For the past several weeks I’ve have been using and testing Sigma’s new 35mm F1.4 DG HSM lens and every time I mention it or post one of the photos, everyone asks “what do you think of it?” The short answer is…..Stellar results and performance!
So what makes this lens so great?
This is one of the newly designed lenses from Sigma’s new Art line, one of the three new lines that also includes Contemporary and Sports categories. When I first saw this lens several months ago at a trade show I was quite impressed with the solid feel and mechanical quality/construction. As soon as you see and start handling it you realize the quality of this lens, it has a feel to it of being a superior professional lens – which it is. There are many well thought out and designed features, one which I really thought was very well done is the large and well placed manual focusing ring, which is a full-time manual override. Since the depth of field at F1.4 (as it is with any F1.4 lens) is only a very thin plane of focus, I sometimes find myself fine tuning the focus manually. I’m old school and this approach works for me. That being said, the majority of the time I use the auto focus and with this lens I found it to be quick, accurate and there it almost completely silent. Just take care where you place your focus point(s), as you would with any F1.4 lens. The minimum focusing distance is about 12 inches, which allows you to get in really close to your subject, an added bonus.
So what about image quality? The sharpness and colours are amazing. The resolution/sharpness wide open is excellent, and shooting at F1.4 – F2 is one of the main reasons why you are buying this lens. The in-focus details are razor-sharp and the bokeh, background blur, is very soft and diffused. For low light photography this lens is 2 stops faster compared to my 24-70 F2.8 and with my Canon 5D MKIII it focuses incredibly quickly and accurately. Plus there is the additional advantage of the 1.4 aperture for bokeh, which is way better bokeh than f2.8. There is practically no chromatic aberration, fringing and distortion. On a cropped sensor camera it would be a fantastic normal field of view lens, as it would be approximately the equivalent of a 50mm lens. Before getting this lens, I already had the Sigma 85mm F1.4 EX DG HSM a lens that truly impresses me with it’s image quality. The new Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM actually surpasses the build and image quality of the 85mm.
Below are some of the photos that I have taken using a Canon 5D MKIII and the Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM lens.
Canon 5D MKIII – Sigma 35mm 1.4 DG HSM @ F7.1
Canon 5D MKIII – Sigma 35mm 1.4 DG HSM @ F2.0
Canon 5D MKIII – Sigma 35mm 1.4 DG HSM @ F2.0
Canon 5D MKIII – Sigma 35mm 1.4 DG HSM @ F4.0
Canon 5D MKIII – Sigma 35mm 1.4 DG HSM @ F1.4
Canon 5D MKIII – Sigma 35mm 1.4 DG HSM @ F1.4
Canon 5D MKIII – Sigma 35mm 1.4 DG HSM @ F11
Canon 5D MKIII – Sigma 35mm 1.4 DG HSM @ F1.4
Canon 5D MKIII – Sigma 35mm 1.4 DG HSM @ F1.4
Given the high optical quality and the excellent build of this lens, I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending it. The lens sells for a very reasonable price, which is also substantially less than the camera manufacturers’ equivalents. It also comes with a 7 year warranty from Sigma Canada. Bottom line – I would definitely recommend this lens, it is probably the highest quality lens that I have ever shot with!
