# Sigma announces all-new 50mm F1.4 DG HSM 'Art' lens



## ksagomonyants (Jan 6, 2014)

Here's the link to dpreview.com. They say "it's a completely new lens, rather than a revision of Sigma's existing 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM".

http://www.dpreview.com/news/2014/01/06/sigma-announces-all-new-50mm-f1-4-dg-hsm-art-lens?utm_campaign=internal-link&utm_source=news-list&utm_medium=text&ref=title_0_0

Some more information is here: http://photorumors.com/2014/01/06/sigma-50mm-f1-4-dg-hsm-art-and-18-200mm-f3-5-6-3-dc-macro-os-hsm-lenses-announced/

MTF charts: http://sigma-rumors.com/2014/01/sigma-50mm-f1-4-dg-hsm-art/


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## Sporgon (Jan 6, 2014)

Interesting. 

If past form is anything to go by it means the Canon 50 f2 IS is just round the corner


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## ahsanford (Jan 6, 2014)

*SIGMA 50MM F/1.4 ART ANNOUNCED TODAY!*

Not a rumor, but a long awaited announcement...
http://www.sigmaphoto.com/product/50mm-f14-dg-hsm-art

- A


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## distant.star (Jan 6, 2014)

*New Sigma 50mm f/1.4 A *

.
Maybe this will get Canon off their rosy backsides in the 50mm realm:

http://fstoppers.com/sigma-announces-two-new-lenses-redesigned-18-200mm-f3-5-6-3-50mm-f1-4


There is also a redesigned 18-200mm.


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## ahsanford (Jan 6, 2014)

*Re: SIGMA 50MM F/1.4 ART ANNOUNCED TODAY!*



ahsanford said:


> Not a rumor, but a long awaited announcement...
> http://www.sigmaphoto.com/product/50mm-f14-dg-hsm-art
> 
> - A



Really fast spec read:


Roughly halfway between the weight of the current Canon 50/1.4 and Canon 50/1.2L lenses
Long at 3.9" and with a 77mm filter diameter, the overall footprint is more like the Canon 24-70 F/4L IS (fully closed) than the current stable of 50mm lenses. This thing is big.
No IS

It looks like an oversized Sigma 35/1.4 Art lens, though not nearly as heavy. I never understood why faster 50 primes were often smaller than both 24/35mm lenses _and_ 85mm lenses, but this one seems to buck the trend and run bigger than its wider counterpart.

Well, this has been wanted ever since the 35/1.4 Art ever came out. Here you go.

- A


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## Artifex (Jan 6, 2014)

*Re: SIGMA 50MM F/1.4 ART ANNOUNCED TODAY!*



ahsanford said:


> ahsanford said:
> 
> 
> > Not a rumor, but a long awaited announcement...
> ...



I am extremely happy to see this announcement. For now, the revealed specs remind me a lot of the Zeiss Otus 55mm f/1.4; the lens is very big and heavy for it's focal length and looks more like a wide angle than a standard lens. I really hope it will also remind me of the Otus by it's performance, but not it's price!


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## ahsanford (Jan 6, 2014)

*Re: SIGMA 50MM F/1.4 ART ANNOUNCED TODAY!*



Artifex said:


> ahsanford said:
> 
> 
> > ahsanford said:
> ...



No way it stacks up to the Otus, but it should comfortably beat the current 50L if the Sigma 35 Art is any indicator. Canon will be furious as they clearly have a 50 F/(fast: 1.4 to 2) IS lens on the way. Until that comes out, Sigma will gobble up the 'sort-of-premium 50mm' sales between the 50L and the Canon 50/1.4.

I'd imagine $899 to start (people have been screaming for a better all-around 50 prime option in this forum for ages and will 100% likely pay that kind of money), but it will come down into the $699-ish range once Canon answers with their new 50 IS.

I love Sigma pushing the debate in Canon's bread and butter sales areas -- 35 prime, 24-105, the APS-C F/1.8 zoom, and now this. This is only good for us as consumers.

- A


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## dlleno (Jan 6, 2014)

+1. Do the Sigma primes af well?


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## ahsanford (Jan 6, 2014)

dlleno said:


> +1. Do the Sigma primes af well?



Assuming it's the same as the 35 Art, yes, it should be very good. Compared to what else is on offer, it simply _must_ be better than Canon's terrible 50mm AF choices of:


The slow/noisy 50/1.8
The non-ring USM in the 50 F/1.4 that often hunts
The finnicky diva of the 50 F/1.2L that needs AFMA tuning

I use that ancient Canon 50 F/1.4 and fight through its 'hunty' focusing because it delivers sharper images than the 50 F/1.2L (as I rarely shoot wider than F/1.8 ). From F/2.8 to F/4, it's a super sharp lens, but it has a boatload of limitations. This Sigma _might_ address a host of them.

- A


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## sagittariansrock (Jan 7, 2014)

ahsanford said:


> I use that ancient Canon 50 F/1.4 and fight through its 'hunty' focusing because it delivers sharper images than the 50 F/1.2L (as I rarely shoot wider than F/1.8 ). From F/2.8 to F/4, it's a super sharp lens, but it has a boatload of limitations. This Sigma _might_ address a host of them.



I wish this was smaller though. The size of the 35 1.4 is what has kept me from buying it. I want a small and inconspicuous prime. Getting a large lens merely for the f/1.4-2.8 is not worth it (STRICTLY in my case). I WILL buy a smaller Canon 50 f/1.4 if only they give it a darned ring USM!


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## slclick (Jan 7, 2014)

sagittariansrock said:


> ahsanford said:
> 
> 
> > I use that ancient Canon 50 F/1.4 and fight through its 'hunty' focusing because it delivers sharper images than the 50 F/1.2L (as I rarely shoot wider than F/1.8 ). From F/2.8 to F/4, it's a super sharp lens, but it has a boatload of limitations. This Sigma _might_ address a host of them.
> ...



I've had multiple smaller and lighter primes in the 35/50 FL's. They were rubbish.


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## ahsanford (Jan 7, 2014)

sagittariansrock said:


> ahsanford said:
> 
> 
> > I use that ancient Canon 50 F/1.4 and fight through its 'hunty' focusing because it delivers sharper images than the 50 F/1.2L (as I rarely shoot wider than F/1.8 ). From F/2.8 to F/4, it's a super sharp lens, but it has a boatload of limitations. This Sigma _might_ address a host of them.
> ...



That lens is a 2014 lens for certain. It's called Canon's new 50mm non-L. It will be an 'non-L IS refresh' like the 24/28/35 before it -- ring USM, internal focusing (no length change), better build quality, much sharper, and with IS. Probably $799 to start and walk down to $599 after the first year (all of the other non-L IS refreshes showed this behavior).

It will be much smaller than Sigma's new offering (I imagine roughly as big as its 'twin', the 35mm F/2 IS), but I would wager not _quite_ as sharp. But keep in mind that each of the non-L refreshed were big sharpness improvements to their 1990s predecessors, but the 35 F/1.4 Art lens was _even sharper than those_. I expect that trend to continue.

So I'm still waiting for that new Canon 50 to stack up against this new Sigma. If it is only 90% as sharp but has IS and is as small as I think it will be, I'd take the Canon 10 times out of 10.

- A


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## zlatko (Jan 7, 2014)

ahsanford said:


> The finnicky diva of the 50 F/1.2L that needs AFMA tuning


Nearly every lens is improved by AFMA tuning. The 50/1.2L is not unusual in this way.



ahsanford said:


> I'd imagine $899 to start (people have been screaming for a better all-around 50 prime option in this forum for ages and will 100% likely pay that kind of money), but it will come down into the $699-ish range once Canon answers with their new 50 IS.



The Sigma 35/1.4 has been out for over a year and it has not moved a bit off its initial $899 price, even after significant devaluation of the yen. So I wouldn't be surprised if this new 50 stayed at $899 for while ... depends on how good it is, of course.

I do hope Canon offers a much improved version of the 50/1.4 USM, with or without IS. However, if Canon introduces a 50mm with IS, it is likely to be f/1.8 or f/2.


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## ahsanford (Jan 7, 2014)

zlatko said:


> I do hope Canon offers a much improved version of the 50/1.4 USM, with or without IS. However, if Canon introduces a 50mm with IS, it is likely to be f/1.8 or f/2.



Of course -- I doubt it will be F/1.4 IS, but F/1.8 IS or F/2 IS would be fine for me. 

What we know it _will_ be/have is:


Sharper than anything Canon makes in that length (and in the 50mm length, considerably so -- neither the 50/1.2L nor 50/1.4 are terribly sharp lenses away from the center)
IS
Internal focusing
A far better hood mount, hood, and overall lens build quality (think 100L macro)
Small, unassuming size (assuming the 24/28 is a pair, the 35/50 is a pair, the 85/100 is a pair, etc., I expect this to be like the recent 35 offereing -- a 67mm filter mount and about 2.5" long.)

And that's an enticing enough list for me. Again, if it's almost as sharp as Sigma's new pickle jar of a 50 for a fraction of the size _and_ it has IS, I'll take the Canon -- even if it's a stop slower.

- A


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## zlatko (Jan 7, 2014)

ahsanford said:


> Of course -- I doubt it will be F/1.4 IS, but F/1.8 IS or F/2 IS would be fine for me.
> 
> What we know it _will_ be/have is:
> 
> ...



Those are good guesses. And that small 50 with IS would be an attractive lens for me too. The new 24, 28 and 35 have all been successes -- all really nice lenses. I suspect the 50 and 85 are next in line for updates. They are also good candidates for the addition of IS as it is helpful for video too and a lot of people are using Canon for video.


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## ahsanford (Jan 7, 2014)

zlatko said:


> ahsanford said:
> 
> 
> > Of course -- I doubt it will be F/1.4 IS, but F/1.8 IS or F/2 IS would be fine for me.
> ...



Yeah, I've been speaking in absolutes about this lens' arrival for a good six months now. I have the 28 F/2.8 IS and it is a peach of a lens. 

In fairness, We've all been expecting this Sigma lens as well, and I'm sure it will be excellent based on Sigma's recent track record. But, in comparison to my Canon 50/1.4, the Canon IS refresh will be sharper, offer IS, have a better build, have internal focusing and proper USM -- that's easily worth losing a stop (or some fraction of a stop) in my book. 

So both should be great lenses for us.

- A


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## Eldar (Jan 7, 2014)

This is a very interesting lens. I'm sure it will be at least as sharp as the 35/1.4. But I truly hope it will have a nicer bokeh than the 35. Anyway Canon must do something with this challenge and it will be interesting to see.

I read that some of you are waiting for a 50mm f2 IS from Canon. I find it a bit hard to be enthusiastic for such a lens. I don't think I would buy anything with a focal length <100mm at less than f1.4. The f2 is too close to the f2.8L zooms.


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## zlatko (Jan 7, 2014)

Eldar said:


> I read that some of you are waiting for a 50mm f2 IS from Canon. I find it a bit hard to be enthusiastic for such a lens. I don't think I would buy anything with a focal length <100mm at less than f1.4. The f2 is too close to the f2.8L zooms.


F/2 prime lenses are very interesting, especially when they're sharp. I really like the Canon 35/2 IS. It has two big advantages over the f/2.8L zooms: size & weight. Likewise an 85/2 with IS would be very interesting, and would benefit even more from the IS.


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## Eldar (Jan 7, 2014)

zlatko said:


> Eldar said:
> 
> 
> > I read that some of you are waiting for a 50mm f2 IS from Canon. I find it a bit hard to be enthusiastic for such a lens. I don't think I would buy anything with a focal length <100mm at less than f1.4. The f2 is too close to the f2.8L zooms.
> ...


I guess I'm less than average concerned with size and weight. My compact camera is a 5DIII with the 24-70 2.8L II.


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## Sporgon (Jan 7, 2014)

Eldar said:


> This is a very interesting lens. I'm sure it will be at least as sharp as the 35/1.4. But I truly hope it will have a nicer bokeh than the 35. Anyway Canon must do something with this challenge and it will be interesting to see.
> 
> I read that some of you are waiting for a 50mm f2 IS from Canon. I find it a bit hard to be enthusiastic for such a lens. I don't think I would buy anything with a focal length <100mm at less than f1.4. The f2 is too close to the f2.8L zooms.



It's courses for horses really. The key to a 50mm f2 IS is that it must be stellar at f2. I predict a lens which is going to be a basic planar design but with superior glass elements; a bigger, faster version of the 40mm pancake. I think it is going to look similar in it's morphology to the Zeiss 50 macro, the new 'pure' ( ;D ) 50 from Nikon and the remarkably good and totally underrated at the time Nikkor f2 Ais of 1976-79. 

For probably 98% of photography f2 on a 50 mil, as long as it is stellar wide open, is perfect for any DoF requirement as well as 'low light', remembering that f2 on a 50 is still a very shallow Dof for most applications. Then add to this the benefits of IS and the smaller size - and probably ( hopefully ) cheaper too. 

For those who want to shoot with 50 and very shallow Dof, and that would certainly include the shallow Dof Aps-c user the new Sigma will be interesting. The brokeh from the Sigma 35 Art seems to get a kicking from some commentators but I have to say many of the shallow Dof images that I have seem made with it have been very impressive - IMO.


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## ahsanford (Jan 7, 2014)

Eldar said:


> This is a very interesting lens. I'm sure it will be at least as sharp as the 35/1.4. But I truly hope it will have a nicer bokeh than the 35. Anyway Canon must do something with this challenge and it will be interesting to see.
> 
> I read that some of you are waiting for a 50mm f2 IS from Canon. I find it a bit hard to be enthusiastic for such a lens. I don't think I would buy anything with a focal length <100mm at less than f1.4. The f2 is too close to the f2.8L zooms.




Primes aren't just for speed / small DOF. Primes are smaller and (with occasional exceptions) considerably sharper than zooms.

- A


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## sagittariansrock (Jan 7, 2014)

Eldar said:


> I read that some of you are waiting for a 50mm f2 IS from Canon. I find it a bit hard to be enthusiastic for such a lens. I don't think I would buy anything with a focal length <100mm at less than f1.4. The f2 is too close to the f2.8L zooms.



You know, I thought so too at first, but then I realized you cannot get the DoF of a 50/2 with a 24-70/2.8 at any focal length within its range (with a close to equivalent FoV). 



Eldar said:


> I guess I'm less than average concerned with size and weight. My compact camera is a 5DIII with the 24-70 2.8L II.



True that. I don't think I can picture myself standing erect carrying a 600/4 (even with that flag thingy).


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## Eldar (Jan 7, 2014)

sagittariansrock said:


> You know, I thought so too at first, but then I realized you cannot get the DoF of a 50/2 with a 24-70/2.8 at any focal length within its range (with a close to equivalent FoV).


True, but I can with a 55/1.4, plus some. My point is not against primes. I love primes. But I like them to be faster options.


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## sagittariansrock (Jan 7, 2014)

Eldar said:


> sagittariansrock said:
> 
> 
> > You know, I thought so too at first, but then I realized you cannot get the DoF of a 50/2 with a 24-70/2.8 at any focal length within its range (with a close to equivalent FoV).
> ...



Oh, I know. Your post mirrored what I was thinking when I was contemplating a possible 50/2 IS- that it won't be worth it especially since I already have a f/2.8 zoom. But then I checked the DoF calculator and to my surprise realized the 24-70/2.8's DoF cannot equal 50/2's at any FL within its range. That's why I responded to it. I'd still not buy a f/2 prime though (ok, most likely not).


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