Sigma Cine Lens Test 2019 - RED Monstro 8K VV

[Blair S. Paulsen]

Nothing bad to say about the Canon CN-Es, they're legit. That said, the Sigma's use a more modern design with better technical performance and a more compact housing. Lots of focal lengths on offer, which can be useful for narrative. If the client wants a particular vintage or modern optic for their project, you're rental bound anyway - OTOH, if they want clean, the Sigmas are already there - resolution, MTF, micro-contrast - love them for wide shots on Monstro. I don't have the chart in front of me, but in multiple lighting situations I thought the color matching within my usual set (20-85) was seamless.

FWIW, the Sigmas are easy to deal with. The consistent sizing across much of the set makes changes easy, they have a nice cam based focus mechanism that responds well with just a Nucleus Nano motor. That's gimbal friendly. Moreover, with the cameras getting so small, the compact form factor is simply a better match for a lot of the popular camera movement platforms. Other than the 14mm, which can't help it, and the bigger teles, the rest of the Sigma set has it's COG far enough back to help the motors keep a mechanical advantage, reducing stabilizer overrun. With gimbals I find operator skill level and the precision of COG orientation in rigging are key - smaller lenses are simply a way to reduce the degree of difficulty in controlling inertia. Particularly nice when using a ultra lightweight gimbal-ish support. YMMV.

Cheers - #19

[Christoffer Glans]

I really don't know what to do here, not sure which one is the better value, if it's better to save the CN-Es. It seems that because of the refresh from Canon, the original EF CN-Es aren't available for purchase, so maybe they'll go up in price on the used market?
Would you say that the Sigmas are better on, say, the Komodo, compared to the CN-Es?

[Alexander Sutton-Hough]

I really don't know what to do here, not sure which one is the better value, if it's better to save the CN-Es. It seems that because of the refresh from Canon, the original EF CN-Es aren't available for purchase, so maybe they'll go up in price on the used market?
Would you say that the Sigmas are better on, say, the Komodo, compared to the CN-Es?

I went through this last winter of what to buy for my Red Gemini. Phil Holland gave me some good advice on all the lenses he tested on this thread. http://www.reduser.net/forum/showthr...-buy-under-30k

Also the new share grid test could be helpful. https://www.sharegrid.com/learn/lens-sets

I settled on the Sigmas and love them. Best balance of price, super clean, sharp, pleasing, matching, and weight. It nice to have something clean and sharp when I need it and then play with diffusion filters to adjust the look for each project. The only thing bad I would have to say is their focus breathing at closer distances. There is a sweet spot for the average camera to subject distances so most the time its not issue. But its the trade off for price and weight. I believe the CN-Es breathing is just as much. The CN-Es are also based off of much older photo glass.

Since the Komodo is a 6k Super35 sensor and you'll be cropping into a full frame lenses the Sigmas I would bet Sigmas would be better for being a lot more sharper and cleaner. Also if you were to crop in for higher FPS the sharper the better. I use them on my Red Gemini and on my GH5S m4/3 pl mount and very sharp on smaller sensors. Especially the 14mm at T2. Very clean and sharp.

[Jon Dishler]

I was fortunate to have B&H send me a set of three lenses both Sigma and Tokina and it was a difficult decision but I ultimately went with the Sigma lenses. The Tokina are beautiful, and have better mechanics, but I found their larger size and not quite as sharp to be limitations. Many say they are just as sharp and they do not have the focus breathing issues that the Sigmas have, but this does not seem to bother me in real world terms. I ue them with the Nucleus Tilta motors which work great. As to aesthetics, I love the Revolva ND filters, and have also acquired their diffusion that goes with the Revolva being Carbon/Pearl/Gold and these add the perfect touch for most uses indoors. I have tested the matching and find the white balance on my Helium sensor is within 100 degrees on all lenses and usually tighter between lenses, with very little green/magenta change. I did have to adjust the back focus on the camera but with this they are accurate to the marks. They now offer a version with iData, which I would have gotten if available at the time, and is worth considering. I have the 7 lens set which serves well. They are wicked sharp, especially at 8k.