Photography Life

PL provides various digital photography news, reviews, articles, tips, tutorials and guides to photographers of all levels

  • Lens Reviews
  • Camera Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • Compare Cameras
  • Forum
    • Sign Up
    • Login
  • About
  • Search
Home โ†’ Reviews โ†’ Cameras and Lenses โ†’ Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Review

Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Review

By Nasim Mansurov 68 Comments
Last Updated On April 15, 2020

«»

Table of Contents

  • Overview and Specifications
  • Focusing
  • Optical Features
  • Lens Comparisons
  • Summary
  • More Image Samples
  • Reader Comments
Looking for even more exclusive content?

On Photography Life, you already get world-class articles with no advertising every day for free. As a Member, you'll get even more:

Silver ($5/mo)
  • Exclusive articles
  • Monthly Q&A chat
  • Early lens test results
  • "Creative Landscape Photography" eBook
Gold ($12/mo)
  • All that, PLUS:
  • Online workshops
  • Monthly photo critiques
  • Vote on our next lens reviews
 
Click Here to Join Today
 
Disclosures, Terms and Conditions and Support Options
guest

guest

68 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Pieter Kers
Pieter Kers
December 4, 2022 11:02 am

Considering the imatest was made on a D810 36MP body( where is the information) it is still sharper than any S-line 50mm lens from Nikon many years later.

0
Reply
Victor
Victor
September 6, 2021 3:04 pm

Well, rate this lens with a rating of 4.3 and rate Nikon’s plastic toy with 4.6!!! When all sites rate this Sigma lens as the best 50mm Autofocus ever made!!! I would say this review was done over the knee.

4
Reply
Nikos C
Nikos C
September 30, 2020 5:32 pm

could you like please have a test from 3 sigma art 35 vs 40 vs 50?

0
Reply
Fred Manthey
Fred Manthey
May 25, 2020 10:06 am

When are you going to retest the Zeiss Otus 50/1.4, since you were not satisfied with the example you had ? Thanks !

3
Reply
Ashraf Ahmed Khan
Ashraf Ahmed Khan
May 18, 2018 12:31 am

Sir,
What if I pair this lens with my Canon Rebel T6 (1300D) ?
What results can I get ?

1
Reply
Yizchal
Yizchal
February 17, 2018 1:44 am

You’re a bit hard on lens reviews, aren’t you? 4 Stars for a lens like this? How about YOU design one at this price point and then we can compare what you can do?

-3
Reply
polizonte
polizonte
February 3, 2018 7:53 am

One of the sharpest lenses I have owned and sold. Didn’t mind the weight, focus, etc. but a $949 lens should at least have a mount gasket. My inexpensive, not weather sealed 60mm f/2.8 G has traveled with me to Maine, Colombia and Aruba, and closer to home, taken a few kayak trips. My Micro, nowhere as sharp as the Art at normal/non-macro distances, has never had a dust problem. I do not purposely expose my equipment to the elements but after one week in dusty Aruban “outback” ( a family member born and raised on the island ), with no lens changing during our visit, signs of sensor dust appeared in my photos @ f/8. If an aftermarket gasket were available or if Sigma were to offer to retro fit one, I would buy another 50mm Art.

0
Reply
Tirupati Rao
Tirupati Rao
August 26, 2017 6:37 am

Hi !
Excellent Review !!
Is it a good all round lens ? Can you suggest for me which is the best walk around lens for my Nikon New D850. I have 70-200 f2.8E FL ED lens.

-1
Reply
Duffy Doherty
Duffy Doherty
March 20, 2016 9:37 am

Hi Nasim,
Somewhat along with Daniel I am confused about some of the Imatest graphs. The Sigma 50mm F/1.4 Art shows at 3000 or above from F/2.8 through F/5.6. Now if you look at the graphs for the Nikon 24-70mm F/2.8G, it shows the nikon at or above 3000 from F/2.8 through F/11, and F/4 through F/5.6 at 3500 or so and F/8 at maybe 3350 or 3400? Now, back in the Sigma review you say “the Zeiss Otus reached the most impressive score over 3200, which is a record-breaking result in our lens testing experience.|
I have both the Nikon 24-70mm F/2.8G and the Sigma 50mm F/1.4 Art. Both are terrifically sharp lenses, but the Sigma is astonishing! Clearly to my eye it exhibits superior sharpness to the Nikon. (Not to mention DXOMark, but they show the Sigma is far sharper)
How are we supposed to rely upon your lens reviews and the related Imatest graphs? I value your opinion, insight and testing. I am troubled by these anomalies however. Thoughts?
Duffy

1
Reply
Daniel
Daniel
February 18, 2016 12:17 pm

Hi Nasim,

you state, that the imatest result of 3200 (Otus) is a record, have you overlooked the Nikon 50mm F1.2 or did you test that lens later? According to you, the Nikon 50mm F1.2 AI-S has peak sharpness of 3600. Is it true, that it is sharper than the Otus in midframe or are there some differences in the measuring process?

Thanks und cheers,
Daniel

0
Reply
Nasim Mansurov
Nasim Mansurov
Author
Reply to  Daniel
February 18, 2016 12:28 pm

Daniel, I apologize for the misinformation, but at one point a year or so back, I changed the way I measure data with Imatest (I posted about that in a couple of reviews) – I no longer use Lightroom and use DCRaw for RAW file conversions. Because of this, the scores have changed. Otus is still the sharpness king, but I have not yet updated some of the reviews with the newer numbers. I am planning to do that later this year.

1
Reply
Daniel
Daniel
Reply to  Nasim Mansurov
February 19, 2016 8:51 am

Thanks a lot, I am looking forward to the new comparable numbers. It would have been amazing, if the old, simple and compact design was sharper than the Otus. I’ll look for your posts about the changes in measurement, maybe that will enable me to compare those numbers.

0
Reply

Learn

  • Beginner Photography
  • Landscape Photography
  • Wildlife Photography
  • Portraiture
  • Post-Processing
  • Advanced Tutorials
Photography Life on Patreon

Reviews

  • Camera Reviews
  • Lens Reviews
  • Other Gear Reviews
  • Best Cameras and Lenses

Photography Tutorials

Photography Basics
Landscape Photography
Wildlife Photography
Macro Photography
Composition & Creativity
Black & White Photography
Night Sky Photography
Portrait Photography
Street Photography
Photography Videos

Unique Gift Ideas

Best Gifts for Photographers

Subscribe via Email

If you like our content, you can subscribe to our newsletter to receive weekly email updates using the link below:

Subscribe to our newsletter

Site Menu

  • About Us
  • Beginner Photography
  • Lens Database
  • Lens Index
  • Photo Spots
  • Search
  • Forum

Reviews

  • Reviews Archive
  • Camera Reviews
  • Lens Reviews
  • Other Gear Reviews

More

  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Workshops
  • Support Us
  • Submit Content

Copyright © 2025 ยท Photography Life

You are going to send email to

Move Comment