Just received my Sigma 18-35mm 1.8 Art in the mail!

[Tinderbox (UK)]

Nice Review

John.

 

[hamlet]

Now all you need is a d7100/d7200. Try and sell that d5200 when you can, with every new generation it will be severely devalued. Right now, nobody even gives a second look to the d3100, unless they are cash strapped.

Unfortunately, stores are still selling d3100 kits !! --> Nikon D3100 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55... : Target

I wonder if this is new manufactured inventory, or shelved - unsold inventory.

This example is too expensive because it is new and it comes with the d3200 vr lens.


I just want to make an edit: i'm wrong about the vr lens. Seems it came out way before the d3200.

 

[PaulWog]

Itching to use this lens and I might not get to today. And tomorrow, Saturday, I might be busy too. This is such a grind getting to a day I can just head out during daylight hours.

 

[PaulWog]

Sounds like a dumb question but is it normal for the focus ring to jiggle just a little bit.

I was doing focus pulls back and forth today, and my mic (and ears) picked up on just a little bit of a very slight, very faint jiggle noise. When I switch from focusing near versus far (specifically the manual focus ring, nothing to do with autofocus), there's a small amount of play room before the focus ring turns the other way (just a hair, but enough to make a noise if I am focusing out and then immediately begin to focus back in, I get a tiny click noise as the manual focus switches from clockwise to counterclockwise rotation, or vice-versa). If I do a slow focus pull out and then back in, I don't get a jiggle noise. If I sit here with my lens and just apply slight pressure back and forth on the focus ring, there's a hair of jiggle room that I can hear/feel, but it's very very very slight. Just curious if a focus ring should not have this at all, or if this is anything to worry about :-/

 

[Parker219]

^ That doesn't happen with my copy. I just tried it to make a noise...any noise, and I couldn't. Its solid. My first thought, is that if it doesn't affect...effect...affect....the performance, I wouldn't worry about it.

I am awaiting your first serious photos with the lens. =-)

 

[PaulWog]

^ That doesn't happen with my copy. I just tried it to make a noise...any noise, and I couldn't. Its solid. My first thought, is that if it doesn't affect...effect...affect....the performance, I wouldn't worry about it.

I am awaiting your first serious photos with the lens. =-)

I hate imperfection!

Oh well.

Yes, maybe today will be the day to get some shots. I don't know if I'm heading anywhere though, so it might be a more 'serious test shot' day. Ugh. It has been an uneventful week.

 

[PaulWog]

I took the 18-35mm f1.8 out today... to the back yard!!! Oh ya. Exciting new terrain to explore. :er:

I indeed intend to post a series of pictures and a full review in a new thread, but here's some additional pros and cons I found with it:

Pro:
- f1.8 is great, f2.8 is excellent, f3.2 is peaked performance. All apertures are good.
- colors are really important, they're rendered well
- bokeh rendering is good, as mentioned before, but also good in my backyard where the terrible shifts from dark to light and greenery background makes for awkward background to serve as bokeh
- sigma has the nicest looking lens design currently with their Art series... my 10-20 f4-5.6 looks pretty similar so it fits right in alongside the 18-35 if I were playing lens dress-up on my camera... but the point is the design looks nice (my dad seems to specifically like the sigma art design & he has no knowledge of cameras, he just seems to like the look better without me even bringing it up he pointed it out)

Con:
- focus is a tad bit finnicky, good enough, but it needs some adjustment... it's good enough that I would call it good out of the box though
- partly might be my d5200, but AF-S occasionally will lock onto a target, I'll begin to recompose immediately, and then I'll find out focus refocusses... kind of weird... never had that happen on another lens... I haven't gone out shooting enough with the lens yet, but getting consistent and reliable focus hopefully won't be an issue (I haven't run into the same 'nightmare' issues others have)
- as mentioned above, little play on the focus ring... I can live with it, I'm not a videographer... honestly, for a photographer, this focus ring is too big, would be nice if it was smaller (by like, a lot). Or if it could be locked entirely so it won't spin

 

[PaulWog]

Here are a couple technical shots. Still itching to take the lens out for the first time.

Here's an example of sharpness at f1.8, 18mm



Macro (focused as close as I could, f1.8, 35mm, chose a regular soda can so scale is easy to identify):

 

[Vince.1551]

Looks really good


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[greybeard]

Here are a couple technical shots. Still itching to take the lens out for the first time.

Here's an example of sharpness at f1.8, 18mm

View attachment 83813View attachment 83814

Macro (focused as close as I could, f1.8, 35mm, chose a regular soda can so scale is easy to identify):

View attachment 83815

looks very good at f/1.8, what is the dogs name?

 

[hamlet]

Here are a couple technical shots. Still itching to take the lens out for the first time.

Here's an example of sharpness at f1.8, 18mm

View attachment 83813View attachment 83814

Macro (focused as close as I could, f1.8, 35mm, chose a regular soda can so scale is easy to identify):

View attachment 83815

There's the next sony award winning photo. Really great quality performance from the lens.

 

[PaulWog]

He's Eddie. Or Edward. I think he may legally be called Sir Edward. Other names include Special Ed, Ed, Eddifer, EddieEddieEddie!, and Dumbass.

 

[PaulWog]

Here's another from my test shots to show the sharpness and overall good color rendition. The photo is edited for optimum sharpness through Lightroom:

The test shot, f1.8, ISO 200:


Cropping in to 1/9 of the frame:


Cropped into 1/9 of 1/9 of the frame at two different parts:

 

[Michel88]

Now all you need is a d7100/d7200. Try and sell that d5200 when you can, with every new generation it will be severely devalued. Right now, nobody even gives a second look to the d3100, unless they are cash strapped.

Unfortunately, stores are still selling d3100 kits !! --> Nikon D3100 14.2MP Digital SLR Camera with 18-55... : Target

I wonder if this is new manufactured inventory, or shelved - unsold inventory.

NOS. New Old Stock sales are HUGE for Nikon. A while back, a three-generations back, discounted 3xxx series was Nikon's top selling camera, according to an article I read, I think from Thom Hogan, who is a real Nikon expert and Nikon-watcher. the PRICES are just soooo low, that it makes those older bodies paired with a low-cost kit zoom seem like such an attractive proposition to the casual consumer, or to young people who just want "a good camera, better than a point and shoot, and better than my phone." These are also attractive as GIFT purchased, for dad and grads and wedding presents and so on.

Back to the 18-35 f/1.8--congratulations, Paul!!! High-end zoom specs! There really is NO other zoom like that one on the market. The sheer speed! F/One-point-eight!!! In a zoom! From 18 to 35mm...unprecedented!

I bought my D3100 about 2 years ago. 24 at the time, being an intern, so it is a great entry level camera to see whether you like doing some real photography or not without having to do much of an investment..