Leica-esque moments from a stroll with the Sigma 30mm

I know - true Leicaphiles might be mortally offended by the very idea of a $200 lens on a $1200 body being likened to a M9 with a Summarit lens. But if we ignore that final 1% of nuance all those extra thousands upon thousands of dollars will get you, I feel this pairing does give me most of what I used to yearn for: a monster IQ platform, small enough to tuck under my jacket for a casual stroll. IMHO the Sigma 30mm taps the NEX system's great potential for portability and detail rendering as well as anything out there.

I'd be the first to point out that the Sigma doesn't handle like a nice old manual lens. But what it lacks in tactile handling qualities, it makes up for in good optical behavior. Focus peaking is strong and reliable and I can focus & recompose without any nasty surprises (like I often get from lenses with more field curvature). For landscape-type shots I find it to be exceptionally easy to get a frame full of immaculate detail.



My favorite shot of the day came from an impromptu visit to a friend's house. I busted out my camera, reflexively set manual exposure and focus and got this frame off before he had time to start hamming it up. Much as one might do with a proper rangefinder camera.



So being somewhat in practice and having my good rig on my person helped net me one of my favorite images of the year - a definite large print candidate. How valuable is that! When I bought my NEX, the compactness was more of a bonus, an afterthought. But sometimes it can prove to be a huge asset, one I hope to exploit a lot more in the new year.

 

It's hard to go wrong for that price, IMO.

Reasons to NOT get the Sigma 30mm would be:
- not liking that focal length (not the case with me - I often prefer 30mm over 24 & 35)
- wanting more speed & better BOKEH (that can be a tough one at this length - if you truly require these things you're likely to pay for them in at least a couple different ways...)
- preferring the durable, tactile feel of a manual lens
- being satisfied with the performance of the kit zoom

 

Oh, just an occasion where a Leica would have been well-suited but the NEX steps up to the plate instead!

IME many SLR lenses + adapters take the whole package more into the old film SLR realm of size and weight, which doesn't bother me at all at home or on a road trip. But for casual, candid use it sure is cool to be able to trim down to rangefinder form (bit beyond, actually...)

 

Hard to quantify such things, I suppose. I do appreciate their uncompromising approach (especially after using a couple of their old SLR lenses). I doubt I'll ever own a Leica digital body, but I could see myself investing in one or two of their rangefinder lenses after the full-frame NEX finally comes out.