Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art priced to kill everything, including OTUS!

[arthurking83]

The size is insane .. seeing it like that against the older Sigma 50/1.4.

I have the older 50/1.4 .. and now I want the new version too!

LOL! ... it has to wait.
I'm not, never have been, nor will ever be ... an early adopter.

I like Sigma, have many of their products, have stuck with them over many yearsm have come to their defence against a tirade of abuse from others .... and I don't want to ruin that relationship with early teething troubles.

I always wait at least 6 months or so before I decide I finally have to have one.
6 months I feel is about a minimum timeframe for any issues to surface.

Looking forward to seeing more from this lens.
Images look really nice Fruengalli

[Fruengalli]

The size is insane .. seeing it like that against the older Sigma 50/1.4.

I have the older 50/1.4 .. and now I want the new version too!

LOL! ... it has to wait.
I'm not, never have been, nor will ever be ... an early adopter.

I like Sigma, have many of their products, have stuck with them over many yearsm have come to their defence against a tirade of abuse from others .... and I don't want to ruin that relationship with early teething troubles.

I always wait at least 6 months or so before I decide I finally have to have one.
6 months I feel is about a minimum timeframe for any issues to surface.

Looking forward to seeing more from this lens.
Images look really nice Fruengalli

Always been a problem for me...impulse buying.

[basketballfreak6]

LOL! ... it has to wait.
I'm not, never have been, nor will ever be ... an early adopter.i

c'mon Arthur, early adopt with us!!!!!!!!!! lol

i know what you mean tho, i am the same, usually like to wait a while for the kinks to work out and price to settle but these 2 new sigma lens 35 and 50 (also thanks to digi direct putting sale on both times) had me jumping on the bandwagon lol

Fruengalli how are you finding the auto focus?

[Fruengalli]

c'mon Arthur, early adopt with us!!!!!!!!!! lol

i know what you mean tho, i am the same, usually like to wait a while for the kinks to work out and price to settle but these 2 new sigma lens 35 and 50 (also thanks to digi direct putting sale on both times) had me jumping on the bandwagon lol

Fruengalli how are you finding the auto focus?

Not too shabby. I only got this very late in the arvo but the bottle & a few others I got away were spot on. The old camera shots are inside with room lights on so a bit of hunting when I tried to focus on the front of the lens (too dark & no contrast) but nailed it on the "X" in Pentax. These were at f1.4 or 1.8 (iso3200) so stoked with the clarity (except for noise).

[MissionMan]

From what I've heard, focus speed is better than the Nikon and Canon equivalents which aren't great.

[basketballfreak6]

Got a call a while ago that my copy has arrived long story short on the way home now gonna run thru the dock it front focuses noticeably on mine but otherwise image looks good bokeh I thought was excellent

[basketballfreak6]

Tim by basketballfreak6, on Flickr

so i got my lens, spent some time adjusting with dock, af feels quite accurate right now and decently quick, but have to adjust quite a bit...

the 2 closest adjustment areas (0.4-0.5m, 0.5-1.0m) were +20 and +17...

otherwise the IQ really is stellar

[MissionMan]

Tim by basketballfreak6, on Flickr

so i got my lens, spent some time adjusting with dock, af feels quite accurate right now and decently quick, but have to adjust quite a bit...

the 2 closest adjustment areas (0.4-0.5m, 0.5-1.0m) were +20 and +17...

otherwise the IQ really is stellar

Nope. Doesn't look good or well adjusted. Ship it to me and I'll adjust it correctly. I'm slow at adjusting so it might take a year or two

[basketballfreak6]

Nope. Doesn't look good or well adjusted. Ship it to me and I'll adjust it correctly. I'm slow at adjusting so it might take a year or two

lol all good mate, i am willing to live with the flaws of this lens lol

but in all seriousness, that is wide open at 1.4, that sharpness and pop is just incredible, you seriously need to get it on your D800 just so you can pixel peep the hell out of it lol

[MissionMan]

lol all good mate, i am willing to live with the flaws of this lens lol

but in all seriousness, that is wide open at 1.4, that sharpness and pop is just incredible, you seriously need to get it on your D800 just so you can pixel peep the hell out of it lol

Yup. Every review I've seen couldn't find anything wrong with it other than "It's heavy".

[basketballfreak6]

Yup. Every review I've seen couldn't find anything wrong with it other than "It's heavy".

yea it really is quite heavy, it feels like i have my 24-70II on it rather than a 50mm lol

[arthurking83]

.... that is wide open at 1.4, that sharpness and pop is just incredible, ......

OOF rendering is very nice, subtle and smooth which is probably a bit more important that just pure sharpness.

So far between yours and Fruengalli's images, bokeh looks nicely rendered ... and therefore hard to fault.

(FWIW: aspheric lens elements sometimes induce some nervousness in OOF rendering. These images look good. I'm sure there's someone somewhere in the world trying hard to find fault with the lens tho )


Thnx for the sample images.

[basketballfreak6]

OOF rendering is very nice, subtle and smooth which is probably a bit more important that just pure sharpness.

So far between yours and Fruengalli's images, bokeh looks nicely rendered ... and therefore hard to fault.

(FWIW: aspheric lens elements sometimes induce some nervousness in OOF rendering. These images look good. I'm sure there's someone somewhere in the world trying hard to find fault with the lens tho )


Thnx for the sample images.

you are absolutely right Arthur, both about the rendering and people trying to find fault with the lens

look around various forums and you'll see people (particularly owners of 50L) trying to say the 50 art doesn't have nice rendering etc etc which i find it amusing, i've seen a few side by side comparisons and as far as i am concerned they actually render the oof areas very very similarly (imho), the 50L may look just that tad more "buttery" only because it doesn't have the contrast and sharpness of the 50 art

the way i see it it's easier to to soften up the image then it is to produce details that wasn't there in the first place in post, if you know what i mean

[MissionMan]

you are absolutely right Arthur, both about the rendering and people trying to find fault with the lens

look around various forums and you'll see people (particularly owners of 50L) trying to say the 50 art doesn't have nice rendering etc etc which i find it amusing, i've seen a few side by side comparisons and as far as i am concerned they actually render the oof areas very very similarly (imho), the 50L may look just that tad more "buttery" only because it doesn't have the contrast and sharpness of the 50 art

the way i see it it's easier to to soften up the image then it is to produce details that wasn't there in the first place in post, if you know what i mean

In their defence, it's a major claim for Sigma to make when it came to declaring that it could give the Otus a run for it's money at a quarter of the price. When people hear that, they figure it's the usual marketing banter and look for problems because it's hard to fathom that Sigma could produce a lens which trounces the Nikon and Canon 1.4's. Let's be realistic here, Sigma has always been the "cheaper, not as good" alternatives so it will take time for people to realise that sigma can produce a better lens.

[basketballfreak6]

In their defence, it's a major claim for Sigma to make when it came to declaring that it could give the Otus a run for it's money at a quarter of the price. When people hear that, they figure it's the usual marketing banter and look for problems because it's hard to fathom that Sigma could produce a lens which trounces the Nikon and Canon 1.4's. Let's be realistic here, Sigma has always been the "cheaper, not as good" alternatives so it will take time for people to realise that sigma can produce a better lens.

i just never understood the whole brand loyalty/fanboyism thing, i have my share of L lenses and recently sigma, i try to get the best my money allows me to get, just because i shoot with a canon 5d3 doesn't mean i am going to say nikon d800's awesome shadow recovery and dr doesn't matter (the amount of people that likes to say "just learn to expose properly", sheesh), i own the 24-70L II but i will be the first to tell someone else that the tamron is very, very close iq wise with IS for fraction of price and unless you need the auto focus it's worth picking up

[MissionMan]

i just never understood the whole brand loyalty/fanboyism thing, i have my share of L lenses and recently sigma, i try to get the best my money allows me to get, just because i shoot with a canon 5d3 doesn't mean i am going to say nikon d800's awesome shadow recovery and dr doesn't matter (the amount of people that likes to say "just learn to expose properly", sheesh), i own the 24-70L II but i will be the first to tell someone else that the tamron is very, very close iq wise with IS for fraction of price and unless you need the auto focus it's worth picking up

People feel threatened. If people say the Tamron 24-70 is as good or better than my Nikon 24-70, it means I didn't make a good financial decision because I bought something that was twice the price and not as good. There is exactly the same level of fanboism with cars, motorbikes, etc. It's about making consumers feel better about their purchasing decision. No one wants to know there is something better out there than what they have.

[basketballfreak6]

People feel threatened. If people say the Tamron 24-70 is as good or better than my Nikon 24-70, it means I didn't make a good financial decision because I bought something that was twice the price and not as good. There is exactly the same level of fanboism with cars, motorbikes, etc. It's about making consumers feel better about their purchasing decision. No one wants to know there is something better out there than what they have.

so true, for me i am just happy i got into photography at a time where there are so much options for us photographers

[basketballfreak6]

couple more samples:

Beer by basketballfreak6, on Flickr

Fallout Boy by basketballfreak6, on Flickr

i am really liking the way it renders oof areas

[Fruengalli]

couple more samples:

Beer by basketballfreak6, on Flickr

Fallout Boy by basketballfreak6, on Flickr

i am really liking the way it renders oof areas

Haven't put mine on the dock yet but if it's anything like the 35 I don't think I'll have to do much. AAAAnd back to that how good is the ability to self adjust! Great examples of 1.4 dof ...how freakin sharp is it!!! Canon will respond after getting their arses kicked but at a stupid price level. Me.. I'm waiting for the 24.

[Tannin]

I don't get this Sigma Dock thing.

I've bought, oh, about twenty lenses over the last ten years or so (two Tokinas and all the rest Canons), used them on more than a dozen different cameras, and I have never, ever had to adjust any lens at any time, not with any of those cameras. And yes, I know what "in-focus" looks like. What is it with Sigma lenses that makes them not work properly in the first place and need the silly dock? Seems like a massive admission of incompetence to me. Why don't they just adjust their products properly in the factory the way all the other manufacturers do? I fair dinkum don't get it.