A review of the Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM Lens (for Nikon) with a surprise unboxing!
Вставка
- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- ... in which I test a contemporary f/1.4 lens from the era when Sigma lenses were 'starting to become good' before they unleashed their Art Series. Designed as a modern high performing 'nifty fifty' for DSLRs in comparison to the aging Nikon and Canon alternatives, this is a large and imposing optic. But it's 20 years later. How does it handle on an 24mp Nikon morrorless Z 6 around the overgrown derelict QingQing Tourist Park in Shanghai's Songjiang area? And how does it compare to Nikon's 50mm f/1.8 AF D?
Camera: Nikon Z 6
Lenses: Sigma 50mm F/1.4 EX DG HSM | Nikon Nikkor 50mm F/1.8 AF D
Locations: QingQing Tourist Park, Songjiang, Shanghai, China | Herdsman Lake, Perth, Western Australia.
Dates: 26 May 2024 | 31 June 2024
Great video. Really interested in this lens. I have a Z8, do you think all of these lenses would also need to go back to sigma HQ or a used one I buy might work when I buy it? Thank you
Hi Richard. Mine definitely needed to back to Sigma for an update - it was free for me around the time the Z 6 came out. I think, given the fact that this lens would have stopped production to make way for the Art series that there probably aren't many out there that have been modified to work with the Z yet. I'd check with your local Sigma rep to make sure you can send it in to get done before spending money on this lens but assuming they can do that, this 50mm is a definite keeper.
@ thanks very much for the info. Nit much online about this lens but the booked looks lovely in comparison to the Nikon G1.4/1.8
Great way to start the weekend with a smile, thank you!
That park is amazing, hard to fathom how deserted it was. Some cool shots as always, and excellent presentation of the capability of the lens (in capable hands).
Your new Pentax17 looks like a bundle of fun to keep you occupied for years to come; hope Oscar approves!
Thanks for the comment. Qingqing was a lucky find. Miss Juniper is proving to be quite mischievous. Oscar is tolerant but somewhat bemused. The puppy portraiture video will be on its way in a few weeks.
Hi, I love your review, I was able to find this lens for 135$, 2ndhand ofc! But I was wondering about the auto focusing issues. I'm fine with the purple fringing and the bulky nature of it, I'm just mainly concerned about the auto focus problems since I have heard that these lenses from Sigma can be out of focus and stuff, 135$ though sounds like a deal its still a lot of money for a student like me. Should I be worried about this issue? How can I tell that it has a focusing issue (I'm relatively newbie to photography) and should I just spend a little more for an official Nikon lens because I'm worried that the Sigma lens will break down overtime and acquire that issue. Anyways again great review, and stunning shots of Ching Ching.
Thanks for watching. Tricky question to answer. If you check out other reviews there'll be some who say that Sigma lenses are inherently a lot worse (such as 'the Angry Photographer'. To get mine to autofocus, I had to send the lens in when the Z 6 came out to have its firmware updated. The issue now is that while it does autofocus, it's still a lens that was never meant for the Z system. From my perspective, it's not a problem at all for still photography. While not the fastest, if you find the right focus point, it works fine. I wouldn't use it for video though. Continuous focus is very rattley (noisy) and uncertain, which I think is partly the lense's fault and partly the camera's. I think it's still a great lens and I prefer the way it renders to both the Z f/1.8S and the Nikon F mount versions.
@@patternsinsand thanks for the insight, I do plan to lightly do video, and I mainly do photographs of moving subjects so I think I wont be getting this lens. Its a shame though I really liked this design, I like tanky lenses. But on a better note I did find a 30mm 1.4 ART lens for Nikon DSLRs, I might be getting that since ART lenses can be docked, but idk, would you happen to have this lens? I would love to see you review it.
@@LeePhong-d8j I don't have the 35. Assuming you're talking about a mirrorless camera rather than a DSLR, have you considered the 40mm Z f/2? It's cheaper than the Nikon 50mm lenses, is inexpensive (albeit plastic lens mount and no weather sealing) and I love the images it produces. As it's a modern Z lens it's designed for video too. Fast enough and whisper quiet. I just purchased it and love it - see my review: ua-cam.com/video/TVVS9hwjxtc/v-deo.html - good luck in your hunt.
@@patternsinsand Im using a DSLR unfortunately so Nikon Z lenses are out of the picture, I'm looking for something with good low light performance since my kit lens really struggles in those aspects.
@@LeePhong-d8j Then the Sigma 50mm might be fine on F mount. Hard to say since my D700 doesn't actually shoot video but it does seem more confident on the mount it was originally designed for. Of course, the Nikon 50mm f/1.4 is another good option. Smaller and cheaper than the Sigma when it was first released. I don't have that lens so can't confirm, though.
Thanks for the great reviewing. I heard some Sigma 50mm EX doesn't AF on Z cameras via FTZ adapter. Is it true?
With mine, I did have to send it in to the local Sigma distributor to get its firmware updated so it can autofocus on Z (was a free service around the time of the release of the Z6 Mark I). Now it works, though it's quite rattly and not particularly confident - ok for stills but not really suitable for video. Still, it's a great lens so worth keeping and updating for the Z in my opinion.
Love this lens, but mine was replaced by the Tamron 45mm VC. A hair wider, a slight bit darker, but holy crap the VC is amazing for film.
Another great video sir!
Thanks for the comment. That VC sounds awesome. Now I just have to keep repeating to myself, 'I don't need another lens, I don't need another lens...'
@@patternsinsand If that chant worked, I'd probably already be retired with the money I'd have saved 😁
Case in point - this week I found Gold 200 in 127 format. Apparently that was a reason to buy a Yashicaflex 44.
Oh, and with the Film Photography Project selling real 126 again, I needed a Rollei A26. And Shanghai GP3 is making 620 now...
This is part of my issue!!! I want 1.4 lenses but the Canon 35mm f/2 IS (beats the tamron 1.8 equiv while being smaller) but for the longer lengths then im looking at this because there will never be a way to get IBIS for film cameras - although holy cow i'd pay money for that!
@@jw48335 You're well down that slippery slope.
@@danieldevine Film is a little more forgiving of camera shake, at least.
nirvana is a deserted hotel or fairground.. great photos.. would make a good photoshoot with a pretty model...Oscar be like "who dat" 🐕
Oscar's nose was well out of joint - in full on Danny Glover 'I'm too old for this s***' mode for the first couple of weeks.
ทำยังไงถึงออโต้โฟกัส ผมใช้ nikon Z6i ด้วย
The Nikon Z 6 is known for not having great autofocus. First thing is to get get a good autofocus lens (I had to send my Sigma back for a factory firmware update to get it to focus on the Z6 F Adapter), Then you have to set the right autofocus mode. For stills, I prefer point autofocus. Then I can focus and recompose before taking the shot if I have time. Face detect can work well if you're close up, but it's not as good as the newer cameras for moving objects like birds. Check out my my other video for more on that: ua-cam.com/video/TmFHfbDFuUI/v-deo.htmlsi=YhPXlVxEmsv2qQmz