Sigma Art 50mm Lens in 2022. After many assignments. Thoughts from a professional photographer
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- Опубліковано 16 сер 2022
- I have been using the Sigma Art 50mm F1.4 lens for around four years in my life as a professional photographer. In this video I share some sample photographs taken with the lens and discuss my experiences. Talk about some of the good and bad points and review the lens from a professional perspective. I discuss how I use the lens on assignment and briefly touch on how it compares to the canon nifty fifty 50mm F1.8, mk 1, 2 and STM versions as well as the Canon 50mm F1.4 I cover autofocus, real word use, sharpness, bokeh, distortion, weather sealing, IS and fogging and condensation. Both on the Full Frame EF DSLR cameras such as the 5d mark iv and III as well as Mirrorless RF cameras such as the R5 and R6. Hopefully anyone with an interest in this lens will find something useful here. All of these things are subjective and based on my personal experiences. Thank you for watching! All the best, Roy
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Massively helpful and valuable to have a full-time working professional sharing his hands-on real-world experience. I would gladly support this kind of channel by buying through affiliate links, where I'd be far more reluctant when I hear, "I've had this lens for two weeks and I've tested it thoroughly - oh, and by the way [affiliate link whoring]." :-) So, Roy, thanks for being of a certain age and letting us in on what you've learned.
Cheers AG. Appreciate your support.. at some point I will set up a gear page with links.. We will see! All the best RR
Great comprehensive review. Thank you.😊
My pleasure. Glad you enjoyed it. RR
This review video definitely helps me a lot to decide on buying this lens. I found a pre-owned one in very good condition for the amount of $175. Thank you very much!! 🙏🏻
Glad I could help!
love my sigma Art 50m, great video and love your content
Thanks! All the best. RR
I've had my Nikon 50mm 1.4G since forever and as soon as I got my Sigma Art 50mm 1.4 then did my test shots, I couldn't help but notice that the Sigma @1.4 is actually sharper than my Nikon @2.8... It was such a game changer... I've had old SIGMA EX DG HSM primes and I never use them wide open unless I'm treading to a territory where I would get a blurry shot because of low shutter speed.
I now shoot exclusively ART lenses.. 24,35,50,85,135
That’s a nice set up! I am sure your back won’t thank you because they are lumpy little blighters but I’m sure your image quality is through the roof!
@@RoyRileyoh yeah and 85mm in particular is a ginormous dumbbell 😂 btw, never experienced the fogging thing, ever...maybe it has something to do with humidity, I live in Canada where the air is generally dry most of the time
Yeh my statements exactly, I have the Sigma and the Canon thrifty fifty, and I rarely use the Sigma purely because of the weight. It's great for studio portraits but on the road I take the Thrifty. Another great video, thank you sir!
Cheers Jay! The nifty fifty packs a huge punch for its size weight and price.. always have one close at hand!
Great video!
One day I will buy a 50 art ;) I own the 35mm art and absolutely love it! It takes amazing photos.
Thank you! Very best of luck with your photography. RR
Thanks for the review! I love my Sigma Art 35mm lens - the focal length is great on an APS-C camera, though the colour and quality on a 5DMk2 is fabulous (even if 35mm is a bit wide at times).
Thanks FF! Yes These lenses will be awesome on a crop sensor! Sharp sharp sharp
I used the Canon 50mm 1.2 lens on the 5D when the 5D first came out. What a lens that was.....still remember it all these years later after switching to a D700.
Hello and thank you for this video. I tested and bought a used sigma lense recently after watching your video. One part of my testing was just to hold my R6 with this lense for a while to get an idea how to handle the weight of that combo. My considerations about the lense in comparison to the canon 1.8 were almost identical to yours. In the end the better af and sharpness of the sigma was decisive. And I will also keep my Canon 1.8 lense for good reasons.
Cheers Andrew! These Sigma lenses are wonderful AND have the added benefit of meaning you dont have to worry about going to the gym!
Great review. What stand are you using to shoot in portrait mode at the beginning of your shoot ?
Hi ! Nice review about a lens I used a few years ago, and liked. I had the 35 Art ; good, but as someone here said : the Canon 35 L (v. 1) has some kind of magic. The 50 Art is good too but has bokeh and focusing problems in some situations IMO. I got the 40 Art after the price drop and it easily beats both the 35 and the 50 in ALL respects. But it's a behemoth...Enjoy life !
Awesome pictures Roy. I have a smaller 35mm Art lens on the Sony Alpha 6000 and its also very sharp. They are known for their good sharpness. But also photographers report focusing problems (pumping) due to communication problems with some Canon cameras. This seems to be an issue with firmware versions and/or incompatibility with some Canon cameras. In my opinion the Sigmas are good, but the Canon L lens has some kind of magic and authentic/realistic colors.
Very interesting.. thanks Mike. One day I will buy the canon L 50. I will then wish I had bought one decades ago!
Great review. I was always a Nikon DSLR guy and went to Fujifilm for the last 5 years, but recently picked up a used cheap 5dMk3. I used to have the sigma art 35mm on my nikon years ago and it was my moneymaker lens for weddings. On the fogging, try to avoid going straight from an AC (cold) environment to outside hot and humid before a shoot. If you can get the lens acclimatized before the shoot that may help so you don't get warm moist air condensing inside on the cold dry elements. Thinking about getting one of these for my 5dmk3. Still a great camera, though it's really weird to go back to a DSLR after using mirrorless.
Thank you. Interesting to hear your experiences. Weirdly I just uploaded a video about the 5d3 if your interested! Good luck if you go for an art 50! Best wishes. R
Great review and so much better hearing about your long term experience rather than reviews that go on about test charts and pictures of brick walls! And I love the example images at the start of the video. I've had the 50mm art for quite a long time although probably not given it the use that it deserves - I often shoot with the 85mm 1.8 for portraits which is brilliant (and light!). Just invested in an R6 though so a perfect excuse to use the 50mm more! I've never had a problem with it fogging up although I've not used it in harsh environments. Looking forward to your next video. Best wishes, Martin
Thanks Martin! Appreciate the feedback and good luck with the R6! The eye focus is next level.. especially with these nice primes wide open! All the best. RR
It’s pretty much the story for every Sigma art lens. Keep it up 😀 Some broll shorts in between of the subject will help the overall quality of the video.
Cheers ZR. You are right. B Roll is on the to do list for improving content.. I’m very time poor at the moment but it is on the list. Thanks for your support. RR
We all have our suggestions, and Zombie I appreciate yours. But lack of b roll and fancy graphics is what sets Roy's presentations apart...in a good way. I guess Roy will have to figure it out.
Lovely video, thanks! I bought my copy of the 50mm f1,4 Art Sigma some 10 years ago, right when it came out..and it was brilliant..except it could not focus properly. It was so inconcosistent with my 5d III that I had to return it. Today, with mirrorless cameras, all lenses come alive like magic and maybe, this Sigma would shine like a star. However, there´s a new star, alebeit, more expensive, and that is the Canon RF 50mm f1,2 L...I shot Fuji for a few years and sold all my Canon gear. However, I came back to Canon and that was mainly to be able to use the RF 50mm f1,2 lens...Now this is the ultimate 50mm! The Sigma is very nice but I´ve seen very bad colour fringing from it that just does not happen with the Canon RF 50mm f1,2...So if anyone wants a "perfect" 50mm lens for Canon, the RF 50mm f1,2 L is it....with the Sigma being a nice budget option.
Thanks for this Petr. Glad your getting what you need with the big Canon RF 50. Would love to get hold of one but hefty price tag!
Great Roy!
Can you tell us what gear you use te record you videos?
Keep it up! Hope your work is back in force!!!
🙏 thank you. I use a mix mash of gear for these videos. Mainly I use a GH4 with Sennheiser mic 👍🏻
Hey Roy, i do own the 50mm ART too. I've had the nifty fifty, the 50mm 1.4 EF and now the ART. Did use it on my sold 5D3 and now on my 1DxII. Really love the lens. there is no need to stop it down. extremly sharp wide open for a 50mm. I've also recently got the 24-35 f2.0 ART, thats a beast of a lens.
The "longer" ART Lens you're talking about should be the 105mm, thats out of this world. Have tried it once at my local photogear dealer. Really amazing lens :-)
Thanks for this. Great to hear we are on the same page with the sigma 50. Yes it was the 105 f1.4 or I guess the 135 1.8 I was thinking of.. however Canon do have the 135 2 which is a pretty solid performer… we will see! All the best. RR
@@RoyRiley yeah die 50 ART ist really a very well made lens, love it alot. The Canon 135 was recommended to me alot but in this focalrange i do love my 70-200 f2.8 L IS II for the normal stuff. would love to get the 105 one day
Thank you for this review im currently looking to get a better 50mm, and sharpness wide open is what im looking for as i shoot at night alot
Thanks. Might also be worth considering the 50mm f1.8 EF or RF STM . I find myself using the STM lens often because it’s so lightweight and small
i currently have the f1.8 and love it. has gotten me some fantastic shots, so lite as well
I always enjoy when you start a video with "I bought this piece of gear many years ago and here are some photos taken with it" really makes you feel like it's not a quick review, but a proper real world test! I'm currently looking to upgrade my gear (70D, 24-105mm L, 70-300mm IS USM) I'm planning on getting a 5dmkiii body and will have the budget for either a 16-35mm f4 IS L, or a 100-400mm L. I'm mainly looking to shoot landscapes, but some travel and wildlife photography, with a trip to Canada coming up. Would you recommend going for extending the wide end of the range, or upgrade the telephoto to an L lens?
Personally I would go for the 16-35 F4. Very capable lens and will open up the superwide perspective for you.
like your videos, the insides of a working pro in real life ... I would love to hear your thoughts about the new Sigma Art 50mm 1.4
Thank you! I live under a rock… I had no idea there was a new Sigma Art 50… I will do some research
@@RoyRiley i think it will stay only in Sony and L-mounts - so maybe not interesting for you as a canon photographer.
@@subbbass thanks for the info! I know I should be on top of all the new gear releases but my mind is often elsewhere so thanks for the heads up
I own and use the following Sigma Art lenses (all of which I use mostly on the R5)
- 14-24mm f/2.8 - Nice ultrawide zoom, a bit of distortion (to be expected) but overall very nice IQ including wide open. Kinda bulbous but not THAT big.
- 50mm f/1.4 - Same as you own. Pretty nice.
Anyway, you said this lens was big. But the next three are all bigger and heavier than the 50mm.
- 28mm f/1.4 - A lens I've only recently been using and have come to enjoy. 28mm is a bit wider than my brain imagines but sometimes that's what you want. I can recommend this lens if you want a 28mm; I don't think there's any better available on the Canon platform.
- 40mm f/1.4 - A very solid lens. 40mm is kind of a bit of an ugly duckling focal length compared to 35mm and 50mm but this lens almost makes you want to make an excuse to use it. This lens is extremely sharp (almost as sharp as the and has no fringing I can notice at 45MP. The chromatic aberration on out-of focus-subjects is extremely slight, noticeably better than on the 50mm. (Yes, I repeated this on my description of the 40mm and 135mm; yes, it applies to both.)
- 135mm f/1.8 - An amazing lens, one of my favorite two lenses ever along with the RF 85mm f/1.2. Great for portraits, of course, and you can get extra-shallow DOF if you desire it; the DOF I believe is actually slightly shallower than the 85mm f/1.2 or 105mm f/1.4 with the same framing.* Can be a bit tight to use indoors. This lens is extremely sharp and has no fringing I can notice at 45MP. The chromatic aberration on out-of focus-subjects is extremely slight, noticeably better than on the 50mm. (Yes, I repeated this on my description of the 40mm and 135mm; yes, it applies to both.) (This lens honestly is a better value than the RF 85mm f/1.2, though.)
* The 105mm f/1.4 is also called the "bokeh master" and by all accounts seems to be a great Sigma lens too, though I would find it redundant with what I already have. The 135mm f/1.8, however, is a bit smaller than the 105mm f/1.4, and this may or may not make it more appealing. It also doesn't have such a weird large (105mm, seriously --- coincidence!) filter thread size.
The 50mm f/1.4 is a great lens, which I still use. But with their later additions to the series, Sigma got really REALLY into the quality. They compromised on the size, however. If you like portability and a small piece of glass, they may not be for you. (Then again, the same could be said of the fast RF 85 and 50 from Canon...) Even with their $1000+ original MSRPs, a lot of these Sigma lenses have seen price drops and most can be found second-hand for even less. But obviously you don't need them all, and carrying them all at once might prove difficult!
Great comment. Thank You. I will process and digest everything you say with interest. All the very best. R
great video roy I have a question I have a canon 90d crop sensor I really want to buy this lens my question do you think this lens could resolve the very demanding 32 mega pixel crop sensor on my 90d ?? thx
I cannot speak from experience but this is a very sharp lens so I would imagine it would be just fine. Be aware of the crop factor though..
I also faced a similar fogging issue time to time. Bokeh is really good at F1.4. Subject separation is also extremely good when the subject is close to the camera. Yes, it is heavy but i can not compare this lens with canon 50mm F1.4 in terms of quality.
Great to hear I am not alone with the fog thing!
Great take and helpful. I see you have the lens on what looks like a 5D IV .. was wondering if this is the best 50 pick for the 5D IV. At least DXO seems to think so, even beating all the Zeiss lenses. I have the 50 1.8 STM and was wondering if the Sigma Art would be way better than that in terms of sharpness etc. Cheers.
Honestly I really like the STM and find it lovely to use, light and small and sharp enough even wide open for most uses. The sigma is a tiny bit sharper wide open but is big, heavy and more costly. I think most people would struggle to see the critical difference. My advice would be stick with the STM unless you have a very good reason not to. Save your money and spend it on fun stuff instead! Hope this helps. RR
@@RoyRiley Thanks, great reply and advice.
I love my Sigma Art 50mm on my Canon, produces amazing images. I have never had any fogging issues. The issue I have is the autofocus and it’s inconsistency. I have calibrated it several times and it is just inconsistent. I’ve had mine for years and wonder if I just have a bad one or because it was one of the first manufactured. I have read that lots of other people have had focus issues too.
I have the 85mm Art and once calibrated it is absolutely amazing. Focus is reliable and accurate. The is the best lens I own no doubt.
That’s unlucky Colin.. probably a Friday afternoon lens.. it happens. Just go extreme and only shoot with your 85!
Sigma art lenses have focus inconsistent problems. Sigma says that you have to update firmware . Using the lense docking "thing"
Absolutely love the channel. I have Canon stuff just curious… why canon?
Began with Canon in the 90’s. Wished to be Nikon because of the F cameras. When the EOS 1 came out it cemented me into Canon. Now looking back Canon just get the job done.. for me at least. Also in hindsight Canon have the best colour for my eye at least.
Might be smallest but the best youtube photo channel. I use the 50mm 1.2L it is weather sealed and gasketed. But the 50mm 1.8 is nice, especially the new STM model and the small size. How is the AF on the sigma?
Thanks so much for your kind words and support! It’s been one of those extra long days where I have been trying to sort lots of stuff, iron out some gear issues, arrange a couple of shoots, get a big edit done and sent and then upload a UA-cam video that for some reason would not publish properly.. totally my fault but still frustrating..it’s now 3am so I guess it’s time to hit the hay. Thanks again for your words. At this moment in time they mean the world to me.. all the very best. Roy
Good middle point between Sigma and STM is Tamron 45mm 1.8 (size, weight, price) and it have IS and weather sealing… of course downside is that 2/3 stop of light loss. Love your style of presenting, it’s casual but to the point 👍
Thanks Nikola. I have yet to try the Tamron 45mm. Sounds like an interesting lens. Reliably sharp wide open?
@@RoyRiley I’m just a hobbyist so please take my opinion with a grain of salt, but I am certain that it is sharper than STM. I sold STM because I didn’t find it sharp enough on 5d II wide open, but I was happy with Tamron both on 20mp of 5d II and on 30mp of Eos R… also in my casual shooting I don’t see difference in sharpness between Tamron 45mm and Sigma 135mm (which is usually considered as plenty sharp). Maybe difference would show on higher resolution… I should mention that autofocus isn’t fastest so probably it’s not suitable for fast action.
I wouldn’t advise anybody who already owns Sigma to switch, but for new buyer who thinks that Sigma is too big, heavy of expensive and who wants more then STM offers I think that Tamron is good alternative.
p.s.
sorry for my bad English and keep up with great content 🔥
@@nikoladimitrijevic8172 your English is very good. Better than mine! Thank you for this information. Very interesting. All the best. RR
The later sigma lenses are clinical. You have to try the 40.
The 105 1.4 art is the same class as the 40 and the 28
The sharpest lens that I LOVE on my r5 is the 40mm 1.4. Great for reportage style I do for work. Downside it’s a lead brick.
40mm 1.4 prime… nice… on my radar. Thanks for your comment. Also would love to try the 105 at some point
@@RoyRiley I will say using both the 40 and the 105 on the r5 - they pretty brutal to lug around all day
@gotja I have both the 40 and 105 and you're absolutely right. Both are special. Honestly no lens is comparable to the insane micro contrast on that 40. I didn't even love the focal length at first and now think it's even more special than the 105 lol.
Good video, thanks, trying to decide between the Sigma and the Canon RF50 f1.2 L, I think the sigma is winning, I've got the Sigma 18-35 f1.8 Art that I've used on my old 7D and M5 and If the 50 is half as good it should be a great lens.
Jan 2024 Update. Bought the Sigma, LOVE IT 2nd to none image quality.
Nice review I have the canon 1.4 nifty fifty but I just hate the feel of the focus ring it feels so scratchy and horribly cheap that it just puts me off using it so I’d end up going for the ef 24-105 f4L or the ef16-35 mm 2.8 mk2L
I’ve been watching a few ef 50 mm 1.2 L but there a bit out my budget for a 50mm so thought about the sigma version I use to have the art 18-35 on the 7dmk2 that was gorgeous for crop sensor but px that along with the 7dmk2 for the R6 and got the 16-35 mk2L .
I feel the L glass has spoilt me as I now like the feel of the solid bigger lenses and although I’ve had some nice images with the nifty fifty I don’t use it as much as I should solely with just how it feels and sounds and so ruins the experience and reduces the pleasure of shooting which I feel can’t be good if you have that going off in the back of your mind distracting you from what you should be focusing on hope that kinda makes sense .All the best keep on with the videos 👍👍👍
Just like to add that I’ve now just ordered a lovely condition preowned sigma 50 art so I guess I can now give the canon nifty fifty to my partner who’s just starting to get into photography so got her a canon M50 so she can use my lenses as well which at minute she’s loving it with the canon 400mm f5.6L
The sigma arrived today and it’s in like new condition well impressed and also the look and feel of the lens feels so much better smoother than the nifty fifty stm yeah ya get what you pay for looking forward to shooting with it roll on my next day off 👍👍👍
Wishing you and your partner every success with the new lens set ups.. Take time with the art 50 to let it climatise. it can be a steamy mother
tested the sigma 50 the other night was nice and clear although cold was out for a couple of hours just shooting loads of images of Pleiades and then some of Orion untracked to hopefully try this star stacking app which wasn’t as I expected as it stacked them but didn’t align them 🙄 although I did find some useful features like a star warp kind of effect which if you have seen images of the trailing circular star trail but they seam to twist in a little like a corkscrew well it looks like that is the app for that back to the sigma like in reviews I’ve seen wide open although really sharp the stars towards the edges have like a little line through them close that down a bit and 2.2 the the lines about gone so brilliant can’t wait to get out and take some starscape pics
As for the steaming yeah I get that shooting Astro now and then so have a little lens heater that wraps around it and plugs into a power pack just helps keep the dew off it then after use leave it on the side over night to allow it acclimatise itself.
I’ve only ever had one day where my lens steamed up that I couldn’t shoot anything was years ago on my 20D with the kit lens we went to a butterfly house yeah tropical greenhouse I never got one shot everything steamed up that day lol will go again armed with the dew heater 😂😂😂 take care 👍
Have you tried adapting the Sigma to the R5? Do you reckon third part EF lenses adapt to the RF cameras as well as the Canon EF lenses?
Extremely good.
Yes. The sigma works fine. I would say it works the same as canon lenses with the adaptor. So far I have only had one issue with a slightly older Tamron lens that refused to work with the adaptor. Not sure why..
Hi Roy, Do you need to calibrate it? I've seen Sigma lenses sold with a calibration base.
I have had no need to calibrate this lens with any of my bodies. My version just seems to work fine and be sharp wide open. I have seen the base but have no experience of it. I would imagine some people may have had problems which is why the base is available. That’s about all I have to offer I’m afraid!
Where can i see the video about the EF 50mm f1.4? I am currently trying to decide if I should get rid of it or keep it around. Would love to know your thoughts on that lens. Cheers.
Canon EF 50mm F1.4 USM Prime lens. My thoughts after twenty years of professional photography use
Not sure if that’s a link but you get the idea!
@@RoyRiley thank you!
Sigma really are on fire with their lenses these days, on par with OEM lenses, at much lower cost (nearly £2k difference between this Sigma and the RF 50mm F1.2, alot for 1/3 of a stop...). Many years ago, we got a few Sigma lenses at my newspaper, and they literally fell apart. So much better now, I used the 50mm f1.4 on a Lumix S1r, a hefty combo', but the image quality was fantastic. My 50mm now is the nifty 50mm f1.8 RF, just great for £170.
The RF 1.8 is somewhere close to the top of my shopping list! Had a few of the older sigma lenses over the years and like you say.. they generally fell apart! They seem to be doing great things these days though.. interested to try the 105 1.4 on the R5.. could be interesting! Hope life is treating you well. R
I had the Canon 50 1.8 and hated it. Noisy and rubbish unless stopped down so what was the point? I got a Sigma 18-35 1.8 and its fantastic. I am now looking into maybe a Tamron 24-70 2.8 to fill the gap to the 70-200 2.8
Nifty fifty in the right hands is a weapon unlike any other but as you say does have weakness. We each have to find our own way
Interested in the fogging issue Roy. I shoot angling portraits in all kinds of weather and temperatures and have not had this problem. Absolutely love the Sigma 50mm art, a beast of a lens! 🙌📸
Glad to hear you are free of the fog and enjoying g the lens Martin!
I usually stick to Nikon lenses, but the Sigma Art range is amazing. All of them are as good or better than the Nikon versions IMO.
I saw a French tog Dominik Fusina) on FLICKR using this lens on Nikon D3S & D4S for lovely street portraits. I strongly considered it, but the size & weight have so far put me off as my D3S & D4 are already big & heavy for walking around with. I believe this Sigma Art is not much smaller than my 24-70 f2.8 (which is too much for street shooting.)
Yes it’s a lump for sure!
I'm just wondering if the Sigma 50mm f1.4 is better than the Nikon 50 1.8 G. Big price difference
Afraid I have very limited experience if the Nikon lens so cannot really comment. What I will say is the Nikon lens will be lighter, smaller, cheaper and probably reasonably sharp . Depends how much you want the 1.4 aperture I guess. What are you mostly shooting?
The sigma is actually around 48mm, the 50mm f1.4 usm is almost 51.
A bit different framing
Also, the Sigma has worse light transmission, it lets in similar amount of light as the canon f1.4 set to f1.6
I sold my Canon f 1:4 50 mm. because it was not in leauge of Sigma Art f 1:4 50 mm.
Should be titles thoughts from a noob photographer
I wish! Stay classy Mr T
Use them on a Nikon camera,,NOT a Canon camera.
Glad you nailing it down with your Nikons! Any particular reason not to use with a Canon?