was the APS-C (Crop Sensor) requires you to step back quite a bit when trying to capture wide shots. I was looking to regain the more normal view of prior film based 50mm lenses that I was so happy with in the past. This is particularly fantastic bokeh if that is the effect you are after. As others have mentioned the thin depth of field can be your best friend or your worst enemy.
My purpose for sharing this review is to aid the people looking for that better indoor lens for low light action. Most school gymnasiums have terrible lighting for photography. This lens captures action quite nimbly. It is also great for portraits that you have composed properly with regard to the sharp and soft portions of the frame. I've found great difficulty keeping shots crisp enough when shooting without a tripod, especially with group shots, so you'll have to make that determination for yourself. F2.0 and above gives sharp shots. Corners usually require some post work unless you have enough light to suit a F4.0 at 400 ISO. There is a learning curve with this lens. It can deliver, but it requires time and patience to get the most of it. It is an excellent addition to a series of prime lenses, but if you are trying to find a versatile, do it all lens for shots that you can zoom with your feet, you may find yourself better served by the Canon 50mm 1.4 or even the 50mm 1.8 lens. Having all of these lenses I've found that I rarely use my 30mm lens. The 50mm is versatile enough in most instances. What is even more surprising is that the 50mm is actually cheaper. If you would like to see a fantastic comparison of lens sharpness between various lenses and camera bodies, you may find this link very useful.

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Bryan Carnathan's in depth reviews and real world samples are extremely helpful when trying to decide if a particular lens made for canon is right for you. This guy takes great pictures with any lens though. The lens charts are really amazing although you do have to consider the variations in lenses that anyone of us may actually receive. He'll tell you if he had to send it back and try again with any lenses that are not performing properly right out of the box.

Bottom line, know why you want 30mm, and if that will suit your purpose for the $400 plus dollars. You may find that your dollars could be better applied toward a more expensive L zoom, or just better spent on a similarly priced prime of equal or close focal range. Either way, make sure you get a good filter to help limit internal condensation that will form on the back of the front glass on these non weather proofed lenses. I've had both these lenses factory serviced for internal spots due to condensation. That was when I realized I had better get a good filter.