It’s here!
My new lens is officially here in my hot little hands. If you like me on Facebook you know that I’ve actually had this lens for about a week, and I’ve had a blast toying around with it since I got it.
When it arrived I was soooooo excited, but in typical Kate fashion, when I ordered it I was pretty hesitant. It’s was a good amount of money to drop for something that is really just a toy. I have a tough time parting with my money for necessities, so spending so much moolah on a toy made me squirm. I think I put the lens in my online cart three times before I finally hit “submit” on my order.
When I finally checked out I decided to give myself a little boost and included a message to myself with my order:
I must be clairvoyant, because I do love it!
I also appreciate the “extras” that were included with the lens. It came with a pretty spiffy lens case and lens hood. Thank you Sigma for the fantastic package of goodies.
Of course I took my handy dandy new lens out for a spin as soon as I could. Here are the very first snapshots that I took with it the day that it arrived:
Not too shabby right?
Since I use my 50mm lens all the time, I can’t help but to compare the 30mm to it. Here are my first impressions straight out of the box:
- It’s bigger than I thought it would be. Since I use my 50mm lens all the time, and 30mm is a shorter focal length than 50mm, I got it into my head that the 30mm and 50mm would be comparable in size. That is not true! This lens is distinctly larger than the nifty fifty. It makes the 50mm look dinky in comparison. The 30mm also feels more “solid” and less fragile than the 50mm.
- It’s hefty! I read all the time about how the weight of a lens can factor into a photographer’s choice of which particular lens to use or buy, but I never really understood why it meant so much until now. This is by no means a heavy lens at all, but compared to the 50mm lens that I’m used to, the 30mm has a little heft to it!
- I had myself really well trained with the 50mm. I’ve gotten so used to standing fairly far away when I shoot with the 50mm that now I have to learn to move in closer. No biggie, it’s just funny to realize how used to my 50mm I’d become.
-It’s a quieter lens. This was another thing I never really considered with my 50mm, but not hearing rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr eeeeeeeeeeee each time I take a photo now makes me realize how much less noise the 30mm makes.
- A 1.4 f/stop creates a reeeeeeeally small focus area. I definitely need to practice with it more to get comfortable with shooting wide open. Since I can shoot with such a small aperture now, for the first time I’m starting to experience the limitations of my Canon Rebel. There are only nine focus points on the T3i which can make getting the focus where I want tricky. I won’t have the funds to upgrade my camera body anytime soon though so I’ll have to learn to work around that.
In short, I’m already in love with this lens. I love the clarity. I love the shorter focal length. I love the extra light the wider aperture provides. I love that it’s a more substantial lens, so I don’t feel like I’m going to break it. I love that I have don’t have to back up 10 feet to get a decent shot.
In case I wasn’t clear: I love this lens.
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