My first copy was equally sharp in both bottom corners and equally soft in the upper corners. I just got my second copy and it looks like it might be just a little softer in the upper right. I think I'm gonna try one more copy to see.
The first time I ran the Fred test on it I forgot to stop down and yes it was hard to discern the edges from the center other than the corner distortion.
TheEyesHaveIt wrote:
Where are you all getting your copies that don't require a 15% restocking fee / allow exchanges without hassle?
The right question is more like where are shopping that charges a restocking fee. No camera retailer I have done business with has ever asked for such a thing. All of them have a 30 day return privilege unless otherwise noted due to clearance pricing or something.
These filters were mainly used by videographers to create more of a filmic look, though serve photographers well as they can smooth tonal transitions, cause a bit of halation, raise blacks a bit whilst smoothing texture slightly whilst keeping sharpness.
If you don't want these effects on your images you wouldn't use the filters, of course, though I imagine if you're taking portrait photos with the GM (one of the likely scenarios at 1.4) then lowering contrast a bit and smoothing OOF areas may be more than acceptable. You could always increase contrast in post - or take off the filter. Due to the halation effect, light sources can bloom easily, so be careful with that on the higher strength filters unless you want that appearance. They can smooth skin texture a bit whilst preserving sharpness, it seems.
So, when I need a more "clinical" or digital appearance or with light sources near the frame I don't use a black pro mist filter, though for most other scenarios I do....Show more →
When I click on your first link it says "Topic 1698088 cannot be retrieved."
In every one of his comparisons with the GM and the Bigma, it always looks like he leaves EFC-S on with the Sigma and turns it off with the GM. Might just be my imagination, but I don't see bokeh truncation like that in any other Sigma reviews. And he's a Sony ambassador so it makes you wonder...
Mystik wrote:
The fact that the Sigma 35 F2 is even in the same conversation as the GM speaks to the value proposition, but I don't think anyone should expect the 35i wide open to outperform the 35GM stopped down in terms of both rendering and resolution. The two lenses aren't necessarily equivalent in spec or product positioning.....35i is more of a natural alternative to the likes of the FE 35 1.8, samyang 35 1.8 and it outperforms both of those lenses handedly. The priority for grabbing the 35i is wanting to go as compact as possible. Usually that involves compromises, and yet, it performs at a level that is very close to the GM despite being quite a bit smaller. ...Show more →
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I would already be the happy owner of the 35i if there weren't so many reports about so-so AF and if Sigma had decided to fully weather seal the lens.
My first lens ever I'm doing the corner test as linked earlier in the thread. Cropped to zoom in on chimney. Does my copy seems fine or should I worry?
weirdo021 wrote:
My first lens ever I'm doing the corner test as linked earlier in the thread. Cropped to zoom in on chimney. Does my copy seems fine or should I worry?
Also took one shot at infinity at 21feet/7m away from concrete wall at F1.4: Infinity
The chimney photos seem to me to be quite close, where depth of field comes into play so I'd try taking some from greater distance (that's my impression at least)...
So, the main issue, after a few weeks with 35 GM, I have currently is that ... it makes me question the need for other (at least close to standard) lenses . I've been completing my proverbial "kit" through the last 3 years and now most of the purchases seem like a waste of money .
I guess keeping the zooms on wide and long end makes sense, but since 35mm is my favorite focal length and I rarely get bored of it, I don't see myself reaching for 24-...-85(1xx?) often. I'll be trying the other new GM - 50mm to see if its rendering can lure me in enough to deal with the extra bulk and worse MFD...
Hmm, I don't really know then - hard to tell me from these photos to be sure (doesn't look too bad though).
weirdo021 wrote:
cropped the photos in Lightroom, they were taken some 150feet from the subject. I can post the none-cropped version if that helps a bit.
j4nu wrote:
So, the main issue, after a few weeks with 35 GM, I have currently is that ... it makes me question the need for other (at least close to standard) lenses . I've been completing my proverbial "kit" through the last 3 years and now most of the purchases seem like a waste of money .
I guess keeping the zooms on wide and long end makes sense, but since 35mm is my favorite focal length and I rarely get bored of it, I don't see myself reaching for 24-...-85(1xx?) often. I'll be trying the other new GM - 50mm to see if its rendering can lure me in enough to deal with the extra bulk and worse MFD... ...Show more →
If I am gapping, 24 is too close to 35 for me. So I use 21mm instead. I can use 21/35/85 as a kit for gapping. But that doesn't mean I still don't have the 50 option in there as well, because, well, it has its own look that I like.
Ideally at the end of the day it would be nice to have an f/2.8 zoom for ultrawide options, and an f/2.8 zoom at the longer end. And then if needed I could go UWA zoom/(35 or 50)/Tele-zoom.
But yeah, I had been really wanting the CV40 for example, but simply can't justify having that and the GM35. It's just too close and one will inevitably get left sitting on a shelf most of the time. While the 85 prime, for me, is so different from both 35 and the tele-zooms, that I couldn't imagine not having it in my kit.
I guess it is up to your personal preference, but I wouldn't sell the 85-ish focal length if I were you. Unless you get the 50GM and decide that is good enough for things like portraits
weirdo021 wrote:
My first lens ever I'm doing the corner test as linked earlier in the thread. Cropped to zoom in on chimney. Does my copy seems fine or should I worry?
Also took one shot at infinity at 21feet/7m away from concrete wall at F1.4: Infinity
Bottom left looks a bit softer than I would expect, not terrible. Maybe try again with a different subject, and try to fill the corner with something in an even plane of focus just to double check.
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