stuck aperture / 50mm 1.4 Sigma

2WheelPhoto · Feb 5, 2012

Wow as some of you know I bought my 1st non-Nikkor lens, the 50mm Sigma. I was in the studio today and found my aperture won't go past f/16. I was like WTF.

So a pro with the same lens suggested a turn the cam on and off. Another had me turn the cam off, pop the lens off, and pop it back on. Then we took the lens off and check the little moving tab on the inside of the lens where it connects to the body, it works smoothly and springs back into place.

So I pop the 24-70 Nikkor on my cam it goes to f/22, the birds start singing and the sun comes out even the flowers start blooming.

Is there anything else I can check before I get upset, calll BHPHOTO for an RMA # and NEVER EVER use a Sigma lens on anything i own again?

Thanks for any tips that may be worth trying.

o hey tyler · Feb 5, 2012

50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM - Standard Prime Lenses - SigmaPhoto.com

Look on the left hand side of the page. Minimum aperture.

o hey tyler · Feb 5, 2012

Might also insert a facepalm in there while you're at it.

2WheelPhoto · Feb 5, 2012

WOW thanks Tyler. I think this one is going back.

No face palm, I didn't ssupect it'd be that limited, nor did anyone else and some of them have that lens (according to them)

OK wait I'll suck-up a facepalm...you're 100% right

o hey tyler · Feb 5, 2012

You're sending the lens back because you can't go to f/22?

nickzou · Feb 5, 2012

wtf I'm pretty sure most modern 50's only go to f/16... Both the AF-D and the AF-S only stop down to f/16.

2WheelPhoto · Feb 5, 2012

Yes Tyler I may send it back. The lights in the studio were at half power as usual, everyone was shooting on them and my Nikon was blowing it out at iso 200.

My 24-70 never had that trouble on the same lights/same settings (cuz i went to f18 when needed).

I don't need the f1.4, in the studio we don't ever go that low inside for any reason anyway. Just my 24-70 was frustrating the hell out of me when the others had the tiny 50 primes.

Yeah Nick 1st thing I did was look at the other 50 primes. Seems they all open more (1.4) but don't shut as much. Life of me being a nooB student, i had no idea and have been humbled.

Bossy · Feb 5, 2012

I can't imagine needing or wanting to stop down further than 1/16 in studio. The backdrop post-work alone would be awful. Why didn't you lower your ISO or raise your shutter speed?

2WheelPhoto · Feb 5, 2012

Bossy said:
I can't imagine needing or wanting to stop down further than 1/16 in studio. The backdrop post-work alone would be awful. Why didn't you lower your ISO or raise your shutter speed?

ISO was as low as it goes on my Nikon (200 on my D700). Shutter speed - irrelevant in the studio, stays above 160ish to kill ambient.

Back drop "post"? We had the back drop and lighting we wanted it wasn't about prepping for a post.

And i'm a humbled college photo student/hobbyist, I don't understand such things.

Bossy · Feb 5, 2012

Shutter speed isn't completely irrelevent in the studio, there's a max and a min. I usually shoot between 1/100 and 1/250 depending. Power down your strobes if you're still blowing out at 1/160 and F16. And at F16, you're going to have a much deeper DOF, which means your backdrop isn't going to fade out, which is what *I* usually shoot for. Obviously thats a personal thing though.
ETA- Post work, post processing, to get out wrinkles or a shoe mark or basically just not have the backdrop in focus.

Destin · Feb 5, 2012

Shooting at f/16 you'll start to lose sharpness just as if you were shooting wide open. The lens's sweet spot generally falls between f/8 and f/11.

Shooting in studio, you should be setting the power of the lights to work with the aperture you wish to use. It sounds like you're setting the aperture to compensate for the lights. Why compromise when shooting in a studio? Isn't the whole point of studio work to be able to control all aspects of your lighting and camera settings? Just set the aperture to f/11 and dial the lights in to achieve your desired exposure.

Josh66 · Feb 5, 2012

nickzou said:
wtf I'm pretty sure most modern 50's only go to f/16... Both the AF-D and the AF-S only stop down to f/16.

Wow, really? I don't think I have ever used any lens, modern or otherwise, in any mount, in any format that only stopped down to f/16...

Destin said:
Shooting at f/16 you'll start to lose sharpness just as if you were shooting wide open. The lens's sweet spot generally falls between f/8 and f/11.

So let's just make all 50mm lenses stop at f/11, since even that is more than you need in a studio, and everybody knows that 50mm's are only used in the studio...

f/16? Really? That seems really large for a minimum aperture...

Markw · Feb 6, 2012

There's absolutely no reason to send the lens back, or be mad about "everyone else using their tiny 50 primes." I'm confused why you bought the $2k Nikkor 24-70, and the $500 Sigma 50/1.4 if you don't like using the 24-70, and the 50/1.4 isn't what you want. That being said, wouldn't the more simple thing be to turn the lights down? I mean, since they're at half power, set them to 1/4 power, and be at F/13. Or 1/8 power and be at F/9 (if I'm counting stops right from F/18 where you seem to want to be)? The Sigma 50/1.4 is a marvelous lens. Plenty for anyone looking for a 50/1.4. I, and many others, would say it's probably the best on the market. I wouldn't go condemning Sigma as a brand for making a marvelous lens..

Best of luck with your decision.
Mark