Sigma 50-100mm f1.8 Art

[Lee Jay]

Yes a Canon APS 50-100mm f1.8 has a Full Frame equivalence of a 80-160mm f2.88. So less range and less dof, factor in the greater than one stop of noise advantage a ff camera has for the apparent EV difference of the aperture to get a faster shutter speed and it seems like a strange lens.

But there are a lot of APS users out there and Canon are not making compelling lenses specifically for them, so good luck to Sigma.

Excuse me, but this lens still has 1.8 aperture. So only because you have to rearrange your framing and therefore lose a bit of DOF because you have to step back, there is still more cd/cm² available on the sensor at f/1.8 than at f/2.8. That's the danger with all this unscientific calculations (as tony northrup is famous for to throw in here and then) in order to make a comparison between FF and APS-C... people get confused. You will have more than a stop of brighter illumination, so the noise performance of a smaller sensor can be compensated quite a bit.

Total light captured is what matters for image quality, not light per unit area. That's why f/2.8 on full-frame is about the same as f/1.8 on 1.6-crop ( 1.8*1.6~=2.8 ).

Overall, this lens will likely produce similar IQ to the 70-200/2.8 on full-frame, but the 70-200+FF combo is wider, longer and has IS.

Well, I would say, the amount of light gathered per pixel (with comparable sensor technology) is what counts.

And you'd be right if you only look at the pixels rather than the image.

So if you get more than twice of the amount of light with one aperture more, your pixels, that are 1/1.6 of the size of a FF sensor should at least deliver comparable SN-performance.

Yeah...that's just all false. For overall image quality, it's the total light captured not the light per pixel that matters. Think of the total light captured as a pizza. How you slice it up doesn't change how much pizza you get. In fact, especially at moderately high ISO, smaller pixels generally beat bigger ones for overall image quality, but only for secondary reasons.

 

[Lee Jay]

I seriously doubt the 50-100 on crop will out-perform the 70-200/2.8L IS II on full-frame since the later is so outstanding. At best, Sigma could hope for a tie.

Why do you persist with this comparison?
In that case, will you also include a comparison on price?

Sure. Since I'm a crop owner, and would (and do) own the 70-200/2.8L IS regardless, this lens is $1099 at B&H while a 6D is $1399. So, $300 difference to get a wider, longer option with IS.

 

[SpartanII]

I'm inclined to say keep a cool head in regards to this APS-C vs FF lens war. Remember the fuss when Sigma released a 18-35mm for crop and shortly after they released a 24-35mm for FF?

 

[ajfotofilmagem]

I'm inclined to say keep a cool head in regards to this APS-C vs FF lens war. Remember the fuss when Sigma released a 18-35mm for crop and shortly after they released a 24-35mm for FF?

It makes sense if Sigma launch a 35-70mm F2 Art (or 35-80mm), for full frame.
In the future, perhaps a 85-135mm F2 :

 

[SpartanII]

I'm inclined to say keep a cool head in regards to this APS-C vs FF lens war. Remember the fuss when Sigma released a 18-35mm for crop and shortly after they released a 24-35mm for FF?

It makes sense if Sigma launch a 35-70mm F2 Art (or 35-80mm), for full frame.
In the future, perhaps a 85-135mm F2 :

I do not think it is beyond the realm of possibility. 85-175mm f/2 perhaps. The 18-35mm is a 1.8 and the FF offerinf (24-35mm) was a 2.0. Could be a pattern.

 

[ajfotofilmagem]

I'm inclined to say keep a cool head in regards to this APS-C vs FF lens war. Remember the fuss when Sigma released a 18-35mm for crop and shortly after they released a 24-35mm for FF?

It makes sense if Sigma launch a 35-70mm F2 Art (or 35-80mm), for full frame.
In the future, perhaps a 85-135mm F2 :

I do not think it is beyond the realm of possibility. 85-175mm f/2 perhaps. The 18-35mm is a 1.8 and the FF offerinf (24-35mm) was a 2.0. Could be a pattern.

When I look at the front element size in the Canon 200mm F2L, I'm afraid to imagine how big it would be in a 85-175mm F2 ...

 

[9VIII]

I'm inclined to say keep a cool head in regards to this APS-C vs FF lens war. Remember the fuss when Sigma released a 18-35mm for crop and shortly after they released a 24-35mm for FF?

It makes sense if Sigma launch a 35-70mm F2 Art (or 35-80mm), for full frame.
In the future, perhaps a 85-135mm F2 :

I do not think it is beyond the realm of possibility. 85-175mm f/2 perhaps. The 18-35mm is a 1.8 and the FF offerinf (24-35mm) was a 2.0. Could be a pattern.

When I look at the front element size in the Canon 200mm F2L, I'm afraid to imagine how big it would be in a 85-175mm F2 ...

I actually think a 100-200mm f2.0 zoom would be a good seller.
The 150-600 Sport already has a 105mm filter thread.

 

[funkboy]

Take a 70-200 f/2.8 zoom, install a 1.4x TC backwards in the base, & you get a 50-143 f/2.0 zoom.

http://www.metabones.com/products/details/MB_SPEF-E-BT2

(if you don't mind reducing the image circle size to APS-C

 

[9VIII]

Take a 70-200 f/2.8 zoom, install a 1.4x TC backwards in the base, & you get a 50-143 f/2.0 zoom.

http://www.metabones.com/products/details/MB_SPEF-E-BT2

(if you don't mind reducing the image circle size to APS-C

Combine the price of a 70-200f2.8 with Metabones and your cheapest option for that is still going to cost nearly twice as much as the 50-100A.
(Ok, Tamron does make a decent 70-200f2.8 for about $750, but the adapter still puts you over the cost of the Sigma.)

Price to performance, Sigma offers a good value proposition.

 

[Lee Jay]

Take a 70-200 f/2.8 zoom, install a 1.4x TC backwards in the base, & you get a 50-143 f/2.0 zoom.

http://www.metabones.com/products/details/MB_SPEF-E-BT2

(if you don't mind reducing the image circle size to APS-C

And shooting with a Sony.

 

[funkboy]

Ugh, I'm not suggesting that people do this, simply that this is usually how short fast large-aperture zooms are usually made: a manufacturer takes e.g. a longer f/2.8 zoom design & inserts a reverse TC element...

 

[9VIII]

Ugh, I'm not suggesting that people do this, simply that this is usually how short fast large-aperture zooms are usually made: a manufacturer takes e.g. a longer f/2.8 zoom design & inserts a reverse TC element...

Isn't Sigma is the only one who has ever made a fast aperture zoom? How can you say "usually' about something that has only happened twice? But even that was basically the same design used for two lenses, so really there's only one fast aperture zoom lens formula ever put on the market (that's considering the 18-35A and 24-35A as being similar enough to count as one design, and the 50-100A isn't out yet).

Unless you know of some other industry that commonly uses f2.0 zoom lenses, I would love to hear about it.

 

[Lee Jay]

Ugh, I'm not suggesting that people do this, simply that this is usually how short fast large-aperture zooms are usually made: a manufacturer takes e.g. a longer f/2.8 zoom design & inserts a reverse TC element...

Isn't Sigma is the only one who has ever made a fast aperture zoom? How can you say "usually' about something that has only happened twice? But even that was basically the same design used for two lenses, so really there's only one fast aperture zoom lens formula ever put on the market (that's considering the 18-35A and 24-35A as being similar enough to count as one design, and the 50-100A isn't out yet).

Unless you know of some other industry that commonly uses f2.0 zoom lenses, I would love to hear about it.

There's the Olympus 35-100 f/2, and a whole bunch of fixed-lens cameras with zoom lenses faster than f/2.8 and 1" sensors.

 

[Random Orbits]

[

When I look at the front element size in the Canon 200mm F2L, I'm afraid to imagine how big it would be in a 85-175mm F2 ...

I actually think a 100-200mm f2.0 zoom would be a good seller.
The 150-600 Sport already has a 105mm filter thread.

The Canon 200mm f/2 prime over 5.5 lb. A zoom is going be heavier assuming they don't "cheat" too much on rounding the max aperture and focal length. Weight-wise, I'd guess the zoom would fall closer to the Sigma 150-600S at 7.1 lb than Canon's 5.5 lb. That is a lot of weight for that short of a focal length for a focal length not usually used off a tripod. I can't see a market that large for this...

 

[9VIII]

Ugh, I'm not suggesting that people do this, simply that this is usually how short fast large-aperture zooms are usually made: a manufacturer takes e.g. a longer f/2.8 zoom design & inserts a reverse TC element...

Isn't Sigma is the only one who has ever made a fast aperture zoom? How can you say "usually' about something that has only happened twice? But even that was basically the same design used for two lenses, so really there's only one fast aperture zoom lens formula ever put on the market (that's considering the 18-35A and 24-35A as being similar enough to count as one design, and the 50-100A isn't out yet).

Unless you know of some other industry that commonly uses f2.0 zoom lenses, I would love to hear about it.

There's the Olympus 35-100 f/2, and a whole bunch of fixed-lens cameras with zoom lenses faster than f/2.8 and 1" sensors.

Right, yes the fixed lens market does have a lot of those.

[

When I look at the front element size in the Canon 200mm F2L, I'm afraid to imagine how big it would be in a 85-175mm F2 ...

I actually think a 100-200mm f2.0 zoom would be a good seller.
The 150-600 Sport already has a 105mm filter thread.

The Canon 200mm f/2 prime over 5.5 lb. A zoom is going be heavier assuming they don't "cheat" too much on rounding the max aperture and focal length. Weight-wise, I'd guess the zoom would fall closer to the Sigma 150-600S at 7.1 lb than Canon's 5.5 lb. That is a lot of weight for that short of a focal length for a focal length not usually used off a tripod. I can't see a market that large for this...

Sigma does make the 120-300f2.8, and it is 7.5lbs. I have to wonder if a plain 100-200f2.0 zoom without stabiliser might not be quite as bulky, though the front element would be a bit bigger.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/909812-REG/Sigma_137101_120_300mm_f_2_8_DG_OS.html#Specification

But really you're right, at this point forget the zoom, one of the next biggest announcements that I'm waiting to hear about from Sigma is a new set of Global Vision telephoto primes.

 

[Plainsman]

Very interesting focal range - though I will only consider buying if made in Japan.

That's worth paying a bit extra for the better QC.

 

[andrei1989]

has anyone preordered this lens?
i've seen that the first ones have already started to be delivered.
i'm interested in buying this but maybe in a few months or close to black friday/christmas sales...

 

[TWI by Dustin Abbott]

has anyone preordered this lens?
i've seen that the first ones have already started to be delivered.
i'm interested in buying this but maybe in a few months or close to black friday/christmas sales...

One will be heading my way shortly (probably after B&H returns from holidays) for review.