SIGMA 30mm EX DC HSM

Sigma 30mm EX DC HSM review and photo examples

Gallery

SIGMA 30mm DC HSM Sample photos (SIGMA SD10)

Review

The SIGMA 30mm EX DC HSM is a large-aperture (F1.4) lens for SLR cameras with APS-C size sensors.
The attached hood is a floral bayonet type, and the claws that hold the hood in place are plastic, so if the lens is handled roughly or removed several times, the claws will become worn and loose.
It is an old lens released in the era of SD9 and SD10, but I think it must have sold quite well because I can still find some beautiful lenses in the used market in 2023.
At the time of its release, I bought this lens with high expectations because it was from the EX line (Sigma’s old high-end lens line), a large-aperture lens for APS-C sensors at a low price, but I was disappointed by its two-line blur and gave it away without much use.
As shown in the figure quoted from the official Sigma website, the lens configuration is a derivative of the double-Gaussian type, which is suited to large apertures, and is elaborately made with special dispersion glass and aspherical lenses, but aberration correction was probably limited by the design technology at the time.
The new model released in 2013 has a modern inverted telephoto type lens construction and is a good lens in general, without any quirks in the peripheral rendering.

Lens configuration diagram taken from SIGMA’s official page

Specification

Lens name	SIGMA 30mm DC HSM Art	30mm F1.4 EX DC HSM
Focal length(mm)	30	←
Max aperture	1.4	←
Min aperture	16	←
Leaf blade	9	8
Lens Construction	9elements in 8groups	7elements in 7groups
Min distance(m)	0.3	0.4
Lens length(mm)	63.3	59
Max diameter(mm)	74.2	76.6
Filter Size(mm)	62	←
Weight(g)	435	400
Release date	2013	2005
Price(Yen/No-tax)	Open price	¥55,000-