Sigma 18-35 Archive - Pixelfriedhof

My 4 favorite always-on lenses on the DSLR

megaadmin — Sun, 11 Oct 2020 09:25:49 +0000

If I had to decide which lens I would take to a remote island, I would use one of my always-on lenses. It doesn’t matter if you have only little space in your luggage, if you don’t want to carry a lot of weight or if you just don’t like to change the lens: With the lenses on this list, you’ll still be flexible for most of your motives.

One thing you will notice about my list: All the following lenses are made by Sigma. First of all, this is because these lenses are available for all kinds of camera mounts, from Canon to Nikon to Sony, and therefore should be interesting for most of my readers, no matter which camera brand you really belong to.

On the other hand I have been a big fan of Sigma lenses for years. The imaging performance and value in haptics and operation are simply grandiose. Especially with the lenses of the Art and Contemporary product lines. My enthusiasm for Sigma was not always so pronounced: Especially in the mid-2000s, some cheap kit lenses were thrown on the market that kept my opinion of Sigma very much within limits at that time. But those times are over.

Should you, my readers, nevertheless decide against Sigma, you can at least orientate yourself by the focal lengths and specifications given here and look for similar lenses from your trusted manufacturer.

The price is hot and medium heavy: Sigma 17-50 mm F2,8 EX DC OS HSM

At the end of 2018 I took a cruise to the Orient. I had only little space in my luggage for the photographic equipment, but needed a lens that gave good results even in low light conditions. Aggravating was the fact that in certain regions, such as the desert of the United Arab Emirates or Oman, I could not and did not want to change lenses. Otherwise the fine drifting sand would find its way deep into the mechanics of the camera within seconds.

Dubai from the top – Sigma 17-50mm – 17mm – F2,8 – 0,3 Sec – ISO800 – Nikon D500
Abu Dhabi Skyline – Sigma 17-50mm – 27mm – F8 – 20 Sec – ISO125 – Nikon D500
Sheikh Zayed Mosque – Sigma 17-50mm – 17mm – F8 – 0,4 Sec – ISO320 – Nikon D500
Sheikh Zayed Mosque – Sigma 17-50mm – 17mm – F22 – 1 Sec – ISO320 – Nikon D500
Sheikh Zayed Mosque – Sigma 17-50mm – 17mm – F2,8 – 1/160 Sec – ISO320 – Nikon D500
Jeep Safari – Sigma 17-50mm – 17mm – F2,8 – 1/800 Sec – ISO500 – Nikon D500

The lens is great: bright, 0.56kg light, pleasant to use and the integrated image stabilizer allows shake-free shots even where you would otherwise have needed at least two f-stops less.

The only drawbacks are in the quality of the haptics and for only slight chromatic aberrations, which can be easily corrected in the development process using software. This Sigma lens is not yet part of the high-quality product lineup of Sigma’s Art, Contemporary and Sports lenses. But it is also the cheapest lens on my list. With a new price of about 270€ we get a lot of lens, flexibility, low weight and good imaging performance for little money.

Sigma 17-50 mm F2,8 EX DC OS HSM-Objektiv (77 mm Filtergewinde, für Nikon Objektivbajonett)*

Standard Zoomobjektiv
OS (Optical Stabilizer) und HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor). Kameraanschluss: Pentax K-Mount, Sony A-Mount, Canon EF-Mount, Nikon F-Mount,...

Lightweight for Crop-Sensors: Sigma 17-70 mm F2,8-4,0 DC OS HSM Makro Art

Unrivaled and unquestioned: The Sigma 17-70mm (Amazon Affiliate Link) offers the most flexibility with its 53mm focal length bandwith, making most lens changes obsolete. High light output at F2.8, still acceptable performance at 70mm and F4.0.

The most exciting: This lens weighs 465g and is therefore the lightest lens in this list. If you are going on a reportage trip with light luggage: Here is your lens for about 418€.

Nevertheless: Nothing says “I am a compromise” more than F4.0 at the upper end of the focal length. If you want more, you better have a look at the following Sigma 24-70mm (Amazon Affiliate Link) and better try to cover the lower focal length range with a dedicated wide angle.

Sigma 17-70 mm f2,8-4,0 Objektiv (DC, Makro, OS, HSM, 72 mm Filtergewinde) für Nikon Objektivbajonett*

Standard Zoomobjektiv, 16 Linsen in 14 Gruppen
DC Reduziert Sensor-Reflexionen Linse, ASP Asphärische Korrektur, HSM Ultraschallmotor, IF Innenfokussiertes Objektiv, OS Optischer...

The heavy Allrounder: Sigma 24-70mm F2,8 DG OS HSM Art

With 0,9kg the Sigma 24-70mm (Amazon Affiliate Link) is quite a heavy full format glas to carry around. But the 24-70mm focal length gives us all imaginable flexibility for reportage and even for portraits and landscapes. Outstanding performance, high light value, great feel, valuable haptics, nothing more needs to be said. But one more thing: the image stabilizer is a knockout.

Lyngvig Havn – Sigma 24-70mm – 48mm – F5,6 – 1/1250 Sec – ISO500 – Nikon D7500
Truffel in the woods – Sigma 24-70mm – 70mm – F2,8 – 1/100 Sec – ISO1600 – Nikon D500
Snail – Sigma 24-70mm – 70mm – F11 – 1/80 Sec – ISO320 – Nikon D7500

Sometimes I have the feeling that the autofocus is not quite precise in the outermost part of the image: a common problem with this focal length with almost every manufacturer. If you use this full-frame glass on a DX or crop sensor camera, you won’t notice this problem because you never project this area of the lens onto the sensor. Even in full format, however, this is not necessarily a problem for me, but rather grumbling on a very high level. When do you ever use the outermost AF points? And if so, then in such settings that I prefer manual focusing anyway.

With approx. 1160€ this option is not a cheap bargain, but worth every cent for this ingenious lens. A clear recommendation for those who are looking for the optimum and for whom weight hardly plays a role.

Special offer

Sigma 24-70mm F2,8 DG OS HSM Art Objektiv für Nikon F Objektivbajonett*

Eignet sich ideal für moderne hochauflösende Digitalkameras
Hyper-Sonic-Motor (HSM) für einen ultraschnellen Autofokus

Sophisticating muse for the Crop Sensor: Sigma 18-35mm F1,8 DC HSM Art

What comes next is my little secret tip. I love this lens – even though it is inferior to the previous lenses in terms of flexibility due to the shorter focal length range alone. From 18 to 35 mm, we only have a bandwidth of 17mm and thus presumably very little flexibility, but on the other hand the Sigma 18-35mm (Amazon Affiliate Link) scores with flexibility elsewhere, namely the possible areas of application: Astrophotography of the Milky Way, architecture, landscape, portrait. And in each of these disciplines it delivers brilliant results.

Portrait Shooting in Bjerregard Havn – Sigma 18-35mm – 35mm – F1,8 – 1/800 Sec – ISO100 – Nikon D500
Lighthouse Staircase Lyngvig Fyr -Sigma 18-35mm – 18mm – F8 – 1 Sec – ISO100 – Nikon D500
Milky Way over the dunes – Sigma 18-35mm – 18mm – F1,8 – 20 Sec – ISO4000 – Nikon D500

With F 1.8, so much light comes in here that it hardly hurts that we lack the image stabilizer. At the same time I have to say that this lens does an excellent job for portraits on 35mm, but handling it, especially with aperture values below 2.2, needs some practice: At these aperture values the depth of field is really minimal. You have to be able and willing to master this. Nevertheless I fell in love with the bokeh of this lens.

For about 680€ we get a high quality lens that challenges us and motivates the photographer to try something new. With 0,8kg not really a lightweight, but a high quality lens with internal focusing. The latter means that the center of gravity of the lens doesn’t shift when the focus or focal length changes, and the outer lens doesn’t rotate, which is a real blessing when working with polarizing filters.

If you want to treat yourself to something really fine, this is the right place. It is the fastest lens for cameras with sensor sizes up to APS-C.

Special offer

Sigma 18-35mm F1,8 DC HSM Art Objektiv für Nikon F Objektivbajonett*

Lichtstarkes Standard-Zoom-Objektiv
Bequeme Handhabung durch Innenfokussierung

Der Beitrag My 4 favorite always-on lenses on the DSLR erschien zuerst auf Pixelfriedhof.

My equipment and basic settings for wedding photography in churches

megaadmin — Wed, 18 Sep 2019 10:05:21 +0000

Of course, there is no magic formula for setting the camera, no matter what kind of photos you want to take. Neither is there any ultimate equipment for such jobs. This is also the case with the photography of weddings in churches. Motives and light conditions vary from shooting to shooting. Nevertheless, I usually move with my equipment in a certain setting range, or try to approach the location, motives and light from a certain value. Here I talk about equipment, camera settings and editing.

My photo equipment for weddings

I use the Nikon D500 with the Sigma 24-70mm F2,8 DG OS HSM Art lens as my main camera. In my opinion, the focal length range is ideal for weddings and the lens is sufficiently fast. It is a full frame lens, of which I only use the middle field of view because of the DX sensor. This has the positive side effect that the images are crisp right into the corners. And in this image field the autofocus also works absolutely perfectly.

Nikon D500 Gehäuse*

20,9 Megapixel CMOS-Sensor im DX-Format
Schnelles Autofokus-Messsystem mit 153 AF-Messfeldern

Special offer

Sigma 24-70mm F2,8 DG OS HSM Art Objektiv für Nikon F Objektivbajonett*

Eignet sich ideal für moderne hochauflösende Digitalkameras
Hyper-Sonic-Motor (HSM) für einen ultraschnellen Autofokus

As second camera I use the Nikon D7500 with the Sigma 18-35mm F1,8 DC HSM Art lens. The 18-35 is actually my favorite lens. With a maximum aperture of 1.8 it produces a beautiful bokeh and is extremely fast. The 18mm focal length is not only suitable for the portrait capabilities of the lens, but also for presenting architecture and churches in an appealing way.

Nikon D7500 Digital SLR im DX Format (20,9 MP, EXPEED 5-Prozessor, AF-System mit 51 Messfeldern, ISO 100-51.200, 4K UHD Video...*

20,9 MP DX-CMOS-Filter ohne optischen Tiefpassfilter; 180k-Pixel-RGB-Belichtungsmesssensor; Expeed 5-Bildprozessor; ISO-Empfindlichkeit...
8 Bilder pro Sekunde maximale Serienbildgeschwindigkeit; 51 AF-Messfelder mit 15 Kreuzsensoren und Messfeldgruppensteuerung

Special offer

Sigma 18-35mm F1,8 DC HSM Art Objektiv für Nikon F Objektivbajonett*

Lichtstarkes Standard-Zoom-Objektiv
Bequeme Handhabung durch Innenfokussierung

To keep both cameras close at hand and to be able to switch between them quickly and comfortably, I use a storage system with clip-in function. I love the Peak Design Capture Clip V3. Just screw the Capture Clip under the camera, attach the strap to the belt and we are ready to go. The nice thing about it: With the mounted plate, I can insert the cameras into an arca-compatible tripod head at any time without having to screw anything on or off.

Peak Design Capture Camera Clip V3 Schwarz, inkl. Standard Plate (CP-BK-3)*

Mit dem Capture Camera Clip muss deine Kamera nie wieder in die Tasche, sondern ist jederzeit in Reichweite für das perfekte Foto....
Vom Capture Clip lösen - und unmitelbar am Arca-Stativ einsetzen. Möglich dank der kompatiblen Schnellwechselplatte.

My basic settings for wedding photography in churches and similar buildings

As described above, there is no such thing as “the ultimate camera setting for wedding photography”. If you seriously believe this, you should refrain from the thought of working in this field. This means that the following settings only reflect a guideline value that has proven to be useful for me and my equipment in most locations. Adjustments to the values are almost always necessary, but as a starting point these are mostly worth gold.

Preparation is everything

If you have the possibility to enter the location before the actual event, you should familiarize yourself with the exact local conditions in advance and adjust your settings with regard to the available light and possible motifs. Remember that the lighting conditions can change depending on the time of day, the weather and the artificial lighting that can be switched on and off. Preparation is everything.

Depending on your chosen and available equipment there will of course also be deviations, this should be clear.

Basic camera settings for wedding photography in churches

Exposure time: 1/250 (I don’t use longer exposure times for human photography)

Aperture: F 2.8

ISO: 2000

Exposure compensation: +1/3 or +0.3. Images tend to be too dark rather than too bright, hence this manipulation.

Focus priority instead of trigger priority, as blurred images are of no use to me.

Exposure metering: center-weighted metering or rare matrix metering.

Recording format: RAW compressed (NEF for Nikon).

White balance: Automatic white balance. This usually works reliably and saves a lot of work during subsequent image processing. Should errors occur, I can correct them in the post-processing thanks to the RAW image.

Photo development and image processing

Some time ago I switched to the image development software and Lightroom alternative “Luminar” from Skylum. The available subscription options from Adobe for Lightroom and Photoshop were simply too expensive for me. I reported about it in this article.
What I particularly like about “Luminar” is the easy and fast application of image settings to other images. This simply saves time, because I don’t have to edit each image individually, but can “copy” the settings of one image to other images with similar motif placement and similar lighting conditions. This still needs to be fine-tuned, but this is the smallest part of the work.

What works really well is the integrated Accent AI technology, which automatically adjusts images using an AI. In my opinion, the results are not perfect, sometimes even artificial if you exaggerate the intensity of these functions, but they also save a lot of time. A feature I miss in Lightroom.

For later retouching and image manipulation I use the Photoshop alternative “Affinity Photo” by Serif.

Where can I buy Luminar and Affinity Photo?

If you want to support us, you can buy “Luminar 3” and their HDR software “Aurora 2019” via the following links, we get a small commission and you get a 15% discount:

Buy “Luminar 3” with 15% discount (Affiliate-Link)
Buy “Aurora 2019” with 15% discount (Affiliate-Link)
Buy Affinity Photo

Can I test Luminar and Affinity Photo for free as a demo?

If you want to try the software first, you can download a fully functional, but limited test version of the software from the following links:

“Luminar 3” as demo version (Affiliate-Link)
“Aurora 2019” as demo version (Affiliate-Link)
Affinity Photo as demo version

All the links in this text are Amazon Affiliate Links, and by clicking on an affiliate link I will earn a percentage of your subsequent Amazon purchases. However, this circumstance does not influence the background of my product recommendation. This product recommendation is independent, honest and sincere.

Bei allen genannten Links handelt es sich um Amazon-Affiliate-Links. Durch einen Klick auf einen Affiliate-Link werde ich prozentual an Euren darauf folgenden Amazon-Einkäufen beteiligt. Dieser Umstand beeinflusst aber nicht die Hintergründe meiner Produktempfehlung. Diese Produktempfehlung erfolgt unabhängig, ehrlich und aufrichtig.

Der Beitrag My equipment and basic settings for wedding photography in churches erschien zuerst auf Pixelfriedhof.