Evaluation: 
Conclusion: Great bargain lens
Review: One of the best lenses you can buy for your Canon crop camera.(20/30/40D or any of the Rebels)Many people report problems with this lens but like Jim Hunt said in another review, I believe most of the focusing errors are operator errors. Prime lenses and especially prime lenses in the "normal" range have very few moving parts and are far less likely to have mechanical issues. That said, I love this lens. I have moved on to a full frame camera so I can no longer use it. For the money the Sigma 30mm is one of the best lenses you can buy. One reason I believe so many people report having problems with this lens is the price brings it into the affordable range for the amateur photographer or student photographer. These are the photographers that are least likely to understand Depth of Field, and the least likely to do proper testing and evaluations. Therefore I believe there are some errors sure, but they are not the fault of the equipment.
Evaluation: 
Conclusion: focus problem
Review: Read about the "front focus" problem, but took a chance anyway. Did an experiment comparing this lens with Nikon 50mm f/1.8. Sigma focused in front of the object while the Nikon was right on! Sent the lens back using Amazon's very friendly return policy.
Evaluation:
Conclusion: Sharp, Fast, Excellent Value!
Review: This lens was purchased for my 40D. When I received this lens I was floored with the quality and the value from Sigma. Not only does the lens come with a storage case for the lens, it arrives with a very nice hood. These two features are something you pay extra for with a Canon lens.
The lens is extremely sharp at f/1.6+, f/1.4 has such a short depth of field that achieving sharpness can be somewhat difficult at times. I have found that f/4 and above achieves a uniform sharpness on the whole picture, but I shoot at f/1.4-f/1.6 primarily. This lens is an excellent low light/indoors lens, which is the reason I have it attached to my camera at all times.
The auto focus is near silent, extremely fast. The lens rarely has trouble focusing. The only time I have noticed a problem with focus is in very low light, but those problems account for at most 2-5% of my shots, nothing to worry about. The lens cannot focus closer than a foot, foot and a half, but that's to be expected.
This lens was purchased for my crop body camera, and is equivalent to ~50mm on a full frame sensor. I had looked at the 50mm f/1.4 Canon lens, but using it with a crop body means it turns out to be ~80mm, much too long of a lens for indoor shooting.
The only other option I had was a 28mm Canon. Am I happy I purchased this lens over the 28mm Canon? Yes! I recommend this lens to anyone with a crop body. If you are starting out with a DSLR, this should be your first lens. If you want to save money and get a lens comparable to the Canon equivalent, buy this lens.
BUY THIS LENS!
Evaluation:
Conclusion: Fantastic value! Perfect lens for "cropped sensor" cameras!
Review: This 30mm lens translates to a 48mm on a modern Canon "cropped sensor" camera, so it's a perfect replacement for the 50mm on your old film camera. The light-gathering and sharpness of this lens are fantastic! You'll find yourself not needing a flash in most indoor shots, which is great!
The only problem I have with this lens is that you won't be able to use it on a full-frame camera, if you ever get one, as it's only made for the "cropped-sensor" cameras. However, for an f/1.4 lens, the price is great!
Now get one of the Canon 50mm lenses for portraits: Either the f/1.2L or the f/1.4 or the f/1.8 (the Nifty Fifty).
Then the 16-35L and the 70-200 f/4L and your collection should take care of just about any circumstance!
I'm a huge Canon L lens fan, but this is one of the lenses I make an exception for. It's one of my favorite lenses! A great introductory lens for someone who has never experienced anything below f/3.5. Plus, it looks beautiful on your camera (see the picture of the Rebel XT with the lens attached).
Evaluation:
Conclusion: I'm in love!
Review: I struggled with deciding between this lens, the Canon 35, and the Canon 28 1.8. In the end I went to the Sigma and am LOVING it. This thing finds light, focus is spot on, wide open looks great to me, colors look gorgeous, comes with a hood... It's performance is beyond what I had expected.
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