Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art Gets Reviewed

[9VIII]

I just saw the Fuji56f1.2 review on SLR gear, it and the Sigma 50A are extremely close. The Fuji goes to f1.2 and weighs half as much, but the Sigma is slightly sharper and critically (for me) provides much better close focus.
I'm afraid I'll have to take the Sigma for it's close focus ability (should be fantastic on crop), but if I ever get a Fuji that lens is a must have.

 

[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.

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!

http://www.canonrumors.com/forum/index.php?topic=16153.0

and http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-et-voila-first-picture-of-the-sigma-24-70mm-f2-0-full-frame-lens/

 

[moreorless]

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-et-voila-first-picture-of-the-sigma-24-70mm-f2-0-full-frame-lens/

Most seem to view that picture as a fake.

 

[jdramirez]

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-et-voila-first-picture-of-the-sigma-24-70mm-f2-0-full-frame-lens/

Most seem to view that picture as a fake.

Yes, but rumor has it that it exists

 

[Eldar]

http://www.sonyalpharumors.com/sr5-et-voila-first-picture-of-the-sigma-24-70mm-f2-0-full-frame-lens/

Most seem to view that picture as a fake.

Yes, but rumor has it that it exists

I have from solid sources that it exists for sure. Maximum magnification is 0,86x and it has a new revolutionary 5x image stabilization system, AF faster than the EF 24-70 f2.8L II and it is weather sealed ...

 

[9VIII]

http://slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1664/cat/98

We now have a direct comparison from the same testers.

What's more, they updated the 50A review with some comparisons. The conclusions are pretty interesting. It'll be nice once we have comparisons from more than one reviewer.

 

[wickidwombat]

the 50A is available in shanghai mid next month I'm definitely going to get this as soon as it comes out

 

[Dylan777]

the 50A is available in shanghai mid next month I'm definitely going to get this as soon as it comes out

Lucky you

Real life photo samples are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance

 

[wickidwombat]

the 50A is available in shanghai mid next month I'm definitely going to get this as soon as it comes out

Lucky you

Real life photo samples are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance

for sure, i've been using the 35 on my eos M alot lately and forgot how much i liked the 50mm range since i had stopped using all my other 50's because... well they suck but i'm super pumped to get a 50 like this on the 5Dmk3 gonna tell the sigma store to put me down for the first one that comes in

 

[drjlo]

http://slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1664/cat/98

We now have a direct comparison from the same testers.

Too bad SLRgear does not post real-life photo samples with bokeh, and we will have to wait for for end-user reports regarding any AF "issues" after wide release. In addition, price is unknown. Having said that, it looks like Sigma came up with a beauty. I hope its pricing brings down the eventual price of Otus 55 mm and any upcoming Canon 50 mm glass

"Alternatives
The clearest alternative, if you haven't guessed already, is the new Sigma 50mm ƒ/1.4 Art lens, which we just recently reviewed. Despite the dramatic difference in price, the Sigma competes handily with the $4,000 Zeiss 55mm Otus lens. (As of this writing, we don't know how Sigma will price the 50/1.4 Art, but it's safe to assume it'll be way, way less than the Otus."

 

[Dylan777]

the 50A is available in shanghai mid next month I'm definitely going to get this as soon as it comes out

Lucky you

Real life photo samples are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance

for sure, i've been using the 35 on my eos M alot lately and forgot how much i liked the 50mm range since i had stopped using all my other 50's because... well they suck but i'm super pumped to get a 50 like this on the 5Dmk3 gonna tell the sigma store to put me down for the first one that comes in

Size and weight are not small, IQ must be good. This could be my very 1st Sigma lens

PS. I'll be in Shanghai mid July. I'll have a weekend off. My plan is to visit great wall & forbidden city. Wanna have few beers?

 

[wickidwombat]

the 50A is available in shanghai mid next month I'm definitely going to get this as soon as it comes out

Lucky you

Real life photo samples are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance

for sure, i've been using the 35 on my eos M alot lately and forgot how much i liked the 50mm range since i had stopped using all my other 50's because... well they suck but i'm super pumped to get a 50 like this on the 5Dmk3 gonna tell the sigma store to put me down for the first one that comes in

Size and weight are not small, IQ must be good. This could be my very 1st Sigma lens

PS. I'll be in Shanghai mid July. I'll have a weekend off. My plan is to visit great wall & forbidden city. Wanna have few beers?

yeah sure i'll pm you my phone number and we can catch up, but you do know the great wall and forbidden city are in beijing right? I have a few friends in beijing and havent been for a while and i always like the great wall and forbbiden city for photo walks done both many times.

 

[Aglet]

SLRgear has updated the Sigma 50 review since publishing the Otus.
The crop comparisons show well what tradeoffs Sigma made in designing this lens to be slightly less sharp but provide better microcontrast.
I like what I see from the Sigma more than from the Otus at this stage but for me a lens must balance sharpness and bokeh so I'll still buy the Sigma cuz it's cheaper.

from this excerpt, they agree

"All in all, this is a case where the raw test numbers doen't carry the entire message. For our money, we'd go with the slightly higher CA, lower sharpness, but higher micro contrast of the Sigma, even if the two lenses cost the same."

 

[Dylan777]

the 50A is available in shanghai mid next month I'm definitely going to get this as soon as it comes out

Lucky you

Real life photo samples are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance

for sure, i've been using the 35 on my eos M alot lately and forgot how much i liked the 50mm range since i had stopped using all my other 50's because... well they suck but i'm super pumped to get a 50 like this on the 5Dmk3 gonna tell the sigma store to put me down for the first one that comes in

Size and weight are not small, IQ must be good. This could be my very 1st Sigma lens

PS. I'll be in Shanghai mid July. I'll have a weekend off. My plan is to visit great wall & forbidden city. Wanna have few beers?

yeah sure i'll pm you my phone number and we can catch up, but you do know the great wall and forbidden city are in beijing right? I have a few friends in beijing and havent been for a while and i always like the great wall and forbbiden city for photo walks done both many times.

Just added you to my "buddy list". I'll contact you once the trip is CONFIRMED.

Yes, understood Great Wall & FC are in Beijing. I'll fly from LAX to Shanghai, then back to Shenzen to end my business trip. It's more likely to fly from Shenzhen to Beijing friday afternoon.

I'm thinking Great Wall on saturday and F.C on Sunday :

My last trip to China, we visited Guilin; http://www.dylanphotography.phanfare.com/6473514

PS. The new Shenzhen airport is beautiful

 

[wickidwombat]

the 50A is available in shanghai mid next month I'm definitely going to get this as soon as it comes out

Lucky you

Real life photo samples are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance

for sure, i've been using the 35 on my eos M alot lately and forgot how much i liked the 50mm range since i had stopped using all my other 50's because... well they suck but i'm super pumped to get a 50 like this on the 5Dmk3 gonna tell the sigma store to put me down for the first one that comes in

Size and weight are not small, IQ must be good. This could be my very 1st Sigma lens

PS. I'll be in Shanghai mid July. I'll have a weekend off. My plan is to visit great wall & forbidden city. Wanna have few beers?

yeah sure i'll pm you my phone number and we can catch up, but you do know the great wall and forbidden city are in beijing right? I have a few friends in beijing and havent been for a while and i always like the great wall and forbbiden city for photo walks done both many times.

Just added you to my "buddy list". I'll contact you once the trip is CONFIRMED.

Yes, understood Great Wall & FC are in Beijing. I'll fly from LAX to Shanghai, then back to Shenzen to end my business trip. It's more likely to fly from Shenzhen to Beijing friday afternoon.

I'm thinking Great Wall on saturday and F.C on Sunday :

My last trip to China, we visited Guilin; http://www.dylanphotography.phanfare.com/6473514

PS. The new Shenzhen airport is beautiful

cool i'll have to see what my schedule is like closer to the time but I might be up for joining you in beijing for the GW and FC again

 

[Albi86]

SLRgear has updated the Sigma 50 review since publishing the Otus.
The crop comparisons show well what tradeoffs Sigma made in designing this lens to be slightly less sharp but provide better microcontrast.
I like what I see from the Sigma more than from the Otus at this stage but for me a lens must balance sharpness and bokeh so I'll still buy the Sigma cuz it's cheaper.

from this excerpt, they agree

"All in all, this is a case where the raw test numbers doen't carry the entire message. For our money, we'd go with the slightly higher CA, lower sharpness, but higher micro contrast of the Sigma, even if the two lenses cost the same."

Interesting.

I so much wish I liked the 50mm FL better.

 

[rpiotr01]

Don't see how this could be viewed as anything but a winner if it comes in around $1,000 USD. Zeiss is better wide open across the frame - that's hard to do and you pay for it. But for 1/4 of the price this performance looks to be awesome.

 

[Policar]

Don't see how this could be viewed as anything but a winner if it comes in around $1,000 USD. Zeiss is better wide open across the frame - that's hard to do and you pay for it. But for 1/4 of the price this performance looks to be awesome.

Is better or measures better? Zeiss used to be known for sacrificing resolution for micro contrast... the Zeiss look was "punchy." Sharpness isn't a matter of resolution extinction; it's a matter of area under the MTF curve and the Sigma appears to have higher MTF at low frequencies so better acutance overall.

Are there any photos taken with this or just test charts? Zeiss has a near apochromatic design with the Otus and yet they manage smooth bokeh, which is unreal. Smooth bokeh is usually associated (as with the old Sigma 50mm f1.4 and my beloved 135mm f2 AIS Nikkor) with spherical aberration and spherochromatism so the "pure" color of the Otus along with the soft out of focus falloff is really unusual and does impart a unique "look."

Who is actually shooting low light landscapes with high frequency detail at f1.4 and then printing huge... does anyone actually care about the corner resolution at f1.4? No. Acutance matters more, but still not as important as bokeh and CA. Sharpness is clearly on par with (subjectively probably better than) the Otus and FAR exceeding others. It's the rest that will be interesting to see... Including AF performance.

18-35mm f1.8 and 70-200mm f2.8 II IS both have surprisingly good bokeh and not much spherochromatism... this might be a nice complement for those two. Hoping...

 

[Aglet]

I haven't tried the 18-35 yet but I found my 70-200 2.8 L2 was not very well balanced for my liking. Very sharp, definitely. A bit of CA in FF corners but not bad. However, i found the bokeh to be quite unpleasant in many situations. I've been getting a more agreeable balance of sharpness and bokeh from an older Tamron 70/200 2.8 but it's missing such niceties like OS and fast precise AF.

I'm keenly looking forward to seeing some bokeh specific tests of these new fast 50s.

 

[Policar]

I haven't tried the 18-35 yet but I found my 70-200 2.8 L2 was not very well balanced for my liking. Very sharp, definitely. A bit of CA in FF corners but not bad. However, i found the bokeh to be quite unpleasant in many situations. I've been getting a more agreeable balance of sharpness and bokeh from an older Tamron 70/200 2.8 but it's missing such niceties like OS and fast precise AF.

I'm keenly looking forward to seeing some bokeh specific tests of these new fast 50s.

Bokeh on 18-35mm is a mixed back. Clean color, slight onion effect, but overall pretty good not too busy.

I like the 70-200mm II but must admit... older lenses are smoother.