I must confess that I like the act of taking pictures a considerable amount more than drawing comparisons afterwards. This is why so much time has passed since the last Bokeh-comparison between the ART and the EX HSM. A month later, I could finally get myself to begin searching for suitable motifs equipped with my tripod, SD1 and both 30s. As it’s all about SHARPNESS this time, “suitable motifs” refers to posters in shop windows of closed stores and wooden walls. Exactly those are the motifs making any photographer’s heart leap for joy. 😉
As was already the case with the Bokeh-comparison, I have uploaded the photos in full resolution. Just click on them to view the 15MP JPGs on Flickr. First the wooden wall photos:
ART @ f/1.4
EX HSM @ f/1.4
ART @ f/2
EX HSM @ f/2
ART @ f/2.8
EX HSM @ f/2.8
ART @ f/4
EX HSM @ f/4
ART @ f/5.6
EX HSM @ f/5.6
ART @ f/8
EX HSM @ f/8
ART @ f/11
EX HSM @ f/11
And now the posters:
ART @ f/1.4
EX HSM @ f/1.4
ART @ f/2
EX HSM @ f/2
ART @ f/2.8
EX HSM @ f/2.8
ART @ f/4
EX HSM @ f/4
ART @ f/5.6
EX HSM @ f/5.6
ART @ f/8
EX HSM @ f/8
ART @ f/11
EX HSM @ f/11
When I compared the Bokeh of both 30s, I could only detect that at times the EX HSM (up until f/2.8) and at times the ART (starting at f/2.8) were alternately slightly in the lead. There is no definite winner. With regard to sharpness, things look a whole lot differently.
The ART has better resolution in the middle of the picture as well as in the corners than the EX HSM. Between f/5.6 and f/11 the margins and corners of the ART are so fine that you could even use it in landscape photography without hesitation.
You can view additional images here:
- 30mm f/1.4 ART on Pinterest and Flickr
- 30mm f/1.4 EX HSM on Pinterest and Flickr
- Sigma SD1 Merrill on Pinterest and Flickr
- ART vs. EX HSM Flickr Set
[…] the EX has a slight lead, above f/2.8 ART takes over. Please follow the links to view bokeh and sharpness comparison tests. All images are available in full resolution (15 Megapixel) on […]
Very informative , well done part I and part II. I bought the “old” model with the “new” cosmetics autumn 2012 . I find it great for close portraits but not sharp enough , and to much barelldistorsion for landscape. Makes visible horizon difficult to get straight, limits the height from from ground. So I wonder if the “Art” vers. is less critical in that respect ?
[…] lens is much sharper. I’ve also compared the two 30mm lenses, the EX and the new ART (Part 1,Part 2). The only thing left to do is to compare the DP2M with the new ART on the SD1M. Can DP2M‘s tiny […]
[…] the 35mm Art against one another. Here and here, I compared the DP2M with the 30mm EX, here and here the 30mm EX with the 30mm Art and here the 30mm Art with the […]