Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Amazing value for the money, Sunday, 23 November 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		5.0
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		5.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

I'm a primary Canon user. I owned before the canon 50 mm 1.4, a trully excellent lens for the money too. But not to sharp wide open. You have to stop down at least to f2 in order to get good contrast and saturation. Also, the focusing ring was bad in my opinion.
In the other hand, the 50L 1.2 was a big dissapointment to me.I expected the same image quality as the 35L or the 85L for that price.
When I received the Sigma lens I really love it at once. The construction was amazing, solid as a tank, and the ring is very smooth.
What have really impressed me was the performance wide open. Images are clear as crystal with good color and rendition.
Fully recomended.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Great portrait lens, Tuesday, 21 October 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		5.0
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		5.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

I bought this lens about 3 weeks to take pictures of my new granddaughter in natural light. I use it on my Canon 40D. On this camera the effective focal length is 80mm.

I'm very pleased with the lens. Very sharp. Bright colors with good contrast. Good bokeh. Fast focus.

I've had some out of focus shots at f1.4 in poor light and with low contrast subjects, but this is very difficult for any camera/lens combo.

Overall a great lens and highly recommended.

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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful

See Review at dpreview.com. Excellent lens!, Wednesday, 10 September 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		4.8
Sharpness		4.0
Build Quality		5.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

I'm saving up to buy this lens. Right now, I own the Canon 50mm f/1.4, which is an excellent lens for the money (especially since I got it for only $200, never used), but the published review at dpreview.com convinced me. The bokeh on this lens looks fantastic!

I also own the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM, which is an amazing lens. The build quality is fantastic, as are the photographic results. The only negative I had for that lens is that it's made only for "cropped sensor" cameras (APS-C), and won't work well with full-frame cameras. The 50mm DG won't have that problem, so should be an even better lens for most people.

I've fallen in love with the build-quality of the Sigma EX lenses (EX lenses are the high-quality Sigma lenses). The DC in the 30mm f/1.4 means it's made for the APS-C sensor cameras, while the DG in the 50mm f/1.4 means the lens has been made specifically to correct digital-camera-specific issues, but the lens will work on all sensor sizes.

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

Beautiful, sharp, fast, and fantastic bokeh, Tuesday, 12 August 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		4.8
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

In a world of zooms, many people would find plopping down $500 for a 50mm prime -- from a third party manufacturer, no less -- to be a Bit absurd.

However, if you are a "prime person" -- and you know who you are -- you'll love the performance of this lens: super sharp photos, incredibly creamy background bokeh, nice contrast and flare resistance, and operation in low-light without needing super-high ISO or a blast of flash.

Pros:
+ @1.4 it's quite usably sharp
+ @1.8 and beyond, it's very sharp
+ the bokeh (rendition of out-of-focus areas) is really amazingly smooth. More so behind the DOF than in front, though
+ colors, contrast, etc, all excellent
+ great build quality, solid feel, free case and lens hood

Cons:
- weight
- price
- big filters (77mm)

Canon already has three 50mm lenses: the 1.8, 1.4, and 1.2L, so you might wonder why Sigma felt the need to jump into this market. The Canon's are all pretty good, with the 50/1.8 being an great value at $80, the 50/1.4 being a reliable workhorse (though prone to a dreamy look wide open), and the 1.2L, being, well, $1500. This lens is priced between the 1.4 and 1.2L, and judging from photos I've seen, it probably performs in that range as well. So it is filling an niche in the wide gulf between the 1.4 and 1.2L.

On my camera, a 400D, a 50mm is like a short tele, and I use it mostly for relatively close up photos of people. I like that when if upgrade to FF, I'll be able to continue to use this lens (and I'll sell my Sigma 30/1.4) whose place it would take.

The lens has not been out very long, and, to my knowledge, no formal reviews have been published (8/2008), but the general "buzz" is that people are seeing AF problems at distances beyond a few meters Subject distance.

I personally have not done exhaustive analysis, but I feel my copy performs quite well. Then again, I don't use this lens for far-off subjects very much, and almost never wide open in that case. So there may indeed be problems with this regime, but I don't feel it affects my photography much. That said, it could be that I'm just not as exacting as some, or my camera's AF is sloppy enough to hide lens variation to begin with. However, I do pixel peep a lot and I get about the same hit/miss rate as I do with other lenses I own.

So far, I'm a happy customer.

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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

Great Campfire Lens, Thursday, 03 July 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		4.8
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

My Canon 50mm f1.2L was stolen from me a few years ago. Since then I switched all my 35mm stuff to digital. I just replaced the Canon lens with this one. I am more than delighted. I like shooting at very low light levels provided by campfires or night fishing lights.
I have favorite targets that I use to judge the sharpness of a lens. This one passes with an A. It seems to be as sharp at f1.4 as it is anywhere else. I know that is impossible, but my eyes disagree. I am almost happy that I bought this before I had to read somebody elses lab report. A lens that is not good wide open is a waste of money for me. I could not be happier with this lens unless it were waterproof.

Why should you care what I think?

My relationship with this item: I own it
Where did you buy this item?: B&H Photo
When did you buy this item?: 6/27/08

Conclusions at a glance

Would you recommend this Item: Yes
Pros: Excellent at wide open
Cons: 77mm filters

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