The Search For...

I don't usually talk the gear talk here, but occasionally I get into it as the prevalent winds (my prevalent winds) demand. I love the 20mm and 28mm (and their 14 and 18mm crop equivalent) focal lengths, use the latter for everyday shooting, while also incorporating the former for event shooting. Recently, I took note of a new 18mm Color Skopar for my Fujifilm cameras, and even though it was manual focus only- I was determined to make it work. The focusing knob and aperture ring on this cute as all hell pancake were true acts of perfection in their precise and silky smooth operation. Alas, the optical quality was... abysmal- far worse than even the 18mm Fuji it was meant to replace! Maybe because it was refurbished, or perhaps it was just a (truly) bad copy? Don't know; but I did focus with the magnified focus check- so that got returned pronto! 

The following week I was checking out an image on the screen of my GR, and when I commenced to reframe- the screen went dead! Must've inadvertently pressed some obscure menu item, but after going through the menu several times, seems my initial impression was correct- and off to the repairman it went! 

Fortunately, my Leica Q continues to perform despite the two of us tumbling hard on concrete the other day, but I'm always slightly paranoid when I take it out, and I sure wouldn't mind using a second focal length on my Fujis. I've refused to imbibe in the overly large and expensive 18mm f1.4 Fujinon, despite its absolute optical perfection, and have pretty much given up hope of an update on the dismal Fuji pancake or third party equivalent. Then along comes the plastic fantastic Sigma 10-18mm f2.8 WA zoom- could that be the an answer? Now I love the results of my optically superlative 14mm f2.8 Fuji (the lens itself is one ugly duckling), and while I love WA's, I don't have much use for anything wider than 20mm (FF)- and I hate lens diameters that go past the 50's (the Sigma has a 67mm filter diameter)! Otherwise, it is fairly compact, and if it can cover 14 and 18mm with sufficient optical quality (which it supposedly does deliver), I may, just may, be able to get over its obese filter diameter size... maybe not ideal for everyday carry, but it just might spell significant ease of use for special events- one camera, one lens, two fave focal lengths! And if'n it can't- off it goes as well, once it gets here. To be cont...

Sigma10-18mm f2.8