![]() ![]() Oh, and one more quote for people who in my boat:Īt first this may seem like an odd comparison, but the more I think about it the harder this choice becomes. Regardless of what conclusion we draw from this, it seems this is a great problem to have- who can't wait for more exciting gear? I sure can't. The comparison tools weren't perfect (different camera sensor, no 1.8 test setting for the 35mm prime), but from the looks of it, the 35 prime is alot sharper in the center near wide-open with the corners looking similar: While there are some compromises with the large size and somewhat limited range for a zoom lens, the Sigma 35mm f/1.8 HSM lens is by far one of the most amazing zoom lenses around. Also, if you find yourself shooting indoors in tight spaces and frequently use this focal range, the Sigma should be your top choice. If you were considering the Sigma 35mm f/1.4, 30mm 1.4, or a Canon/Nikon alternative, I would seriously consider the Sigma 18-35 as the flexible range more than makes up for the lost 2/3 stops of aperture. However, this is not quite ‘cheap’, especially for an APS-C camera and the zoom range is somewhat limited. Is it worth it? Absolutely the Sigma 18-35mm f1.8 is worth every penny bringing top of the line build quality, amazingly wide apertures, zoom abilities, and fast autofocus for only $799. The big question is ‘Should I Buy This’ and that is somewhat of a tough question. And with every year that passes, I become less interested in what setup is the absolute champion on paper, and more excited about which setup is smaller, lighter, affordable, and yet still sharp and detailed enough to make big prints. ![]() The bottom line, to me, is that sensor technology has improved quite a lot over the past few years, and nowadays a crop sensor is really all I need for a lot of the casual / outdoor photography that I do. And that way, any way you slice it, full-frame becomes more expensive than crop-sensors by $1,000-$3,000 or more. However what most “FF fanboys” fail to do is, compare the entire system and overall long-term costs. Indeed, the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 at $799 is not cheap, and you can probably buy 2-3 equivalent full-frame primes for the same price- Nikon’s 28mm f/1.8 G and 50mm f/1.8 G would set you back about $800, for example, if you took advantage of one of Nikon’s common rebates. You need to compare the systems as a whole. I n my opinion however it is not fair to simply compare a single full-frame camera with one lens, and a single crop-sensor camera with one lens. And of course if you throw an f/1.8 or f/1.4 prime on full-frame, you’re certainly going to achieve more shallow DOF and better low-light performance overall.Īt this point, the comparison becomes even more difficult. However, what about simply comparing the Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 against, say, a full-frame camera and 2-3 primes, or an f/2.8 zoom? The DOF (depth of field, aka background blur) on an f/2.8 zoom on full-frame is about the same as the DOF of an f/1.8 zoom on a crop-sensor. Sure, there are pretty slim pickings for crop-sensor primes, and if you’re planning on sticking with crop-sensor cameras then the Sigma will be reigning champion for many years to come. If you’re having trouble wrapping your head around this whole comparison, just remember: Barely ~10-15 years ago people were having this very same discussion about f/2.8 zooms versus f/2.8 primes- f/2.8 zooms were finally becoming sharp enough that f/2.8 primes were becoming obsolete. I work as a wedding photojournalist, and as far as mid-range lenses are concerned I would definitely rather have this Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 plus a more versatile zoom like the Nikon 16-85, instead of a single f/1.4 prime and a 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom. In this light, the Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 makes a whole lot of sense. Thus, we are left with 28mm f/1.8 primes (both Canon and Nikon make them) …and of course the 35mm f/1.8 and f/1.4 primes that are made specifically for crop-sensors. Next, the Canon / Nikon 24mm f/1.4‘s are very pricey full-frame lenses, so they are once again not very practical for a crop sensor shooter. There’s the Sigma 20mm f/1.8, but it is pretty old and quite soft wide open. This introduces a whole can of worms- Firstly, there simply is no 18mm f/1.8 crop-sensor prime available. ![]() And as such, there simply is no single lens on the market that can compare really you should be comparing the Sigma 18-35 against 2-3 primes. While you might be tempted to compare the 18-35mm to “regular” 17-55mm f/2.8 mid-range zooms on a crop-sensor, in my opinion the Sigma compares better with primes. As we already hinted a little bit, it’s hard to compare this lens to others because it goes in a completely new direction. ![]()
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