A Year with Sigma
October 2nd, 2011

A year ago, on October 22, I posted about my transition to Nikon. It’s taken me that long to write something that gear-ish again. With my transition to Nikon began a relationship with Sigma that I’ve been waiting to elaborate on. Now, as I near the end of that year, seems a good time to talk about the lenses I’ve been using and what I think about them. For those of you who’ve been clamouring for this post for 11 months, thanks for your patience.
When Sigma knocked on my door I was no stranger to their lenses, having used their 24-70/2.8 EX and 70-200/2.8 EX for early professional work. The reasons I decided to use their lenses again were simple ones. First, it gave me a chance to get into the Nikon system – when you get a box filled with Nikon-mount lenses to use, it’s easier to afford the bodies. Second, and more importantly, was my desire to walk the talk on this Gear Is Good, Vision Is Better stuff I’ve been spouting for so long. The fact is, the vast majority of my readers are not professional photographers. They’re enthusiastic amateurs of all stripes and seasons and most of them can’t simply buy the very best Nikon or Canon glass. I wanted to make images I was proud of, with gear that’s generally less expensive. I wanted to remind my readers- and show them – that the best top-shelf gear wasn’t necessary for creating beautiful work.


Sigma 24-70/2.8 EX DG
For the last year, I’ve shot mostly with Sigma’s 15mm fisheye, 20/1.8EX, 24-70/2.8EX, 85/1.4EX, and 70-200/2.8EX – along side my own Nikon 300/2.8, 24mm PC-E, and 14-24/2.8, and Zeiss 50/1.4. Those were the lenses I used day-in and day-out, though there was a long hiatus while I was recovering from the accident and not making photographs.
What do I think of the lenses? If you’re tempted to skip to the end, here it is: I never once used the Sigma lens and thought, “Man, this photograph would be more beautiful, or more compelling, had I shot it with a more expensive Nikon lens.” Not once. For the most part my Sigma lenses performed really well, created beautiful images, and usually (though not always) for much less than the top-shelf Nikon or Canon equivalents. Beauty is in the photograph, not the gear. Lenses matter, but even today’s kit lenses are capable of creating beautiful photographs. I’m not a pixel-peeper, and never have been, so please don’t ask about the best apertures for edge-to-edge sharpness. I just don’t know. If I don’t notice the loss of sharpness, it doesn’t matter to me. And if the best thing people say about my work is, “Wow, it sure is sharp,” then I’ve failed and the lens is irrelevant.


Sigma 24-70/2.8 EX DG
Would I use these lenses for professional work? That kind of depends on what you mean by “professional.” By my definition, I did, and I would again. But remember, value is not in how inexpensive something is, but how much you get out of what you paid. In the future I will be replacing some, but not all, of the Sigma lenses – notably the 24-70 and the 70-200. Those are my go-to lenses for much of my work and I’d happily pay more to replace them with the Nikon versions. Why? First, neither lens is sealed. When I last returned from Africa, my D3s sensors were filthier than any sensor I’ve ever seen. I was working in some of the most punishing conditions I’ve ever been in and sealed lenses would have made a huge difference.  If you aren’t working in these conditions, it could be a total non-issue. After-all, not even all Canon L-series lenses, are sealed. But to me, for these two lenses, it matters. Secondly, the build quality just doesn’t measure up, and I punish my gear, so durability matters. The body of the Sigma 70-200/2.8 EX, for example is made largely of plastic. It’s lighter, for sure, but I’ve less confidence in it than I would a lens made with more weight. In the field I need my gear to be more like a tank than a toy. But if you don’t need this kind of tankishness, then you might benefit from the saved dollars and the lighter weight. Those are my own reasons, but “horses for courses” as they say, and you need to decide what’s important to you. For many of you budget may prevent you from buying the top-shelf Nikon or Canon lenses, but you’ll get huge value from a fast, constant-aperture, zoom lens that makes beautiful photographs. If this is the case, Sigma’s got some great lenses for you.
The three photographs posted here were all made with the Sigma 24-70/2.8 EX DG. I’ll eventually replace it, but not because of image quality.


Sigma 24-70/2.8 EX DG
Would I continue to shoot with these lenses? I would and I will. Absolutely. They won’t be the lenses I go to when I need them to beat the sand and grit of the Kaisut Desert, but I’ll keep using them and recommending people consider Sigma, and take them for a test-drive when they can. Some of my favourite photographs from the past year were made with these lenses, and I’m grateful to Sigma for the chance to work with them. You can see some of those images, along with images of friends like Darwin Wiggett and Younes Bounhar on the Sigma Canada site HERE.

http://www.pixelatedimage.com/blog/2011/10/a-year-with-sigma/

放狗咬了一口：

与Sigma的一年
2011年10月2日

一年前，10月22日，我对我过渡到尼康发布。这是我长写的东西，齿轮ISH再次。我过渡到尼康开始了与Sigma的关系，我一直在等待阐述。现在，我附近的那年年底，谈论的镜头，我一直在使用，我觉得他们似乎是一个好时机。对于你那些一直叫嚣这个职位为11个月，感谢您的耐心。
当西格玛敲我的门，我是他们的镜头并不陌生，用他们的24-70/2.8 EX和70-200/2.8 EX早期专业工作。的原因，我决定用他们的镜头再次简单的。首先，它给了我一个机会进入尼康系统 - 当你充满了尼康- mount镜头使用一个盒子，很容易负担的机构。其次，更重要的是，我的愿望上行走齿轮谈好，视觉更好的东西，我已经喷了这么久。事实是，绝大多数都是我的读者不是专业摄影师。他们所有的条纹和季节的热情的业余爱好者和他们最不能简单地买了最好的尼康或佳能的玻璃。我想，我感到很骄傲的齿轮一般较便宜，使图像。我想提醒我的读者和展现出来 - 最好最现成的齿轮是没有必要创建优美的工作。

适马24-70/2.8 EX DG
在过去的一年，我拍摄的大多是与Sigma的15毫米鱼眼，20/1.8EX，24-70/2.8EX，85/1.4EX，并70-200/2.8EX - 沿方自己的尼康300/2.8，24毫米PC - E，14-24/2.8，蔡司50/1.4。这些是我用一天和当天出的镜头，虽然还有很长的的裂孔，而我是从事故中恢复，而不是照片。
我该怎么想的镜头？如果你想跳到结束，在这里它是：“我从来没有一次使用的Sigma镜头和思想，”哥们，这张照片会更漂亮，更引人注目的，我拍了一个更加昂贵的尼康镜头。 “不是一次。在大多数情况下我的适马镜头的表现非常好，比顶级的尼康或佳能等值的少得多美丽的图像，通常（但并不总是）。美容中的照片，而不是齿轮。镜头的事，但即使今天的套件镜头能够创造出美丽的照片。我不是一个像素的偷窥者，永远都没有，所以请不要问边到边清晰度的最佳光圈。我不知道。如果我不通知的锐度损失，我不要紧。如果人们对我的工作说是最好的事情是，“哇，可以肯定的是尖锐的，”那么我已经失败了，镜头无关。

适马24-70/2.8 EX DG
我会用专业的工作，这些镜头吗？那一种取决于你所说的“专业”。的意思我的定义，我做到了，我想再次。但要记住，价值是价格便宜的东西是如何，但你多少你付出什么。今后我将替换一些，但不是所有的，Sigma的镜头 - 尤其是24-70的70-200。这些都是我去，我的工作大部分镜头，我很乐意付出更多，以取代他们与尼康版本。为什么呢？首先，无论是密封的镜头。当我去年从非洲返回，我D3S传感器比任何我见过的传感器filthier。我是工作在一些最惩治条件我去过和密封镜头会作出了巨大的差异。如果您没有在这些条件下工作，它可能是一个总的非问题。后，甚至不是所有的佳能L系列镜头，是密封的。但对我来说，这两个镜头，它的事项。其次，建立质量不达，而我惩罚我的齿轮，因此耐久性问题。适马70-200/2.8 EX的身体，例如主要的塑料制成。打火机，肯定，但我对它的信心比我更重的镜头少。在现场，我需要我的齿轮，更像是一个比一个玩具※※。但是，如果你不需要这样的tankishness，那么你可能会从中受益的保存美元，重量更轻。这些都是我自己的原因，但“课程的马”，他们说，你需要决定什么是重要的是你。很多预算买现成的尼康或佳能镜头，可能会阻止你，但你会得到巨大的价值，从一个快速，恒定光圈变焦镜头，使美丽的照片。如果在这种情况下，Sigma公司为你做一些伟大的镜头。
三个照片张贴在这里，所有与适马24-70/2.8 EX DG。我将最终取代它，但不是因为图像质量。

适马24-70/2.8 EX DG
我会继续与这些镜头拍摄吗？我想，我会。当然可以。他们不会是我去当我需要他们击败Kaisut沙漠的沙子和砂砾的镜头，但我会继续使用他们，并建议人们考虑适马，并采取测试驱动他们时，他们可以。从过去一年中我最喜欢的照片，这些镜头，我与他们一起工作的机会感谢西格玛。你可以看到这些图像，图像像达尔文Wiggett和尤尼斯Bounhar Sigma的加拿大网站在这里的朋友一起。