Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM Art A-mount lens reviews
reviews found: 17
 MediaArchivist#46939 date: May-7-2023 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.8 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta 35/1.4G |
| price paid: | $850 new |
| positive: | Great combination of sharpness and bokeh. |
| negative: | On an a99ii, AF is slow and inconsistent. Worse in low light. |
| comment: | I used this lens a lot on my a99ii, despite the AF issues. It works very well outdoors in the day, but indoors I prefer my Minolta. However, using on my a7Rv with a LA-EA adapter has breathed new life into this lens. Eye detect AF with tracking works very well, even in low light. The AF is still a little slow so some action shots can be hit or miss. And the results are magnificent at 61Mp. |
; 61MP| halflifecrysis#44183 date: Dec-1-2018 | |
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sharpness: 3.5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.3 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I used to own this lens |
| compared to: | - 50mm f1.4 ZA A-Mount - Zeiss 24mm f2 - Minolta 35mm f2 - Sony G Series 35mm 1.4 - Sony APSC 35mm DT 1.8. I own the above lenses, but I've also owned the Minolta 35mm 1.4 as another lens in this range. |
| price paid: | $700 with dock |
| positive: | Seems to be made well, it's heavy, lots of glass. Probably the best 35mm for A mount, but I say that with a grain of salt. |
| negative: | Slow AF, heavy, even slower to focus in low light and inconsistent focusing even stopped down regardless of microadjusting. |
| comment: | Inconsistent focus on Sony A99ii, Often I would have to move off subject and come back. Slow focus, my Zeiss 50mm is much faster. After returning the Sigma I picked up a used Zeiss 24mm that was to no surprise tac sharp. I tried to micro adjust on the Sigma and didn't seem to make much difference. I believe the DxO marks on this lens are a little fluffy. They probably spent hours on the dock fine tuning and readjusting and in contrast I bet there's a good chance the Sony/Zeiss products scoring slightly below the Sigma probably had little to no adjustments. Wouldn't it be nice if DxO shared that data with the specs? It's hard to swallow that this lens as "best 35mm for A Mount". On my 77ii I get a much better hit rate with a 1.8 Sony 35mm. My gut says it's probably few and far in between that folks get a Sigma out of the box with that "clinical sharpness" thay you read about. This is in my opinion why online retailers often push a free dock or discounted one. It's like buying a new car and being given a free socket set and repair manual. I wish Sony/Zeiss would come out with an updated flagship 35mm for A-mount as the G jusy doesn't cut it with the purple fringing. I believe the only AF 35mm that I haven't tested yet is the Tamron 1.8 and I may give it a spin sooner than later if I find the right deal. In the meantime, if you have a 99ii you "may" be better off getting the Zeiss 24mm and cropping to get that 35mm feel. |
| wangavagusbanjo#39922 date: Aug-16-2017 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.8 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | 50mm f1.4 ZA A-Mount |
| price paid: | $1249 NZ |
| positive: | Sharp wide open with a bump in contrast at f2, quiet to focus, well built, good hood, quite quick to focus (but not as fast as a Sony 50mm). |
| negative: | Surprisingly big and heavy. Not as quick to focus as the 50 ZA. Can hunt sometimes in low light/low contrast. Needed a lot of micro adjust out of the box (-10 on a99 and -16 on a900) while I have not needed to bother with my other lenses. The box and packaging don't look like they would offer much protection. The electronic focus limiter in the a99 does not work even though it lights up as per normal. |
| comment: | Out of the box it was quite soft and did not seem to focus accurately but once I did some fine tuning of the focus it is much better and displays excellent sharpness wide open at f1.4. It is quite a big lens and feels a bit front heavy on the a99 but better on the a900. It is great for inside environmental portraits. It doesn't seem to have the same colour saturation as the ZA. Overall I think it is excellent value for a 35mm f1.4 and if that is the focal length you want or need I think it is very good. |
| Gert van den Bosch#39899 date: Jul-16-2017 | |
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sharpness: 4 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.8 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sigma 30mm F1.4 |
| price paid: | 680 euro |
| positive: | Very well build lens, sharp |
| negative: | makes sometimes noise when finding focus |
| comment: | A lot used by me. Love this lens. Works well with MC-11. Hunts sometimes(is rare, but happens) Colours are great. |
| dfwatt#36793 date: Mar-23-2017 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony G 35mm 1.4 Sigma Art 50mm 1.4 |
| price paid: | 600 |
| positive: | 1) Like virtually every Sigma Art, sharpness, detail and micro-contrast are there to beat the band. Sharp even wide open, and very sharp stopped down just to f2.0. Excellent performance in the corners. 2) Excellent build quality 3) Superb value for the money, offering better performance than Sony G 35mm 1.4 for less money. 4) Good control over CA, pretty minimal distortion, moderate vignetting wide open, disappearing on stopping down. 5) Pretty good bokeh, particularly at anything under 2.0. 6) Very easy to MFA given USB dock. |
| negative: | 1) Weight– Relatively heavy for a 35mm lens, not unexpected given Sigma Art design priorities. 2) May not be available much longer for Alpha mount. Some indications that Sigma may stop manufacturing all lenses for A mount. |
| comment: | This is another value homerun from Sigma. It's really the only first-rate 35mm prime currently available for Alpha mount at this point. Sony G 35 1.4 is a much older design (going back to the late 80's), really never gets terribly sharp in the corners, and has to be stopped down a full stop or more to be competitive with the Sigma Art 35. The Sony G does have some nice virtues including very smooth bokeh and great color and central sharpness. But for most street shooting, this is the better lens, and for less money. |
| Collingsandheal#34773 date: Feb-4-2017 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta AF20. Sigma super wide 2. Minolta AF28f2. Zeiss FE2,8/35. Minolta AF50. Sigma 50mm f1:4. Zeiss FE1,8/55. Sony 2.8/85 SAM. Minolta AF135. Zeiss 85mm f1.4 |
| price paid: | £477.00 |
| positive: | Finish is up to Zeiss standards!!! Feel is up to Zeiss standards!!! They could have launched this lens with the Zeiss logo on it and no one would have batted an eyelid. |
| negative: | Very big and very heavy compared to Minolta af35 f2 but most things are. |
| comment: | The new 35mm champ, bar none. Truly excellent finish feel and performance, everywhere and in every way. The best 35mm lens yet. It is sharper than the ZEISS ZA 85mm F1.4 and brighter and sharper than the ZEISS FE 35mm f2.8 especialy in the corners of the frame. I will still be holding onto the Minolta 35mm f2 as it remains as the best walk around lens due to it's size and artistic nature. For commercial work though I will be using the Sigma every time. |
| seeky#27585 date: May-22-2016 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 4 build: 4 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.6 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony FE 28-70 Sony FE 35 f2.8 Sony 35mm F1.8 SAM |
| price paid: | € 700 |
| positive: | Vey good sharpness from wide open Good ergonomics Excellent value for money |
| negative: | Slowish AF Slightly warmer color compared to Sony/Zeiss No weather sealing Bokeh depends on taste |
| comment: | There's not a lot to add about this lens to what has already been said. It is very sharp, and the focus ring is nice and wide; The AF speed is on the slower side, but accurate. The colors are different but not bad. If you don't need f1.4, there are better (smaller and lighter) options such as the FE 35mm f2.8. For FF A-mount it is an affordable and good option especially for the wide aperture. I wouldn't recommend to adapt this lens on the A7 series if you want fast AF, but it is very accurate. In addition, I can't understand why this lens (and other ART primes) are not weather sealed; these are the easiest lenses to seal because there is only one focus ring and switch but no other external moving parts. All in all, it is a very sharp and affordable option for the Sony system but it comes with a couple of compromises. |
| dinadan#21438 date: Nov-29-2015 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony 24mm f2 SSM ZA Sony 50mm f1.4 SSM ZA |
| price paid: | 580 EUR used (mint) |
| positive: | very sharp, nice build, good colours |
| negative: | heavy |
| comment: | This lens fits nicely between my 24mm and 50mm Zeiss lenses. The image quality and build are comparable good. I use ist on my A7II with LA-EA3, the autofocus (with firmware 2.0) ist very prezise even at open aperture. |
| leonblij#12209 date: Mar-25-2015 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony zeis 50 F1.4 Sony DT 16-50 F2.8 |
| price paid: | €749 |
| positive: | Sharpness. Oof en Dof Bokeh. Fast AF. color. |
| negative: | Hmmmm nothing😄 |
| comment: | A joy to use. I did a test with the zeis 50 F1.4 and the Sigma is imo better (less purple fringing in high contrast) And on Aps-c better field of view. But the Zeis is no bad lens, for my use the Sigma is the better one. Good value also. |
| Rodeo_Fan#12115 date: Jan-27-2015 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.9 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | None. |
| price paid: | 899.00 |
| positive: | Colors are unmatched by none of my other prime lenses. |
| negative: | None. |
| comment: | Surprised that color rendition is closer to Minolta's and better than my Zeiss 24mm f2 and Zeiss 50mm f1.4. |
| GlassEye#12027 date: Nov-8-2014 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony 16-50 f/2.8 Minolta 24mm f/2.8 Minolta 24-105 |
| price paid: | $900.00 USD |
| positive: | Scary sharp from f/1.4! Very solid build and a joy to use. Shooting directly into Sun or other bright light gives only a tiny amount of flare. |
| negative: | Heavy and expensive (for me). A bit big for street work, but I use it anyway! AF is ... deliberate. I've only used it on the A77II (purchased at the same time) so there may be a setting or two I need to adjust for quicker AF. |
| comment: | This lens is spoiling me! It is a joy to use and the sharpness and detail in the image is amazing. It may actually be sharper than reality. The build is solid and smooth. The fit and finish is excellent. I have tried shooting into very bright light such as the Sun or reflections on water. There is a small amount of green flare in that situation, but not as much as you might expect. I've only had this lens for about a month and it can be a challenge to work at f/1.4. I did a small micro-adjust and it seems perfect on the A77II. |
| jeffreybehr#11955 date: Aug-20-2014 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony Zeiss 16-35/2.8 @ 35. |
| price paid: | US$758 new, deliv'd |
| positive: | VERY sharp all the way into corners @ F8, vibrant colors, low distortion, quiet, quick to focus, low weight, feels great. |
| negative: | Nothing. |
| comment: | Wow, what a great lens. All excellent, nothing negative. Sharper and more colorful than the Zony 16-35. |
| Sonyman#11786 date: Apr-23-2014 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta 50mm f1.7 Sigma 24-70 f2.8 HSM Sony 16-50 f2.8 SSM |
| price paid: | 850 |
| positive: | sharp Color build |
| negative: | nothing yet |
| comment: | With my minolta 80-200 f2.8 APO HS G, this is my best lens, very acurate focus, really sharp. Most used between 2.0 and 2.8. And excelent lens |
| 24stang#11501 date: Nov-26-2013 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta 28-70 2.8G |
| price paid: | 899 USD |
| positive: | Amazing image quality at any aperture. Very short minimum focus distance makes this a perfect walk-around lens. Focus ring is so smooth. Takes advantage of the a high-resolution sensor such as the 24MP on the a99. |
| negative: | For a brand new lens, it required a lot of micro adjustment. |
| comment: | This lens has become my standard lens over a Minolta 28-70mm 2.8G. The sleek design makes old lenses really show their age. After seeing all the Canon/Nikon mount reviews for this lens, the decision to get it was pretty easy. I bought it on the day of release and it is labelled 012. |
| ecsh#11257 date: Jul-18-2013 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Sony 34 1.4 Sony 34 1.8 |
| price paid: | 899.00 |
| positive: | Nicely built. Smooth manual focus. Very nice finish unlike the old finish they used to use. |
| negative: | Does not have lightning fast focus. |
| comment: | I had alot of hope for this lens, and it has not let me down. I was disappointed with the two different copies Sony version, and hoped this lens would be great. It is everything they say about it as far as sharpness goes. The only knock i can give this lens is it is a little slow to focus, but does not hunt. Just takes a little longer to get where it should. It has not cost me any shots, so i have been fine with it. Colors are great as well. Very happy with this purchase. |
| Parker#11194 date: Jun-16-2013 | |
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sharpness: 4.5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 4.9 | tested on:
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| ownership: | I own this lens |
| compared to: | Minolta 28-70 G Minolta 28mm |
| price paid: | missing |
| positive: | Feels solid Nice colors Beautiful bokeh |
| negative: | Does not benefit from the full a99 focusing capabilities |
| comment: | I’ve had this lens on an a99 for two weeks now. My only grief is that it cannot make full use of the complete a99 autofocus capability. This being said, I don’t have buyer’s remorse. I’ve been trying the lens with my young grand kids playing as models and with no flash. The results in good lighting are really good; external shots of kids playing (high speed, f between 8 and 16) are sharp and the colors full and deep. Bokeh at f 8 is soft and really nice. Indoor shots with poor lighting (no flash) at f 1.4 to 2 and at 1/60th of kids playing (at a distance of a yard or so) was, at first, a disappointment; I have been getting a number of out of focus shots. I then realized that I was getting a higher average of good shots when compared to any of my old Minolta lenses under similar circumstances. Again the colors came out great; I shot in RAW, use Aperture and I didn’t have to make any corrections post edition. This lens will most certainly become my favorite for street photography as it is much lighter than the ageing Minolta 28-70 G I’ve been (ab)using! |
| samyboy#11180 date: Jun-7-2013 | |
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sharpness: 5 color: 5 build: 5 distortion: 5 flare control: 5 overall: 5 | tested on:
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| 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. |
reviews found: 17
rating summary
- total reviews: 17
- sharpness: 4.79
- color: 4.82
- build: 4.82
- distortion: 5.00
- flare control: 5.00
- overall: 4.89
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