Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Dg hsm | A

£599/$949

for once, it’s not the heaviest 50MM on test

Sigma’s previous 50mm lens was renowned as being a heavyweight but the ‘Art’ edition piles on the pounds. It gains 50 per cent in physical length and rises from 505g to 815g in weight. As such, it’s the outright largest lens on test, but still not as heavy as the Zeiss Milvus.

The main reason for the Art lens’s weight gain is that it has a more complex and sophisticated optical path than its predecessor, based on 13 rather than eight elements. These include one complex aspherical element and three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements.

Build quality feels superb, although there are no weatherseals and the focus ring doesn’t quite have the tactile fluidity of the manual-focus Zeiss Milvus. When speed is of the essence, however, you can count on the Sigma’s autofocus system being fast and consistently accurate…

Performance

The Sigma is amazingly sharp, even at f/1.4, along with soft and creamy bokeh. It’s virtually a distortion-free lens and both colour fringing and vignetting are minimal.

Sharpness

Sharpness only drops off at f/1.4 in the extreme corners of the image frame.

Fringing

Colour fringing is minimal at any aperture, even at the corners.

Distortion

With the best score in the group, barrel distortion is absolutely negligible.

Verdict

Features Build/handling Performance Value for money

Overall

For image quality with the convenience of autofocus, it’s the pick of the crop.