SIGMA 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM | A

£600/$950 A thoroughly modern 50mm f/1.4 that makes Canon’s equivalent lens look a bit antique

Anybody who thinks that bigger is better will be drawn to this Sigma. It dwarfs the competing Canon f/1.4 lens on test and weighs in at 815g compared with just 290g. Now four years old, the 50mm was one of Sigma’s first ‘Art’ designation prime lenses in its Global Vision line-up, representing a major revamp of the company’s previous 50mm lens.

The revised optical layout includes an aspherical element and three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements, in a complex build that includes 13 elements in total. Sigma’s aim was to engineer a standard prime lens for full-frame cameras that delivered stellar resolution to keep pace with the latest high megapixel counts, while keeping unwanted factors like colour fringing and distortion to a minimum. Naturally, when used on an APS-C camera as a portrait lens with an effective 80mm focal length, the crop factor makes distortion and vignetting even more negligible.

Typical of Sigma’s f/1.4 Art lenses, there’s no image stabilization. The lens also lacks weather-seals but is beautifully built and has a thoroughly pro-grade feel to its construction and handling. Ring-type ultrasonic autofocus is super-fast and ultra quiet.

Performance

For centre-sharpness, this Sigma beats every other lens in the group, although corners are comparatively soft unless you stop down a little to f/1.8. Colour fringing and vignetting are quite minimal, and distortion is negligible, even on a full-frame camera that utilizes the entire image circle.