Another great video on arguably the best - and most loyal - Sony APS-C UA-cam channel. Sony take note please and start sending those press event invites! Not far off from that 100k subs' mark now I see as well... which will be rightly deserved when it finally happens.
Sony has LOST THEIR MINDS not inviting you to camera launches, in particular the A6400 and APS-C in general. I really look forward to a future review of the mythical A7000 and I *really* hope you'll have that review (or preview) on the day of announcement because they got smart and invite you.
ARUN RAJ and David Corsi - My team helps Sony's digital imaging division with media outreach, so I thought I'd comment specifically on this. Sony loves honest opinions, and Arthur and Jenessa have great, honest opinions. In Sony's view of the camera and video market, Sony makes the best gear, and welcomes people looking at it with their own opinions and their own perspectives. We never tell the press what to write or how to do their reviews. When it comes to lens reviews, remember that Sony made the e-mount specifications published, so other companies could create lenses. Having a wide variety of products that work with Sony's cameras, without having to reverse engineer a closed mount system is, as far as I'm concerned, a real plus. Believe it or not, but there are a huge number of great channels with good followings that UA-cam doesn't bring up in discovery, and I'm always really happy when I find someone like TechnologyMafia. We've only recently found this channel, which is why Sony hasn't reached out to them. Sony have reached out, and I'm going to do so as well. Rest assured that we're as happy to see great, independent creatives in this space evaluating the possibilities as you are. :) There are no lost minds here, no conspiracies to hide honest opinions. Just new connections to be made, new relationships to forge, and new content to support.
@@davidschloss2656 Can you kindly give this site some detail of the manner in which Sony and you have now ""reached out" to the site producers? It is no exaggeration to say that this site would have been responsible for the sale of a large number of a 6000s, which as I understand it, is the best selling APSC body.
Robert Cudlipp I’m a bit confused. The a6000 was released in 2014. I can’t go back and contact him in the past. :) We have reached out to them, and they get press info from us now and we are available to them if they have questions or need to review gear.
The next lens you need and try to get and test is this monster from Sigma 105mm 1.4 . Not cheap but beautiful results :-) ua-cam.com/video/NP-_796_ixQ/v-deo.html
I tested the 56mm for about a week and a half and I agree it’s surprisingly sharp and the bokeh is very creamy. However I noticed significant barrel distortion. You can see it in this video as well, when comparing the two buildings. Look at the lower left corner on both photos and you’ll see the Zeiss doing a better job handling distortion. I think the lens profile isn’t properly implemented in Adobe Lightroom, as I constantly had to resort to manually straightening the lines in my photos. There is also some chromatic aberration on high contrast, in focus areas. It’s no surprise here, as the 30mm f/1.4 DC DN has the same behaviour. Nothing that can’t be fixed through Lightroom. All in all, the lens is really great value for what it delivers and it’s become the benchmark for future portrait lenses for Sony APS-C.
Dan Pandrea I agree I have noticed the huge barrel distortion as well on the Sigma. Is it sharp? Absolutely. Is it corrected in a proper way? Not at all. This for me was a bit of a show stopper.
I noticed significant barrel distortion on my 56mm as well. I like the sharpness. I hope they will release proper lens profile to correct the distortion in the future.
Except for one picture, I consistently preferred the images from the Zeiss lens, particularly the color balance (though not by much). However it’s more than twice as expensive as the Sigma, which seals the deal on which is better in my book.
The Sigma is sooo much better and so much cheaper I can't believe it. Bought it yesterday and man... The lens is perfect. Ultra sharp, no green fringing (aka chromatic aberration) perfect focusing. What's not to like?
I was contemplating between Fuji and Sony, Sigma's trio (16, 30, 56) made me pick Sony, hard to beat their value and image quality. Just amazing lenses.
I sold my zeiss when the sigma 56 was released. Never had a chance to compare them side by side. Really glad you made this comparison video. I’ve had nothing but amazing pics from my sigma. Never regretted selling the Zeiss. Of course if I had an a7, that’s a different story. Thanks for the good video
man.....Sigma just is killing it! All three of their lenses are SO good in quality....and not crazy expensive. It's so compact too! Now I just need that IBIS or stabilization.
I do like the versatility of the Zeiss, having an APS-C and a Sony full frame. The Zeiss is very sharp on the full frame and I’m OK to loose a little bit of sharpness to use it on my APS-C to gain another focal distance. It’s expensive but for me (enthusiast)it’s like having 2 good lenses.
Am I too late to comment?😁 First off, thanks for what you do. You certainly are the best source of information for us Sony APS-C shooters. For the most part, I would agree with your assessment. (not always though). I do doubt that anybody, except maybe you, would be able to see any difference between these 2 lenses at normal viewing size and distance.. There is however, a big advantage to the Zeiss for those of us shooting Sony FF and APS-C Currently, (3 yrs later) the Sony 55mm is selling for under $600 new, and under $500 used. It's nice that there are now so many really high quality, small full frame primes, that overlap so perfectly between the 2 formats. Of course, I own the Sigma 56mm, but I'm trying to cut down the number of lenses that I own without cutting quality or significantly increasing size and this Sony looks to be a good choice, for me. I'd love to see you do some reviews of some of the newer, smallish, FF primes and how they perform on Sony APS-C bodies. (Sony 85mm F1.8, Samyang 75mm F1.8, Sony 35mm F1.8, Samyang 24mm F1.8, etc) Again, thanks for the comparison. Well done.
Is it possible that the optical formula of a full frame lens is inherently at disadvantage compared with a APS-C lens both mounted on a cropped sensor mirrorless?
I really don't know but I would think that a full frame lens on an aps-c camera would have an advantage, because the often problematic outer area of a picture gets cropped out.
Wow when the 55 came out per dxo it was one of the sharpest prime lenses ever period and the sharpest autofocus lens they had ever tested. At the time . It was my first lens on a7r when it came out. Sigma made another winner here and it does not even bear Art label
Wow! The Zeiss 55mm is the sharpest lens I've ever used, and now that I've switched from a7ii to a6400 I was thinking of keeping that lens, but after this video it might be worth it to sell the Zeiss and get the cheaper and faster Sigma! The Zeiss was perfect except for the green/purple fringing you mentioned at wide apertures.
The Zeiss is a full-frame lens - It’s not surprising that when comparing it to a purposed built crop sensor lens on a crop sensor body that the Zeiss looses out. On a full frame camera the Zeiss is fantastically sharp, and is a worthwhile purchase if you are planning on moving to FF in the near future. If you’re sticking to APSC, the Sigma is a no-brainer. Great video though!
This doesn't make much sense to me. The sensor size difference will be cropping out the corners and using more of the centre of the lens which is universally the sharpest area. These issues would be even worse on a full frame body. The Sigma is sharper on my a6400 compared to the zeiss on my a7iii.
I saw your video comparing the sigma 56mm it to the 50mm OSS, and I was pretty impressed. Bought the sigma on your recommendation, and it’s just flawless. Better than my 50mm OSS which will soon be going on eBay! It’s tempting to pick up the 16mm too! Impeccable performance. Thanks for the great comparisons Arthur! :)
Great video! Sigma amazing lens and for the money is epic! The one thing I want to point out is that usually the FF lenses perform a little worse on apsc cameras! And you have the versatility to use that lens with apsc and ff cameras at the same time!
Full frame lenses on APS-C sensors will undoubtedly will be less sharp than a lens that was engineered for APS-C. Compare images on the intended use of the lenses and see if you get the same results. Just curious.
While that may be true, it does not take away the value of the Sigma. The value in the Zeiss is the full frame capability but most of us with APS-C Sony cameras don't need that.
Bruce Coffman The way to do that would be to shoot both lenses on a full frame camera in crop mode. The results would very likely be identical. Regardless, the point of this comparison is to see which lens is sharper for APSC. There are a bunch of people who use Zeiss lenses on APSC, since there are no APSC specific fixed Zeiss lenses out.
Best channel for sony cropped sensor camera! Thanks a lot! Would you please (if you can get your hands on some example lenses) compare the zoom lenses for A6xxx cameras.
I shot some portraits of my daughter with the Sony A6000/Zeiss 55mm combo. My images were soft. When the Zeiss is paired with my A7RII, the images are tac sharp! I believe some FE lenses don’t perform well on crop sensor cameras.
Can you make a comparison on the sigma 56 f/1.4 vs sigma 50mm f/1.4 (full-frame) I'm thinking of purchasing the full frame lens to just be able to use it if I buy full-frame cameras in the future.
Sukesh Jothikumar Maybe, but I don’t understand why people buy full frame lenses because they might one day upgrade. In most cases you don’t lose money on lenses, so just upgrade everything at once. The sigma trio is too good to pass up because you might one day go full frame. Just my opinion though :)
@@ArthurR yeah,I do know that lenses don't lose much value.But here in India,it is tough to sell them once used...And that's one of the reasons I'm thinking of investing in full-frame glass.
Your reviews and comparisons are great, man! Bought a Sigma 30mm 1.4 because of you and now about to get the 56mm 1.4. Sigma is undoubtedly the best manufacturer making fixed SONY APS-C lenses. Its a shame SONY didn't commit to the format. FUJI is doing great work with their lineup.
excellent review and side by side comparison. long story short, both lenses are fantastic and sharp edge to edge with equal levels of bokeh and subject separation. differences are much too small to be noticeable in real world use. the huge advantage with sigma is affordability. go get the zeiss only if you have plans to upgrade to fullframe.
The only problem is i'm upgrading my A6500 to the A7III and this lens would be useless what other lens in this range would you recommend other than the 55mm which I always heard was like the Sharpest of the Sony lenses? maybe the 85mm we use our Sony for Video.
@5:32 you could see why the Zeiss lens is better, and it is actually a pretty clear example of what people usually call "Zeiss pop". Even at F4, the model is clearly separated from the wall behind, compared to the almost flat look on the Sigma picture. The Zeiss lens's focal plane is much narrower.
Is the Sonnar any better on full frame? I know the sharpness can degrade a little when you use a full frame lens on a crop sensor. Great video, just what I was looking for.
I watch several reviewers of lenses and other stuff but I seem to gravitate back to you all the time, you come across honest with a good voice and a very useful reviews. I got one small question; have you thought about and looked into batteries? I have seen you recommended Wasabi chargers but there are several third party manufacturers of batteries and while my Sony original batteries NP-FW50 batteries have 1020 mAh, there are batteries claiming to have up to 1950 mAh, maybe there are even higher rated, but it is still almost twice the mAh if that is true and that should have an impact. But have you experience or tested them? I am very curious and will order some to compare as having twice the power would make a ton of difference as the NP-FW50 is a bit on the low end as most reviewers complain.
N0rdman The reviews on those higher Mah batteries are pretty terrible, my guess is it’s just misleading advertising. If they were double capacity people would be raving about them.
@@ArthurR It seems you have done your homework yet again; I found a review that mostly confirms what you are saying. It would seem that the original Sony works best, the rest, with one exception, is far below Sony in capacity. The one exception is the DSTE I found with 1950 mAh that performs more or less just as the Sony. ua-cam.com/video/nOc0oIzfimk/v-deo.html
all the 3 Sigma primes in the DC range 16/30/56 are mind blowing compared to any other APS-C specific lenses made for the Sony system. I may be dreaming but it begs the question... what could Sigma be able to do if they started creating dedicated ZOOMS for Sony APS-C? I fear they never will try since APS-C is becoming more niche (but its MY niche!) by the day.
As an analysis of DXO Mark's P-MPix score shows, the Zeiss which resolves 40 out of 42 MP on the A7RII can only resolve 15 out of 24MP on the A6000. It is optimized for FF. Unfair to compare it to the Sigma which is purpose built. For someone who uses both FF and APS-C, the Zeiss is a no-brainer.
@@findbinnu sigma only goes to 18 MP on a7r, II & III in APSC Mode the zeiss is the way to go for 35mm FF for sure. I've had mine since 4/4/2014 and It's been a staple in my bag from the a7, a7ii, a7rii and now my a7riii
Marvelous review! However, I wonder if your copy of the 55mm is slightly off the standard, because DXO Mark has tested the 55mm as one the highest resolving lenses of all times. And my copy is performing just like that. I have never worked with the Sigma, though. Still, fantastic review. Very well presented! Thanks!
I'm biased towards zeiss. It looks to me like the Zeiss has better pop when looking at the image globally. However I am looking at this on a smart phone and I do have that aforementioned bias. Can you share your thoughts on which you prefer when looking at the image globally?
I lost enthusiasm for Zeiss after buying the 16-70 f4 zoom - it was expensive and was soft across the zoom range. Other youtuber’s reviews confirmed this. Either Zeiss has slipped, or the Japanese have beaten them at their own game.
Sigma look better and sharper but Zeiss look real color . I do have sigma 45mm for Sony do you have video about it or r u going to make video about it ?
Not to sound like a creeper but your wife and child are very beautiful people. You are very blessed. I appreciate your videos a TON man. Thank you! #a6500
Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN vs Sigma 50mm f/1.4 FE ART both on crop sensor what you think which is better option for sony APS-C body? if you could buy both lenses the same price
Tony Northrop says full frame lenses not as sharp on APS-C bodies. I forgot why. I wonder what the Zeiss would look like with a focal reducer if that was possible.
Zeiss 55 is a full-frame lens while the sigma 56 is an aps-c one. If you had mounted the zeiss on a full-frame camera it would have been sharper than the sigma on the aps-c you used. Mounting a full-frame lens on an APS-C body has a negative impact on both the resolution of the image as well as the aperture of the lens.
I'm wondering if the Zeiss slightly less performance is due to the fact that it's designed for FF instead of APS-C? Also the Sigma is more recent so one would assume that more recent designs should be better. If I only had my A6300 I would definately go for the Sigma. However I may wish to upgrade my Sony FF 50mm 1.8 and then the Zeiss 55mm F1.8 would be the logical choice. It seems that Zeiss in general (for E-mount) could do with some new glass. Sony as well at least in the 'budget' range as they are getting outclassed by Sigma and Tamron.
The SIGMA 56 mm is one of my favorite.. it's not all perfect a bit of distortion compared to FE 85 mm f/1.8.. also the tendency to produce greenish thing when exposed without hood on bright lights.. but overall performance is super... please do comparison on both 56 and FE 85 :D
Once upon a time, Zeiss and Leica where the best Lenses to buy. I think the time is over. Sigma beats Zeiss! Thanks for your work! Best regards to you and your charming family! Wolf from Austria
I just ordered a a6600. Are there like lens filters fit for just protection? Like just transparent filter at the front of the lens that has zero effect on the image?
Maybe the Zeiss would have been better on a full frame, but I realise it would no longer be a fair comparison. I am also really impressed with the Sigma 16mm (which I bought after seeing your review) and it does wonders on my a6300. Now I need something with larger focal lens (I do have the 55-210 Sony lens, but it's rubbish when compared to the new Sigma, so I will replace it with something like a prime from Sigma).
I am full frame and aps-c user, fx30 and a7siii and a7Iv, just want a nice sharp lens for my fx30 for b-roll stuff (video of course), I've tried the 55 zeiss a few times but its autofocus is a hit or miss in terms of reliability...even if i put the focus speed to 2 or 3 sometimes it jumps in big steps...have you experienced this?
I hope you'll do this forever :) Your reviews on Sigma helped me a lot on my decision whether it is Sigma56 or Sony50 :) Very beautiful models as well :) Should I sell my 18-105 and get the Sigma trio instead? Thanks!
I am getting an a7iii soon so I am looking for a 50mm range prime. I have an a6000 and the 16 and 30 C Sigma's already. I wonder if I should get the FF sony 50 1.8, or this 56 1.4 sigma. What would you do?
But wouldn’t you expect a slower shutter speed to offer a softer image??? And the 56mm doesn’t have any specific “cut out” for APS-C, in fact only the full frame lens here has a rectangular cutout. You can use the 56mm on full frame with little to no vignetting at at some focal distances. I know this is 3 years old but loaded with bad basic information.
Great video, congrats!! Can you answer a question? I have a Sony A6000. Iwant to buy a portrait lens and i don't know if there is much difference between sigma 56 mm f1.4 and sony 50 mm f1,8 OSS. I know that Sigma 56 mm f1,4 is your favourite portrait lens but, what provides each lens in my camera?? I do not know if it's worth the difference of money between the lenses. Thank you for your opinion.
im sorry but you cant compare a full frame lens with an aps-c lens .. the Zeiss lens will perform better on for instance on the a7iii ... but if you are getting a "50mm" lens for your apsc camera yes the sigma 56mm is the one ..even better than the 50mm F1.8 sony for aps-c which is a lovely lens .
Hi. I really want to get into photography I love taking pictures but I just take then on my phone. What camera do you recommend getting for my 1st camera ? Thank you.
I have an a6000 and an A7 and the Zeiss is excellent on the A7 but I don't like it on the A6000, I actually kept my Sony 50mm as it is OSS and the image quality is very similar (on APSC). As I said though, the Zeiss 55mm really is good on full frame and unfortunately the Sigma is APSC only so can't really replace it for me. I find all the Sony lenses (Zeiss included) tend to have too much chromatic aberrations to use wide open.
Would you recommend the neweer 35mm 1.7 lens for video with my a6300? I mainly shoot music videos and promo videos and was wondering how this would perform for video as I have a very low budget. Thank you👍🏻
Is the Zeiss being made for full-frame having an impact on it's performance/quality on an APS-C body? I've heard that FE lenses can suffer degraded performance/sharpness on APS-C cameras.
It would be a fair comparison if you put the Zeis 55 on the a7iii. Make the same picture except you have to take a step back with the sigma 56 cause of the cropfactor. Keep going, I love your videos :)
That comparison would be interesting. I have the Sigma 60/2.8. It is very good and has slightly more reach than the 56/1.4. I also have the Sony 50 mm F1.8 OSS that works very well with the a6000 that is without IBIS. - both the Sigma 60 & 56 have no image stabilisation. FF lenses on Crop Sensor cameras is not their most efficient usage.
Is it weird that even though the sigma is sharper when focusing on a specific target, the bokeh looks much better on the Zeiss? or maybe i'm saying that because the bokeh colors look better? Anyway nice video as always friend :)
Another great video on arguably the best - and most loyal - Sony APS-C UA-cam channel. Sony take note please and start sending those press event invites! Not far off from that 100k subs' mark now I see as well... which will be rightly deserved when it finally happens.
Sony won't call him because he goes honest opinion..
Sony has LOST THEIR MINDS not inviting you to camera launches, in particular the A6400 and APS-C in general. I really look forward to a future review of the mythical A7000 and I *really* hope you'll have that review (or preview) on the day of announcement because they got smart and invite you.
ARUN RAJ and David Corsi - My team helps Sony's digital imaging division with media outreach, so I thought I'd comment specifically on this. Sony loves honest opinions, and Arthur and Jenessa have great, honest opinions. In Sony's view of the camera and video market, Sony makes the best gear, and welcomes people looking at it with their own opinions and their own perspectives. We never tell the press what to write or how to do their reviews.
When it comes to lens reviews, remember that Sony made the e-mount specifications published, so other companies could create lenses. Having a wide variety of products that work with Sony's cameras, without having to reverse engineer a closed mount system is, as far as I'm concerned, a real plus.
Believe it or not, but there are a huge number of great channels with good followings that UA-cam doesn't bring up in discovery, and I'm always really happy when I find someone like TechnologyMafia. We've only recently found this channel, which is why Sony hasn't reached out to them. Sony have reached out, and I'm going to do so as well.
Rest assured that we're as happy to see great, independent creatives in this space evaluating the possibilities as you are. :) There are no lost minds here, no conspiracies to hide honest opinions. Just new connections to be made, new relationships to forge, and new content to support.
@@davidschloss2656 Can you kindly give this site some detail of the manner in which Sony and you have now ""reached out" to the site producers?
It is no exaggeration to say that this site would have been responsible for the sale of a large number of a 6000s, which as I understand it, is the best selling APSC body.
Robert Cudlipp I’m a bit confused. The a6000 was released in 2014. I can’t go back and contact him in the past. :) We have reached out to them, and they get press info from us now and we are available to them if they have questions or need to review gear.
The next lens you need and try to get and test is this monster from Sigma 105mm 1.4 . Not cheap but beautiful results :-)
ua-cam.com/video/NP-_796_ixQ/v-deo.html
Sigma 56mm looking like an incredible lense
I tested the 56mm for about a week and a half and I agree it’s surprisingly sharp and the bokeh is very creamy. However I noticed significant barrel distortion. You can see it in this video as well, when comparing the two buildings. Look at the lower left corner on both photos and you’ll see the Zeiss doing a better job handling distortion. I think the lens profile isn’t properly implemented in Adobe Lightroom, as I constantly had to resort to manually straightening the lines in my photos. There is also some chromatic aberration on high contrast, in focus areas. It’s no surprise here, as the 30mm f/1.4 DC DN has the same behaviour. Nothing that can’t be fixed through Lightroom. All in all, the lens is really great value for what it delivers and it’s become the benchmark for future portrait lenses for Sony APS-C.
Dan Pandrea I agree I have noticed the huge barrel distortion as well on the Sigma. Is it sharp? Absolutely. Is it corrected in a proper way? Not at all. This for me was a bit of a show stopper.
I noticed significant barrel distortion on my 56mm as well. I like the sharpness. I hope they will release proper lens profile to correct the distortion in the future.
@@jonathantkc
Four years on, has the profile been improved?
Except for one picture, I consistently preferred the images from the Zeiss lens, particularly the color balance (though not by much). However it’s more than twice as expensive as the Sigma, which seals the deal on which is better in my book.
Is it a good deal to buy the Zeiss 55mm for $300 used?
The Sigma is sooo much better and so much cheaper I can't believe it. Bought it yesterday and man... The lens is perfect. Ultra sharp, no green fringing (aka chromatic aberration) perfect focusing. What's not to like?
Still good after some years??? :)
@@ojayjosh5322 is the sigma 56 mm 1.4 also good on my sony a7s (full frame sensor)
@@ojayjosh5322 thank you for the answer ;) ill look into it
@@simonbertelsen4390 go to 85mm f1. 8 then
I was contemplating between Fuji and Sony, Sigma's trio (16, 30, 56) made me pick Sony, hard to beat their value and image quality. Just amazing lenses.
me too. But i REALLY miss X-H1... sony body's crap... IBIS garbage too. X-H1 was perfect. sad sigma doesnt make lens for fuji.
@@SayWhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat Now they've made it
The Sigma engineers are not messing around when it comes to image quality. Great video.
I sold my zeiss when the sigma 56 was released. Never had a chance to compare them side by side. Really glad you made this comparison video. I’ve had nothing but amazing pics from my sigma. Never regretted selling the Zeiss. Of course if I had an a7, that’s a different story. Thanks for the good video
That 56mm looks pretty sweet
Definitely prefer the Sigma lenses for Sony APS-C, great side-by-side review. Thanks!
man.....Sigma just is killing it! All three of their lenses are SO good in quality....and not crazy expensive. It's so compact too! Now I just need that IBIS or stabilization.
I do like the versatility of the Zeiss, having an APS-C and a Sony full frame. The Zeiss is very sharp on the full frame and I’m OK to loose a little bit of sharpness to use it on my APS-C to gain another focal distance. It’s expensive but for me (enthusiast)it’s like having 2 good lenses.
Thomas Gentil Valid point. The Zeiss 55 is still sharper than the Sony 50 even on a crop sensor.
Am I too late to comment?😁 First off, thanks for what you do. You certainly are the best source of information for us Sony APS-C shooters. For the most part, I would agree with your assessment. (not always though). I do doubt that anybody, except maybe you, would be able to see any difference between these 2 lenses at normal viewing size and distance.. There is however, a big advantage to the Zeiss for those of us shooting Sony FF and APS-C Currently, (3 yrs later) the Sony 55mm is selling for under $600 new, and under $500 used. It's nice that there are now so many really high quality, small full frame primes, that overlap so perfectly between the 2 formats. Of course, I own the Sigma 56mm, but I'm trying to cut down the number of lenses that I own without cutting quality or significantly increasing size and this Sony looks to be a good choice, for me. I'd love to see you do some reviews of some of the newer, smallish, FF primes and how they perform on Sony APS-C bodies. (Sony 85mm F1.8, Samyang 75mm F1.8, Sony 35mm F1.8, Samyang 24mm F1.8, etc) Again, thanks for the comparison. Well done.
Please suggest cheap DSLR Lenses with ois for travel videos.(200D)
Is it possible that the optical formula of a full frame lens is inherently at disadvantage compared with a APS-C lens both mounted on a cropped sensor mirrorless?
I really don't know but I would think that a full frame lens on an aps-c camera would have an advantage, because the often problematic outer area of a picture gets cropped out.
Wow when the 55 came out per dxo it was one of the sharpest prime lenses ever period and the sharpest autofocus lens they had ever tested. At the time . It was my first lens on a7r when it came out. Sigma made another winner here and it does not even bear Art label
Wow! The Zeiss 55mm is the sharpest lens I've ever used, and now that I've switched from a7ii to a6400 I was thinking of keeping that lens, but after this video it might be worth it to sell the Zeiss and get the cheaper and faster Sigma! The Zeiss was perfect except for the green/purple fringing you mentioned at wide apertures.
Zeiss is lense designed for Full frame, ALL lenses that created for Full frame, on APSC will be softer.
Nice detailed review as usual.
You mention AF speed and accuracy is very similar. Does that apply to continuous EyeAF on the a6500 as well?
The Zeiss is a full-frame lens - It’s not surprising that when comparing it to a purposed built crop sensor lens on a crop sensor body that the Zeiss looses out. On a full frame camera the Zeiss is fantastically sharp, and is a worthwhile purchase if you are planning on moving to FF in the near future. If you’re sticking to APSC, the Sigma is a no-brainer. Great video though!
This doesn't make much sense to me. The sensor size difference will be cropping out the corners and using more of the centre of the lens which is universally the sharpest area. These issues would be even worse on a full frame body. The Sigma is sharper on my a6400 compared to the zeiss on my a7iii.
I saw your video comparing the sigma 56mm it to the 50mm OSS, and I was pretty impressed. Bought the sigma on your recommendation, and it’s just flawless. Better than my 50mm OSS which will soon be going on eBay!
It’s tempting to pick up the 16mm too! Impeccable performance. Thanks for the great comparisons Arthur! :)
Great video! Sigma amazing lens and for the money is epic! The one thing I want to point out is that usually the FF lenses perform a little worse on apsc cameras! And you have the versatility to use that lens with apsc and ff cameras at the same time!
True. Not true with all lenses but yes. I can see that here.
Full frame lenses on APS-C sensors will undoubtedly will be less sharp than a lens that was engineered for APS-C. Compare images on the intended use of the lenses and see if you get the same results. Just curious.
While that may be true, it does not take away the value of the Sigma. The value in the Zeiss is the full frame capability but most of us with APS-C Sony cameras don't need that.
Bruce Coffman The way to do that would be to shoot both lenses on a full frame camera in crop mode. The results would very likely be identical. Regardless, the point of this comparison is to see which lens is sharper for APSC. There are a bunch of people who use Zeiss lenses on APSC, since there are no APSC specific fixed Zeiss lenses out.
@@ArthurR yes there is... Zeiss Touit 12mm f2. 8, 32mm f1. 8, & 50mm f2. 8 maceo. Also the Sony Zeiss 24-70mm f4.
Well the zoom Zeiss is not fixed obviously lol.
@@nightryder21 Also forgot the Sonnar 24mm F1.8, and I am sure you meant the 16-70mm not the FE 24-70.
Best channel for sony cropped sensor camera! Thanks a lot! Would you please (if you can get your hands on some example lenses) compare the zoom lenses for A6xxx cameras.
Excellent review as usual.
I shot some portraits of my daughter with the Sony A6000/Zeiss 55mm combo. My images were soft. When the Zeiss is paired with my A7RII, the images are tac sharp! I believe some FE lenses don’t perform well on crop sensor cameras.
Sold me on the 56mm. Your my go to guy for APSC
Can you make a comparison on the sigma 56 f/1.4 vs sigma 50mm f/1.4 (full-frame)
I'm thinking of purchasing the full frame lens to just be able to use it if I buy full-frame cameras in the future.
Sukesh Jothikumar Maybe, but I don’t understand why people buy full frame lenses because they might one day upgrade. In most cases you don’t lose money on lenses, so just upgrade everything at once. The sigma trio is too good to pass up because you might one day go full frame. Just my opinion though :)
@@ArthurR yeah,I do know that lenses don't lose much value.But here in India,it is tough to sell them once used...And that's one of the reasons I'm thinking of investing in full-frame glass.
@@Sukesh55 Why is it tough in India to sell used lenses?? People there don't buy used stuff in general??
The sigma 56mm is on its way to complement my 16mm on a6500 :) do you think I could do with just these two lenses?
yes
youll miss a 30mm, which is 45mm ff equiv.
Lol, I have the same setup. I just use Clear Image Zoom on the 16 to get the 30mm focal length.
@@g43654 okay, glad to hear. that's what i was wondering about, cause it would be perfect if i could have just 2 lenses for all my needs :D
I would look at a 24mm lens it works well on the APSC @ 36mm.
Your reviews and comparisons are great, man! Bought a Sigma 30mm 1.4 because of you and now about to get the 56mm 1.4.
Sigma is undoubtedly the best manufacturer making fixed SONY APS-C lenses. Its a shame SONY didn't commit to the format. FUJI is doing great work with their lineup.
I wonder how it would work for basketball shots. Indoor, decent good lighting , shooting from the baseline .
excellent review and side by side comparison. long story short, both lenses are fantastic and sharp edge to edge with equal levels of bokeh and subject separation. differences are much too small to be noticeable in real world use. the huge advantage with sigma is affordability. go get the zeiss only if you have plans to upgrade to fullframe.
The only problem is i'm upgrading my A6500 to the A7III and this lens would be useless what other lens in this range would you recommend other than the 55mm which I always heard was like the Sharpest of the Sony lenses? maybe the 85mm we use our Sony for Video.
Sigma released their full frame art series of lenses about a year ago. Might be worth checking them out.
Hello everybody ! Has anybody tried the sigma for shooting basketball indoors? I am very interested in the results . Thanks !
@5:32 you could see why the Zeiss lens is better, and it is actually a pretty clear example of what people usually call "Zeiss pop". Even at F4, the model is clearly separated from the wall behind, compared to the almost flat look on the Sigma picture. The Zeiss lens's focal plane is much narrower.
Is the Sonnar any better on full frame? I know the sharpness can degrade a little when you use a full frame lens on a crop sensor. Great video, just what I was looking for.
I watch several reviewers of lenses and other stuff but I seem to gravitate back to you all the time, you come across honest with a good voice and a very useful reviews.
I got one small question; have you thought about and looked into batteries? I have seen you recommended Wasabi chargers but there are several third party manufacturers of batteries and while my Sony original batteries NP-FW50 batteries have 1020 mAh, there are batteries claiming to have up to 1950 mAh, maybe there are even higher rated, but it is still almost twice the mAh if that is true and that should have an impact.
But have you experience or tested them? I am very curious and will order some to compare as having twice the power would make a ton of difference as the NP-FW50 is a bit on the low end as most reviewers complain.
N0rdman The reviews on those higher Mah batteries are pretty terrible, my guess is it’s just misleading advertising. If they were double capacity people would be raving about them.
@@ArthurR It seems you have done your homework yet again; I found a review that mostly confirms what you are saying. It would seem that the original Sony works best, the rest, with one exception, is far below Sony in capacity. The one exception is the DSTE I found with 1950 mAh that performs more or less just as the Sony.
ua-cam.com/video/nOc0oIzfimk/v-deo.html
What about a vídeo comparing the other Sigma 60mm 2.8 Lens vs this new 56. That would be intresting to see if is worth the upgrade. Thanks.
That Sigma 56 is pretty special.
all the 3 Sigma primes in the DC range 16/30/56 are mind blowing compared to any other APS-C specific lenses made for the Sony system. I may be dreaming but it begs the question... what could Sigma be able to do if they started creating dedicated ZOOMS for Sony APS-C? I fear they never will try since APS-C is becoming more niche (but its MY niche!) by the day.
As an analysis of DXO Mark's P-MPix score shows, the Zeiss which resolves 40 out of 42 MP on the A7RII can only resolve 15 out of 24MP on the A6000. It is optimized for FF. Unfair to compare it to the Sigma which is purpose built. For someone who uses both FF and APS-C, the Zeiss is a no-brainer.
Binnu Babu so if i have ff, go zeiss?
@@Ashleyapples Definitely. The Sigma on the FF camera will give you only a crop of the image eg. 10mp of a 24mp sensor.
@@findbinnu sigma only goes to 18 MP on a7r, II & III in APSC Mode the zeiss is the way to go for 35mm FF for sure. I've had mine since 4/4/2014 and It's been a staple in my bag from the a7, a7ii, a7rii and now my a7riii
ugh you care about dxo
And every time when you are talking about skin tones, I think about camera colour profile calibration. Does it really matter?
what camera were used with the 55mm ?
Marvelous review! However, I wonder if your copy of the 55mm is slightly off the standard, because DXO Mark has tested the 55mm as one the highest resolving lenses of all times. And my copy is performing just like that. I have never worked with the Sigma, though. Still, fantastic review. Very well presented! Thanks!
Your channel is awesome! Congratulations!
I like that you part your hair on the right side. Do you happen to be left-handed?
I'd like to see a comparison video between Sigma 56mm F1.4 and Sony 85mm F1.8. Thanks!
Ive been after that Zeiss for a while...Drool. Might look into the Sigma now though. Thanks for the review, keep em coming :)
Jesus that Sigma is SO MUCH sharper than the Sony/Zeiss.
Omg… why didn’t you tested it against bright light? I’ve sold sigma 30 because it performs bad in this conditions.
I'm biased towards zeiss. It looks to me like the Zeiss has better pop when looking at the image globally. However I am looking at this on a smart phone and I do have that aforementioned bias. Can you share your thoughts on which you prefer when looking at the image globally?
I lost enthusiasm for Zeiss after buying the 16-70 f4 zoom - it was expensive and was soft across the zoom range. Other youtuber’s reviews confirmed this. Either Zeiss has slipped, or the Japanese have beaten them at their own game.
Sigma look better and sharper but Zeiss look real color . I do have sigma 45mm for Sony do you have video about it or r u going to make video about it ?
Not to sound like a creeper but your wife and child are very beautiful people. You are very blessed. I appreciate your videos a TON man. Thank you! #a6500
child is not beautiful at all. at least in this age of his.
@@SayWhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat hahaha lol wut
Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN vs Sigma 50mm f/1.4 FE ART both on crop sensor what you think which is better option for sony APS-C body? if you could buy both lenses the same price
Tony Northrop says full frame lenses not as sharp on APS-C bodies. I forgot why. I wonder what the Zeiss would look like with a focal reducer if that was possible.
A full frame lens on an apsc body will effectively remove the edges and zoom in to the center portal of the image.
Can you do a comparison between Sigma 56mm 1.4 and the 60mm 2.8?
I wish Sigma would release a compact 50mm 1.4 for full frame.
Zeiss 55 is a full-frame lens while the sigma 56 is an aps-c one. If you had mounted the zeiss on a full-frame camera it would have been sharper than the sigma on the aps-c you used. Mounting a full-frame lens on an APS-C body has a negative impact on both the resolution of the image as well as the aperture of the lens.
You and Manny Ortiz are blessed with a full-time models at your side! Trooper spouse.
I'm wondering if the Zeiss slightly less performance is due to the fact that it's designed for FF instead of APS-C? Also the Sigma is more recent so one would assume that more recent designs should be better.
If I only had my A6300 I would definately go for the Sigma. However I may wish to upgrade my Sony FF 50mm 1.8 and then the Zeiss 55mm F1.8 would be the logical choice.
It seems that Zeiss in general (for E-mount) could do with some new glass. Sony as well at least in the 'budget' range as they are getting outclassed by Sigma and Tamron.
The SIGMA 56 mm is one of my favorite.. it's not all perfect a bit of distortion compared to FE 85 mm f/1.8.. also the tendency to produce greenish thing when exposed without hood on bright lights.. but overall performance is super... please do comparison on both 56 and FE 85 :D
Sigma makes some very sharp lenses. I love my 55 1.8, but that sigma is very nice, if I didn't already have the 55 I'd pick the 56 for sure.
and if you have full frame and apsc body, better keep zeiss since you can use it in both bodies ;)
What lens (50-56mm ish) would you recommend for a Full Frame camera ?
Once upon a time, Zeiss and Leica where the best Lenses to buy. I think the time is over. Sigma beats Zeiss!
Thanks for your work! Best regards to you and your charming family! Wolf from Austria
I just ordered a a6600. Are there like lens filters fit for just protection? Like just transparent filter at the front of the lens that has zero effect on the image?
i love sigma, but isn't his not compatible for full frame camera ? in that situation, spending money on sigma will cost and cant use for full frame.
Maybe the Zeiss would have been better on a full frame, but I realise it would no longer be a fair comparison. I am also really impressed with the Sigma 16mm (which I bought after seeing your review) and it does wonders on my a6300. Now I need something with larger focal lens (I do have the 55-210 Sony lens, but it's rubbish when compared to the new Sigma, so I will replace it with something like a prime from Sigma).
I have the 55mm...i will never sell mine...beyond beautiful esp with my a7iii.
Nice video, you got a beautiful family, God bless you.
I am full frame and aps-c user, fx30 and a7siii and a7Iv, just want a nice sharp lens for my fx30 for b-roll stuff (video of course), I've tried the 55 zeiss a few times but its autofocus is a hit or miss in terms of reliability...even if i put the focus speed to 2 or 3 sometimes it jumps in big steps...have you experienced this?
how is 56mm in this regards? is its autofocus jumpy with more modern sonys like 6700 or fx30?
I hope you'll do this forever :) Your reviews on Sigma helped me a lot on my decision whether it is Sigma56 or Sony50 :) Very beautiful models as well :) Should I sell my 18-105 and get the Sigma trio instead? Thanks!
I’ve been waiting for this video!!!!!
I am getting an a7iii soon so I am looking for a 50mm range prime. I have an a6000 and the 16 and 30 C Sigma's already. I wonder if I should get the FF sony 50 1.8, or this 56 1.4 sigma. What would you do?
Sigma make some truly exceptional lenses
Hey, love your video content and just purchased the Sigma 56mm! Do you have a Flickr account for your photography?
But wouldn’t you expect a slower shutter speed to offer a softer image???
And the 56mm doesn’t have any specific “cut out” for APS-C, in fact only the full frame lens here has a rectangular cutout. You can use the 56mm on full frame with little to no vignetting at at some focal distances.
I know this is 3 years old but loaded with bad basic information.
I ordered sigma 56 from Amazon. Hoping I did the right thing!
Great video, congrats!! Can you answer a question?
I have a Sony A6000. Iwant to buy a portrait lens and i don't know if there is much difference between sigma 56 mm f1.4 and sony 50 mm f1,8 OSS. I know that Sigma 56 mm f1,4 is your favourite portrait lens but, what provides each lens in my camera?? I do not know if it's worth the difference of money between the lenses. Thank you for your opinion.
Yes, the Sigma 56mm is SIGNIFICANTLY better. Well worth the $200 more.
@@ArthurR Thanks for your opinion. I love your work!!
im sorry but you cant compare a full frame lens with an aps-c lens .. the Zeiss lens will perform better on for instance on the a7iii ... but if you are getting a "50mm" lens for your apsc camera yes the sigma 56mm is the one ..even better than the 50mm F1.8 sony for aps-c which is a lovely lens .
GilbertTV Why can’t I compare a 55mm E-Mount lens to a 56mm E-Mount lens? I’m interested to see which is better for my A6500.
youre right... & my appologies... @@ArthurR
Hi. I really want to get into photography I love taking pictures but I just take then on my phone. What camera do you recommend getting for my 1st camera ? Thank you.
I have an a6000 and an A7 and the Zeiss is excellent on the A7 but I don't like it on the A6000, I actually kept my Sony 50mm as it is OSS and the image quality is very similar (on APSC). As I said though, the Zeiss 55mm really is good on full frame and unfortunately the Sigma is APSC only so can't really replace it for me. I find all the Sony lenses (Zeiss included) tend to have too much chromatic aberrations to use wide open.
Sigma is just great.
There will be SAMYANG AF 50MM F1.4 and SONY FE55mm F1.8 ZA contrast?
a7432186 Probably not because I can’t test full frame lenses on APSC cameras because it’s not fair! 😩 lol
This video is an example why sharp full frame lenses aren't necessarily equally sharp on APS-C bodies.
Does it seem that the Sigma has a smidge more lens distortion? The fence in the 3rd(?) photo seems slightly more curved upwards in the sigma.
Slightly, but thats because the Zeiss has in-body correction.
Not so fair, I would like to see the zeiss 55 + a7iii/a7c vs sigma 56 + a6400
I got the 56 1.4 too. highly recommended 👍🏽 I have some sample pictures at my profile too. Nice video love your reviews ❤️
It would be interesting and definitely more accurate to make the same comparison but with the Zeiss mounted on a full-frame body.
Comparing the apsc sensor vs FF? Come on man.. 😅
Would you recommend the neweer 35mm 1.7 lens for video with my a6300? I mainly shoot music videos and promo videos and was wondering how this would perform for video as I have a very low budget. Thank you👍🏻
Wow.. I was definitely shocked with this one.
Please compare sigma 56mm vs 7artisans 55mm
The Sigma is clear sharper more contrasty. But because of those, its bokeh is harsh and not as creamy as the Zeiss.
I would argue the Zeiss's bokeh is more harsh and outlined.
Is the Zeiss being made for full-frame having an impact on it's performance/quality on an APS-C body? I've heard that FE lenses can suffer degraded performance/sharpness on APS-C cameras.
that is right, aps c lenses are supposed du get all their ligt on a smaller sensor than a full frame lens. So it is always just like a crop image.
How are the lenses AF speed? I'm using Sony A7 with FE 50mm 1.8 but I'm not happy for 50mm 1.8 focus speed.
Its the camera. I have it on my a7iii and it focuses fast (but noisy) and takes wonderful pictures...i think its the camera
Fujinon XF 56mm f/1.2 r apd all the way! :D
Super vid and high quality sharp56 mm of Sigma with an fantastic price /quality
It would be a fair comparison if you put the Zeis 55 on the a7iii. Make the same picture except you have to take a step back with the sigma 56 cause of the cropfactor. Keep going, I love your videos :)
Im a dog Garcia Lol the A7iii sensor is so good that it would be crazy unfair.
Foto4Max of course it would, just step back the distance in cropfactor.
I know you shoot aps-c but What do you think of the 17-28mm f2.8 Tamron
Al3x DudA It looks interesting and I want to try it. I wish it was a 17-40 though.
Sigma 60mm f2.8 vs Sigma 56mm f1.4 ????
That comparison would be interesting. I have the Sigma 60/2.8. It is very good and has slightly more reach than the 56/1.4. I also have the Sony 50 mm F1.8 OSS that works very well with the a6000 that is without IBIS. - both the Sigma 60 & 56 have no image stabilisation. FF lenses on Crop Sensor cameras is not their most efficient usage.
Is it weird that even though the sigma is sharper when focusing on a specific target, the bokeh looks much better on the Zeiss? or maybe i'm saying that because the bokeh colors look better?
Anyway nice video as always friend :)