Sigma 50mm F14 Dg Hsm Art for Sony E Mount Review
Sigma's 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Fine art lens is an interesting piece of equipment. It presents itself as an culling to 50mm f/1.four lenses from the OEM's.
Traditionally, tertiary-party lenses have been less expensive than the ones from Canon and Nikon, just this one actually costs quite a chip more.
The reason behind that is its outstanding low-lite performance and sharpness. That's why information technology'southward my favourite lens when I'm shooting wedding photography.
The question is: Does it perform well enough to brand it worth the higher price tag? Read our Sigma 50mm f/1.four DG HSM Fine art review to discover out!
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Overview of the Sigma 50mm f/ane.4 DG HSM Art
This is Sigma'south second version of this lens, replacing the older 50mm f/1.4 DG EX lens. The Fine art series was designed to provide a faster and sharper solution than its predecessor with meliorate build-quality and handling. The Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art won the EISA Award for the Best Product Category in 2015, and after 5 years, it still holds its place among the best lenses on the market.
When you lot pick this lens up, you realize immediately that it'due south non just some cheap, 3rd-party budget alternative. It's big, it's heavy (for a 50mm lens) and information technology feels solid. From the photographer's perspective, it can be easily considered as a competitor to the luxury-level lenses of Canon'south L-Series, Nikon's ED and Sony'due south GM-range lenses when judging information technology just by its looks.
In the box, you'll immediately run across that the lens comes with a hood and a protective case with a chugalug loop. For comparison, the Canon equivalent comes with neither.
This lens isn't designed to be a budget selection; information technology's actually designed to be a step upwards. Sigma is positioning this lens as a peak-of-the-line option for people who desire the best.
For this review, we're going to be testing the Catechism EF-mount version of this lens on a Catechism 5D Mark IV full-frame body.
Who is the Sigma 50mm f/i.4 DG HSM Fine art For?
The lens is designed for the working professional person or the avant-garde enthusiast who wants a fast prime lens and is willing pay for quality at the cost of convenience (this is a big, heavy lens for a 50mm). That's why it's quite ideal for portrait, event or wedding photographers who want a versatile focal length with good low-lite performance and shallow depth of field.
Tipping the scales at 815g and measuring 99.9mm in length, the casual hobbyist might find it a fleck likewise much lens to carry around. For comparing, the Canon 50mm f/1.four USM weighs but 290g. That'south why this lens might non be the most ideal choice for a travel lensman.
Primal Features
Permit'southward see some of the specifics which makes this lens unique.
Mount and Compatibility
The Sigma 50mm f/ane.four DG HSM is bachelor in Canon EF-mount, Nikon F-mount, Sony Eastward and A-mounts, L-mount and Sigma mountain. One overnice thing near this lens is that it's eligible for Sigma'south mountain-conversion service. If you buy this lens and and so switch camera systems in the future, they tin can change the mountain for you lot. This characteristic keeps this lens a viable option for those who are on the verge of switching to the mirrorless system for instance.
It'southward worth mentioning that it's not bachelor for Canon RF or Nikon Z mirrorless mount systems (every bit of January 2021). However, Nikon and Canon both take adapters that volition work perfectly well for those systems, and then you lot tin mount the 50mm Art on them as well.
The cost of this lens puts it in its own category: the Canon and Nikon equivalents are both prepare at the lower end in the 50mm f/1.4 category. Meanwhile, the Sony-Zeiss lens and Canon's 50mm f/1.ii L lens are both amid the most expensive prime alternatives.
The Sigma sits right in the middle, making it the right choice for prosumer users who don't want to intermission the bank.
Image Quality
Generally speaking, the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM brings reasonable resolving ability, then information technology won't break even under the pressure of a high-megapixel sensor. According to DxoMark metrics, information technology resolves 40 Mpx on a 50.half dozen Megapixel Catechism 5DS R model, which is an impressive score.
To test the lens in existent life, I took a series of (so-tiresome-they-must-be-scientific) photos of a brick wall. This way you can determine for yourself how it performs in terms of vignetting, distortion and sharpness at various aperture levels. While hardly creative masterpieces, the examination shots did give me some interesting results about these characteristics.
In terms of distortion, I didn't notice any barrel or pincushion distortion with this lens at any aperture, as one would await from a 50mm lens. This is commonly the nature of using a great-fifty that it will outcome in shut to an invisible error in perspective.
Every bit for sharpness and vignetting, this is where nosotros can see some differences. At f/1.iv, at that place was a noticeable amount of vignetting on this lens. The centre was a off-white bit brighter than the corners.
On the earlier image, I used the widest aperture. And then on the after, I stopped it down to f/ii.eight and the vignetting faded abroad almost completely.
Interestingly, there seems to exist a slight loss of light when shooting with a narrow aperture, like f/xvi. I noticed similar results for sharpness: when shot broad open, the eye of the lens is quite sharp and the corners, while even so very expert, are a fleck soft in comparison. Sharpness evens out from edge to edge rather chop-chop as yous stop down, and past f/four at that place was no deviation that I could see. Lens flare is adequately well-controlled.
In terms of background blur, this lens features a shine and even bokeh, which is why this lens can be perfect for portraits. While using a shallow depth of field the bear upon of the outstanding eye sharpness is even more emphasized.
It doesn't outperform such lenses as the 50mm f/1.2 L by Catechism but information technology certainly gives a reason to upgrade if y'all want to create prissy background separation for your main subject.
In terms of fugitive flares and chromatic aberration, this lens is a fauna. My night shots in Erstwhile Montreal did give some flare around blown-out lamp posts, but this is to exist expected and the lens handled it well. Chromatic abnormality is almost irrelevant when using this lens, which is quite monumental considering the price tag.
Focusing
The Sigma 50mm f/ane.4 DG HSM Art features Sigma's HSM (Hypersonic Motor) autofocus technology with internal focusing, so information technology's pretty tranquillity (as one would expect from a higher-cease lens like this). It's not completely silent, withal, and your on-photographic camera microphone may pick up the focus motor while shooting video.
Focusing itself is pretty fast. Focusing accuracy seems pretty good, only I may but have had the luck of getting a good re-create. Sigma lenses can have dorsum-focusing issues, and this tin can be corrected either by sending it to Sigma for calibration or by calibrating it yourself using Sigma'south USB dock.
The lens features full-time manual focus, with the focusing ring mechanically connected to the lens elements. The ring itself is nice and smooth, and the throw is pretty short.
The Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art will go from its minimum focusing altitude to infinity in a quarter-turn. This would only exist an issue for someone who needs precise manual focusing, such as for macro photos. The lens does accept a distance scale, merely information technology only has depth-of-field markings for f/16.
To sum it up, I've never had whatsoever focusing issues with this lens, even when shooting a moving subject. I guess it'south the nature of using a Sigma Art lens.
Handling and Build Quality
As previously mentioned, the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art is a big (for a 50mm) and solid lens. The lens is 99.9mm long, weighs 815g and has threads to accept 77mm filters. This 77mm thread does non rotate subsequently focusing (similarly to the Canon L variant) which is platonic for those who like to have ND and CPL filters on their lens.
It feels well-congenital and able to handle the stress of daily use that professionals would need of it. It has a single switch on its left side, used to switch between auto and transmission focus.
The lens has a certain plastic feeling, only it'southward overall, it'south a durable lens. The treatment of this glass is pretty skillful as the safe elements such every bit focusing ring and the grip provides a steady hold.
One matter that I was a fleck disappointed with is the lack of complete weather-sealing: the lens doesn't accept the rubber O-ring on the lens mount that about professional lenses have. If I had to shoot in the pelting, I'd be more comfy with a Canon 50mm f/1.ii, every bit it does have that conditions-sealing characteristic.
Alternatives
Since the 50mm focal length has been a standard for decades, there are many alternatives to this lens in many toll ranges. At that place are 50mm f/1.iv lenses in all of the major camera brands, and many of those brands as well offer a less-expensive 50mm f/1.8 selection.
As the version of the lens that I tested was the Canon-mount, information technology seems all-time to mention the 3 options that Catechism offers every bit alternatives: a 50mm f/one.8, a 50mm f/1.4 USM and their height-of-the-line 50mm f/1.ii Fifty. Prices for these lenses range from near $99 to $1450.
You could besides cull the Zeiss Otus 50mm f/i.iv if y'all don't mind spending triple the amount. With prime number lenses, it's all about personal preference and the purpose of use and quality requirements.
Verdict
Overall, the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Fine art delivers what it promises: slap-up quality for the price… but it's not inexpensive. Withal, if you're looking for the all-time, this lens is a meliorate value than the top-of-the-line equivalents from original photographic camera manufacturers. I've had mine for a fiddling over a year and I'm confident enough in this lens to use it in a professional setting.
Check it out here on Amazon.
| Image Quality (25) | 23 |
| Focusing (20) | {{column-name-2}}: 17 |
| Value (20) | {{column-name-2}}: 17 |
| Build and Handling (xx) | {{column-name-2}}: 19 |
| Miscellaneous (fifteen) | {{cavalcade-proper name-2}}: xv |
| Full (100) | {{column-name-two}}: 91 |
Source: https://expertphotography.com/sigma-50mm-f-1-4-dg-hsm-art-review/
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