Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art Lens- Is it as good as the hype?

blogreview

Oct 17

Written By kamal chilaka

Quick Facts

MRP : INR 68,000

Retail : INR 62,998

Date introduced : September 2012

Lens Construction13 Elements in 11 Groups

Angle of View: 63.4º

Number of Diaphragm Blades : 9

Minimum Aperture : f16

Minimum Focusing Distance: 30 cm / 11.8 in

Filter Size : 67mm

Maximum Magnifications: 1:5.2

Dimensions
(Diameter x Length) 77mm x 94mm /3in x 3.7in

Weight : 665g / 23.5oz.

The Art series of Lenses from Sigma are completely new lineup with upgraded optics and superior build quality to the previous generation of Sigma Lenses. They are aesthetically pleasing too.I bought this lens after hearing good reviews from the photographer community instead of the proven Canon offering just to see what the fuss was all about.

Focusing Performance 8/10

in AF mode the Sigma 35mm f1.4 Art lens is quick to acquire focus in normal available light situations and studio conditions. Although it doesn't set any new records in the AF department it is a strong performer. Also being a wide angle lens the increased Depth of Field anyway compensates for focusing mistakes.

Sharpness 8/10

This lens produces sharp images even from wide open at f1.4. And not surprisingly is very sharp between f5.6 and f8.0 the sweet spot for most lenses. Stopping down beyond f11 does not given any increase in sharpness. The image contrast is good but the colour rendition appears to be on the warmer side .Need to check this some more and will revert back with an update.

Bokeh 8/10

The wide f1.4 Aperture allows one to create smooth background blur(BOKEH) on a full frame camera. I find the bokeh to be mostly pleasing if not as smooth on as on the more expensive primes or zoom lenses in canon's lineup.On an APS-C camera it's performance is more more like that of f2.8 lens.

Build Quality 8/10

The 35mm Art lens is built solidly and designed beautifully. Its build quality is almost on par with the Canon 35mm f2.0.

This lens is surprisingly heavy for such a small package, specially when compared to the kit zooms like the 55-200 and 70-300mm lenses, but won't break your back.

Value for Money 9/10

The Sigma 35mm f1.4 Art lens is a solid performer from a new breed of lenses designed for high resolution DSLRs. It produces sharp, contrasty images. Is built well and has good bokeh. The price is on higher side when compared to the previous generation sigma 35mm but still a little cheaper than the Canon 35mm f2.0 and quite a lot cheaper than Can's f1.4 version 2. This is a good alternative to Canon glass at least for Canon users.