Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM Art A-mount lens review by samyboy

reviewer#11180 date: Jun-7-2013
sharpness: 5
color: 5
build: 5
distortion: 5
flare control: 5
overall: 5
tested on:
  • film camera:Film camera
  • APS-C: 6MP6 MP; 10MP10 MP; 12MP12 MP; 14MP14 MP; 16MP16 MP; 20MP20 MP; 24MP24 MP
  • full frame: 12MP12 MP; 24MP24 MP; 36MP36 MP; 42MP42 MP; 61MP61 MP
ownership:I own this lens
compared to:Sony CZ 24mm f2.0 & Minolta 35mm f1.4 RS
price paid:$899.00
positive:Considring the $899.00 price, lens is worth every penny.
negative:Hood is hard to take on or off.
comment:Am afraid my review of this wonderful lens is not complete since I have been playing with it only on my a580 for over a week but my a900 is at the repair shop so I can’t say much since I have not used it in full frame.
What I can say is this lens gives you beautiful Minolta like colors, very similar to what I get with my Sony 70-200mm, but what surprises me is the smooth transition from shadows to sunlight in street photography something I can’t get with my Minolta 35mm f1.4 RS or with my CZ 24mm f2.0 with the same camera and with the same settings.
The lens appearance is just great with the ribs on the lens barrel a little coarser but very similar to Sony lenses. The ribs are also stamped on the rear cap and on the lens hood and this complement the lens design real nice. The front cap is also new in design.
I have only used the lens at f8 and f4 on street photography in the last few days so I can’t say much about using it wide open but I will do that when I get my a900 back from the shop. The focusing is not lighting fast but you can feel the lens smooth movement to reach the focusing spot. Colors are better than with my CZ 24mm and sharpness is better by a lot than with my Minolta 35mm RS.
The lens cannot be used with my new Sigma 1.4X HSM telecoverter and that is too bad because the coverter is very good and works fine with my Sony 70-200mm.

rating summary

lens image
  • total reviews: 18
  • sharpness: 4.81
  • color: 4.83
  • build: 4.78
  • distortion: 4.94
  • flare control: 4.94
  • overall: 4.86
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