This lens opens up a HUGE opportunity in shooting. The 1.4 aperture allows great shooting in low light and shallow depth of field. Lens is quick and good to focus. The HSM autofocus hunts a bit in low light but if generally silent and on the mark. Minimum focus distance is a little far so up close pictures are a no-no. Lens is a bit soft at 1.4 but is very sharp from 2.0 and on. At 4.0 its the sharpest lens in the bag. Wish is was a little sharper at 1.4 but its absolutely useable. My current favorite lens in the bag and it hardly ever comes off the camera. A GREAT choice for users using a crop camera. BTW the new finish is a vast improvement over the old.

Jbm7777

Freehold, NJ

I recently was gifted this lens. Before, I only had the 50mm 1.8 lens. I live in an apartment, and while it is bigger as far as apartments go, it was still very crowded with just the 50. I was attracted to the Sigma 30mm because of its ability to open to f/1.4. The difference in focal lengths is amazing! I have an 18 month old little boy who is very fast and loves to run up to me, so most of my shots were of him attacking me. He would get too close and would be out of focus. Now, he can get close to me, but it won't look like it's as close as it did with the 50mm. The only negative with this lens is that while it technically can open to f/1.4, it's not tack sharp there. After consulting other photographer friends, I decided to try shooting around F/3.5 and 3.2 and got much better results. I am a bit fearful though because I have two friends who have the same lens and one has problems with it vignetting, and the other one's lens stopped communicating with her camera. She said that the Sigma customer service has been atrocious. Thankfully mine still works well, but I am nervous for its future. Also, you cannot keep this lens if you plan to go full frame. I don't think I'll buy any more Sigmas.

mommabear8809

Charlottesville, VA