Sigma 50mm F/1.4 Art price to be announced on April 11th...

For those asking about the cost of cine lenses, I can tell you that sharpness is not the prime consideration. Lack of chromatic aberration, distortion, and light fall off are important as those are very hard to correct in post on video. The DP may also decide on lenses based on color and bokeh, but that is a taste thing. Sharpness usually isn't a consideration. In fact, many films are shot with some sort of diffusion in order to reduce the sharpness.

The good quality cine lenses are extremely expensive because they can be. It's a niche market and the other production costs for shooting video are so high that the cost of the lens isn't much of a consideration. Plus, cine lenses are almost always rented. The primary consideration for cine lens design is ease of use and reliability: manual controls; a long enough focus throw for ease of following focus; similar housing sizes for ease of swapping lenses; parfocal on zooms, no breathing. If any issue with a lens causes a slow down in the production, the cost to the production is far more than the cost of the lens.

Video guys are enamored with the Otus for same reason that photo guys like it. Zeiss has great name recognition and there are bragging rights to having the sharpest glass even if it has a minimal effect on the final image. Also, Zeiss is manual focus which automatically makes it better than any autofocus lens. Even so, at $4000 I have no idea why they wouldn't just buy a dedicated cine lens.
 
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RGomezPhotos said:
I've heard $800 will be the price.

You really can't compare this lens to the Zeiss. The Sigma will be good for 90% - 95% of those who need/want a 50mm for their DSLR. The Zeiss is for those pros that needs the best DSLR AND video lens. Videographers are drooling over the Zeiss. They won't be for the Sigma.

I tried the Sigma 24-70mm and was very impressed. If the 50mm is equal or better than their 24-70mm, they certainly got a winner.

Are you referring to the mythical 24-70mm f2 or the f2.8...
 
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I haven't seen Sigma lens prices drop. They are very firm except for the rebates. I don't expect the price to drop unless the demand is extremely higher than the supply. My local retailer didn't even know of this lens. I don't expect a temporary premium price locally.
 
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ksPhoto said:
I haven't seen Sigma lens prices drop. They are very firm except for the rebates. I don't expect the price to drop unless the demand is extremely higher than the supply. My local retailer didn't even know of this lens. I don't expect a temporary premium price locally.

i have.

the 35mm f1.4 dropped 250 euro in germany.
 

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Lightmaster said:
ksPhoto said:
I haven't seen Sigma lens prices drop. They are very firm except for the rebates. I don't expect the price to drop unless the demand is extremely higher than the supply. My local retailer didn't even know of this lens. I don't expect a temporary premium price locally.

i have.

the 35mm f1.4 dropped 250 euro in germany.

Except that street price has never really been 1000 EUR. I bought mine very shortly after release for 850 EUR. Now it's 750, which is pretty normal I guess. The canon 35 is went from 800 at release to the current 500.

I expect this 50mm to be priced similarly.
 
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I will wait until all of the first two batches are sold to all the people that just HAVE to have it, then get bored with it and sell them almost unused for way less than new, including a filter to me. Never fails.
 
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ksPhoto said:
I haven't seen Sigma lens prices drop. They are very firm except for the rebates. I don't expect the price to drop unless the demand is extremely higher than the supply. My local retailer didn't even know of this lens. I don't expect a temporary premium price locally.

Last December the 35 art was on sale at Amazon for $700 in a lightening sale. So that is the type of discount I was expecting.
 
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Viggo said:
I will wait until all of the first two batches are sold to all the people that just HAVE to have it, then get bored with it and sell them almost unused for way less than new, including a filter to me. Never fails.

I'm not adverse to used lenses in the least... but with sigma's history... I want to wait a while to see if there are any fatal flaws that I can't live with or if there's an xbox 360 type flaw (red ring of death) that affects launch models at a higher rate than the redesign.
 
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Albi86 said:
Lightmaster said:
ksPhoto said:
I haven't seen Sigma lens prices drop. They are very firm except for the rebates. I don't expect the price to drop unless the demand is extremely higher than the supply. My local retailer didn't even know of this lens. I don't expect a temporary premium price locally.

i have.

the 35mm f1.4 dropped 250 euro in germany.

Except that street price has never really been 1000 EUR

well as you can see in the diagram the street price was 999-950 euro for a while here.
then it dropped to 850 only to raise to 950 euro again.

amazon was one of the cheaper resellers who could really deliver the lens.
i bought mine when it was 825 euro, in july last year.

today you can get the lens for 729-645 euro.
for 645 euro you even get a manfrotto 680B monopod with the lens.

so yes, there is quite a price drop with sigma lenses.
 
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jdramirez said:
Viggo said:
I will wait until all of the first two batches are sold to all the people that just HAVE to have it, then get bored with it and sell them almost unused for way less than new, including a filter to me. Never fails.

I'm not adverse to used lenses in the least... but with sigma's history... I want to wait a while to see if there are any fatal flaws that I can't live with or if there's an xbox 360 type flaw (red ring of death) that affects launch models at a higher rate than the redesign.

I will definitely find a seller close to me so I can have a go with it before I buy.
 
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Lightmaster said:
Albi86 said:
Lightmaster said:
ksPhoto said:
I haven't seen Sigma lens prices drop. They are very firm except for the rebates. I don't expect the price to drop unless the demand is extremely higher than the supply. My local retailer didn't even know of this lens. I don't expect a temporary premium price locally.

i have.

the 35mm f1.4 dropped 250 euro in germany.

Except that street price has never really been 1000 EUR

well as you can see in the diagram the street price was 999-950 euro for a while here.
then it dropped to 850 only to raise to 950 euro again.

amazon was one of the cheaper resellers who could really deliver the lens.
i bought mine when it was 825 euro, in july last year.

today you can get the lens for 729-645 euro.
for 645 euro you even get a manfrotto 680B monopod with the lens.

so yes, there is quite a price drop with sigma lenses.

Except that you're comparing the highest price at launch with the lowest price today, which is not fair nor representative.

Launch price has been 899 EUR, quickly settled down at 850 or so. Most shops today have it for around 750 EUR, so the real price drop is 100-150 EUR and not 250 EUR or more.
 
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Viggo said:
I will wait until all of the first two batches are sold to all the people that just HAVE to have it, then get bored with it and sell them almost unused for way less than new, including a filter to me. Never fails.

HEY!....while your waiting would you like to purchase my Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM ? I will throw in a Tiffen filter, but I am keeping the B&W! 8)
 
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infared said:
Viggo said:
I will wait until all of the first two batches are sold to all the people that just HAVE to have it, then get bored with it and sell them almost unused for way less than new, including a filter to me. Never fails.

HEY!....while your waiting would you like to purchase my Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM ? I will throw in a Tiffen filter, but I am keeping the B&W! 8)

Ha! Lol, thanks but no thanks 8)
 
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