With a large 1.4 aperture, this prime is a pro-level performer for an incredibly wide variety of shooting conditions. As a member of Sigma’s renown Art series the Sigma 50mm f1.4 Art is expected to perform on a very high level. It is positioned roughly between standard 50mm f1.4 lenses and the top-end models from Canon, Nikon, and Sony in price. The big question then is how does it to compare to those below and above it in price? Does it offer a sufficient step-up from normal 50mm f1.4 lenses to justify the price, and does it give the pricier models a run for their money? To find out, Thomas and Gordon teamed-up to give the Sigma 50mm Art a real workout and compared it against a whole slew of other lenses including the Zeiss Otus 55mm f1.4, Canon EF 50mm f1.2L USM, and Sony FE 50mm f1.4 ZA. We’ve completely updated our original review from 2014 with test-shots on the 46MP Nikon Z7 and the 42MP Sony A7R II. So if you’re interested in which high performance standard prime lens to choose for your camera system, you’ve come to the right place! This lens has been designed using an advanced optical structure to achieve both high resolution and sharpness along with an aesthetic out-of-focus quality for greater subject separation. A molded glass aspherical element corrects for sagittal coma flare and enables full use of the fast f/1.4 maximum aperture with maintained sharpness and clarity. This design also works to minimize vignetting, color blur, and other distortions help to produce natural and pleasing bokeh for selective focus and shallow depth of field techniques. By reducing these aberrations, this lens is also well-suited to astrophotography or other situations with point-light sources due to its ability to suppress blur near the edges of the frame. Special Low Dispersion Glass Elements I've not used this Sigma 50, so can't be sure. But good Leica and Zeiss lenses, besides being sharp, do subtle colour real well. A world that I’d love to shrink myself into, just to walk underneath petals of clover or to find shelter from the rain underneath the cap of a minuscule mushroom. My photos let me escape into that world and a good lens makes it even more realistic, because it detects so much more than the human eye can see: the 50mm F1.4 DG DN | Art is a lens, that captures that world so vividly.

Sigma 40mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art review - Amateur Photographer Sigma 40mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art review - Amateur Photographer

There’s no shortage of 50mm lenses on the market, and many camera and lens companies actually offer a choice of apertures too. The f1.8 versions are definitely worth considering: they are smaller, lighter, cheaper, less obtrusive and often deliver similar – or even superior – image quality than their bigger brothers. The loss of 2/3 of a stop may not be as relevant as the marketing literature wants you to believe. But if you absolutely want or need f1.4 (or brighter) then you have the following alternatives with autofocus:The focus rings of the Sigma and EF lens are somewhat stiffer than that of the RF lens but all three are pleasant and accurate to use. Because the Sigma and RF lens have wider focus rings, they are a little easier to turn than the thin ring of the EF lens. JDThomas Although I have mingled with a few sports photographers I have yet to meet someone who shoots fast sports action on manual focus though I don't deny that photographers of the past shot iconic sports photography on full manual. So, yes please send me a link, I'm genuinely curious. he message appears even when the software and the lens are appropriate, close the Lens System Software Updater and remove the cable and power OFF the camera.

Sigma 50mm f1.4 Art review | Cameralabs

I will continue to work at the micro adjustments in the hope of getting something better out of the lens. The staple Sigma 50mm 1.4 DG HSM has been redesigned and reengineered to set a new standard for the Art line. With a large 1.4 aperture, the Sigma 50mm 1.4 prime lens is a pro level performer for shooting everything including portrait photography, landscape photography, studio photography and street photography. A Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) ensures quiet, smooth and accurate autofocusing and paired with Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass and Super Multi-Layer coating, the 50mm 1.4 is a high performance lens for the modern DSLR sensors. 13 elements in 8 groups allow for unsurpassed performance even at wide apertures and close-up photography is easily managed with a minimum focusing distance of 40cm. The Sigma 50mm 1.4 lens is the new exceptional standard, standard prime.Normal type. Protector is developed to protect the lens surface from dirt and dust as well as scratches. It is an ideal filter for regular use as it is completely colorless so does not affect color reproduction. There is really no comparison here. The Sigma is again better than the 50mm F/1.8. It is sharper, has less distortion, and less CA. There is literally not one thing about the Canon 50mm F/1.8 that I find to be superior to the Sigma. Compared Wide Open at F/1.4 and F/1.8 It corrects the phenomenon that exposure during shooting through the viewfinder or Live View mode becomes unstable. Personally I believe the RF lens only makes sense if you feel you’ll get a significant “return” on the investment, be that the intangible satisfaction with the images you create (an emotional return) or the money you make as a result of professional work (a tangible financial return). Otherwise you might as well go with something less expensive and use your remaining budget to invest in additional equipment.

Sigma 311101 50mm F1.4 DG HSM Art Lens for Canon, Black

In designing the lens with a large 85.4mm diameter, and placing the widest elements within the front group, greater peripheral brightness is more easily attained when working with larger apertures. This design also lends itself to minimizing vignetting throughout the aperture range for greater clarity and detail across the image frame. Super Multi-Layer Coating Put simply, the Canon 50mm F/1.8 is sort of a clunker. It’s AF is loud and screechy, and as mentioned above, the manual focus is a real pain. In terms of their construction, all three lenses feel solid and heavy in the hand. Even the EF 50mm 1.2, which is the smallest of the three, can weigh down the EOS R when the adapter is attached. The RF lens features a matte finish, the EF 50mm 1.2 has a rugged plastic exterior, and the Sigma is mostly made of metal. Ok, now that I have walked you through a few scenes. I have a test for you. Can you tell me which of the shots below are the Sigma, and which are the Canon? At the fastest apertures, the EF lens displays the worst chromatic aberration of the three in the form of severe purple fringing. There are traces of green and purple fringing from the RF and Sigma lenses but it isn’t nearly as evident.My Sigma 50mm Art arrived last week. I had been told by Brisbane Australia camera shops that I could not get one until late in 2014. BUT Leederville Cameras in Perth Australia has them and their service is very good. It corrects the phenomenon that abnormal images appear or operation errors occur when Canon’s in-camera Lens Aberration Correction function is enabled. summilux and otus are pretty much a full on hobby lenses. while they do edge out the 50mm art in sharpness, the difference is so marginal that you will not notice it if you don't spend an hour examining a picture at 100% crop.

Sigma 50mm f1.4 Art review | Cameralabs Sigma 50mm f1.4 Art review | Cameralabs

On cameras where lens aberration correction is controlled with ‘ON’ or ‘OFF’ in the camera menu, please set all aberration correction functions to ‘ON'(AUTO). But there are other 50/1.4 lenses to be had. So does the performance of the Sigma 50mm f1.4 ART match the corresponding mark-up in price, and what if you’re considering the Zeiss Otus, the most expensive ‘standard’ lens on the market? Let me go through all alternatives step-by-step.What are your thoughts here? Do you agree with what I am seeing from these two lenses or do you think that the Canon edges out the Sigma? Update: Lateral chromatic aberration is entirely negligible throughout the entire aperture range, even out at the edges and corners of the image frame. Axial chromatic aberration or ‘bokeh fringing’ is often problematic at very wide apertures with fast lenses, but it’s very minimal in this case. Leica L-mount owners have the Panasonic offers the Lumix S PRO 50mm f1.4 for 2300 USD or the Leica Summilux SL 50mm f1.4 for 5300 USD, making the arrival of the Sigma a very welcome ‘budget’ option.