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Get information and user reviews for this lens from Amazon: Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens for Canon Digital SLR Cameras
Photo Zone
The new Sigma AF 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM is a refreshing alternative in the long-ignored standard AF lens market. The lens is fairly big and heavy due to unusually big glass elements but thanks to the design efforts it is already capable of delivering very sharp images straight from f/1.4 and the resolution is truly impressive at medium aperture settings. Distortions, vignetting as well as CAs aren’t overly relevant in field conditions. The bokeh can be a bit nervous at f/1.4 but it’s smooth and buttery from f/2 onwards. The build quality of the lens is excellent. The HSM AF drive is very fast and virtually silent. All-in-all – highly recommended but watch out for focus accuracy problems. READ FULL REVIEW
Other Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM AF Reviews
Digital Picture
It is hard not to be drawn to a fast prime – the short, fat, solid-feeling lens with very low-light capability is very attractive. So, I don’t find it surprising that the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens has received a lot of attention in the early days of its availability. What you also get when shooting with a wide-aperture lens wide open is a narrow DOF (strongly blurred background and foreground – especially with a close focus distance) and a fast, action-stopping shutter speed. Both of these are great attributes, but if you are relying on autofocus for this action it needs to be very accurate to deliver the DOF at the right focus distance. Even a relatively small mis-focus results in a blurred subject. And to cut to the chase, the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens has proven very inconsistent for me in the focus accuracy department. Inconsistent focus accuracy is definitely the downside of this lens. It is possible that another copy of this lens would focus more consistently, but my guess (helped by feedback from others) is that my lens is representative of this model. READ FULL REVIEW
Digital Photography Review
This new lens essentially redefines its class, and for once the results really live up to the marketing hype; compared to previous designs, we see significantly improved sharpness at large apertures (presumably due to a reduction in aberrations through the use of an aspherical element), and substantially lower vignetting due to that that oversized lens barrel. Chromatic aberration (both axial and lateral) has been impressively minimized, and distortion is low – in optical terms there’s simply little to fault. In short, Sigma appears to have taken a fresh look at how photographers now tend to use 50mm primes as a complement to zooms for low-light and portrait shooting, and optimised the lens to match, paying attention predominantly to high central performance at wide apertures over corner-to-corner evenness stopped down. The designers have also recognised the dominance of DX/APS-C as the current de facto standard sensor size, and ensured good performance across the frame even on this resolution-hungry format. The rendition of out-of-focus backgrounds is pleasantly smooth, again suggesting that Sigma considered portrait shooting to be an important application when designing this lens. The result is a 50mm F1.4 which is a far better portrait lens on APS-C than legacy primes designed for 35mm film, as well as an extremely competent standard on 35mm full-frame. READ FULL REVIEW
Photo Review
A fast, high-performance 50mm prime lens for DSLR cameras from Sigma, Canon, Nikon, Pentax and Sony. The 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM is the first large-aperture 50mm prime lens to be manufactured by Sigma and the company has gone to considerable lengths to include the latest designs and technology. Unlike the 50mm f/1.4 primes from other manufacturers, which use designs that hark back to the 1970s, this lens is bang up-to-date, with a Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) ensuring silent, high-speed AF; a non-rotating front element and a moulded aspherical optical component. READ FULL REVIEW