Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art Gets Reviewed

[9VIII]

Could you post a link to the lenstip.com comparison where you are getting your information? Sight unseen, I would bet the house the Sigma 35 is nowhere close to the Otus 55 in the corners @ f1.4

The Otus:

http://www.lenstip.com/390.4-Lens_review-Carl_Zeiss_Otus_55_mm_f_1.4_ZE_ZF.2_Image_resolution.html

The Sigma 35 Art:

http://www.lenstip.com/359.4-Lens_review-Sigma_A_35_mm_f_1.4_DG_HSM_Image_resolution.html

I would put the Sigma at ~39 lpmm center, 31 lpmm APS-C edge, and 28.5 lpmm FF edge. The Otus at ~38 lpmm center, 33 lpmm APS-C edge, and ~28 lpmm FF edge.

Both, very remarkable for f/1.4.

The D3x on the Otus actually has the advantage there, but the Sigma 35A still compares favourably at f1.4 and f2.
As we have learned from Lensrentals there can be a ton of variation between tests, so this is definitely not conclusive, but it is very (very) promising.

 

[Policar]

P.S. I hope Samyang will join the fast 50 competition soon.

Partly agree ... that Samyang makes a 50mm prime.

However, I hope they produce a relatively slow f2.8 lens without the trade-offs required for f1.4 to f1.8.

I am very, very happy with my Samyang 14mm f2.8, even though it is fully manual. I have little interest in their faster 35mm and 85mm lenses with f1.4.

My "vote" would be for Samyang to have a full line-up of very affordable, very sharp, fully manual f2.8 prime lenses, such as 24mm, 50mm, and 100mm (about doubling each step from 14mm, and skipping "intermediates" like 20mm, 28mm, 35mm, and 85mm, which also would duplicate their existing FL's).

I have to say that I respectfully totally disagree with you!

For me, those kind of lens wouldn't have much of a market. I think it would be much more interesting for Samyang to produce very fast lens, for instance a 50mm f/1.2 or f/1. I personally can't find much use for a f/2.8 standard prime and even then, you can easily find old manual lens on eBay that are plenty sharp at f2.8 for less than 100$, sometime even less than 35$!

“The Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art is the most exciting lens we’re likely to review this year."

I got rid of all my 50s largely because they are so boring. If this is the most exciting lens they're likely to review this year, it's going to be a pretty rotten year.

They should review the Tamron 150-600. That lens has 10 times the excitement of yet another 50mm prime.

I also have to respectfully totally disagree with you!

I am sure that I am not the only one for whom the 50mm is a personnal favorite, and I would even go as far as saying that in is one of the most complex FL. You might dislike it, as any lens of any FL are just tools, I have no problem understanding this, but I would never qualify it as boring. Disliking a certain tool for your craft doesn't mean it is bad per se, but rather that it is not for you. I am sure a look at Henry Cartier-Bresson photographs would convince you.

If he thinks it's boring it's likely because he's on APS-C. 50mm is my favorite focal length on FF for sure, and I would wager most people's.

But on APS-C it feels around 80mm... this no-man's-land that is just too short for portraiture and there's no sense of depth from either compression nor from natural space rendering. Just flat and boring. You can take a great photo here, but IMO 50mm on APS-C is boring and difficult to make work. On FF it is almost certainly the most interesting focal length, agreed. My 50mm f1.4 Sigma and 50mm f1.8 never leave my 5D III even though I have all those fancy L zooms and UWAs and nonsense.

24mm is also ok, as is 35mm. Very fond of 135mm. 200mm nice too. 100mm is nice, also for macros.

 

[sdsr]

I'm about to put my 50L on Ebay.... and it has nothing to do with this new 50mm Art.

I took my kids to Flower Field in Carlsbad yesterday. I carried A7r + FE 55mm. With Eye-focus feature in A7r, compose the shot is so easy. At wide open, I couldn't miss a shot. However, the Bokeh is not smooth as my 50L.

Bottom line is, I'm willing to trade that bokeh for light weight

I suspect that for most real world use the differences between the new Sigma and the FE 55mm are trivial, far less than the difference in weight and size; it's nice to be able to carry around a FF camera and two primes in a small bag whose weight is negligible. The FE 55 is so sharp on my A7r it's hard to imagine I would appreciate something even sharper, and if I want more dreamy blur I can use my old manual Canon 55 1.2. I may end up buying the Sigma in a Canon mount, especially if reviews appear showing comparison shots involving something other than test screens and the like - though the Sigma on a current Canon FF sensor may not look any sharper, if at all, than the FE 55 on an A7r anyway, and the more I get used to the light weight of my Sony and M43 mirrorless gear the harder it is to return to my vastly heavier FF Canon gear, much as I like it. I wonder if Sigma would ever be interested in making longer and wider primes (or even zooms) in Sony's FE mount....

 

[Synkka]

http://www.camerapro.com.au/sigma-50mm-f1-4-dg-hsm-art-lens-australian-stock.html/

$898 in Aus maybe $800 USD

 

[jdramirez]

http://www.camerapro.com.au/sigma-50mm-f1-4-dg-hsm-art-lens-australian-stock.html/

$898 in Aus maybe $800 USD

If it comes in at $800... I'll probably buy it immediately and then hate myself a little for not having waited... but it's better than buying it at $1300 and having waited a year.

 

[infared]

How can anyone complain about the size and weight...oh well!

Well, how about ... "that big and that heavy and that expensive ... and no IS?"

Sounds like the a Canon 50mm f/1.8 is the lens for you!
It's cheap, it small, it's light and if you have steady hands ...there is your IS.
$74 Adorama. 8)

 

[verysimplejason]

P.S. I hope Samyang will join the fast 50 competition soon.

Partly agree ... that Samyang makes a 50mm prime.

However, I hope they produce a relatively slow f2.8 lens without the trade-offs required for f1.4 to f1.8.

I am very, very happy with my Samyang 14mm f2.8, even though it is fully manual. I have little interest in their faster 35mm and 85mm lenses with f1.4.

My "vote" would be for Samyang to have a full line-up of very affordable, very sharp, fully manual f2.8 prime lenses, such as 24mm, 50mm, and 100mm (about doubling each step from 14mm, and skipping "intermediates" like 20mm, 28mm, 35mm, and 85mm, which also would duplicate their existing FL's).

I have to say that I respectfully totally disagree with you!

For me, those kind of lens wouldn't have much of a market. I think it would be much more interesting for Samyang to produce very fast lens, for instance a 50mm f/1.2 or f/1. I personally can't find much use for a f/2.8 standard prime and even then, you can easily find old manual lens on eBay that are plenty sharp at f2.8 for less than 100$, sometime even less than 35$!

Yep. The shorty-forty is a very good 50 for 2.8+ , no need for more slow normal primes. However, manual 50/2 macro would be nice. 5 years ago I was wondering why Samyang doesn't make T-S and Macro lenses, for which manual-only focusing is not a problem. Now they are making T-S, so maybe Macros are coming too. 200/4 would be a good start

Hmmm... something like a 50mm F2.5 macro?

 

[ecka]

P.S. I hope Samyang will join the fast 50 competition soon.

Partly agree ... that Samyang makes a 50mm prime.

However, I hope they produce a relatively slow f2.8 lens without the trade-offs required for f1.4 to f1.8.

I am very, very happy with my Samyang 14mm f2.8, even though it is fully manual. I have little interest in their faster 35mm and 85mm lenses with f1.4.

My "vote" would be for Samyang to have a full line-up of very affordable, very sharp, fully manual f2.8 prime lenses, such as 24mm, 50mm, and 100mm (about doubling each step from 14mm, and skipping "intermediates" like 20mm, 28mm, 35mm, and 85mm, which also would duplicate their existing FL's).

I have to say that I respectfully totally disagree with you!

For me, those kind of lens wouldn't have much of a market. I think it would be much more interesting for Samyang to produce very fast lens, for instance a 50mm f/1.2 or f/1. I personally can't find much use for a f/2.8 standard prime and even then, you can easily find old manual lens on eBay that are plenty sharp at f2.8 for less than 100$, sometime even less than 35$!

Yep. The shorty-forty is a very good 50 for 2.8+ , no need for more slow normal primes. However, manual 50/2 macro would be nice. 5 years ago I was wondering why Samyang doesn't make T-S and Macro lenses, for which manual-only focusing is not a problem. Now they are making T-S, so maybe Macros are coming too. 200/4 would be a good start

Hmmm... something like a 50mm F2.5 macro?

Yes. At least just as sharp, but with more aperture blades for nicer bokeh, better focus ring and 1:1 magnification.

 

[lintoni]

http://www.camerapro.com.au/sigma-50mm-f1-4-dg-hsm-art-lens-australian-stock.html/

$898 in Aus maybe $800 USD

"Pricing listed in anticipation only."

 

[Jens]

Love how Sigma is pushing it. Next up must be a 85mm and then maybe a 24-70 2.8?

 

[jdramirez]

Love how Sigma is pushing it. Next up must be a 85mm and then maybe a 24-70 2.8?

Rumor has it that it is a 24-70 f2 in the pipeline.

 

[switters]

Rumor has it that it is a 24-70 f2 in the pipeline.

Really? Now that is interesting. Makes sense given the 18-35/1.8.

I'm really curious about the new 50/1.4. Hope the AF is more consistent from copy to copy. Took me 3 tries to get a good copy of the 35A.

I'm also torn between the Sigma and the rumored Canon 50 IS. I shoot with a Canon 24-70 II and 70-200 IS primarily, and both are big and heavy. I find that smaller/lighter primes are a nice contrast to the bigger zooms.

 

[Jens]

Love how Sigma is pushing it. Next up must be a 85mm and then maybe a 24-70 2.8?

Rumor has it that it is a 24-70 f2 in the pipeline.

f2! That would be impressive! is this rumoured before any 85mm?

 

[moreorless]

Love how Sigma is pushing it. Next up must be a 85mm and then maybe a 24-70 2.8?

Rumor has it that it is a 24-70 f2 in the pipeline.

That would be a rather different market to the art line up so far I'd say, they might not be small but they are small/cheap enough for the average user where as a 24-70mm f/2 would be a beast of a lens. If they do release an F/2 zoom maybe it'll follow the 18-35mm F/1.8 and have a more limited range, something like 35-70mm or 28-55mm f/2.

I don't see as much need for an 85mm Art in the short term personally as not only is Sigma's existing 85mm 1.4 an excellent lens but so are Canon and Nijkon's various 85mm's, especially the Nikon 85mm 1.8 G for the price.

My guess would be a 24mm 1.4 maybe next for Sigma, again theres a lot of room there to undercut Canon and Nikon significantly plus there own 24mm 1.8 isn't a great performer besides its closeup ability.

 

[switters]

That would be a rather different market to the art line up so far I'd say, they might not be small but they are small/cheap enough for the average user where as a 24-70mm f/2 would be a beast of a lens.

My guess would be if they do release an F/2 zoom it'll follow the 18-35mm F/1.8 and have a more limited range, maybe something like 35-70mm f/2.

True. The size/weight of the 24-70 doesn't bother me (seems small and light compared to 70-200 IS!), but I wouldn't really want my 24-70 zoom to be much bigger or heavier than it already is.

 

[moreorless]

The problem with a long Samyang macro would I'd say be that your getting into inspect shooting range there where many people use AF for rapid respose rather than MF for your standard flow/fungi macro.

 

[Lee Jay]

“The Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art is the most exciting lens we’re likely to review this year."

I got rid of all my 50s largely because they are so boring. If this is the most exciting lens they're likely to review this year, it's going to be a pretty rotten year.

They should review the Tamron 150-600. That lens has 10 times the excitement of yet another 50mm prime.

Are you on FF or APS-C?

Both.

50mm is kind of a no man's land on APS-C but IMO it is the most useful focal length on FF.

Sold my 50s, got the 35/1.4L. Never looked back. I basically always use it on full-frame.

 

[Lee Jay]

If he thinks it's boring it's likely because he's on APS-C. 50mm is my favorite focal length on FF for sure, and I would wager most people's.

Nope...I use my primes (15/2.8 fisheye, 35/1.4L and 85/1.8) almost exclusively on full-frame.

But on APS-C it feels around 80mm... this no-man's-land that is just too short for portraiture and there's no sense of depth from either compression nor from natural space rendering.

So, the 85/1.8 and 85/1.2L on full-frame must be no-man's land as well. There's no appreciable difference between 50mm on APS-C and 85mm on full-frame.

I've shot portraits from 15mm fisheye through 600mm. This idea that 80mm-equivalent is "too short for portraiture" is just total baloney.

 

[Jens]

Love how Sigma is pushing it. Next up must be a 85mm and then maybe a 24-70 2.8?

Rumor has it that it is a 24-70 f2 in the pipeline.

That would be a rather different market to the art line up so far I'd say, they might not be small but they are small/cheap enough for the average user where as a 24-70mm f/2 would be a beast of a lens. If they do release an F/2 zoom maybe it'll follow the 18-35mm F/1.8 and have a more limited range, something like 35-70mm or 28-55mm f/2.

I don't see as much need for an 85mm Art in the short term personally as not only is Sigma's existing 85mm 1.4 an excellent lens but so are Canon and Nijkon's various 85mm's, especially the Nikon 85mm 1.8 G for the price.

My guess would be a 24mm 1.4 maybe next for Sigma, again theres a lot of room there to undercut Canon and Nikon significantly plus there own 24mm 1.8 isn't a great performer besides its closeup ability.

Some very good points!

 

[ecka]

The problem with a long Samyang macro would I'd say be that your getting into inspect shooting range there where many people use AF for rapid respose rather than MF for your standard flow/fungi macro.

AF never really worked for macro stuff I do. I see a bug, I choose the magnification/focus distance and then I compose and "focus" by moving the camera, not the focus ring. I can only imagine a rare situation when I'm shooting still object macro from a tripod, using LiveView CDAF, and that would be a very lazy/boring way to do it.