nofilmschool » sigma

Sigma Introduces the World's Fastest Wide Angle Zoom, the Insanely Speedy 18-35mm F/1.8

Robert Hardy — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:30:33 +0000

Filmmakers love fast lenses. It’s a scientific fact. However, we’ve always had to turn to a sizable kit of primes when we wanted any versatility in our selection of focal lengths due to the fact that zoom lenses are traditionally somewhat sluggish in terms of aperture. Not to mention that some of the faster zoom lenses out there are also variable aperture, which makes them virtually unusable for filmmaking purposes when they’re wide open. But don’t fret, filmmaking comrades, Sigma’s got our back. They recently announced a new addition to their “Art” lineup of lenses, the super speedy 18-35 f/1.8 wide angle zoom. (more…)

'Battle of the Bokeh' Beauty Contest Blind-Tests Canon, Nikon, and Sigma 35mm F/1.4 Lenses

Dave Kendricken — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 23:04:41 +0000

When considering lens options for purchase or rental, certain criteria may stand out to you more than others. This depends on what you shoot most often, or what a project demands. Perhaps as a run-and-gun doc shooter, you simply need the extra stop you get with one 85mm lens for the same price as another that doesn’t vignette as badly. Or you gave up a contrast performance you really preferred in favor of the IS lens of greater overall value. But what if money were no object, and focal length and speed were matched? An aspect you’d find yourself evaluating closely is the way each handles its bokeh, or de-focused areas of the image. DigitalRev’s latest Battle of the Bokeh is a comparison between Canon, Nikon, and Sigma 35mm f/1.4 lenses in precisely this spirit — with some unexpected results. (more…)

Panasonic's Revolutionary New 'Micro Color Splitter' Sensor Filter Doubles Light Sensitivity

Dave Kendricken — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 16:02:38 +0000

The most common way we get color images with digital cameras is with a Bayer pattern CMOS sensor, but there are plenty of variations on that design being used today. The upcoming Aaton Penelope Delta uses a Bayer pattern over a Dalsa CCD, for example, while the RED EPIC-M Monochrome uses the MX CMOS sensor foregoing color filtration entirely. By their very nature, though, color filters of any kind cut down the amount of light transmitted to the sensor. That’s why Panasonic is developing a brand new type of color filter that will employ diffraction to split up the color spectrum, instead of filtration, and thus will be capable of doubling the light sensitivity of the sensor. (more…)

Canon, Nikon, Sigma, and Tamron 24-70mm Lens Shootout: What's the Best Value for Your Money?

Dave Kendricken — Sun, 18 Nov 2012 03:16:44 +0000

Kevin Good over at CrisisLab has recently published a comparison of both higher end (Canon and Nikon) and less expensive (Sigma and Tamron) lenses common for various types of DSLR shooting — 24-70mm f/2.8 zooms. The test compares overall clarity, both at the center of each lens as well as at the edges, the quality of bokeh, the amount of vignetting, and the ability for internal optical image stabilization. The results of each test were weighted against the going price for each lens, in order to determine which possesses the best overall value. Read on to check out the video — and which lens may have the most bang for your buck. (more…)

Wide Angle Lenses Compared on the Blackmagic Cinema Camera

Joe Marine — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 09:17:27 +0000

After image quality and design quirks, the most discussed topic regarding the new Blackmagic Cinema Camera is lenses. Specifically, the issue regarding wide lenses. Since the BMCC’s sensor is slightly smaller than Micro Four-Thirds, but uses a Canon mount, one of the complaints has been that it won’t be possible to get a sufficiently wide image with the available lenses in that mount. The team over at OneRiver Media set out to prove exactly what was possible with current wide lenses, and they’ve also created one of the first short projects shot completely on the Cinema Camera (besides everything that John Brawley has done so far, of course). (more…)

Which 24mm Lens is Better for the Blackmagic Cinema Camera, Canon or Sigma?

Joe Marine — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 14:50:12 +0000

Dave Dugdale over at Learning DSLR Video is often reviewing gear from a practical and non-biased viewpoint, and the newest video with DeeJay Scharton from DSLR Film Noob is no exception. With the new Blackmagic Cinema Camera, a 24mm lens is going to become your normal lens, so if you’re interested in shooting in lower light at a reasonable focal length, you’re most likely going to want a fast 24mm lens. Dave and DeeJay take a look at the Canon 24mm f/1.4 and the Sigma 24mm f/1.8 Macro on both full frame and crop cameras, but the part of the review that will apply most to those who’ve preordered the BMCC is the performance on the crop sensor camera. Though the crop factor of 1.6 still does not match the 2.3x crop of the BMCC, it’s a much better representation of performance than on the full frame camera. (more…)