[shuttertalk]

I always thought that dpreview only reviewed cameras and SLRs - I didn't realise that they started publishing lens reviews as of 28 Jan this year! Anyway, they just reviewed Sigma's 50mm f/1.4 HSM.

Just out of interest - what do you guys think of their reviews? I find them great for raw data and comparison shots, but I find their opinions very clinical - i.e. there's no "I really liked feature X and Y, but wish they made Z better" sort of thing... anyway, just my humble opinion.

[matthew]

Personally, I think trying to learn about lenses from a review is similar to leaning about music from a book. (Occasionally useful but no substitute for actual practice.) Their reviews are decent, but I prefer photozone.de or slrgear.com. Both sites have more experience and a greater variety of lenses that have been tested.

And incidentally, I tried out the Sigma 50/1.4 on a 5D, and it's a massive lens. I have no doubt that its performance is going to be excellent, and it's a useful illustration of the difference between a legacy film lens and a new digital-sensor-friendly design.

[shuttertalk]

It's a bit of a monster isn't it? Check out the size compared to the manufacturer branded ones:
http://www.dpreview.com/lensreviews/sigma_50_1p4_c16/

[Irma]

Just out of interest - what do you guys think of their reviews? I find them great for raw data and comparison shots, but I find their opinions very clinical - i.e. there's no "I really liked feature X and Y, but wish they made Z better" sort of thing... anyway, just my humble opinion.

I normally read these kind of reviews to have general information about the lens but I rather like to ask here if someone has the lens and shares his/her experiences. I think this way you know much more about the lens. I remember all writings and pictures Zig posted about his wide angle lens he bought. This is excellent information for someone who wants to know how the lens performs I think.