Sigma 14mm f/1.4 Art vs Sigma 14mm f/1.8 Art
Has Sigma improved upon the previous generation of this lens? Let’s take a look at how their sharpness measures up in the lab.
It’s not a dramatic difference, but the newer version is definitely sharper, especially in the center and in the corners at wide apertures. This isn’t a surprise based upon what we saw on the previous page of the review, where the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 Art had significantly better coma performance than its predecessor. Still, the older lens is no slouch, and the two are at roughly the same level overall. Midframes actually favor the 14mm f/1.8 Art slightly.
Sigma 14mm f/1.4 Art vs Sony 14mm f/1.8 GM
I couldn’t wait to compare these two lenses in the lab! Here’s how the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 Art stacks up against the Sony 14mm f/1.8 GM:
This is very similar performance overall, not far from being interchangeable. At a given aperture, the Sony lens is slightly sharper in the center. However, the Sigma is slightly sharper in the midframes due to less wavy field curvature. The corners are pretty evenly-matched but generally favor the Sigma by a hair.
It’s interesting to me that, for Milky Way photography, I found the Sony 14mm f/1.8 corners to look slightly better than those of the Sigma 14mm f/1.4. You wouldn’t be able to tell that just from the MTF50 LW/PH numbers above, which somewhat favor the Sigma. It highlights the importance of testing Milky Way lenses on their intended subject. Sharpness numbers are correlated with coma performance, but they are not one and the same.
Sigma 14mm f/1.4 Art vs Sony 20mm f/1.8 G
One of my favorite Milky Way lenses is the FE 20mm f/1.8 G, a truly excellent lens in almost every way. Here’s how the two lenses compare in sharpness in the lab.
The Sony 20mm f/1.8 G is the sharpest ultra-wide lens that we have ever tested at Photography Life, and it would have been a huge shock if it lost this comparison. And, indeed, it is sharper than the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 Art in most areas of the frame.
Still, the two lenses are pretty comparable at popular landscape photography apertures from f/8 through f/16. The corners are also similar at wide apertures. In short, both lenses make great choices for Milky Way photography and for landscapes at narrow apertures.
To me, the better choice depends on the photographer. Would you rather have the lightweight Sony 20mm f/1.8 G and its impeccable performance from f/2.8 to f/5.6, or the advanced Milky Way features of the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 Art? I think it could go either way.
Sigma 14mm f/1.4 Art vs Sony 16-35mm f/2.8 GM
Since I reviewed the Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM earlier this year, I’ve been wanting to see how the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 Art compares. Note that this is not the GM II version of the lens, which is on my shortlist of Sony lenses to review, but rather the original GM version.
In the shared aperture range, the zoom lens measures as slightly sharper in the midframes. However, the prime lens is sharper in the center and a little sharper in the corners (mainly at f/5.6 through f/11). For real-world landscape and Milky Way photography, the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 Art comes out ahead, although the differences aren’t as big as I had expected.
Sigma 14mm f/1.4 Art vs Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S
Just to satisfy my curiosity, I wanted to see how the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 Art compares against a “reference” zoom, the Nikon Z 14-24mm f/2.8 S. Can a high-quality prime beat the best ultra-wide zoom? Let’s see:
It’s a pretty close comparison! The Nikon Z lens is sharper in the corners throughout the aperture range, but the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 is sharper in the center. Midframes are pretty similar, except for f/5.6 specifically, where the Nikon Z lens has the advantage. No wonder I’m such a fan of this zoom – it goes toe to toe against a pro-tier prime like the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 Art, arguably even beating it. Not bad!
Sigma 14mm f/1.4 Art vs Samyang 14mm f/2.8
Lastly, what do you gain with one of the highest-end 14mm primes compared to one of the cheapest? We measured the original Samyang 14mm f/2.8 to find out.
It’s no surprise that the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 Art wins this comparison, but the degree is still impressive. It’s sharper at f/1.4 than the Samyang is at f/2.8. Even so, the Samyang costs just $250. Perhaps the real winner is the photographer who saves their money and gets to travel to some dark sky areas.
The next page of this review sums up everything and explains the pros and cons of the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 Art. So, click the menu below to go to “Verdict”:
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