Sigma 18-35mm Archives

My first time out throwing the Sony A7s into Picture Profile 7 (PP7) SLOG which shoots crazy flat and has a minimum ISO of 3200. Keep in mind most people hesitate to use ISO 1600 on the Panasonic GH4 and here on the A7s SLOG your minimum ISO is 3200.

Outdoors with bright light pretty much everything will be washed out unless you can add an ND filter (I did not bring one), stop down the aperture, or increase your shutter speed. Indoors under very dim lighting it's pretty amazing. The tricky part though will be your post workflow which I think I failed pretty miserably at.

In the video above i'm just using what FCPX offers, but coloring the SLOG footage is not as straightforward as I thought. I'll have to find some better tools, and I hear many rely on plugins like FilmConvert. I'll have to keep experimenting and practicing.

As far as the Metbones Canon EF Mark IV adapter that I used to pair my Sigma 18-35mm (in crop mode) I had all types of issues. Maybe I need a firmware upgrade on the Metabones but the entire day was pretty frustrating. The recordings would stop every few seconds especially once focus peaking or zebras would kick in. Without being able to use Zebras or Focus Peaking (because of the adapter) I think I failed at getting decent focus on many of my shots. Until this adapter is a little more stable, i'm hesitant to use it on a project. I think I may just have to stick to Sony Lenses.

Sony a7s metabones canon ef adapter
Metabones Canon EF Lens to Sony NEX Camera Lens Mount Adapter Mark IV

I can tell battery life is going to be an issue so i'll have to look into external power. The only reason I was able to get through the day is because the Metabones adapter kept failing and I had to continuously shut down the camera. So far the images from the camera seem great if I can just figure out a better workflow or tool for grading. I can't wait to try the 4K via HDMI out with an Atomos Shogun recorder, but the next time out i'll have to bring an ND filter and perhaps only use Sony Lenses.

sony a7s mirrorless camera
Sony A7s Mirrorless Digital Camera

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Sigma's latest 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Lens is now available to order. Typically most zoom lenses can only maintain a max aperture of F/2.8, while this new (35mm Equivalent Focal Length of 28.8-56mm) lens can maintain a constant wide aperture of F/1.8 throughout it's zoom range, thus dubbing it The Fastest Zoom Lens in the World.

These are some very very impressive specs for a lens. The new Sigma 18-35mm F/1.8 lens is offered in Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, and Sigma mounts. Keep in mind that many of these lenses can now be adapted to work with other cameras such as the Sony NEX (including aperture controls and auto focus). The Canon version of this lens is listed as native Canon EF (not EF-S), and although it's designed for APS-C sized sensors (like Tokina's 11-16mm), this lens should mount directly to a BlackMagic Design Cinema Camera with EF mount. This could be a very popular lens for BMCC users.

Sigma Worlds Fastest Zoom lens

I'm personally very excited to get my hands on a singe lens with this type of focal range combined with a very fast constant aperture. The fastest zoom lens I currently have is Canon's 24-70mm F/2.8 which runs over $2K so the fact that this new Sigma 18-35mm F/1.8 is available for under $800 dollars is an amazing price. This should appeal to many who shoot with APS-C cameras such as a Canon Rebel, 7D, 60D, T5i, or even Sony NEX cameras with a smart adapter. The new Sigma 18-35mm F/1.8 is available for pre-order through the links below.