We need to keep in mind that cameras and lenses are getting so good now, you can't just dismiss the difference between the GM and the Sigma as 'not significant', as this is representative of the level of improvement we're likely to see going forward; you guy's bought your RIV's for a reason, and that reason is visible in Fred's examples: to dismiss it seems to be a little self contradictory to me.
I don't think anyone is dismissing anything...it's just that it's not nearly as clear cut as you seem to make it out to be. The Sigma looks slightly better at 14mm across the frame to me. The Sony looks better at midframe at 18mm, and at center and midframe at 24mm....when wide open, and maybe a very slight advantage at f/4.
However, the Sigma is better at the edges in those scenarios. Does the Sony have more situations where it has an advantage? Maybe, but it all depends on what's important to you in a lens. And ultimately, I do not often require ultimate resolution at f/2.8 or f/4, so those slight tradeoff differences don't matter nearly as much to me as if there was a stark difference at f/8 or f/11. You dismiss these apertures since there's slight diffraction effects there, but the point is: how often do you shoot for cross-field sharpness with an ultra-wide at f/2.8? Astrophotography is pretty much it.
However, you also need to take into account cost, as well as width. If you need 12mm in your UWA zoom and want the best glass, then absolutely, the GM is the lens for you. If you don't need 12mm, I'm not seeing anywhere near enough of a difference here to justify over double the cost. We're talking a $1400 lens and a $3,000 lens, and they are trading blows, and where there are differences, they are generally extremely small.
It's about priorities here. $1,600 for a slight wide aperture lead in portions of the frame at some focal lengths is not exactly burning a hole in my pocket. And I can't recall taking an image with the 14-24 that left me saying 'aww, too bad that's not sharp.'
Aug 19, 2020 at 07:52 AM
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