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

Product Information

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.

Used Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART - Canon EF Fit | MPB

The DN lens is noticeably shorter and lighter than the Sony E and Leica L mount versions of the older DG lens. (Image credit: Sigma Imaging) We use Imatest SFR (spatial frequency response) charts and analysis software to plot lens resolution at the center of the image frame, corners and mid-point distances, across the range of aperture settings and, with zoom lenses, at four different focal lengths. The tests also measure distortion and color fringing (chromatic aberration). When shooting at f/1.4, vignetting is noticeable towards the corners of the image frame. That’s not an altogether bag thing, as it can give an attractive look to many types of image, including portraits and still life shots. And if you’d rather have a more uniform level of peripheral brightness, in-camera correction for vignetting is available. The lens relies more heavily on in-camera correction for distortion, as is the case with the majority of recent lenses designed for mirrorless cameras. Whereas the previous DG edition was essentially a zero-distortion lens, the DN exhibits noticeable pincushion for a 50mm prime, when auto correction is disabled. All in all though, image quality and all-round performance are absolutely fabulous.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. Whereas Sigma’s ‘Contemporary’ lenses are designed to be relatively compact and lightweight, the ‘Art’ lenses in the Global Vision line-up are less compromising. They aim to deliver the highest standards of image quality to suit the most demanding creative photographers. This 50mm prime has a particularly complex optical layout for a ‘nifty fifty’, based on no less than 14 elements in 11 groups. The layout include three aspherical elements and one SLD (Special Low Dispersion) element, with the overall aim of enhancing color rendition, contrast and edge-to-edge sharpness while minimizing aberrations that include sagittal coma, astigmatism and field curvature. Changing lenses on a wedding is not something I would risk doing - by the time you change the lens the moment is gone... Regarding build you have to weigh up (pun intended) the larger seize and heavier weight of the Sigma against its use of metal in the lens’s outer construction which gives it a feeling of very solid construction. But make no mistake: looks can be deceiving: the outer construction does not tell you anything about the quality and durability of the inner workings including the focus-drive. So the Sigma might or might not last longer than the Nikon. After all is said and compared I personally would prefer the new Sigma Art over the Nikon 58/1.4G even if the price was the same – so considering the Sigma Art is cheaper this is a strong recommendation. I want to buy this lens to use it on a D3200 Nikon. Are there going to be any issues with focusing with this lens on this camera and is it a good choice and should I go for it?

Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM review - Digital Photography Review

Chromatic aberration is the lens' inability to focus on the sensor or film all colours of visible light at the same point. Severe chromatic aberration gives a noticeable fringing or a halo effect around sharp edges within the picture. It can be cured in software. Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners! The focus ring on the Canon leaves a lot to be desired, and makes manual focus a pain. The Sigma, on the other hand, provides an ideal manual focus experience with a smooth motion and good feel.

Molded Glass Aspherical Element

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. First things first, the Sigma 50mm Art is considerably heftier than any of the Canon EF 50mm lenses. It’s 85mm wide by 100mm long and weighs 815g in its EF-mount version. Compare that to the Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM which measures 74x51mm and weighs 290g – this makes the Sigma wider, twice as long, and almost three times the weight. If you have a higher-end Canon body, the Sigma will feel well-balanced, but on smaller and lighter bodies the Canon lens will feel more in proportion. As usual I’ll have a look at the technical data of the Sigma 50mm f1.4 Art first. I’ve rated the features with a [+] (or [++]), when it’s better than average or even state of the art, a [0] if it’s standard or just average, and [-] if there’s a disadvantage. For comparison I use the Sony FE 50mm f1.4 ZA, Nikon Z 50mm f1.8 S, Nikon AF-S 50mm f1.4G, Zeiss Otus 55mm f1.4, and Canon EF 50mm f1.4 USM and simply dub them “Sigma”, “Sony”, “Z-Nikkor”, “F-Nikkor”, “Canon”, and “Zeiss” to make the comparison easier to read.