LensTip.com

Lens review

Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM

16 June 2009
Arkadiusz Olech

11. Summary

Pros:
  • very good lens barrel build quality,
  • brilliant frame center picture quality with acceptable relative aperture,
  • good frame edge picture quality,
  • slight distortion,
  • low coma,
  • acceptable astigmatism,
  • the lowest vignetting in its class,
  • very good against the bright light work,
  • quiet and fast autofocus,
  • good warranty conditions,
  • rich selection of accessories.

Cons:

  • large filter diameter,
  • the autofocus could have been more accurate.

The situation is rather rare – I have a problem with the cons in the conclusions because I don’t know what to add. You could wish higher MTF values at maximum aperture but you can’t find a real fault here because the tested lens’s performance is still better than its competitors’. You could wish a better autofocus work but the result of a 8% margin of error doesn’t look bad either, especially compared with the results of other independent manufacturers on a Canon body. You could carp about the large filter diameter but it’s the result of a big front element, which guarantees good picture quality. The price, being currently at the level of 500 $, might seem a bit too high because the respective Canon costs around 400 $. The Pentax, Nikon or Sony lenses without the USM motor can be obtained for about 350 $. You must remember, though, that the Sigma is a novelty on the market and the price is always higher at the beginning and should be lower in the future. The lens offers the best optical properties in its class, after all, the best warranty conditions and a lot of equipment. To sum up, a very good lens, certainly worth a serious interest of every photographer.


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Sample shots:

Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary
Camera: Canon 1D MkIII
Parameters: 50 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/250 sec., ISO 100
File: JPG, 3888x2592 pix, 2.3 MB
Camera: Canon 1D MkIII
Parameters: 50 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/250 sec., ISO 100
File: JPG, 3888x2592 pix, 2.6 MB
Camera: Canon 1D MkIII
Parameters: 50 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/250 sec., ISO 100
File: JPG, 3888x2592 pix, 2.4 MB
Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 50 mm, f/8.0, exp. 1/250 sec., ISO 100
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.4 MB
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 50 mm, f/1.4, exp. 1/8000 sec., ISO 100
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.4 MB
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 50 mm, f/2.0, exp. 1/1000 sec., ISO 400
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.9 MB
Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 50 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/2000 sec., ISO 200
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.6 MB
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 50 mm, f/1.8, exp. 1/800 sec., ISO 200
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.3 MB
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 50 mm, f/1.4, exp. 1/800 sec., ISO 200
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.6 MB
Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 50 mm, f/7.1, exp. 1/160 sec., ISO 200
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 3.8 MB
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 50 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/500 sec., ISO 200
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.4 MB
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 50 mm, f/5.6, exp. 1/640 sec., ISO 200
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 3.4 MB
Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 50 mm, f/3.2, exp. 1/3200 sec., ISO 100
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 3.8 MB
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 50 mm, f/3.2, exp. 1/3200 sec., ISO 100
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 3.1 MB
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 50 mm, f/4.0, exp. 1/1600 sec., ISO 100
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 4.3 MB
Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 50 mm, f/2.8, exp. 1/125 sec., ISO 400
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.7 MB
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 50 mm, f/10.0, exp. 1/125 sec., ISO 400
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.6 MB
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 50 mm, f/7.1, exp. 1/800 sec., ISO 200
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 4.5 MB
Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 50 mm, f/1.4, exp. 1/8000 sec., ISO 100
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.6 MB
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 50 mm, f/1.8, exp. 1/8000 sec., ISO 100
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.4 MB
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 50 mm, f/1.4, exp. 1/8000 sec., ISO 100
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 4.1 MB
Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary Sigma 50 mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM - Summary
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 50 mm, f/2.2, exp. 1/3200 sec., ISO 100
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 3.8 MB
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 50 mm, f/1.6, exp. 1/8000 sec., ISO 100
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.8 MB
Camera: Canon 20D
Parameters: 50 mm, f/1.4, exp. 1/2500 sec., ISO 100
File: JPG, 3504x2336 pix, 2.7 MB




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