LensTip has posted their Review and it is a glowing one. I consider them to be some of the toughest reviewers (check out their 50L or Nikon 58mm reviews for example) so this is quite an endorsement for the new Sigma.

Here's what they had to say:

Summary

Pros:

stylish casing of good quality,
sensational image quality in the frame centre,
very good image quality on the edge of the frame,
slight longitudinal chromatic aberration,
excellent correction of lateral chromatic aberration,
lowest distortion level in this class of equipment,
good correction of spherical aberration,
moderate astigmatism,
silent and quick autofocus in most of cases,
nice appearance of defocused images,
rich accessory kit,
excellent price/quality ratio.

Cons:

problems with autofocus when the lens is attached to the Canon 1 Ds MkIII,
coma level in the corners of full frame could have been lower.

The list of advantages of the tested Sigma is really impressive; add to it the fact that it can compete on equal terms with the Zeiss Otus, a device four times as expensive, and in some categories (e.g. sharpness on the frame edge, lateral chromatic aberration, distortion or vignetting) it even prevails over it. Those arguments are so strong that we didn’t have any qualms about giving the Sigma our “Editors Choice Award” badge, even though it had a slight coma slip-up during our test and its autofocus performance on the EOS 1 Ds MkIII was patchy.

whosjk said:

I will be shooting interior and exterior shots with a 70D and 10-22mm lens in a couple of days. I used to shoot real estate photography almost a decade ago - I haven't touched a Canon since. I'm trying to prep myself on the 70D which I just got my hands on literally an hour ago. I have the 10-22mm for real estate shots and the 24-105L for everything else including the video i'll need to be taking.

What is the suggested Program setting (Av, P, M, etc.) to shoot these type of real estate shots? I need a full, sharp photo across the entire image. All shots will be on a tripod with good lighting throughout.

Suggested aperture?
Suggested AF mode? AF area selection mode? Or is it best to manually focus when shooting real estate?

Any other suggestions that will help me produce quality shots?

Thank you in advance for your opinions!

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Not much has changed in RE photography since you did it 10 years ago. The biggest thing that has changed is the industry, there’s a dichotomy between Run n Gun and “architectural photography” that pride themselves on producing quality images. Both have their niche, but I can’t really speak to the former.

Shoot in full manual, right down to the AF. f/8 if you can get away with it, but bump it up if needed to get everything in focus. Shooting ultrawide it’s usually not too much of an issue. Some people love HDR, other lighting. Myself the latter, but I always take a set of HDR for backup/post work. Don’t do it in-camera. I’d shoot at ISO 400ish to lessen the load on my flashes except for the HDR shots (ISO 100). My final image is usually a composite of an HDR (lightly done, in Photomatix – I wouldn’t use in-camera), blended in manually with a properly exposed and lit shot, and I usually do some hand touch-up lightening areas with a high-key shot. But it’s a time consuming process. I know people who drop the tripod, in-camera HDR, DL to Lightroom (now on iPad) and they’re off to the next room before I even have my lights setup. It works for them, just not work I care for. YMMV.

I had the Canon 10-22 and used it on a 50d and 7d. I now use FF and a 16-35. The 10-22 is a great lens. I would just go ahead and get it, you will be glad you did.

Just to add to the conversation -- I have a 1Ds II that I use strictly for landscape and doing time lapse. I bought it used for way less than $1K with only a 20K shutter count. It is rated at 200K so there was a lot of life left in it. Time lapse consumes a ton of pictures every time out, and once the shot is focused, and the exposure is set (all manual mode) there is not much more to do than wait and let the camera bang them out. Using the 1Ds in this fashion takes the load off of my other cameras. The thing is, the 1Ds when coupled with a great lens takes excellent pictures. They are definitely good enough for a time lapse sequence.

Camera sales really off compared to 2012, 2013 except CSC in Europe.

Thank your for all the advice going to look into this all now, by the way the umbrella has to be all the way in to lock with that adapter i also tried to move it further out but its not secure !

Any news about this lens ??!!
C'mon Canon - you Can do it.
Please

ksagomonyants said:

Is that just the random price or you actually saw these lenses on sale that cheap?
In regard to your question, my vote goes for 85 1.2ii, but you need to decide which focal length you use more. So people don't like 85mm, others don't like 135mm.

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The prices are reflective of prices that I either have purchased before or are in the process of buying. I have some back channel methods for reducing my costs...

So for others... it is more expensive... for me...I'm more than happy with the price I wind up with.

Hi,
A toy effect as seen in the vimeo video can't be done with the Canon TS-E lenses. The effect of the TS-E 24mm, TS-E 45mm and even the TS-E 90mm is less strong. It's clearly visible in the video that different focal lengths were used and the toy effect applied in post production. The transion between the sharp and the blurred parts is not smooth enough and both blurred parts of the frame look identically blurred, which is normally not the case with a TS-E lens.

BTW, the use of a large aperture already helps a lot to achieve such a effect.

neuroanatomist said:

Of if you prefer, check out Amazon's Top Rated list to see what people think of the cameras they've bought.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/top-rated/photo/3017941/ref=zg_bs_tab_t_tr

The Top 20 are all Canon. The 5DIII tops the list, and there are no Nikon FF cameras in the Top 100.

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How did you see this? At least three Nikon have ratings of 4.9 or higher and belong in the top 20 - actually at the very top when I look at Amazon's customer ratings.

dilbert said:

Chisox2335 said:

dilbert said:

Chisox2335 said:

jdramirez said:

edwyun said:

lilmsmaggie said:

I too was looking at buying a new DSLR but not now. I just sold a 40D and T3i in anticipation of snagging a 6D or 5DMK III.

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Have you looked into Canon USA's refurbed units with 1 year factory warranty and 20% off MAP? 6Ds are available last time I checked.

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Call Canon and ask about they loyalty program. You send in an old film canon camera that you bought off craigslist for $10 (or I'll sell you one for $10), and they give you 20% off the refurb price. Not all bodies are available... but I think the mkiii and the 6d are now... but I havne't really checked in a while because I have my body and I hopefully won't be upgrading for many years now.

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Loyalty discount is only 10% on the 6D and 5D3. I called a couple months back. They also charge sales tax in all but 4 states I believe.

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So if you're in CA, it is refurb - 10% + 8.5% (varying), meaning a whole lot of pain to effectively get the advertised price without tax. Probably easier just to buy from some online ship in NY...

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You misunderstood. The refurb price is 20% off of map. Then you get 10% off of the refurb price.

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No, I didn't but you seemed to miss the point that once you take into account all of the local sales taxes, the 10% discount disappears pretty quickly to make it a questionable benefit. Do you also have to pay to ship the old camera back to Canon?

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You assume the New York stores have refurbs and are the same price. The 6D on b&h refurb is $1619 vs $1519 so after the 10% and sales tax you're over $100 better. Canon loyalty isn't always the best deal but at least it's an option.

From my conversation with canon the discount ranges from 10-30%

Sigma has really come far in a short time. I may actually buy one.

slclick said:

Bennymiata said:

Now that Sigma now Samyang, and will be calling the Samyang lenses their "Classic" series, I doubt we'll see any auto-focussing lenses from Samyang, and al their lenses will remain manual focussing.
Why would Sigma want another competitor?

As far as cine lenses go, Sigma don't really make any, so using Samyang as their vehicle to get into cine lenses seems a good idea.

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Wasn't that an April Fools?

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It was.

And the teaser photo is just a closeup of a lens they announced along the 10mm f2.8, which is the 8mm T3.1 II. If you read carefully Samyang's "announcement" of the teaser, they do not say they are going to announce a new lens. They are going to "release info on 28 April" about lenses that are coming. My guess is they are just building hype out of nothing, they are going to release info of a lens they already announced.

And about AF, they already stated that those were internet rumours and that they are not planning anything like that in the near future.

(I keep a really close eye on them. I've been waiting for the 50mm for years now.)

Thank you all for your thoughts on this topic. It opened up my eyes to the fact that lenses are not only made for sharpness but other qualities as well.

I still feel that if Canon has the 1.2 for 'dreamy' look, then it should also provide another lens for the people seeking the 'sharp' look.

Halfrack said:

Not to validate Ken, but the Canon 17-55 2.8 is almost an L in every way. The upside is there are lots of used 17-55 EF-S lenses out there, and getting them repaired is a known quantity. Sigma has improved dramatically, but if you're going to flip a lens after 6 months, better to stick with Canon. If you're going to keep and love it, Sigma is a solid choice.

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He recommended the 18-55, not the 17-55 if I remember correctly.

Chainshaw said:

I bought one for my wife. We put a 40mm pancake on it and she carries it everywhere! It really is a fantastic alternative to a point and shoot. She can drop it with the pancake in her pure and take along the 55-250STM and she is good to go.

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If her purse is like my wife's... I hope she puts it in a plastic bag.

400 ISO

Merzlak & Angels 5005 Easyriders 2014 © Keith Breazeal by Keith Breazeal Photography, on Flickr

I'm getting an Error 01 on my 28mm f/1.8. Has anyone else experience this?

After some detective work I think the aperture contact is faulty. Any guess on how much the mothership will charge to fix this?

To guarantee 9 times out if 10 no relevant shake I'd have to be around 1/140 or twice the focal length. I'd get some OK at 1/70, maybe 50%

The earlier advice to 'double tap' is good and does work. Inevitably it's the second frame that is sharper, I have no idea why.

The Steve Jobs reference simply implies that Sigma steals ideas from others and rebrands them as their own. Sigma needs to prove that they can consistently produce equal quality copies. Buying a lens should feel like playing the lottery.

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The Steve Jobs reference simply implies that there is evidence at Sigma of: leadership, focus, quality, design, cohesive brand architecture, and most importantly, passion.

Thanks a lot, within just a few post, you two gave me so much precious info on how to use what I already have as well as neat cues on where I could look for in terms of future gear acquisition. That is much appreciated.

Hi Gshocked
Case 2 and Case 4 are the closest to where I usually operate, but again, if I find I am struggling to stay on the birds, or getting lots of misses, then I will make an adjustment to one of the 3 parameters described in my original post, or the timing of AF, accessed via the AF 2 menu screen on the 5Dmk3.
I have not found one group of settings that works for all birds, against all backgrounds, in all light or with all lenses, but making adjustments is quick and easy.
If you can find somewhere with lots of flying bird subjects to practice on, it gets easier every time, and you will soon build a base of experience upon which to base your decisions with confidence.
Cheers
Grant

Being a power user of the Canon RT system, and having the Yongnuo YN-E3-RT (the ST-E3-RT clone) I would strongly advise you to not wait for another overpriced, under built, sub performing Yongnuo "clone". Get another Canon 600 and use it without issue for years, then sell it for almost the same money you bought it for.

I used to rent the ef 15 alot for events and weddings and loved it. I used the Sigma before and was not impressed with it's color and sharpness.

After struggling to find a new EF 15mm to own, I finally pissed my wallet off and got the 8--15mmL. The price is steep, but it's outstanding.

This looks to be another excellent lens by Sigma. But their inconsistency in copies totally scares me away from spending any serious money with them. Hopefully that reputation will eventually change. Until then. I'll side with consistency.