Review - Sigma 24-105mm f/4 DG OS

[AquaGeneral]

I must disagree about the Sigma having better looks than Canon. The Sigma 24-105 has a wildly small focusing ring and looks wise it just essentially coloured black-and-white. I haven't seen it in person, I guess the glossy finish may look very nice. Canon's 24-105, being made in 2005 holds up very well (looks wise I'm thinking about).

Anyway, I am happy to see competition in the lens market. Canon really needs a good push when it comes to replacing their older lenses - such as their 35mm f/1.4 which is priced far higher and performs far worse than the competition.

 

[JVLphoto]

Hi,

Thanks for taking the time and effort to review this lens.
If people don't like your review maybe they can do one themselves....


I've had sigma lenses before and maybe these new "Art" designated lenses are higher quality than the last generation.
However, if my Canon 24-105 lens needs to be replaced, I think I'll stick to a Canon. My previous lens was a 17-70mm and I had to replace it twice to get one that was on the money.

Sigma's new lenses do look great but the ultimate question in my head is can they back it up with robust product that continually performs in its lifetime.

Excellent point, where I know buying a Canon L lens will last me a "lifetime" (this varies these days) I haven't met a Sigma that holds the same standard. But they say the standards have changed. I'm going into year 2 with the 35mm prime which, admitedly, will see less wear and tear than a zoom.

I'd like to see their 70-200 updated, I had a friend whose lens fell apart as they were shooting because the plastic screws used inside just gave up. And that's the kind of reputation Sigma has to work hard to dispel.

 

[tron]

Hi,

Thanks for taking the time and effort to review this lens.
If people don't like your review maybe they can do one themselves....


I've had sigma lenses before and maybe these new "Art" designated lenses are higher quality than the last generation.
However, if my Canon 24-105 lens needs to be replaced, I think I'll stick to a Canon. My previous lens was a 17-70mm and I had to replace it twice to get one that was on the money.

Sigma's new lenses do look great but the ultimate question in my head is can they back it up with robust product that continually performs in its lifetime.

Excellent point, where I know buying a Canon L lens will last me a "lifetime" (this varies these days) I haven't met a Sigma that holds the same standard. But they say the standards have changed. I'm going into year 2 with the 35mm prime which, admitedly, will see less wear and tear than a zoom.

I'd like to see their 70-200 updated, I had a friend whose lens fell apart as they were shooting because the plastic screws used inside just gave up. And that's the kind of reputation Sigma has to work hard to dispel.

;D ;D ;D I guess I was correct to get rid of my Sigma lenses (a 14 f/3.5 and a 400 APO). From now on it's only Canon (plus a Zeiss 21mm lens)

P.S Have you taken a picture of your friend's face the ... decisive moment? ;D (In the highly unlikely case that the answer is "yes" I just hope it was with a Canon lens ;D )

 

[captainkanji]

The Canon 24-105 is a fine lens. If it ever breaks on me, I could see getting the Sigma, although, I might think about getting a 24-70 f/4 or 2.8 instead (2.8 zooms are a bit pricey for me right now). I've started shooting more with primes, so I really only use the 24-105 for when I'm being lazy. Kudos to Sigma. Looking forward to the coming war of the 50 1.4s

 

[Zv]

I experienced some Sigma focus shift today in fact. I was a bit perplexed when I was using LV to manually focus the 50mm at f/4, and when I took the shot it was slightly off. The 24-105L didn't have this issue. Is this due to the fact that when focusing the aperture is wide open at f/1.4 on the Siggy and f/4 on the Canon? That is kinda useless then if using LV. Makes AF accuracy even more important.

It has to do with the lens design, not the max aperture (although when focus shift affects a lens, it's usually more evident with a faster lens). AF is always done wide open - the thing about focus shift is that the lens is the shift occurs when the lens is stopped down, which happens after AF is complete. It doesn't matter if focus is live view or phase detect, the problem is there. In live view, you can hold the DoF preview button and focus manually to avoid the issue.

Ah, thanks I'll try the Dof preview button next time.

 

[Rienzphotoz]

I had a friend whose lens fell apart as they were shooting because the plastic screws used inside just gave up. And that's the kind of reputation Sigma has to work hard to dispel.

Your friend's experience is unfortunate ... but Sigma's reputation was mostly about AF and soft focus issues, not really about build quality. In the past when people bought Sigma lens at half the price of a Canon/Nikon lens, they knew they weren't buying the same build quality as Canon ... I've used several Sigma lenses over the past 15 or so years, they never fell apart like what happened to your friend's lens (btw, I am not disputing what happened to your friend's lens, but merely stating that build quality issues like lenses falling apart due to plastic screws giving up, are not generally associated with Sigma lenses).

 

[photo212]

Some of us want a lens we can know will perform in the rain and snow. Is this as weather resistant as Canon's L-series lenses? Can this lens go to the windy beach and not get clogged with sand? I've had Canon's 24-105mm f/4L IS in all sorts of conditions, and I have not thought twice about it. Dumb luck or specs, I do not know.

Is there a reliable rating system for such a question?

Hey, no weather sealing, not to mention the double-barrel zoom makes an extra area "exposed" for potential element influx. I don't think Sigma has an "All weather" rating, and neither does Canon (not even all the white L lenses are weather sealed).

"Moreover, with dust- and moisture-resistant construction"
http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/ef_lens_lineup/ef_24_105mm_f_4l_is_usm

Perhaps not the sealing for a downpour or sandblast, but still tight and "resistant"

 

[JVLphoto]

I had a friend whose lens fell apart as they were shooting because the plastic screws used inside just gave up. And that's the kind of reputation Sigma has to work hard to dispel.

Your friend's experience is unfortunate ... but Sigma's reputation was mostly about AF and soft focus issues, not really about build quality. In the past when people bought Sigma lens at half the price of a Canon/Nikon lens, they knew they weren't buying the same build quality as Canon ... I've used several Sigma lenses over the past 15 or so years, they never fell apart like what happened to your friend's lens (btw, I am not disputing what happened to your friend's lens, but merely stating that build quality issues like lenses falling apart due to plastic screws giving up, are not generally associated with Sigma lenses).

I guess I should say that's their repution *for us* (me and my friends) who know this to have happened. But yes, focus issues are definitely something I've experience first hand, again, with the 70-200. I probably won't even look at Sigma's older lens lineup at this point - see what their new line brings.

 

[Rienzphotoz]

I had a friend whose lens fell apart as they were shooting because the plastic screws used inside just gave up. And that's the kind of reputation Sigma has to work hard to dispel.

Your friend's experience is unfortunate ... but Sigma's reputation was mostly about AF and soft focus issues, not really about build quality. In the past when people bought Sigma lens at half the price of a Canon/Nikon lens, they knew they weren't buying the same build quality as Canon ... I've used several Sigma lenses over the past 15 or so years, they never fell apart like what happened to your friend's lens (btw, I am not disputing what happened to your friend's lens, but merely stating that build quality issues like lenses falling apart due to plastic screws giving up, are not generally associated with Sigma lenses).

I guess I should say that's their repution *for us* (me and my friends) who know this to have happened. But yes, focus issues are definitely something I've experience first hand, again, with the 70-200. I probably won't even look at Sigma's older lens lineup at this point - see what their new line brings.

Although I do not own any of the new Sigma lenses, I do hear lots of good things about their build quality and IQ ... majority of the people I know claim that the build quality of 35 f/1.4 & the 18-35 f/1.8 lenses are better than many of the L lenses and just as good in IQ ... I am glad third party manufacturers are producing some great lenses, it will only mean better times for customers - or bad times with severe GAS problems ;D

 

[NancyP]

I have yet to see the lens in person. I have no doubt that it will feel solid. I have the 35mm f/1.4 and it is a brick. I admit that I wish that Canon had knocked it out of the park optically with the 24-70 f/4 IS, a lighter and smaller lens, and made it a bit less expensive. I could skip the macro if the hypothetical lens could use extension tubes.

 

[slclick]

I love this lens, especially the corners in comparison to my 2 former copies of Canon's version. This has become my new favorite black and white lens. Super contrasty but not crushing my blacks. Kind of reminds me of TMax 100 but with more latitude in post

 

[Rienzphotoz]

I love this lens, especially the corners in comparison to my 2 former copies of Canon's version. This has become my new favorite black and white lens. Super contrasty but not crushing my blacks. Kind of reminds me of TMax 100 but with more latitude in post

Very nice image ... by the way, thought you might be interested to know that "BJP" is the main opposition political party in India ... from 7 April to 12 May 2014 India will have elections to elect 543 members of parliament ... many predict that BJP (along with its allies) will be forming the next government.