Review - Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG Art

[JVLphoto]

Two pounds of a 50 mm lense to lug around and you are all excited about it?
You know, you could actually take those very same shots with an iPhone and nobody would know the difference.
This is not about photography any longer, this is about consumerism.

Nice review, though.

Actually, I believe the iPhone 6 (which I own) is a ~29mm equivalent. But that's not why someone buys a 50mm lens, they buy it for the shallow depth of field. While I used it at f/5.6 and all over the place, I kept it around f/2.0 because *that* look, that thin depth of field, is the only reason I want a lens like this. iPhone's dof is nearly infinite. Different feel, different look, but definitely more available. And when in capable hands, yes, remarkable images can be made.

Thanks!

 

[JVLphoto]

So I'm not the only one waiting for the 35 L II? 8) according to the time I have been waiting, it seems Canon think I'm the only one

I got the Sigma... I couldn't hold my breath any more

 

[JVLphoto]

...Now, the big elephant standing in the room is: "would I need to recalibrate the lens again if I put this calibrated lens on another Canon EOS body?" Luckily, I do have access to cameras and after testing my calibrated Sigma 50mm f/1.4 ART on a T5i, 7D Mark II, 5D Mark III and 1DX by multiple photographers, I can confidently say that no calibration or micro adjustment will be required once a copy of a 50mm f/1.4 Art is calibrated correctly with the Sigma USB Dock and will work on any Canon EOS bodies...

Thanks for the thorough input from this perspective! It's good to know, and I haven't yet used the dock... I had it with the Sigma 120-300 but didn't need to do anything with it

 

[JVLphoto]

I'm fortunate to have a good copy of the Sigma f/1.4 EX and prefer the look created by the 'traditional' double Gauss design. It's a lot smaller too although it is not a small lens in itself. Sigma managed to persuade me with the 35mm A, not so with the 50mm A so I will be hanging on to the old 'EX' for the foreseeable time...

I was always very impressed with the images I'd see from photographers with this lens, but Sigma's shaky reputation at the time and my own poor experience with their 85 kept me away.

 

[JVLphoto]

It's hard to imagine that anyone with an eye for shallow focus couldn't tell the difference, but yes, I find it difficult to summon up a lot of enthusiasm for a bulky, heavy 50mm 1/4 lens that seems to create focusing problems for many users (Canon only?) and/or requires much fiddling around with USB docks and the like. There's a lot to be said for a $50 mf Minolta Rokkor 1.4....

That's basically how I feel about almost every point and shoot camera now - totally redundant next to my iPhone. But my gear is a tool, and I'll use the best tool for the job, weight isn't an issue for my style of photography. If I was a photojournalist or wedding photographer - both people who benefit from this exact type of lens - that weight becomes a personal choice.

 

[JVLphoto]

A few lines that jumped out at me ...

"I didn't have it long enough"
"I really didn't push the lens against its competitors"
"I have personally struggled regularly using this focal length over the years"
"Why did I take so long to write this review?"

Ugh — spare us next time

My spider-sense tells me you're annoyed by my personal anecdotes, irrelevant to the lens itself, and you'd prefer something less so.

Care to enlighten us?

 

[JVLphoto]

...as long as they behave like the AF motor is driven by a random number generator that won't listen to feedback signals from the attached body, I think I'll stay away from them...

Nailed it.

 

[JVLphoto]

And I could always use my 40mm if I want something light.

I still don't "get" the 40. I mean, I own it. I've used it. But it mostly sits on my desk. Just not my thing, but if I was walking around a lot more yeah, it's a no-brainer to drop in the bag or even a pocket!

 

[JVLphoto]

4. I think Dustin Abbott does great reviews. I have complemented him on every review he has done...but ...on this one...it was extremely short and based on all of his other reviews he has done I think this one was half-hearted. No harm... no foul...I just think that to avoid all the controversy regarding this lens's AF etc. and to touch on the attributes...he decided to stick his foot in the water and then just get out. That's OK..this lens is complicated on many levels.

This review is made by Justin VanLeeuwen and not by Dustin Abbott (whose reviews are on his own blog)

Best

Whoa...thanks for correcting me!...I will fix that...no wonder I thought I was different! DUH

Dustin...Justin... what's confusing about that ;D

;D

 

[JVLphoto]

Sorry about that buddy. Actually, I thought it was your review, but something seemed off! LOL! Sorry about that.
I am old and confused! I will have to pay more attention in the future. I now recall that you have already reviewed the lens, THOROUGHLY. :-[ (egg on face for me!)

Ha ha, no harm done. And yes, I tend to glide by more technical aspects on these "reviews" (really more opinion pieces, but apparently "review" is good for web-hits). I work with the lenses, test them if necessary, and just tell the story of my experience. Other people do the longer reviews better than I could ever hope to; so I don't try to be someone I'm not

 

[mrsfotografie]

And I could always use my 40mm if I want something light.

I still don't "get" the 40. I mean, I own it. I've used it. But it mostly sits on my desk. Just not my thing, but if I was walking around a lot more yeah, it's a no-brainer to drop in the bag or even a pocket!

I had a 40 mm Voigtlander and found the focal length, well... boring.

 

[candyman]

The sigma 50art was voted lens of the year by the dpreview Readers choice
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/8136019716/2014-readers-polls-the-results-are-in?slide=3


I assume it is voted by people that actually used it...

 

[donn]

And I could always use my 40mm if I want something light.

I still don't "get" the 40. I mean, I own it. I've used it. But it mostly sits on my desk. Just not my thing, but if I was walking around a lot more yeah, it's a no-brainer to drop in the bag or even a pocket!

To be honest, 40mm is not my thing but there are certain days that a dslr is just heavy to have, those days are the days i take my 40mm just in case i need to take some photo.

 

[infared]

The sigma 50art was voted lens of the year by the dpreview Readers choice
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/8136019716/2014-readers-polls-the-results-are-in?slide=3


I assume it is voted by people that actually used it...

I use it, love it AND cast my vote for it on DPReview! :-X
GREAT lens.

 

[infared]

And I could always use my 40mm if I want something light.

I still don't "get" the 40. I mean, I own it. I've used it. But it mostly sits on my desk. Just not my thing, but if I was walking around a lot more yeah, it's a no-brainer to drop in the bag or even a pocket!

To be honest, 40mm is not my thing but there are certain days that a dslr is just heavy to have, those days are the days i take my 40mm just in case i need to take some photo.

On those days I just leave the beast at home and take my MicroFourThirds Kit. It's pure fun. ;D

 

[donn]

And I could always use my 40mm if I want something light.

I still don't "get" the 40. I mean, I own it. I've used it. But it mostly sits on my desk. Just not my thing, but if I was walking around a lot more yeah, it's a no-brainer to drop in the bag or even a pocket!

To be honest, 40mm is not my thing but there are certain days that a dslr is just heavy to have, those days are the days i take my 40mm just in case i need to take some photo.

On those days I just leave the beast at home and take my MicroFourThirds Kit. It's pure fun. ;D

Thats what im planning, to have a M43 system. Saving a bit for it. I am not satiafied with my compact camera, have canon's G15.

Going back on the thread. Sigma 50mm is very good even wide open. ;-)

 

[lintoni]

Nice review Justin. I had purchased this lens a while ago and had to return it three times due to none of them were able to focus correctly without micro adjustment. Once they were adjusted the images were beautiful and I was able to capture tack sharp images at f/1.4 on most of them. Though I had returned it seven months ago due to it would not work on bodies that does not have build in micro adjustment function, I had always missed it.

Last week, I decided to purchase it again and this time with the USB DOCK. The copy I received still needed micro adjustment to work; however, after spending two nights of adjusting and testing all focusing ranges in the Sigma USB Dock software, I can now say that it is tack sharp without any micro adjustment ☺.

Now, the big elephant standing in the room is: "would I need to recalibrate the lens again if I put this calibrated lens on another Canon EOS body?" Luckily, I do have access to cameras and after testing my calibrated Sigma 50mm f/1.4 ART on a T5i, 7D Mark II, 5D Mark III and 1DX by multiple photographers, I can confidently say that no calibration or micro adjustment will be required once a copy of a 50mm f/1.4 Art is calibrated correctly with the Sigma USB Dock and will work on any Canon EOS bodies.

By the way, this lens will also works (auto focus with all 61 focus points) with both Kenko 1.4x and 2.0x Teleplus Pro 300 DGX teleconverters on a 5D Mark III (so as Tamron 150-600mm DI VC USD but not the Tamron 28-300mm PZD VC). Using 1.4x @ f/2 images looks like taken from a "soft focus" lens; however, when using the 2x @ f/2.8 it is sharp (that was unusual!). Both become sharper when closed down one stop.

Thanks again for reviewing this product and nice to see your beautiful work on your website and flickr. Heavy it may be, I still rather use this lens than any other 50mm f/1.4 (or f/1.2) out there by any other manufactures.

Which begs the question, if the 50mm Art can be calibrated using the USB dock, why are Sigma shipping lenses from their factory that require calibration to work properly? The flippant answer would be, to sell their USB dock. But seriously, the cost in returns and adverse publicity regarding the AF of this lens must be painful for Sigma to bear.

 

[Viggo]

Nice review Justin. I had purchased this lens a while ago and had to return it three times due to none of them were able to focus correctly without micro adjustment. Once they were adjusted the images were beautiful and I was able to capture tack sharp images at f/1.4 on most of them. Though I had returned it seven months ago due to it would not work on bodies that does not have build in micro adjustment function, I had always missed it.

Last week, I decided to purchase it again and this time with the USB DOCK. The copy I received still needed micro adjustment to work; however, after spending two nights of adjusting and testing all focusing ranges in the Sigma USB Dock software, I can now say that it is tack sharp without any micro adjustment ☺.

Now, the big elephant standing in the room is: "would I need to recalibrate the lens again if I put this calibrated lens on another Canon EOS body?" Luckily, I do have access to cameras and after testing my calibrated Sigma 50mm f/1.4 ART on a T5i, 7D Mark II, 5D Mark III and 1DX by multiple photographers, I can confidently say that no calibration or micro adjustment will be required once a copy of a 50mm f/1.4 Art is calibrated correctly with the Sigma USB Dock and will work on any Canon EOS bodies.

By the way, this lens will also works (auto focus with all 61 focus points) with both Kenko 1.4x and 2.0x Teleplus Pro 300 DGX teleconverters on a 5D Mark III (so as Tamron 150-600mm DI VC USD but not the Tamron 28-300mm PZD VC). Using 1.4x @ f/2 images looks like taken from a "soft focus" lens; however, when using the 2x @ f/2.8 it is sharp (that was unusual!). Both become sharper when closed down one stop.

Thanks again for reviewing this product and nice to see your beautiful work on your website and flickr. Heavy it may be, I still rather use this lens than any other 50mm f/1.4 (or f/1.2) out there by any other manufactures.

Which begs the question, if the 50mm Art can be calibrated using the USB dock, why are Sigma shipping lenses from their factory that require calibration to work properly? The flippant answer would be, to sell their USB dock. But seriously, the cost in returns and adverse publicity regarding the AF of this lens must be painful for Sigma to bear.

You calibrate the lens mounted to a camera body. If you have two camera bodies that require any lens to have different afma settings, that is no different with the 50 Art, I mean how could it be the same on every body?

My problem is that it misses back and front to the point where it's impossible to get focus on the same spot twice in a row, and therefore any value almost will give the same percentage of sharp shots...

I decided to sell mine yesterday, but it gives me some incredible shots once in a while when the AF actually gets it right, so I can't decide whether to sell it or take 30 shots of each picture to get it right.

 

[lintoni]

Nice review Justin. I had purchased this lens a while ago and had to return it three times due to none of them were able to focus correctly without micro adjustment. Once they were adjusted the images were beautiful and I was able to capture tack sharp images at f/1.4 on most of them. Though I had returned it seven months ago due to it would not work on bodies that does not have build in micro adjustment function, I had always missed it.

Last week, I decided to purchase it again and this time with the USB DOCK. The copy I received still needed micro adjustment to work; however, after spending two nights of adjusting and testing all focusing ranges in the Sigma USB Dock software, I can now say that it is tack sharp without any micro adjustment ☺.

Now, the big elephant standing in the room is: "would I need to recalibrate the lens again if I put this calibrated lens on another Canon EOS body?" Luckily, I do have access to cameras and after testing my calibrated Sigma 50mm f/1.4 ART on a T5i, 7D Mark II, 5D Mark III and 1DX by multiple photographers, I can confidently say that no calibration or micro adjustment will be required once a copy of a 50mm f/1.4 Art is calibrated correctly with the Sigma USB Dock and will work on any Canon EOS bodies.

By the way, this lens will also works (auto focus with all 61 focus points) with both Kenko 1.4x and 2.0x Teleplus Pro 300 DGX teleconverters on a 5D Mark III (so as Tamron 150-600mm DI VC USD but not the Tamron 28-300mm PZD VC). Using 1.4x @ f/2 images looks like taken from a "soft focus" lens; however, when using the 2x @ f/2.8 it is sharp (that was unusual!). Both become sharper when closed down one stop.

Thanks again for reviewing this product and nice to see your beautiful work on your website and flickr. Heavy it may be, I still rather use this lens than any other 50mm f/1.4 (or f/1.2) out there by any other manufactures.

Which begs the question, if the 50mm Art can be calibrated using the USB dock, why are Sigma shipping lenses from their factory that require calibration to work properly? The flippant answer would be, to sell their USB dock. But seriously, the cost in returns and adverse publicity regarding the AF of this lens must be painful for Sigma to bear.

You calibrate the lens mounted to a camera body. If you have two camera bodies that require any lens to have different afma settings, that is no different with the 50 Art, I mean how could it be the same on every body?

My problem is that it misses back and front to the point where it's impossible to get focus on the same spot twice in a row, and therefore any value almost will give the same percentage of sharp shots...

I decided to sell mine yesterday, but it gives me some incredible shots once in a while when the AF actually gets it right, so I can't decide whether to sell it or take 30 shots of each picture to get it right.

I wasn't talking about AFMA. George Wang's post seems to say that once the lens is calibrated, it behaves consistently with Canon bodies. So why aren't Sigma shipping them properly calibrated so that once you perform AFMA, as with any other fast lens, it works as expected?

I must admit, I'm saving for a 50mm prime and this lens is a possibility. But user experiences like yours are weighing heavily against the Art.

 

[Viggo]

Nice review Justin. I had purchased this lens a while ago and had to return it three times due to none of them were able to focus correctly without micro adjustment. Once they were adjusted the images were beautiful and I was able to capture tack sharp images at f/1.4 on most of them. Though I had returned it seven months ago due to it would not work on bodies that does not have build in micro adjustment function, I had always missed it.

Last week, I decided to purchase it again and this time with the USB DOCK. The copy I received still needed micro adjustment to work; however, after spending two nights of adjusting and testing all focusing ranges in the Sigma USB Dock software, I can now say that it is tack sharp without any micro adjustment ☺.

Now, the big elephant standing in the room is: "would I need to recalibrate the lens again if I put this calibrated lens on another Canon EOS body?" Luckily, I do have access to cameras and after testing my calibrated Sigma 50mm f/1.4 ART on a T5i, 7D Mark II, 5D Mark III and 1DX by multiple photographers, I can confidently say that no calibration or micro adjustment will be required once a copy of a 50mm f/1.4 Art is calibrated correctly with the Sigma USB Dock and will work on any Canon EOS bodies.

By the way, this lens will also works (auto focus with all 61 focus points) with both Kenko 1.4x and 2.0x Teleplus Pro 300 DGX teleconverters on a 5D Mark III (so as Tamron 150-600mm DI VC USD but not the Tamron 28-300mm PZD VC). Using 1.4x @ f/2 images looks like taken from a "soft focus" lens; however, when using the 2x @ f/2.8 it is sharp (that was unusual!). Both become sharper when closed down one stop.

Thanks again for reviewing this product and nice to see your beautiful work on your website and flickr. Heavy it may be, I still rather use this lens than any other 50mm f/1.4 (or f/1.2) out there by any other manufactures.

Which begs the question, if the 50mm Art can be calibrated using the USB dock, why are Sigma shipping lenses from their factory that require calibration to work properly? The flippant answer would be, to sell their USB dock. But seriously, the cost in returns and adverse publicity regarding the AF of this lens must be painful for Sigma to bear.

You calibrate the lens mounted to a camera body. If you have two camera bodies that require any lens to have different afma settings, that is no different with the 50 Art, I mean how could it be the same on every body?

My problem is that it misses back and front to the point where it's impossible to get focus on the same spot twice in a row, and therefore any value almost will give the same percentage of sharp shots...

I decided to sell mine yesterday, but it gives me some incredible shots once in a while when the AF actually gets it right, so I can't decide whether to sell it or take 30 shots of each picture to get it right.

I wasn't talking about AFMA. George Wang's post seems to say that once the lens is calibrated, it behaves consistently with Canon bodies. So why aren't Sigma shipping them properly calibrated so that once you perform AFMA, as with any other fast lens, it works as expected?

I must admit, I'm saving for a 50mm prime and this lens is a possibility. But user experiences like yours are weighing heavily against the Art.

Ah, you mean the relationship between back and front focus between the different distances in the lens. I agree with that if it misses by the same amount relative to the other distances on all bodies.

I can't sell mine, it's just too wonderful when it works...