# Sigma or Canon (50mm 1.4)



## fair tomorrow (Nov 1, 2014)

Im in the market for a 50mm 1.4 but I would like if anyone can give me a suggestion of which lense to choose from sigma 50mm 1.4 (not the art) or canon 1.4 (pros & cons) I shoot with a 60D


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## Sporgon (Nov 1, 2014)

fair tomorrow said:


> Im in the market for a 50mm 1.4 but I would like if anyone can give me a suggestion of which lense to choose from sigma 50mm 1.4 (not the art) or canon 1.4 (pros & cons) I shoot with a 60D



I would say the general consensus out there is that the Sigma 50 DG focuses much better on an APS camera such as your 60D than it does on a FF. 

However don't discount the EF 50 1.4. It is actually capable of producing stunning results, fragile mechanism not withstanding.


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## BeenThere (Nov 1, 2014)

Speaking of discount, go look at sigma-rumors for a discount on the 50 Art. Ends soon.


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## slclick (Nov 1, 2014)

Besides focusing, concerning IQ- the Sigma outperforms all other 50's except the Zeiss Otus. It's truly a bargain.


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## Jim Saunders (Nov 1, 2014)

slclick said:


> Besides focusing, concerning IQ- the Sigma outperforms all other 50's except the Zeiss Otus. It's truly a bargain.



The Sigma Art does; the previous 50 was a little underwhelming. I don't have frame of reference to compare it to the Canon 50 f/1.4 but after the 50 Art there is no looking back.

Jim


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## Nethawk (Nov 1, 2014)

IQ of the Canon is fantastic, but it's extremely fragile. If it were the throwaway cost of the 1.8 I might recommend it.

Mine is going back to Canon for the second time in 16 months. My lenses get stored in a Pelican case, apparently it's my fault that pushing the lens into the foam slot knocks the cam barrel out of its focusing rack.


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## slclick (Nov 2, 2014)

It's IQ is fair. Fantastic is so overreaching.


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## slclick (Nov 2, 2014)

Jim Saunders said:


> slclick said:
> 
> 
> > Besides focusing, concerning IQ- the Sigma outperforms all other 50's except the Zeiss Otus. It's truly a bargain.
> ...



Excuse me, I thought this was about the Art (Since it also has a DG in it's naming scheme and why would you buy anything else?) version, yeah the original Siggy had horrendous AF issues.


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## Hector1970 (Nov 2, 2014)

I like the Canon 50 1.4
It's not the sharpest but it makes pleasant photos.
I've never thought of it as fragile. I don't mind mine too carefully and it's fine.
The 50 1.8 is a good lens too.
That definitely doesn't bounce.
A friend of mine dropped my one .
It was interesting to see the inner workings of it afterwards


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## steliosk (Nov 2, 2014)

Both Sigmas (art or non-art) are huge
the Canon is small and easy to carry.
The non-art sigma suffers with CA. The canon too.

If you hunt the best glass quality among the three, the sigma art is the champion.
2nd place the sigma non-art
and 3th the canon.

However i own the canon 1.4 and yes its fragile, but i love the size of it.


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## drmikeinpdx (Nov 2, 2014)

Trying to decide on a 50mm lens is tough! in my opinion there is no really good option.

I rented the Art lens a couple of weeks ago. Yes, it was sharp wide open. If that is someone's only criteria, I think it is the best option. All the other 50 mm lenses available in the EF mount have problems either with autofocus or, in the case of the very expensive Zeiss, no autofocus at all!

Note on the 50 Art, for lots of people, including me, you will probably need to use only the center focus point or those near it. The outer points front focus horribly. Maybe that will be a problem for you and maybe it won't

I've had the Sigma 50 Classic for a few years and got mildly frustrated with the somewhat erratic autofocus. If you use it wide open, you had better double the number of shots you normally take and make sure you refocus for every shot. That's what I do. At least it is fairly sharp wide open when you get the focus right. I did an outdoor photoshoot with the Art and the classic and had a hard time telling the photos apart when both were used wide open.

I just did a complete studio shoot with only the Sigma Classic on my 5D3. I used it between 2.8 and 5.6. I really enjoyed pixel peeping, it looked like an L lens to me.

I haven't tried the Canon 1.4, but it would probably be a good option for your 50D. I believe that body does not have MicroFocusAdjustment, which is a must for a non-Canon lens. It could even be an issue with the Canon 1.4 if you intend to use it wide open.

So whatever lens you get, be prepared for it to be less than perfect in one way or another. 

A good photographer learns to work around the limitations of their equipment.


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## Hjalmarg1 (Nov 2, 2014)

fair tomorrow said:


> Im in the market for a 50mm 1.4 but I would like if anyone can give me a suggestion of which lense to choose from sigma 50mm 1.4 (not the art) or canon 1.4 (pros & cons) I shoot with a 60D


I never liked either one. But if I have to choose any of them I'd go for the Canon one because is smaller, lighter and focus more accurate but soft until stopped to f2.8. Old Sigma 50mm has AF issues, is heavier, bulkier but when foccused correctly it offers way better images than Canon.


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## zlatko (Nov 2, 2014)

fair tomorrow said:


> Im in the market for a 50mm 1.4 but I would like if anyone can give me a suggestion of which lense to choose from sigma 50mm 1.4 (not the art) or canon 1.4 (pros & cons) I shoot with a 60D



Of the two lenses you mention, I only have the Canon 50/1.4. It is fantastic stopped down to f/2.8 and smaller, but AF can be hit or miss at wider apertures, especially on an APS-C body, and even more so on a body that has no AF micro-adustment. It can deliver great pics even at wider apertures; it's just the AF that can be unreliable.

The original post is clear that you're not looking for suggestions on the Sigma 50 Art, so why does post after post keep mentioning the Sigma 50 Art?


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## TeT (Nov 2, 2014)

zlatko said:


> fair tomorrow said:
> 
> 
> > Im in the market for a 50mm 1.4 but I would like if anyone can give me a suggestion of which lense to choose from sigma 50mm 1.4 (not the art) or canon 1.4 (pros & cons) I shoot with a 60D
> ...



The first one you come across that focuses good for you...

I have had better luck with the canons in that regard. If you think dreamy rather than soft when wide open you will love it too...


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## DominoDude (Nov 2, 2014)

The 50D has AFMA - my first combo was the 50D and the Sigma 50/1.4 EX DG HSM. At wide open the Sigma is miles better than the Canon EF 50/1.4 when it comes to sharpness and contrast, but when it comes to AF reliability... Prepare to use the Sigma with LiveView or as a manual focus only.


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## zlatko (Nov 2, 2014)

drmikeinpdx said:


> I haven't tried the Canon 1.4, but it would probably be a good option for your 50D.





DominoDude said:


> The 50D has AFMA - my first combo was the 50D and the Sigma 50/1.4 EX DG HSM. At wide open the Sigma is miles better than the Canon EF 50/1.4 when it comes to sharpness and contrast, but when it comes to AF reliability... Prepare to use the Sigma with LiveView or as a manual focus only.



Right, but the OP has the 60D, not the 50D.


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## YuengLinger (Nov 3, 2014)

Anybody know if Sigma quietly updated the firmware for the 50mm Art?
Thanks!


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## Nethawk (Nov 3, 2014)

slclick said:


> It's IQ is fair. Fantastic is so overreaching.



_Its_ IQ is fantastic, at least on my camera. Generalizing about a lens you don't own, now that's overreaching. ;D


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## DominoDude (Nov 3, 2014)

zlatko said:


> drmikeinpdx said:
> 
> 
> > I haven't tried the Canon 1.4, but it would probably be a good option for your 50D.
> ...



Sorry, my mistake. I didn't reread the original post, just posted my response after reading Dr Mike's mentioning of the 50D. I knew I could come up with a swift clarification to that. Wasn't out to mislead any of you.


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## albron00 (Nov 3, 2014)

I'd go with EF 50mm f/1.4 (I have one and I like it) or Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art.


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## dsut4392 (Nov 10, 2014)

I went with the Sigma and have no regrets. No focusing 'issues' on mine with 60D or 6D. Obviously using auto-af point selection will be pointless at f 1.4...


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