Sigma 50-100mm f/1.8 DC HSM ART Reportage

[3kramd5]

Can you ask Sigma as to what was the reason behind their non-removable tripod collar solution for the lens?
Thank you.

I assume it's because of how they designed the stops.

A fixed, rotating tripod collar offers increased stability when working from a tripod and integrates 90° click stops for intuitive switching between horizontal and vertical shooting orientations."

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Dustin,

can you rotate the tripod collar to 180 degree so that it sits on top of the lens? If you can, then it should not get in the way of the zoom ring operation? It is not ideal, of course, but apart from being annoying / visually displeasing functionally still could serve as a simple solution to the issue.
Can you ask Sigma as to what was the reason behind their non-removable tripod collar solution for the lens?
Thank you.

I checked the manual and there is no mention of removing the tripod collar - only the ability to rotate it. I'm afraid it is as bad as it seems.

It actually seems a bit worse as it impedes grabbing the zoom ring more. I have found (for me) that rotating the foot to the 3:00 position works best for me. It leaves the zoom ring much more accessible since I am rotating it with my left hand.

As to why, I can't answer that question. The lens is heavy enough to need one (as heavy as the Canon 70-200L II), but it is shorter than a 70-200 and so they had less real estate to work with.

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

A thousand words? Here is with a quick release plate attached and it rotated to the top, which ostensibly would get it out of the way.

 

[bsbeamer]

The non-removable collar could pose a problem for people wanting to use this with video work on a rigged camera... still thinking about this lens and my needs.

 

[Travelintrevor]

By the way, by popular demand I shot a segment for those wondering what happens when mount this lens on a full frame body.

If you're interested, take a look here: http://bit.ly/24ceEI6

I picked up the 50-100 because I shoot crop and ff and the prospect of using this as a (HEAVY) 85mm 1.8 lens sealed the deal.

It is sharp, heavy as hell and the AF is stellar.

Is it usable on a full frame?

I was worried about the vignetting at 85-and-up but found that vignetting is not an issue at all.
BUT (and this is a biggie), the lens can't be used for portraits on a FF because of the distortion. I tried fixing it in post but the results are less than stellar. It has barrel and pincushion distortion between 85-100 so there is no preset that I can apply to fix it since there is no consistency.

I am heading out later on to see how the lens does with portraits on my crop. If the distortion acts up there as well, this lens will go back to the store.

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

By the way, by popular demand I shot a segment for those wondering what happens when mount this lens on a full frame body.

If you're interested, take a look here: http://bit.ly/24ceEI6

Makes you wonder how hard it would be for Sigma to make one that works on FF...

50-100/1.8 Art zoom for FF anyone?

My biggest question as to whether or not such a thing would happen boils down to how many copies of the 24-35mm f/2 they sold. I'm doubting that it has moved the needle very much, and when I think of how many 85mm f/1.4 ART lenses they would sell compared to a 50-100 lens that for full frame would probably be 1600+ grams in weight...

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

Hey everyone, my final review of the Sigma 50-100mm f/1.8 is in. You can read the review here: http://bit.ly/1THgZj4

My YouTube video review can be seen here: http://bit.ly/1TcH4JE

An impressive lens with a few minor quirks. If you don't mind the weight, it is a pretty killer lens.

P.S. A version of my review will appear here on CR in a week or so.

 

[Travelintrevor]

The non removal tripod collar is really a non issue once you move it out of the way-it does not get in the way.

I have used it several times now, both on my full frame and on my crop. The lens is ridiculously sharp wide open and is a great addition to my collection.

Here is a full size portrait at 100mm at 1.8. I used LR Screen Standard sharpening upon export with a slight crop.

The second one is from a cosplay session and was shot at 2.8 at 67mm. I was shooting HSS with my 5D MKIII and the 7D MK II would not go into HSS. I stopped down to 2.8 but still blew the exposure out and had to recover it in post. I gave up with the 7D MK II because I could not get the same exposures as the MKIII during the shoot. Once I got home, the camera entered HSS no problem..who knows what I was screwing up.