Sigma 311101 50mm F1.4 DG HSM Art Lens for Canon, Black

Product Information

Small white plastic ball on the outside, and a red dot painted into an engraving in the lens mounting flange.

Expanded Sigma 35mm f1.4 DG HSM Art Lens Key Features: Creative control using shallow depth of fieldThe pictures below illustrate the 50mm F1.4 Art's angle of view on full frame and APS-C, taken from our standard position. As is Sigma's way, the lens is just slightly 'wide' for a 50mm prime (its measured focal length is 48mm), bringing it closer to a classic 'normal' view on full frame. On APS-C cameras it behaves like a short telephoto lens. The Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM features Sigma’s HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) autofocus (AF) technology. This has an internal focus. So it’s pretty quiet. (As one would expect from a higher-end lens like this.) One nice thing about this lens is that it’s eligible for Sigma’s mount-conversion service. If you buy this lens and then switch camera systems in the future, they can change the mount for you. ART:"Art" series, which is more marketing baloney. I create Fine Art, not just "art" (I don't show my work in coffee shops), and would prefer a FART lens optimized for that.

This is good because no Nikon or Canon camera will be able to correct this automatically because there is no in-camera profile available. This set of graphs is one of the best that we have seen from any lens that has been through our new lens test. At f/5.6, centre resolution is better than in all of the 12-50mm lenses we tested in our round-up in AP 20 July 2013, as is vignetting. As can be seen in the shading diagram, the vignetting grid is almost flat, showing little difference between centre and edge brightness. The distortion graph shows slight pincushion distortion, whereas most 50mm lenses suffer from barrel distortion. However, it is so minimal that it should be of no concern. This lens is on a par with the best 50mm optics we have tested. Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM | A – Our verdictOf course, lens design has moved on leaps and bounds since this 1960s example, and the latest Sigma offering, the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM | A, shows just how far things have come.