How good is it for portraits, or at least three quarters, or does it distort features giving a wide angle effect?
283811
It takes portraits very well, but not well enough to warrant the $1800 price tag. It does not distort features whatsoever. If you want a camera that will out-perform this Leica for 1/3rd of the price, look into the Olympus E-PL5. It's better in every respect and with the money you'll save, you can buy some additional lenses.
1721828
My experience is it's field of view is good, just don't try to stitch two or more later as it does have a small bit of fisheye effect at edges. A single picture by itself is not at all noticeable. Just make sure when you use it make sure it is locked onto the 14 x42 lens and that lens is also full on the 14 setting.
2274833
I've used it for a number of video shoots (Documentary, commercial, etc...) and it never fails, every single time I break this out the director/producer always says "Ehh...I don't know about shooting that wide" but without fail this lens always gets a giant grin when looking at the dailies. It's one of my favorite lenses because it's super wide without being overly distorted. That being said, I don't have any first hand experience using it with a steady cam rig but I honestly don't see it being an issue. The only downside of the lens (hasn't really affected me yet but could be an issue for someone) is that because the front element is so large, it's impossible to use screw on filters. This can be alleviated by using a matte box. Hope this helps! -John Melancon
1652037
It's really for Close-Up for 1to1; coins,stamps,flowers,bugs and the like. It's one of the best close-ups you'll find. Portrait, yes but it wasn't thought of as a portrait lens. Ok, if you like big;eyes,lips,frame filling faces and the likes. You can surely try.
1421744
I used the kit lens for an actor friend's headshots. At 70mm f5.6 the DOF is very shallow and works for portraits. The headshots were excellent.
238612
Yes, but you won't be happy with it. Vignette, barrel and focus issues make it difficult to work with. I was underwhelmed with mine.
1076523
Yes, it actually is pretty good on all shots. I use program mode and I make sure the auto focus is on continuos. The aperture is perfect for that. Focus all the way in to get a blurred background.
1397369
It's wide angle-ish... not like fisheye but I do get a tad bit of distortive curve. Check out Digital Rev's review on youtube... there's examples of the pic. I definitely notice a difference between this lens and my lumix 20 mm. It's an awesome lens!
1233335
If you were going to just do portraits a narrower lens would be better, it distorts the face less.
1891733
I have this 105 and the 105DC both are great for portraits. I don't like the fact that this lens changes aperture when you get in closer but it does have VR.
1226771
Your wide angle might not be as effective as some of the outer edges may get distorted.
1052796
Hi Elizabeth, Yes! Sorry for the delay in response. But remember this is semi telephoto so no close up portraiture. However if your subject was 25ft plus away and you wanted the "Bokeh" effect, {Blurred out back ground} it's awesome. I love this Len's for Video too which your camera does... Hope this helps
585771
Good question. Unfortunately, I've only used it for a short period of time and that was always outdoors. It's probably enough wide angle for indoors, but not so sure how good it would be in low light situations like indoors, especially if you're using them for something so important like real estate photos. Wish I could be more help.
577535
What's the good effect? Is there an advantage in the image or resolution improvement?
1199583
Go to the Sigma website to see sample pictures. It looks like the lens has slight pincushion distortion. You may be confusing distortion with exaggerated perspective. Of course, this lens does make near objects seem very large compared to distant objects. That should not be considered distortion. You, as the photographer can use the perspective to your advantage for creative effect. If you do want distortion, apparent bending of straight lines, you should consider a fisheye lens.
2266647
Yes, it automatically rotate, No noticeable distortion if the original shots resolution was high.
2227139
I used the lens extensively for landscape photos but also for interiors. It works pretty well with reduced, if any, distortion. Colors are consistent with white balance settings. Highly recommended also for interiors photos from "strange" or "naive" perspectives such as very high or very low positions, e.g. floors and ceilings to produce a different view of the rooms. Good photos also without any tripod by increasing the ISO to 800 and switching on the lights even with NO FLASH.