Sigma 50mm 1.4 Art 2016

[ashmadux]

I have an extensive experience with the Sigma 50 1.4 Art on Canon 6D body.

To make the long story short:

Autofocus is consistent if the central AF point used. Other AF points are not quiet usable with the lens. Lens performed brilliantly otherwise. AFMA via Sigma USB dock is highly recommended as the lens will not be accurate out of the box throughout the focusing range wide open.

LOL the other 6D AF points aren't useable period.

LOL i was going to write this almost verbatim.

The outer points CAN work...but good luck with accuracy.

3 weeks in japan, it did pretty well. However the 5d3 for the next trip simply slaughtered it, except for nighttime photography.

For example:

Same 24-105, same location (sensoji), and the 5d3 sharpness was no better. Im still not sure what happened there. All i know is that the images from the 5d session there was arguably worse, sharpness wise, @ iso 100 and live view on a tripod.

 

[Luds34]

I bought The ART for my 70d. At 1.4, focus was horribly wrong. So I took a second copy of the ART. Same story...
Hmm, In Liveview, focus was accurate so I was thinking about a 70d issue.
I bet on The 6d And It solved everything.
It Is The best combo I Have ever had... This Lens Is Just magic...

You can see some shots here : http://212.129.31.252/patrick-giranthon.fr/

That sort of mirrored my experience. I had the old Sigma 50mm EX and it didn't seem to behave as consistent on the 70D. Even with AFMA (it front focused) I'd end up with shots that missed. However, once I got a 6D the lens would (again after AFMA) hit very consistently. I have a Sigma Art 35mm and it is very consistent on the 6D as well. I only tried it a bit on the 70D but it seems to suffer a similar issue, but don't want to say for sure as it was limited use.

As the 70Ds focus system performed awesome for me with a host of other Canon lenses, I just chalked it up to Sigma not having the secret sauce for the 70D, but had done most their testing on full frame Canon cameras? Just an odd theory.

 

[Refurb7]

Not to sound argumentive, but... at 50mm and f/1.4, say 3m distance to subject, the DoF for a Canon FF camera is 14cm in front and 16cm behind the focus point. Plenty deep enough (in my opinion) for the focus and recompose technique still be usable? Coming closer towards the subject makes the DoF shallow and not as easy to play with, of course, but I usualy shoot tight portrets with a longer lens anyway to avoid perspective distortion...
I guess, with the center being the only usable AF point, 6D users are forced to master their focus and recompose technique.. There is no other option

Once you center focus and recompose at f/1.4, you've lost focus.

Manual focus? Expressions are fleeting, and though my subjects may be "startionary," I don't want them to remain rigid!

We can have a whole other thread about the right focusing screen for manual, and then compromising brightness...We can talk about how many of us can reliably MF now, and how many will still be able to do so in 5 years, 10 years...

But the important fact is that at very shallow DoF, slight movements of a subject, a sway, a tilt or turn, and you have to refocus. With MF, I'd never achieve anything like the keeper rate possible with world-class AF, which is what I get with my 5D3 and Canon lenses. I'd rather my subject be relaxed than concentrating on remaining still.

And by the way, to those who hyperventilate when their brands are challenged, I LOVE my Sigma 35mm 1.4 Art on my 5D3. Fast, reliable AF. The Sigma 50mm 1.4 Art, however, is a lost cause for me, sadly.

Focus and recompose does work with the 50mm Art at 1.4 — if one knows when to do it and when not to do it, and also how much to do it. It's not always true to say "you've lost focus". It depends on the distance to the subject and the degree of recomposing. And there's always the option to stop down when needed. So I find the 50mm Art to be very, very useful.