Sigma 30mm brings me back to my NEX-3

I haven't been using my NEX-3 as much as my other cameras over the last few months because I wasn't overly happy with the native E-mount lenses I owned and I felt almost depressed over the fact that I "needed" to use my legacy lenses on my NEX-3 to get ideal image sharpness most of the time. That changed today with the arrival of my Sigma 30mm f/2.8 lens from B&H. I won't say this is the best lens I own but I absolutely will say it's the best native E-mount lens I own. I took this snapshot of my daughter using the 30mm wide open at f/2.8 and I'm VERY pleased with these results ... particularly for a lens that only costs $200:

NEX-3    ---    30mm    f/2.8    1/50s    ISO 640

 

I haven't tried the smile shutter in large part because I think sometimes a great portrait happens when someone isn't smiling. Heck, one of my mother-in-law's favorite photos of my son is a shot I took when he was crying. I think conveying emotion is more important to a portrait than a great smile ... But that is just a matter of opinion.

 

I am also glad I decided to cancel my Zeiss preorder. The tests over at SLRgear.com suggest the Sigma gives roughly similar image quality to the Zeiss from 2.8 onward but for a faction of the cost. The build quality is MUCH cheaper on the Sigma and I can't open the lens up past f/2.8 but the Sigma is dirt cheap and it's smaller and lighter than the Zeiss.

 

I was just like you, Amin. When I first heard about the Sigma 30mm and 19mm lenses I thought, "What a JOKE! These lenses are worthless junk." However, the more I starting thinking about it, the more I realized these might actually be GREAT lenses for the E-mount if (and it was a big "IF") they were reasonably sharp. As soon as I saw the first review of the 30mm online and saw it was actually pretty good I decided to go ahead and risk spending $200 on this lens. After I placed my order with B&H I saw the test results from the 30mm over on SLRgear and was blown away by how the optical performance at f/2.8 and onward isn't that far off from the $1,000 Zeiss. I'd love to have f/1.8 and the FAR superior build quality of the Zeiss but not for $1000.

I borrowed a friend's Zeiss 24 and used it on my NEX-3 last year and liked it but, again, couldn't justify the cost. Here is one of the shots I took with the much more expensive Zeiss last year (wide open at f/1.8 with ISO 200 and outdoors compared to the shot above which was f/2.8 with ISO 640 and indoors with the Sigma):

NEX-3    ---    24mm    f/1.8    1/500s    ISO 200

Their will be a part of me that continues to lust after the Zeiss ... but my wallet (and my wife) is happier with the Sigma.