NO pixels

I bought this lens on eBay a while ago for around $20 and had it just sitting on a shelf collecting dust. Finally time came for some DIY and after some modifications it fits my Sigma mount quite well. The first very pleasant surprise was to just look through the camera’s viewfinder, the picture is bright and clear. But quite often what we see through the viewfinder is not the same that ends up on a photo so I didn’t have high hopes (it is $20 lens, it cannot compare to my $1000 ones, right?). I didn’t want to waste time on usual boring tests, the weather was awesome so I just went outside and had some fun.
The lens is stunning! The sharpness, bokeh, even lens flare, everything. Wide open is unbelievably sharp, bokeh is simply beautiful. Just see for yourself. All pictures shot at f1.7.

bokeh:


lens flare:


sharpness:

The only problem is that it has a greenish colour cast. That could have been an issue in late 70 when the lens was actually manufactured but not now in digital era. I think it is my favorite lens at the moment, just love the results. I shoot using manual focus quite often anyway as it removes the need for re-framing the shot (check this post), the lens flare on glass without all the coats looks really cool and this bokeh is just unbeatable. And it is so sharp even wide open that it is hard to believe.

Being Sigma user I quite often dream about switching to a camera with a larger sensor. Every now and then I look at some older photos shot on film and the DOF is just so much nicer there. So i took 5D mkII for a spin for a weekend. I was sure I would fell in love with it but at the and I have rather mixed feelings.
The camera is a pleasure to use and I took many more photos that I would have with my SD14. It is just too easy! But to be honest I expected better image quality. The amount of noise in the shadows is just staggering. Quite likely I didn’t use the camera in the most optimal way but still, ISO 100 even underexposured one f-stop should be noiseless.

On the other hand quite often Sigma users are raving about ‘film like’ quality of their photos, the best colors and so on. I was able to get the same look I’m used to from my Sigma with very simple corrections in lightroom. Cannot complain about 5D colors at all.

(click any image for more and larger photos)