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Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM lens review Anonymous
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0808/08081802sigma50review.asp

>> Our new lens review of Sigma's latest baby, the 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM. This optic brings the classic 50mm focal length bang up to date, incorporating ultrasonic focusing for all camera mounts, and the use of an aspherical element for reduced aberrations. Serving dual purpose as a 'normal' lens on 35mm full-frame and a short 'portrait' telephoto on APS-C, the fast 50mm is a great complement to the ubiquitous slow kit zooms, but does the Sigma offer any compelling advantages over the camera manufacturers' own versions, or is it a case of too little, too late?

>> Of course all of the major camera manufacturers market their own well-established fast 50mm primes, so at first sight this new release may appear puzzling. But Sigma has included a number of features which distinguish this lens from those older designs, including an aspheric element for superior correction of aberrations, an oversized barrel design to reduce vignetting at wide apertures, a rounded diaphragm for attractive background blur, and 'super multi-layer' coating for reduced flare and ghosting. But perhaps of most interest is the ring-type ultrasonic motor for fast and precise autofocus with full-time manual override, here making its debut appearance on a 50mm F1.4 lens. This has the benefit of providing autofocus to owners of Nikon's entry-level D40(x)/D60 bodies for the first time on a 50mm prime; however it unfortunately comes at a cost to users of older Pentax DSLRs, as the effective 'KAF-3' lens mount specification means AF won't work on models which don't support SSM.

Headline features

- 50mm focal length; fast F1.4 maximum aperture
- HSM (ultrasonic type) autofocus with full-time manual override

Street price
• $500 (US)
• £329 (UK)

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>> Anonymous
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>> The Sigma 50mm F1.4 performs very well on APS-C, benefiting as usual from the 'sweet spot' advantages of low distortion and minimal vignetting which are common to shooting full-frame lenses on APS-C. At wide apertures (F1.4-F2), it clearly outperforms either the Canon EF 50mm F1.4 USM or Nikon AF-Nikkor 50mm F1.4 D, providing far more consistent sharpness across the frame and especially towards the corners, coupled with lower axial chromatic aberration; however at smaller apertures the older designs draw ahead.

>> The Sigma 50/1.4 gives impressively even coverage across the frame on APS-C, and although it's slightly soft wide open, it's very much towards the top of its class. Sharpness increases progressively on stopping down, with optimum results at F4-5.6; at apertures of F8 and smaller, diffraction takes its toll.

>> Central resolution is impressively high even wide open, however edges and corners are nothing to write home about (not unusual for a fast 50mm prime on full frame). Sharpness improves progressively on stopping down, and the lens comprehensively outresolves the 21 Mp EOS-1Ds Mark II in the centre of the frame from F2.8 through F8 - impressive indeed. Corner resolution lags behind somewhat, reaching a maximum at about F7.1-F8.

>> the lens comprehensively outresolves the 21 Mp EOS-1Ds Mark II in the centre of the frame from F2.8 through F8
>> the lens comprehensively outresolves the 21 Mp EOS-1Ds Mark II in the centre of the frame from F2.8 through F8
>> the lens comprehensively outresolves the 21 Mp EOS-1Ds Mark II in the centre of the frame from F2.8 through F8

Conclusion - Pros

- Class-leading image quality
- Relatively low vignetting even at wide apertures on full frame
- Reasonably fast and positive autofocus, with full-time manual override
- Very good build quality

Conclusion - Cons

- Large and heavy for a 50mm F1.4
- Expensive
>> Anonymous
still kinda fails wide open on APS-C, I expected it to be quite noticeably better than canikon 50/1.4s.
>> Anonymous
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In short, Sigma appears to have taken a fresh look at how photographers now tend to use 50mm primes as a complement to zooms for low-light and portrait shooting, and optimised the lens to match, paying attention predominantly to high central performance at wide apertures over corner-to-corner evenness stopped down. The designers have also recognised the dominance of DX/APS-C as the current de facto standard sensor size, and ensured good performance across the frame even on this resolution-hungry format. The result is a 50mm F1.4 which is a far better portrait lens on APS-C than legacy primes designed for 35mm film, as well as an extremely competent standard on 35mm full-frame.

All is not perfect, of course; the 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM still can't achieve anything approaching genuine corner-to-corner sharpness on full frame at wide apertures, however it does much, much better than the other 50mm F1.4 lenses we've tested so far. Also, the older 50mm F1.4 designs measurably outperform it for corner-to-corner sharpness at smaller apertures on full-frame, so if you're shooting primes for absolute image quality at F8, it offers little advantage.

Of course the biggest negative currently against the Sigma is its price; it's significantly more expensive than the equivalents from the major camera manufacturers, and so the question becomes whether that optical superiority at wide apertures is worth the price premium. At the time of writing (August 2008), that's a very tough call, but it's important to understand that this lens is currently very much at the start of its product lifecycle, and if the price drops to a level much closer to the other 50mm F1.4s, then it will be quite simply a steal.
>> Anonymous
>>237842still kinda fails wide open on APS-C, I expected it to be quite noticeably better than canikon 50/1.4s.

It's better than all the current 50s wide open.

It does one thing and only one thing better than all of them, shoot wide open.
>> Anonymous
>>237844
I don't contest that it *is* currently the best 50/1.4 when wide open, it's just I expected more given the huge difference in size and price.
>> Anonymous
>>237844

stop the canon 50mm f/1.4 down a stop and you're good to go
>> Anonymous
>>237863

then it's not a f/1.4 anymore

stop the sigma down and it will be even better

bad logic is bad
>> Anonymous
>>237870

you didnt even read the review, you fucking mouthbreathing retard.

>Also, the older 50mm F1.4 designs measurably outperform it for corner-to-corner sharpness at smaller apertures on full-frame, so if you're shooting primes for absolute image quality at F8, it offers little advantage.
>> Anonymous
>>237909

f/8 IS NOT f/1.4

you fucking retard
>> fence !!POey2hdozCZ
you shouldn't really stop sub-f/2's down past f/5.6. f/8 is actually a little softer. a 50 1.8 is at it's absolute sharpest at f/4, and 1.4's are sharpest at 2.8.

and that's how you're supposed to use a fast prime, for the most part. you don't buy a 1.4 to shoot at 1.4, you buy it to shoot a sharp f/2. most fast primes are pretty crappy wide open, but stop it down one stop, and the image snaps into nice, sharp contrast. there are some notable exceptions, like Canon's 85 1.2. that lens is good enough to make me consider buying the next 5D just for that.

having said all that, 500 bucks for an off-brand 50mm prime is a fucking outrage.
>> Anonymous
>>237932
Which is why I want a f/1.0 lens to say I've stopped down to f/1.4
>> Anonymous
worrying about sharpness is for dweebs who never sell or even give away any shots