# Review - Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG Art



## Canon Rumors Guy (Jan 20, 2015)

Discuss our review of the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG Art lens here.


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## DomTomLondon (Jan 20, 2015)

Thanks for the review. It is a nice lens that Sigma has made. Yes the image quality is the most important thing, however, unless you're going to use it in manual focus all the time, the AF should be spot on and consistent for a lens at this price. What good is a sharp photo if the thing you want in focus is OOF. 

This and the weight of the lens has kept me from buying it. It's a shame because Canon has not updated their 50mm lenses and Sigma would be in the perfect position to get a lot of the Canon customers.

I'm in need of a sharp, fast and light 50mm prime. However, the way things stand, I won't be getting a Sigma Art.


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Jan 20, 2015)

Nice review, Justin. It's not a perfect lens, and it is too big, but it would still be my choice at the moment for a reasonably affordable 50mm prime.

I am still waiting for Canon to bring us an equivalent of the 35IS in a 50mm. If it was similarly sized and performed similarly, it would be be my choice.


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## YuengLinger (Jan 20, 2015)

Any news about a firmware update??? I think the 35mm Art had an update within about six months of release.

Imo, any 50mm slower than 1.4 would be too close to the stellar ef 24-70mm 2.8 II to justify carrying and swapping.


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## mackguyver (Jan 20, 2015)

Nice review - just one little correction at the end. The Canon EF 50L f/1.2 is weather-sealed according to Canon:

"Designed to meet the diverse needs of professional and advanced amateur photographers, the bright lens features full-time manual focusing, which enables users to focus by hand in the AF mode, *and a dust- and moisture-proof construction, ensuring unfailing performance even under harsh conditions.*"
http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/lens/ef/data/standard/ef_50_f1.2l_usm.html


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## martti (Jan 20, 2015)

Two pounds of a 50 mm _lense_ to lug around and you are all excited about it?
You know, you could actually take those very same shots with an iPhone and nobody would know the difference.
This is not about photography any longer, this is about consumerism.

Nice review, though.


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## George Wang (Jan 20, 2015)

Nice review Justin. I had purchased this lens a while ago and had to return it three times due to none of them were able to focus correctly without micro adjustment. Once they were adjusted the images were beautiful and I was able to capture tack sharp images at f/1.4 on most of them. Though I had returned it seven months ago due to it would not work on bodies that does not have build in micro adjustment function, I had always missed it.

Last week, I decided to purchase it again and this time with the USB DOCK. The copy I received still needed micro adjustment to work; however, after spending two nights of adjusting and testing all focusing ranges in the Sigma USB Dock software, I can now say that it is tack sharp without any micro adjustment ☺.

Now, the big elephant standing in the room is: "would I need to recalibrate the lens again if I put this calibrated lens on another Canon EOS body?" Luckily, I do have access to cameras and after testing my calibrated Sigma 50mm f/1.4 ART on a T5i, 7D Mark II, 5D Mark III and 1DX by multiple photographers, I can confidently say that no calibration or micro adjustment will be required once a copy of a 50mm f/1.4 Art is calibrated correctly with the Sigma USB Dock and will work on any Canon EOS bodies.

By the way, this lens will also works (auto focus with all 61 focus points) with both Kenko 1.4x and 2.0x Teleplus Pro 300 DGX teleconverters on a 5D Mark III (so as Tamron 150-600mm DI VC USD but not the Tamron 28-300mm PZD VC). Using 1.4x @ f/2 images looks like taken from a "soft focus" lens; however, when using the 2x @ f/2.8 it is sharp (that was unusual!). Both become sharper when closed down one stop.

Thanks again for reviewing this product and nice to see your beautiful work on your website and flickr. Heavy it may be, I still rather use this lens than any other 50mm f/1.4 (or f/1.2) out there by any other manufactures.


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## YuengLinger (Jan 20, 2015)

Thank you, Justin, for reminding us how important a top quality fast lens is to grear photography.


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## LukasS (Jan 20, 2015)

mackguyver said:


> Nice review - just one little correction at the end. The Canon EF 50L f/1.2 is weather-sealed according to Canon:
> 
> "Designed to meet the diverse needs of professional and advanced amateur photographers, the bright lens features full-time manual focusing, which enables users to focus by hand in the AF mode, *and a dust- and moisture-proof construction, ensuring unfailing performance even under harsh conditions.*"
> http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/lens/ef/data/standard/ef_50_f1.2l_usm.html



Yeah, was about to correct that too . Mine certainly has.


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## Garfield (Jan 20, 2015)

martti said:


> Two pounds of a 50 mm _lense_ to lug around and you are all excited about it?
> You know, you could actually take those shots with an iPhone and nobody would know the difference.
> This is not about photography any longer, this is about consumerism.



Oh man, gimme your super duper iPhone, now! 
Didn't know that it can reder this shallow depth of focus as well. And I'm spending thousands for camera gear - stupid me.

It's all about isolating your subject from the background for a fast lens like this and that's were all the phones and compact cameras struggle.

Welcome to real photography! ;D ;D ;D


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## ajfotofilmagem (Jan 20, 2015)

At this point, Canon is surrounded by a lion, and a poisonous snake.  :

All 50mm Canon lens is unforgivable weaknesses that Sigma Art, and Yongnuo (who would have thought) :-X are challenging. :-[
I surrendered to the Sigma 50mm Art, and sold my Canon F1.4 without any nostalgia.
When my students ask for a cheap 50mm for fun, I recommend trying the Yongnuo, if he is not afraid of the curse of AF non-Canon.


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## mrsfotografie (Jan 20, 2015)

TWI by Dustin Abbott said:


> Nice review, Justin. It's not a perfect lens, and it is too big, but it would still be my choice at the moment for a reasonably affordable 50mm prime.
> 
> I am still waiting for Canon to bring us an equivalent of the 35IS in a 50mm. If it was similarly sized and performed similarly, it would be be my choice.



I'm fortunate to have a good copy of the Sigma f/1.4 EX and prefer the look created by the 'traditional' double Gauss design. It's a lot smaller too although it is not a small lens in itself. Sigma managed to persuade me with the 35mm A, not so with the 50mm A so I will be hanging on to the old 'EX' for the foreseeable time...


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## LeeBabySimms (Jan 20, 2015)

A few lines that jumped out at me ...

"I didn't have it long enough"
"I really didn't push the lens against its competitors"
"I have personally struggled regularly using this focal length over the years"
"Why did I take so long to write this review?"

Ugh — spare us next time


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## Jesse (Jan 20, 2015)

Anyone have any experience with the sigma USB dock for this lens? Worth getting??

Here's a recent image of mine created with this lens and a 5D3:

<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jesseherzog/16127981207" title="At the Laundromat by Jesse Herzog, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7547/16127981207_222df87322_c.jpg" width="800" height="534" alt="At the Laundromat"></a>


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## sdsr (Jan 20, 2015)

martti said:


> Two pounds of a 50 mm _lense_ to lug around and you are all excited about it?
> You know, you could actually take those very same shots with an iPhone and nobody would know the difference.
> This is not about photography any longer, this is about consumerism.
> 
> Nice review, though.



It's hard to imagine that anyone with an eye for shallow focus couldn't tell the difference, but yes, I find it difficult to summon up a lot of enthusiasm for a bulky, heavy 50mm 1/4 lens that seems to create focusing problems for many users (Canon only?) and/or requires much fiddling around with USB docks and the like. There's a lot to be said for a $50 mf Minolta Rokkor 1.4....


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## RVB (Jan 20, 2015)

George Wang said:


> Nice review Justin. I had purchased this lens a while ago and had to return it three times due to none of them are able to focus correctly without micro adjustment. Once they were adjusted the images were beautiful and I was able to capture tack sharp images at f/1.4. Though I had returned it seven months ago due to it would not work on bodies that does not have build in micro adjustment function, I had always missed it.
> 
> Last week, I decided to purchase it again and this time with the USB DOCK. The copy I received still needed micro adjustment to work; however, after spending two nights of adjusting and testing all focusing ranges in the Sigma USB Dock software, I can now say that it is tack sharp without any micro adjustment ☺.
> 
> ...



I had a similar experience.once this AF is fine tuned its superb ,even wide open and color and contrast is very good,its a great lens..a steal at this price.


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## ajfotofilmagem (Jan 20, 2015)

sdsr said:


> martti said:
> 
> 
> > Two pounds of a 50 mm _lense_ to lug around and you are all excited about it?
> ...


For those who miss a small and discreet prime, can complement the Sigma 50 Art with a 40 pancake.


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## DominoDude (Jan 20, 2015)

Thanks for the review and sample shots, Justin!

I can't see myself buying one. All recent Sigmas contain good, sharp, glass, but as long as they behave like the AF motor is driven by a random number generator that won't listen to feedback signals from the attached body, I think I'll stay away from them. When it nails the focus, the shots come out pleasant. Hopefully that will happen often for all future users of it.
(Among friends we joke about the S A C variants, and we believe the letters really stand for *So-so* focusing, *Almost* focusing, and *Casual* focusing.)


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## George Wang (Jan 20, 2015)

Jesse said:


> Anyone have any experience with the sigma USB dock for this lens? Worth getting??
> 
> Here's a recent image of mine created with this lens and a 5D3:
> 
> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jesseherzog/16127981207" title="At the Laundromat by Jesse Herzog, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7547/16127981207_222df87322_c.jpg" width="800" height="534" alt="At the Laundromat"></a>



Yes Jesse, it is worth getting the USB Dock. Based on your photo, your lens has front focus issue (focused on the leg and not on the eye). Once you go through the calibration and correct all four focus ranges one by one in the software, your lens will be sharp without micro adjustment. On all four copies of this lens I had before micro/USB Dock adjustment, they all had front focus issues. I believe I had to change from +6 to +13 in micro adjustment to make them "acceptable".


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## George Wang (Jan 20, 2015)

Yes Jesse, it is worth getting the USB Dock. Based on your photo, your lens has front focus issue (focused on the leg and not on the eye). Once you go through the calibration and correct all four focus ranges one by one in the software, your lens will be sharp without micro adjustment. On all four copies of this lens I had before micro/USB Dock adjustment, they all had front focus issues. I believe I had to change from +6 to +13 in micro adjustment to make them "acceptable".


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## pwp (Jan 20, 2015)

LeeBabySimms said:


> A few lines that jumped out at me ...
> 
> "I didn't have it long enough"
> "I really didn't push the lens against its competitors"
> ...


What a nice, friendly, positive first post! You're the best!

-pw


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## vscd (Jan 20, 2015)

All Sigma Art Lenses are optical superb, but they all are lacking weathersealing. It seems to be a problem to implement a few rubberrings for 2-3 Cents, so if you go out to a shooting you may spoil your glass. 

If it would be an easy solution to get them sealed they would do it , I guess. They don't. Maybe it's the difference to the "L"-50mm f1.2  Also Fuji needed a lot of time for their recent glasses to get sealed, this seems to be difficult somehow.

I don't like the focallength so I would stick to the smaller 50mm f1.4 from canon, if I needed it... so my choice was the 40mm Pancake. It's quite small and it's ok for the range.


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## Jesse (Jan 21, 2015)

what this post failed to mention is there is no other auto-focusing 50mm lens that even comes close to the overall quality of this lens. and the canon 1.4 and 1.2 both have their own focusing issues fyi.


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## Jesse (Jan 21, 2015)

another with this lens: 

<iframe src="https://www.flickr.com/photos/jesseherzog/15872201220/player/" width="800" height="534" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>

(why can't i embed photos properly?)


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## Hjalmarg1 (Jan 21, 2015)

Jesse said:


> what this post failed to mention is there is no other auto-focusing 50mm lens that even comes close to the overall quality of this lens. and the canon 1.4 and 1.2 both have their own focusing issues fyi.


People who got a got copy immediately fell in love with this lens. Particularly myself I used all Canon 50mm lenses and I was never satified because of IQ, CA, AF or focus shift. 
Also, never confortable with the 50mm focal lenght but, still waiting for Canon's response to Sigma.


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## infared (Jan 21, 2015)

I have to say that I love my Sigma 50mm Art. Well my second copy, with Sigma Doc and some patience. Most everyone interested in this lens is aware of the controversy surrounding it. Right? I found my experience to be a buying "process" (most unusual experience purchasing a lens at this cost...but for me it was worth it).
Some observations of the comments here:
1.This is a relatively expensive lens ($950), This is a large 50mm. It's not waterproof. It is not light (1.8 lbs). It has 13 elements for God sake...most people check specs and read reviews, for a purchase like this. Within the 1st 60sec. of looking into the lens I would think that if you want a small light lens..then..OBVIOUSLY this is not the lens for you. If you want a lens with weather sealing this is not the lens for you. If you want a cheap lens then this is not the lens for you. These things are more than obvious right away.
2. The iPhone comment should be deleted. It's just stupid.
3. Before I went on my Sigma Sojourn I was aware that this was not going to be a regular lens buying experience...but at my level of involvement in photography the lens had enough promises for image-making to jump in and give it a shot. (I owned a sigma 50mm EX and I own the Sigma 35mm Art...so I knew what I was in for with this purchase)
4. The lens copies are inconsistent with AF. I sent my first one back. It was ALL OVER THE PLACE with focus. I had a Sigma Doc. ...there was no correcting it. My second copy was much better out of the box and I was able to calibrate it and it works extremely well for me...right now...although...I have read reports that is could change over time...I will see. I knew going in that the lens experience was not going to be a normal one. I was on a quest for excellence in 50mm. Why bitch and moan...I know what I was getting into! LOL! (Its like dating!)
5. I owned a good copy of the Sigma 50mm EX f/1.4. I sold it to buy this. This is about twice the size...I knew that going in..I was looking for sharpness across the plane to the corners. There is no comparison in the two lenses. (although the size, and rendering of the EX makes it a very great lens for portraiture..its forgiving and I would say tons better than the Canon 50mm f1.8 and f1.4...and built way better as well...but again that is just my opinion and I had a very good copy...that I sold to a friend (gulp!) and he is VERY happy with it.)

So...this lens is interesting...and "for me" it has such a WOW factor...that it was kind of worth all the BS I went through to get a decently calibrated copy on the front of my 5D3. (time and money). The experience is not for everyone...but for the people that it is for ...their mouths can occasionally drop open when opening files in post...and goosebumps can run down your neck sometimes. That made it worthwhile for me. If you are looking for something exciting ...and you have some PATIENCE and some photography experience and ability...jump in ....I If not...I would advise you to stay away from this beast. 
t's definitely not for everyone. its an interesting experience, though.


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## candyman (Jan 21, 2015)

I am very pleased with my 50art. I got it in the beginning of April last year. It was one of the few copies available. It is my first copy and it is spot on. I did not use AFMA or the dock. I don't have AF issues. I need to knock on wood.
I also had the old sigma 50 f/1.4 EX and it also was a very good copy without problems (though many reported to have problems)


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## Eldar (Jan 21, 2015)

martti said:


> You know, you could actually take those very same shots with an iPhone and nobody would know the difference.


Then I suggest you spend your money on something else ...


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## donn (Jan 21, 2015)

I have this lens for the last 6 months and I love it. Although it needs AFMA ca -4 on my camera, it's not a hassle at all. Once calibrated, its sharper compared to my 50mm 1.4 from Canon. Optically, this lens is fantastic, sharp, has good contrast and build is great. Down part with this lens, its quite big! But then again, one needs to sacrifice comfort to gain something. 

And I could always use my 40mm if I want something light.


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## JohanCruyff (Jan 21, 2015)

Hjalmarg1 said:


> Jesse said:
> 
> 
> > what this post failed to mention is there is no other auto-focusing 50mm lens that even comes close to the overall quality of this lens. and the canon 1.4 and 1.2 both have their own focusing issues fyi.
> ...


+1
After Sigma's 35mm F/1.4 Art, Canon released its 35mm F/2.0 IS.
About 50mm focal length, we just read rumors about a new 50mm F/1.8 or F/2.0 IS. Will it be the new unicorn?


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## MintChocs (Jan 21, 2015)

My most expensive purchase to date, I have had no issues regarding focussing on my 6D(maybe I'm not pixel peeping or looking hard enough or my other lenses are so so re sharpness). I was put off initially with all the buzz about how bad the AF is but then thought I would buy from a place with a no quibbles return policy. I don't use it all the time but when I do, I love the the images so well worth it.


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## plam_1980 (Jan 21, 2015)

infared said:


> 4. I think Dustin Abbott does great reviews. I have complemented him on every review he has done...but ...on this one...it was extremely short and based on all of his other reviews he has done I think this one was half-hearted. No harm... no foul...I just think that to avoid all the controversy regarding this lens's AF etc. and to touch on the attributes...he decided to stick his foot in the water and then just get out. That's OK..this lens is complicated on many levels.



This review is made by Justin VanLeeuwen and not by Dustin Abbott (whose reviews are on his own blog)

Best


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## infared (Jan 21, 2015)

plam_1980 said:


> infared said:
> 
> 
> > 4. I think Dustin Abbott does great reviews. I have complemented him on every review he has done...but ...on this one...it was extremely short and based on all of his other reviews he has done I think this one was half-hearted. No harm... no foul...I just think that to avoid all the controversy regarding this lens's AF etc. and to touch on the attributes...he decided to stick his foot in the water and then just get out. That's OK..this lens is complicated on many levels.
> ...



Whoa...thanks for correcting me!...I will fix that...no wonder I thought I was different! DUH


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## TWI by Dustin Abbott (Jan 21, 2015)

infared said:


> plam_1980 said:
> 
> 
> > infared said:
> ...



Dustin...Justin... what's confusing about that ;D


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## infared (Jan 21, 2015)

TWI by Dustin Abbott said:


> infared said:
> 
> 
> > plam_1980 said:
> ...



Sorry about that buddy. Actually, I thought it was your review, but something seemed off! LOL! Sorry about that.
I am old and confused! I will have to pay more attention in the future. I now recall that you have already reviewed the lens, THOROUGHLY. :-[ (egg on face for me!)


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## MichaelLauer (Jan 22, 2015)

I bought this lens and the USB dock about a week ago along with up the Spyder LensCal mainly because the reviews I had seen indicated the lens might not perform well unless calibrated.

I was set to calibrate the lens using my camera but then looked at the calibration using the USB dock and saw there were 4 separate range adjustments available through the dock. So, I checked each of the ranges before making any adjustments. I found the two longer ranges to be dead-on but the shortest range was back focusing and the next range up was front focusing. So I didn't make any changes to the lens calibration in my camera. Instead I made the adjustments directly to the lens firmware through the dock. It took some fiddling but I now have dead-on focus at all four ranges.

Just my experience. Thought I'd pass it on.


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## l_d_allan (Jan 22, 2015)

For this EF 35mm f2 IS owner, no IS = no sale. I won't be getting a 50mm or 85mm until there are IS versions (and then only when the price comes down in 6 to 12+ months).


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## JVLphoto (Jan 22, 2015)

TWI by Dustin Abbott said:


> Nice review, Justin. It's not a perfect lens, and it is too big, but it would still be my choice at the moment for a reasonably affordable 50mm prime.
> 
> I am still waiting for Canon to bring us an equivalent of the 35IS in a 50mm. If it was similarly sized and performed similarly, it would be be my choice.



Thanks! I'm not so concerned with weight since so much of my work is commercial and I pack pretty heavy all-around (lenses are the least of my worries). Though I can't stack it like I can my Canon 50 1.4 & 15 2.8 Fisheye 

It will be interested to see what Canon delivers in the prime territory. Their wider-angle options have been more consumer based and haven't interested me in the slightest these past few years.


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## JVLphoto (Jan 22, 2015)

mackguyver said:


> Nice review - just one little correction at the end. The Canon EF 50L f/1.2 is weather-sealed according to Canon:
> 
> "Designed to meet the diverse needs of professional and advanced amateur photographers, the bright lens features full-time manual focusing, which enables users to focus by hand in the AF mode, *and a dust- and moisture-proof construction, ensuring unfailing performance even under harsh conditions.*"
> http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/lens/ef/data/standard/ef_50_f1.2l_usm.html



Oh my! That's an assumption I made, making as ass out of me. Thanks for pointing that out. Surprised CanonRumorsGuy didn't notice that, but maybe he's too busy looking at his new-to-him Canon 50mm f/1.0


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## Viggo (Jan 22, 2015)

JVLphoto said:


> TWI by Dustin Abbott said:
> 
> 
> > Nice review, Justin. It's not a perfect lens, and it is too big, but it would still be my choice at the moment for a reasonably affordable 50mm prime.
> ...



So I'm not the only one waiting for the 35 L II? 8) according to the time I have been waiting, it seems Canon think I'm the only one


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## JVLphoto (Jan 22, 2015)

martti said:


> Two pounds of a 50 mm _lense_ to lug around and you are all excited about it?
> You know, you could actually take those very same shots with an iPhone and nobody would know the difference.
> This is not about photography any longer, this is about consumerism.
> 
> Nice review, though.



Actually, I believe the iPhone 6 (which I own) is a ~29mm equivalent. But that's not why someone buys a 50mm lens, they buy it for the shallow depth of field. While I used it at f/5.6 and all over the place, I kept it around f/2.0 because *that* look, that thin depth of field, is the only reason I want a lens like this. iPhone's dof is nearly infinite. Different feel, different look, but definitely more available. And when in capable hands, yes, remarkable images can be made.

Thanks!


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## JVLphoto (Jan 22, 2015)

Viggo said:


> So I'm not the only one waiting for the 35 L II? 8) according to the time I have been waiting, it seems Canon think I'm the only one



I got the Sigma... I couldn't hold my breath any more


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## JVLphoto (Jan 22, 2015)

George Wang said:


> ...Now, the big elephant standing in the room is: "would I need to recalibrate the lens again if I put this calibrated lens on another Canon EOS body?" Luckily, I do have access to cameras and after testing my calibrated Sigma 50mm f/1.4 ART on a T5i, 7D Mark II, 5D Mark III and 1DX by multiple photographers, I can confidently say that no calibration or micro adjustment will be required once a copy of a 50mm f/1.4 Art is calibrated correctly with the Sigma USB Dock and will work on any Canon EOS bodies...



Thanks for the thorough input from this perspective! It's good to know, and I haven't yet used the dock... I had it with the Sigma 120-300 but didn't need to do anything with it


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## JVLphoto (Jan 22, 2015)

mrsfotografie said:


> I'm fortunate to have a good copy of the Sigma f/1.4 EX and prefer the look created by the 'traditional' double Gauss design. It's a lot smaller too although it is not a small lens in itself. Sigma managed to persuade me with the 35mm A, not so with the 50mm A so I will be hanging on to the old 'EX' for the foreseeable time...



I was always very impressed with the images I'd see from photographers with this lens, but Sigma's shaky reputation at the time and my own poor experience with their 85 kept me away.


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## JVLphoto (Jan 22, 2015)

sdsr said:


> It's hard to imagine that anyone with an eye for shallow focus couldn't tell the difference, but yes, I find it difficult to summon up a lot of enthusiasm for a bulky, heavy 50mm 1/4 lens that seems to create focusing problems for many users (Canon only?) and/or requires much fiddling around with USB docks and the like. There's a lot to be said for a $50 mf Minolta Rokkor 1.4....



That's basically how I feel about almost every point and shoot camera now - totally redundant next to my iPhone. But my gear is a tool, and I'll use the best tool for the job, weight isn't an issue for my style of photography. If I was a photojournalist or wedding photographer - both people who benefit from this exact type of lens - that weight becomes a personal choice.


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## JVLphoto (Jan 22, 2015)

LeeBabySimms said:


> A few lines that jumped out at me ...
> 
> "I didn't have it long enough"
> "I really didn't push the lens against its competitors"
> ...



My spider-sense tells me you're annoyed by my personal anecdotes, irrelevant to the lens itself, and you'd prefer something less so.

Care to enlighten us?


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## JVLphoto (Jan 22, 2015)

DominoDude said:


> ...as long as they behave like the AF motor is driven by a random number generator that won't listen to feedback signals from the attached body, I think I'll stay away from them...



Nailed it.


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## JVLphoto (Jan 22, 2015)

donn said:


> And I could always use my 40mm if I want something light.



I still don't "get" the 40. I mean, I own it. I've used it. But it mostly sits on my desk. Just not my thing, but if I was walking around a lot more yeah, it's a no-brainer to drop in the bag or even a pocket!


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## JVLphoto (Jan 22, 2015)

TWI by Dustin Abbott said:


> infared said:
> 
> 
> > plam_1980 said:
> ...



;D


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## JVLphoto (Jan 22, 2015)

infared said:


> Sorry about that buddy. Actually, I thought it was your review, but something seemed off! LOL! Sorry about that.
> I am old and confused! I will have to pay more attention in the future. I now recall that you have already reviewed the lens, THOROUGHLY. :-[ (egg on face for me!)



Ha ha, no harm done. And yes, I tend to glide by more technical aspects on these "reviews" (really more opinion pieces, but apparently "review" is good for web-hits). I work with the lenses, test them if necessary, and just tell the story of my experience. Other people do the longer reviews better than I could ever hope to; so I don't try to be someone I'm not


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## mrsfotografie (Jan 22, 2015)

JVLphoto said:


> donn said:
> 
> 
> > And I could always use my 40mm if I want something light.
> ...



I had a 40 mm Voigtlander and found the focal length, well... boring.


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## candyman (Jan 23, 2015)

The sigma 50art was voted lens of the year by the dpreview Readers choice
http://www.dpreview.com/articles/8136019716/2014-readers-polls-the-results-are-in?slide=3


I assume it is voted by people that actually used it...


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## donn (Jan 23, 2015)

JVLphoto said:


> donn said:
> 
> 
> > And I could always use my 40mm if I want something light.
> ...



To be honest, 40mm is not my thing but there are certain days that a dslr is just heavy to have, those days are the days i take my 40mm just in case i need to take some photo.


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## infared (Jan 23, 2015)

candyman said:


> The sigma 50art was voted lens of the year by the dpreview Readers choice
> http://www.dpreview.com/articles/8136019716/2014-readers-polls-the-results-are-in?slide=3
> 
> 
> I assume it is voted by people that actually used it...



I use it, love it AND cast my vote for it on DPReview! :-X
GREAT lens.


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## infared (Jan 23, 2015)

donn said:


> JVLphoto said:
> 
> 
> > donn said:
> ...



On those days I just leave the beast at home and take my MicroFourThirds Kit. It's pure fun. ;D


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## donn (Jan 23, 2015)

infared said:


> donn said:
> 
> 
> > JVLphoto said:
> ...



Thats what im planning, to have a M43 system. Saving a bit for it. I am not satiafied with my compact camera, have canon's G15. 

Going back on the thread. Sigma 50mm is very good even wide open. ;-)


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## lintoni (Jan 25, 2015)

George Wang said:


> Nice review Justin. I had purchased this lens a while ago and had to return it three times due to none of them were able to focus correctly without micro adjustment. Once they were adjusted the images were beautiful and I was able to capture tack sharp images at f/1.4 on most of them. Though I had returned it seven months ago due to it would not work on bodies that does not have build in micro adjustment function, I had always missed it.
> 
> Last week, I decided to purchase it again and this time with the USB DOCK. The copy I received still needed micro adjustment to work; however, after spending two nights of adjusting and testing all focusing ranges in the Sigma USB Dock software, I can now say that it is tack sharp without any micro adjustment ☺.
> 
> ...


Which begs the question, if the 50mm Art can be calibrated using the USB dock, why are Sigma shipping lenses from their factory that require calibration to work properly? The flippant answer would be, to sell their USB dock. But seriously, the cost in returns and adverse publicity regarding the AF of this lens must be painful for Sigma to bear.


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## Viggo (Jan 25, 2015)

lintoni said:


> George Wang said:
> 
> 
> > Nice review Justin. I had purchased this lens a while ago and had to return it three times due to none of them were able to focus correctly without micro adjustment. Once they were adjusted the images were beautiful and I was able to capture tack sharp images at f/1.4 on most of them. Though I had returned it seven months ago due to it would not work on bodies that does not have build in micro adjustment function, I had always missed it.
> ...



You calibrate the lens mounted to a camera body. If you have two camera bodies that require any lens to have different afma settings, that is no different with the 50 Art, I mean how could it be the same on every body?

My problem is that it misses back and front to the point where it's impossible to get focus on the same spot twice in a row, and therefore any value almost will give the same percentage of sharp shots...

I decided to sell mine yesterday, but it gives me some incredible shots once in a while when the AF actually gets it right, so I can't decide whether to sell it or take 30 shots of each picture to get it right.


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## lintoni (Jan 26, 2015)

Viggo said:


> lintoni said:
> 
> 
> > George Wang said:
> ...


I wasn't talking about AFMA. George Wang's post seems to say that once the lens is calibrated, it behaves consistently with Canon bodies. So why aren't Sigma shipping them properly calibrated _so that once you perform AFMA_, as with any other fast lens, it works as expected?

I must admit, I'm saving for a 50mm prime and this lens is a possibility. But user experiences like yours are weighing heavily against the Art.


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## Viggo (Jan 26, 2015)

lintoni said:


> Viggo said:
> 
> 
> > lintoni said:
> ...



Ah, you mean the relationship between back and front focus between the different distances in the lens. I agree with that if it misses by the same amount relative to the other distances on all bodies.

I can't sell mine, it's just too wonderful when it works...


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## Eldar (Jan 26, 2015)

George Wang said:


> Now, the big elephant standing in the room is: "would I need to recalibrate the lens again if I put this calibrated lens on another Canon EOS body?" Luckily, I do have access to cameras and after testing my calibrated Sigma 50mm f/1.4 ART on a T5i, 7D Mark II, 5D Mark III and 1DX by multiple photographers, I can confidently say that no calibration or micro adjustment will be required once a copy of a 50mm f/1.4 Art is calibrated correctly with the Sigma USB Dock and will work on any Canon EOS bodies.


Even though I would have liked this to be true, since the optical performance is so good, I have to say that this is not correct. I have been through several of the Art lenses and they are inconsistent. I have used them on 7D, 5DII, 5DIII and 1DX. I use FoCal pro in addition to LensAlign for manual AFMA and I have the dock. The problem with the Sigma AF is inconsistency. It works like charm on one image, to be totally off on the next. You cannot properly adjust a lens that behaves different from shot to shot.

My two copies of the 50 Art were both bad and I have returned them, as I have with the 35 Art. My dealer was well aware of the problem and did not even ask me to document the poor performance or ask for a chance to correct the fault (I had gone past my return date). He just gave me my money back.

Attached is the FoCal AFMA result of the better one of the two 50 Arts. As you can see, it´s finding focus all over the place. For reference, I also attached the AFMA for the Canon 85mm f1.2L II, which shows what the result should have been.


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## ocblue (May 7, 2015)

I recently purchased the 50mm 1.4 ART, and have been pretty happy with it overall.

I did get the USB dock, and attempted to play with the AF microadjust parameters.
I was using a Canon 6D at the time.
I recently took the same lens and used it with a new 7D II that I bought..and I was really disappointed in a lot of the shots when shooting at a distance. 
I'm not sure why it would suddenly be a problem, when I noticed no such issues with my 6D. 
The 7DII seems fine when using it with my 24-70 2.8 II though...so I don't think its the 7D2...

Can someone look at these pictures and tell me if its front focussing or what? None seem tack sharp...except a few pictures I took really close up...those seems fine to me. I used spot focus on everything, and was very careful in focusing on her eye on each shot.


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## JVLphoto (May 7, 2015)

ocblue said:


> I recently purchased the 50mm 1.4 ART, and have been pretty happy with it overall.
> 
> I did get the USB dock, and attempted to play with the AF microadjust parameters.
> I was using a Canon 6D at the time.
> ...



New camera's may pose a problem with Sigma lenses since they're reverse engineered (part of their Canadian warranty is covering these issues if they crop up.) So there is the chance that 7D2's AF & the 50 1.4's AF aren't fully compatible. But you have other variables to check. First make sure things look good on Manual focus. That way you know it's not the lens optics or camera itself that are the problem. Then do some more controlled tests (not with a moving subject, but on a tripod, etc) and do some focus tests at various apertures using AF. If it's consistently focusing in front or behind you can micro-adjust this via the camera, or the USB utility, whichever you prefer, to calibrate the lens to the camera.

Personally, from the 7D2 file's I've seen, I'm not sure if *anything* is sharp coming out of that camera, but that's just the few test shots I've seen from friends.


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## Viggo (May 8, 2015)

The worst part is spending literally thousands of shots trying to figure out how and why the Art lenses miss. I calibrated and recalibrated with FoCal and using the docking to have it dead on, then wake up the next day and it suddenly misses by little in front sometimes, then a little behind and then every 8-10 shots suddenly 8 feet in front shooting at 10 feet.

Four art lenses and the same with all four on the 1dx. It is my absolute favorite lens that 50, but when it can't focus I have no desire to own or use it anymore.


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