Double new Sigma 35mm f/1.4 lens review.
While we are waiting the new A-mount release from Sony let’s check how good the new Sigma 35mm f/1.4 lens. Here are two new reviews:
SLRgear (Click here) writes: “There’s a lot to like here: great results for sharpness, low chromatic aberration, and low distortion. There is some significant corner shading when used wide open, but coupled with the corner softness at the same aperture settings this contributes to an interesting look and subject isolation.”
Photographyblog (Click here) says: “The only concession that it makes is the lack of any weather-sealing, something that the Canon and Nikon alternatives both offer. This is a relatively small concern for most photographers, though, so we can whole-heartedly recommend the new Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM as a fast, well-built prime lens that delivers superb results. Essential!”
The A-mount lens is availble for preorder at Amazon (Click here), Adorama (Click here) and BHphoto (click here). To get notified when this lens is on eBay login and save this search at Slidoo.
Ovi
5 months ago |The canon 35mm 1.4 does not offer weather sealing
peter
5 months ago |this lens might be as great as mentioned, but for this price (~900 USD), i prefer adding 200 more and try to get a Minolta AF 35 F1.4 G instead which is definitely worth the money. cheers, peter
Hendrick
5 months ago |You need to ..umm…drop that pipe and crack needle man.
http://slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/981/cat/82
Way worse than the Sigma.
CTPhotographX.com
5 months ago |The Sony/Mino is 200 grams lighter, and has much smoother OOFA than the Siggy. And sure, the Sig gets great grades in Arithmetic and Mathematics. But he Sony/Mino gets better grades in Art Class.
There is much more to creating signature imagery than buying lenses that score well on test charts. That’s why the Sony/Mino is still made the same as twenty years ago. Same reason why the Nikkor 50mm 1.2 AIS is still made new in manual focus, available at B&H right now, unchanged from original design. Neither of these lenses score well in Math Class. But Artists love them for their signature drawing style.
hendrick
5 months ago |Far more interesting is this:
http://www.ronscheffler.com/techtalk/?page_id=130
Twaddler Belafonte
5 months ago |Just because it reads Minolta does not mean it’s good. That lens is a notoriously crappy dog.
Dirk
5 months ago |In fact the 35G seems to be outdated and overrated.
Don’t know why SOny never developped a new one.
Klaus from PZ concluded:
“To G or not to G is the question and the answer is … no. The Sony 35mm f/1.4G may offer lots of creative potential thanks to its ultra-large max. aperture but technically it is not an overly impressive lens especially in relation to its very steep price tag. The resolution is rather poor at large aperture settings and this is, after all, the primary playing ground of this lens. The situation improves significantly when stopping down to f/4-f/8 although very high lateral CAs can decrease the sharpness perception if not corrected. Distortions and vignetting are very well controlled, less so longitudinal CAs (“bokeh CAs”). Some users mention a very good bokeh (out-of-focus blur) but we failed to see greatness here (note: the quality of the bokeh goes beyond the sheer depth-of-field). The build quality is excellent and the AF is fast enough for most applications. All-in-all a lens which surely had its time but it isn’t really prepared for the digital era.”
Chad
5 months ago |I had the Sony G and recently sold it for the Sigma. Previously, I shot the Canon 35L.
I can’t comment yet on the Sigma but the G didn’t hold a candle to the L. The resolution was a joke. It did have a more classic rendering (read busy bokeh) that was fine but in the end, I couldn’t justify holding onto the lens when the resolution was so poor.
Ian Scovell
5 months ago |none of these reviews talk about the quality of the bokeh
sean lancaster
5 months ago |Sharp is great and it apparently has that. But I love shooting wide open and don’t care about sharpness to the corners on most of my shots, but I do care about the out of focus areas or bokeh so I agree that it would be nice to see a lens optimized for that. I have my fingers crossed for the new Sony Zeiss 50/1.4.
Ottawa Wedding Photography
5 months ago |Same here! If the new Zeiss 50 f/1.4 SSM has bokeh that’s even half as lovely and sharpness that’s anywhere near as good as my Zeiss 85 f/1.4 is… My old Minolta 50 f/1.4 may be headed for eBay! Cause the Minolta is really soft even in the centre until stopped down to f/2.5 or f/2.8 and my copy actually has a pretty gnarly green colour cast when compared to my Zeiss 85 or 24-70, and even when compared to my Minolta 35, 100 Macro, or beercan! And since Sony’s 50mm f/1.4 has just been a rebranding of the Minolta one, I’ve never bothered buying it. That said, the Minolta does still have its place in my bag; because even stopped down to f/2.8, it has shallower depth of field that the Zeiss 24-70 f/2.8 does at 50mm.
Hessel Folkertsma
5 months ago |Well ofcourse not, since bokeh-quality is subjective. For example, I like ‘characteristic’ bokeh which others often find a bit harsh.
CTPhotographX.com
5 months ago |Bokeh is not subjective. It is an objective difference that can be seen between lenses. That objectivity is consistent and unique to each lens. Nothing subjective about it at all.
But opinions about preference are indeed subjective. No problem liking or disliking one style over another. But the bokeh (OOFA) is quite objective. The opinion about it is subjective. Both are valid.
Abit77
5 months ago |Andrea, new 50/1.4 & 70-200 g2???
Rob
5 months ago |zzzzzzzzzzzz. Nothing going on in 2013 – wake me up in time for 2014.
hugo
5 months ago |the bokeh on recent sigma fast primes like the 30/1.4, 50/1.4 or 85/1.4 is pretty excellent if you like it smooth. It seems the 35/1.4 does not quite reach the same level unfortunately.
Roeland
5 months ago |Just heared this lens will only be available in Holland FOUR months from now.
The Sigm rep told me they firat will produce the Canon and Nikon spec lenses….
Thats a shame and disappointment…..
bro
5 months ago |Pretty much every review of the Sigma 35/1.4 that has directly compared bokeh to other 35/1.4s show that the Sigma’s bokeh is on par with the Canon, Nikon, Sony/Minolta, CZ’s, etc. It may be ever so slightly harsher(because the Sigma is a sharper lens than all of these lenses) but its also rounder for instance than the Canon.
No 35/1.4 has particularly excellent bokeh, and the nature of a fast wide angle lens, its very easy to find shots that will make the bokeh not look great(for EVERY 35/1.4). If you’ve got a busy BG that is only a little bit out of focus(common with a fast wide) pixels peepers are not going to be happy with the bokeh. But you can’t cherry pick bad examples of the Sigma, you have to actually compare the two lenses shooting the exact same scene, and every actual comparison I’ve seen the Sigma keeps up with the big boys on bokeh, and is noticeably better in pretty much every metric (sharpness, contrast, aberrations, etc) except for maybe vignetting.