Hello everyone,Thank you to everyone who helped me through my broken d40x crisis. I ended up buying a factory refurbished d5200 body from an authorized dealer, received it today. I'm having a worrisome issue though. My Sigma 30mm f1.4 will not focus in live view but it focuses fine in view finder. When in live view if I half press the shutter button it just gets blurry and when pressed again the image in screen gets more blurred. I tried setting it to different focus modes but no luck.I'm having the worst time. My D40x body broke just when I needed it the most. So I posted for suggestions and decided on the d5200 body. Now I have it but lens won't focus in live view. I do want to have the option to use camera in live view since the viewfinder isn't the best and the bodys larger than my old d40x (I've got very small hands). I'm so upset because I need my camera as there's events occurring that I need to have great photos of.Any suggestions?

aries22 wrote:Hello everyone,Thank you to everyone who helped me through my broken d40x crisis. I ended up buying a factory refurbished d5200 body from an authorized dealer, received it today. I'm having a worrisome issue though. My Sigma 30mm f1.4 will not focus in live view but it focuses fine in view finder. When in live view if I half press the shutter button it just gets blurry and when pressed again the image in screen gets more blurred. I tried setting it to different focus modes but no luck.I'm having the worst time. My D40x body broke just when I needed it the most. So I posted for suggestions and decided on the d5200 body. Now I have it but lens won't focus in live view. I do want to have the option to use camera in live view since the viewfinder isn't the best and the bodys larger than my old d40x (I've got very small hands). I'm so upset because I need my camera as there's events occurring that I need to have great photos of.Any suggestions?A few reports of issues with Sigma and Liveview on newer gen bodies http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/51891900Best to check with Sigma and see if they have an update to the issue.

Hi Mako2011,Thanks for the link sounds like this is the exact same problem. Now I'm in a different bind; need to get a fast prime or zoom(f1.4 or 1.8) on a slim budget that works on the d5200 body, delivered as quick as possible. Do you or anyone else have any recommendations? I appreciate your advice.Ps: it's hard to tell but is the super sweet dog in your icon a springer spaniel? Just wondering...I had a beautiful girl named Missy for 17.5 years.Mako2011 wrote:A few reports of issues with Sigma and Liveview on newer gen bodies http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/51891900Best to check with Sigma and see if they have an update to the issue.

aries22 wrote:Hi Mako2011,Thanks for the link sounds like this is the exact same problem. Now I'm in a different bind; need to get a fast prime or zoom(f1.4 or 1.8) on a slim budget that works on the d5200 body, delivered as quick as possible. Do you or anyone else have any recommendations? I appreciate your advice.Did you try to actually focus manually with the Sigma. Sometimes people simply do not try manual focus, but in some situations it is perfectly viable.For a cheap(ish) fast prime:Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G Lens Nikon AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX Lens

I don't really get your problem. Your D40x couldn't use your Sigma in Live View either, could it?Live View is so overrated on a DSLR.

Nope,  no live view on d40x.  But my d5200 does have it so when the Sigma lens didn't focus in live view I was afraid my camera or lens was broken. I like having the option to use lv, I have small hands and it's just easier sometimes especially since the d5200 is larger and heavier than the d40x. Just because my previous camera didn't have it because it's an older model doesn't mean that I wouldn't want to make use of it when my new camera has it. I understand that for some people LV isn't useful but for others, it is.JeanLeGrand wrote:I don't really get your problem. Your D40x couldn't use your Sigma in Live View either, could it?Live View is so overrated on a DSLR.

Yes manual focus works fine but, for me, it's much better to use auto focus with moving subjects. I frequently use manual focus when photographing stills. Thanks for the recommendations, the 35 f1.8 sounds like a good choice. Do you think there would be much difference between the f1.4 of the Sigma and the f1.8 of the Nikkor?mlewan wrote:Did you try to actually focus manually with the Sigma. Sometimes people simply do not try manual focus, but in some situations it is perfectly viable.For a cheap(ish) fast prime:Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G Lens Nikon AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX Lens

aries22 wrote:Yes manual focus works fine but, for me, it's much better to use auto focus with moving subjects. I frequently use manual focus when photographing stills. Thanks for the recommendations, the 35 f1.8 sounds like a good choice. Do you think there would be much difference between the f1.4 of the Sigma and the f1.8 of the Nikkor?mlewan wrote:Did you try to actually focus manually with the Sigma. Sometimes people simply do not try manual focus, but in some situations it is perfectly viable.For a cheap(ish) fast prime:Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G Lens Nikon AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX LensAgree for moving subjects. That's where auto focus can be a real help. But even with moving subjects, manual focus can work. I took quite a few pictures of Tour de France last year using manual focus. The trick is to manually focus on a spot on the ground, and then to take the photo exactly when the cyclist passes that spot. It often works, but there is admittedly a high failure rate.If there is a big difference between the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 and the Nikon 35mm f/1.8, I cannot tell, as I never used the Sigma. Personally, I do not see much of a difference between f/1.4 and f/1.8 in practice, but I know it can be critical for some people. When it comes to other differences, like distortion, chromatic aberration, bokeh and distortion, I could not tell. However, I can tell that I personally have been a happy user of the 35mm f/1.8G for years.

aries22 wrote:I like having the option to use LV, I have small hands and it's just easier sometimes especially since the d5200 is larger and heavier than the d40x.I wouldn't b able to use a camera in LV. The VF seems so natural and clear. You do have the eye-piece adjusted for your eye?The 35mm f/1.8 is a nice lens.

aries22 wrote:Yes manual focus works fine but, for me, it's much better to use auto focus with moving subjects. I frequently use manual focus when photographing stills. Thanks for the recommendations, the 35 f1.8 sounds like a good choice. Do you think there would be much difference between the f1.4 of the Sigma and the f1.8 of the Nikkor?mlewan wrote:Did you try to actually focus manually with the Sigma. Sometimes people simply do not try manual focus, but in some situations it is perfectly viable.For a cheap(ish) fast prime:Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G Lens Nikon AF-S Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G DX LensAgree for moving subjects. That's where auto focus can be a real help. But even with moving subjects, manual focus can work. I took quite a few pictures of Tour de France last year using manual focus. The trick is to manually focus on a spot on the ground, and then to take the photo exactly when the cyclist passes that spot. It often works, but there is admittedly a high failure rate.If there is a big difference between the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 and the Nikon 35mm f/1.8, I cannot tell, as I never used the Sigma. Personally, I do not see much of a difference between f/1.4 and f/1.8 in practice, but I know it can be critical for some people. When it comes to other differences, like distortion, chromatic aberration, bokeh and distortion, I could not tell. However, I can tell that I personally have been a happy user of the 35mm f/1.8G for years.Wonderful, I am definitely going to check out the 35mm f 1.8

Some Sigma lenses do not work with some Nikon bodies using LiveView

I do realize that this kind of incompatibility is a pain and that you would like to have a fully operational combination, but would you really use live view AF for moving subjects much? Usually, the viewfinder (or rather, phase detection) AF is faster than the live view variant, and thus more suitable for moving subjects. That said, my experience is based on older bodies, not the one you have.aries22 wrote:Yes manual focus works fine but, for me, it's much better to use auto focus with moving subjects. I frequently use manual focus when photographing stills. Thanks for the recommendations, the 35 f1.8 sounds like a good choice. Do you think there would be much difference between the f1.4 of the Sigma and the f1.8 of the Nikkor?