On the heals of the Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II teardown by LensRentals.com, they now bring us a teardown of its main competitor, the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art.
While the Sigma isn't as well built as the EF 35mm f/1.4L II, it also costs half as much and by the looks of things, should hold up rather well.
Many people are going to compare this lens to the Canon 35mm f/1.4 teardown we did and say that's why they chose the Canon. That's legitimate reasoning. The Canon is weather resistant, twice the price, and twice the weight, roughly. If I was going to subject my lens to harsh conditions and use, the Canon looks like the way to go if you can afford it. But if I want to carry several primes in a convenient size and at a convenient expense, the Sigma is a superb choice and I expect it will hold up very well. As always, horses for courses. Read the full article…
One noticeable issue with the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art is there is nowhere to optically adjust the lens, so that may be a reason there can be such a copy performance variation. The Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II has 2 spots, and copy variation is the best of the 35mm options for your DSLR.