Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens

Overall the Sigma Art 35mm is an incredible lens. For the past few months this has been my go-to lens. I think where it exceeds its competitors the most is it’s ability to work fast and capture incredibly sharp images even wide open at 1.4. This lens works well in all types of situations especially low light . Another reason it’s a personal favorite is its ability to work well in low light situations. Low light is one of my favorite types of light. I’m able to shoot wide open at 1.4 or close to wide open with my children, and focus is often spot on and sharp. The Sigma Art 35mm is by far my sharpest lens. With the 1.4 capabilities I can keep my ISO low and avoid grain in low light situations. Its shallow depth of field also beautifully isolates my subjects from the ... MoreOverall the Sigma Art 35mm is an incredible lens. For the past few months this has been my go-to lens. I think where it exceeds its competitors the most is it’s ability to work fast and capture incredibly sharp images even wide open at 1.4. This lens works well in all types of situations especially low light . Another reason it’s a personal favorite is its ability to work well in low light situations. Low light is one of my favorite types of light. I’m able to shoot wide open at 1.4 or close to wide open with my children, and focus is often spot on and sharp. The Sigma Art 35mm is by far my sharpest lens. With the 1.4 capabilities I can keep my ISO low and avoid grain in low light situations. Its shallow depth of field also beautifully isolates my subjects from the background.

A superb lens

This a superb lens and performs exceptionally well, at a fraction of the price of the equivalent lens from the camera manufacturers. I would recommend it to any photographer looking for a prime 35mm lens. It is fast and especially good for indoor wedding events. It is very well built but a little heavy due to the quality glass being used.

Awesome lens!

I am currently shooting with Sony A33 but looking to upgrade to A99 that is when this lense will shine the most! Compare to sony 35mm 1.8 SAM dt lens it is a night and day difference. Sigma 1: focus super fast just snaps right on. 2: silent when focusing would be perfect of video. I was so use to the sony making noise knowing it was focusing. 3: build quality is sold,not that heavy but solid. It is balanced really well even with my a33 that now looks small. 4: quality of shots is perfect, razor sharp Would I buy this lens again? yes. Does it want to make me buy the a99 yes!

Everything I hoped for

I just love the 35mm focal length so when this lens was announced I was cautiously optimistic. On my Sony a850, the lens felt nicely balanced. Focus was fast and quiet. During a storm (lightning) shoot the lens was superb. Around f8 seems to be the sweet spot. Colors were great and even during intense stikes, the lens showed no flaring. Also no focus drift on manual. This is my new walk around lens.

Feels amazing *after* micro-adjustment

This is a lens I wanted to love right out of the box. Paired with my Sony a99, I shot some casual photos and a wedding with it but the focus was killing me.The motor is silent and very responsive in well-lit conditions, but AF suffered in the dark. For comparison, my old Tokina 80-200mm f/2.8 that uses the camera body to AF locked on quicker and in the same conditions. I found myself manually focusing most of the time at during the reception at night.That said, the focus ring feels very good and dampened nicely to give you precision control. AF in video mode on the a99 is quiet but the built-in microphone will pick up click noises when the focus hits the end of its range.Another problem was the back-focus. I resorted to micro-adjusting on the job but had no time to ... MoreThis is a lens I wanted to love right out of the box. Paired with my Sony a99, I shot some casual photos and a wedding with it but the focus was killing me.The motor is silent and very responsive in well-lit conditions, but AF suffered in the dark. For comparison, my old Tokina 80-200mm f/2.8 that uses the camera body to AF locked on quicker and in the same conditions. I found myself manually focusing most of the time at during the reception at night.That said, the focus ring feels very good and dampened nicely to give you precision control. AF in video mode on the a99 is quiet but the built-in microphone will pick up click noises when the focus hits the end of its range.Another problem was the back-focus. I resorted to micro-adjusting on the job but had no time to perfect. After spending an off day playing and calibrating it, I finally had sharp, accurate shots at f/1.4 after fine tuning to -7 micro-adjustment on the a99 body.When it focuses properly wide open, it is very impressive. Bokeh looks great. The focal length feels good for walk around. The short minimum focus distance allows for closeups. Build and finish are very good. Amazing is within reach, but you have to meet it halfway. I plan to use this as my standard lens over the Minolta 28-70mm f/2.8.

If you're looking for detail, WOW!

I've shot film for many years, but recently I moved to the world of digital photography. Most of my work has been in landscapes and architectural detail where every aspect of a photo is put under the microscope. I will be honest. I was a little apprehensive spending this much for a Sigma lens, however, after much review (and I do suggest that you look at as much information as possible), I decided to purchase this lens. The first thing I noticed was the build quality, which is outstanding. All of the parts work smoothly and the focus speed is quick and quite. At 1.4, the foreground and background are blown out beautifully. Low light conditions are not an issue. Though there's no IS, I've dropped the shutter speed to as low as 1/20 without any noticeable blur. Detail ... MoreI've shot film for many years, but recently I moved to the world of digital photography. Most of my work has been in landscapes and architectural detail where every aspect of a photo is put under the microscope. I will be honest. I was a little apprehensive spending this much for a Sigma lens, however, after much review (and I do suggest that you look at as much information as possible), I decided to purchase this lens. The first thing I noticed was the build quality, which is outstanding. All of the parts work smoothly and the focus speed is quick and quite. At 1.4, the foreground and background are blown out beautifully. Low light conditions are not an issue. Though there's no IS, I've dropped the shutter speed to as low as 1/20 without any noticeable blur. Detail is without doubt its strongest feature. Parts that you see with your eye are accurately reproduced. Without a doubt, I would highly recommend this lens.

Moderate sharpness and color

After purchasing at BHphoto and test with Sony 24-105mm F4G and Rokinon 35mmF1.4 AF FE. Both Rokinon and Sigma are far sharper than Sony 24-105mm F4 at center as well as corner noticeably. In Comparison between two, both excellent at center and no difference, but corner at low aperture, Sigma is slightly sharper marginally not much. Rokinon display its great capability at budget price, but Sigma is ted better at low light environment at edge or corner due to better vignetting and possibly less curvature issue.

This is a FANTASTIC lens for video!

This lens is remarkable. I have a Sony a99, and I'm just an amateur that simply takes videos of his family (but I color grade the heck out of them in Resolve pretty well!), but I have to tell you that this lens produces BEAUTIFUL video. I have the Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 and the Zeiss 50mm f/1.4, and this lens is AT LEAST as good as the 50mm, if not better. That's not apples to apples, but I'm just saying.I know no one reading this is going to want to watch my family videos --that is quite understandable! BUT, I did this one on Saturday using the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 almost exclusively (except for one minute, and I explain that in the youtube description)---------------- you weed through the bouncy house scenes and see the corn feeder bucket, the horse feeding, and some ... MoreThis lens is remarkable. I have a Sony a99, and I'm just an amateur that simply takes videos of his family (but I color grade the heck out of them in Resolve pretty well!), but I have to tell you that this lens produces BEAUTIFUL video. I have the Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 and the Zeiss 50mm f/1.4, and this lens is AT LEAST as good as the 50mm, if not better. That's not apples to apples, but I'm just saying.I know no one reading this is going to want to watch my family videos --that is quite understandable! BUT, I did this one on Saturday using the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 almost exclusively (except for one minute, and I explain that in the youtube description)---------------- you weed through the bouncy house scenes and see the corn feeder bucket, the horse feeding, and some others, you can see that there are some remarkable shots were I have to give credit to the lens! Just a reminder... my poor focusing and taking shots where I go from shade to bright sun causing the skin to be blown out is NOT the fault of this lens. I was using a 1.2 ND filter, by the way --and most of this video is either f/1.4 to f/1.6 or so.It's stunningly clear, and the blacks just seem to be magic (sort of reminds me of how Nikon lenses produce a lot of great blacks). I don't know how to describe it other than it really finds blacks and brings them out of the woodwork.For me, being that I'm filming a couple of kids running around like screaming maniacs, having a great 35mm on a full frame camera is extremely important! I need to have room --and plus, I like the full body shots (there are a lot of them with my wife and the stroller).So, because I'm still far when I get those full body shots (well, not too far because of the 35mm), that means that there is much less bokeh and shallow depth of field than there would be if I were getting up close shots, but there is still a decent amount. I have no complaints here.Anyway, if you want to see the lens in action, take a look. It will be my go to lens for things like this from now on. For more, well, scripted things, I'll be using the 85mm and the 50mm, but as some of you know, this is not ideal when you are dealing with kids.-John Christian

Unbelievable image quality!

I needed a high quality landscape lens and after doing adequate research decided on the Sigma 35mm Art lens. I am so happy with this lens! The image quality is incredible! It is everything it was advertised as being and more. I recently went to several canyon land parks in the American southwest and was astonished when I first saw the images after returning home and began the editing process. I highly recommend this product.

Zeiss is better

used this both on the A900 & A99. 1.) very sharp lens!! you will see how sharp when zooming in with RAW files in post processing. 2.) but the autofocus is still a little slow to hunt even when wide open, it is definitely slower and louder than SSM autofocus, but not by much. I would have thought this lens would focus much faster in low indoors light than my 24-70mm Zeiss, but no. Not even so fast compared to SSM in bright sunlight. 3.) I didn't get a chance to shoot directly at a brick wall to test for distortion, but any distortion isnt so noticeable. 4.) Bokeh - not so great, but not all that bad. It's bokeh cannot compare to Zeiss or Leica 35mm primes, but it is also cheaper in price. The rendering just doesnt blend together so smoothly. 5.) Lens Cap - SUCKS! ... Moreused this both on the A900 & A99. 1.) very sharp lens!! you will see how sharp when zooming in with RAW files in post processing. 2.) but the autofocus is still a little slow to hunt even when wide open, it is definitely slower and louder than SSM autofocus, but not by much. I would have thought this lens would focus much faster in low indoors light than my 24-70mm Zeiss, but no. Not even so fast compared to SSM in bright sunlight. 3.) I didn't get a chance to shoot directly at a brick wall to test for distortion, but any distortion isnt so noticeable. 4.) Bokeh - not so great, but not all that bad. It's bokeh cannot compare to Zeiss or Leica 35mm primes, but it is also cheaper in price. The rendering just doesnt blend together so smoothly. 5.) Lens Cap - SUCKS! always falling off of the lens. Need to buy an aftermarket lens cap 67mm. This is actually pretty huge. It gets very annoying to always have to look for where the lens cap just fell to. 6.) No focus hold button. Just so used to the Zeiss A-Mount lenses having the side button on the lens. For center focus and then recompose method. I customed one of the front A99 buttons for focus hold, but it is awkward and uncomfortable to reach for. 7.) This does NOT work with NEX7 and the LAEA1 adapter. Autofocus beep confirms, but all shots are blurry out of focus. Would just LOVE a Zeiss version 35mm, even at double the price for better bokeh. I still have the Zeiss 50mm on preorder until it comes out in 2 more months. Only reason I got this lens was because all the hype that it was the best lens for such low price - it isnt. It is just wide at f1.4 and very sharp.