Sigma 50mm f1.4 Art announced

17-40 + 50 + 70-200 is a good combo. You'll have to decide if it's worth keeping the other lenses, but that would definitely be my preference.

Charlie wrote in post #16723915
17-40 + 50 + 70-200 is a good combo. You'll have to decide if it's worth keeping the other lenses, but that would definitely be my preference.

I'd have a hard time giving up my 85 just because its so great in the studio. Super duper sharp, (although if they came out with an art version I'd jump immediately) The 35 I was so high on and when you look at some of the work with that lens in the lens sample thread it is amazing but I find that I'm really up in someone's business shooting people with that size and when I'm not I'm getting a lot of negative space and cropping. Again, not a knock on the lens because it's amazing, just not sure that its the focal length for me.

jbm7777 wrote in post #16723945
I'd have a hard time giving up my 85 just because its so great in the studio. Super duper sharp, (although if they came out with an art version I'd jump immediately) The 35 I was so high on and when you look at some of the work with that lens in the lens sample thread it is amazing but I find that I'm really up in someone's business shooting people with that size and when I'm not I'm getting a lot of negative space and cropping. Again, not a knock on the lens because it's amazing, just not sure that its the focal length for me.

You definitely have to be comfortable enough, and make sure the client is comfortable enough to be that close with a 35, but I absolutely love the 35mm focal length!

jbm7777 wrote in post #16723945
I'd have a hard time giving up my 85 just because its so great in the studio. Super duper sharp, (although if they came out with an art version I'd jump immediately) The 35 I was so high on and when you look at some of the work with that lens in the lens sample thread it is amazing but I find that I'm really up in someone's business shooting people with that size and when I'm not I'm getting a lot of negative space and cropping. Again, not a knock on the lens because it's amazing, just not sure that its the focal length for me.

exactly why I stopped shooting 35mm. And due to the working distance, I like the perspective control of the 50 better, since I use it mainly for people snapshots. Heck, I was happy with the IQ from the 35mm F2 non IS, and if it were for me, I'de still be shooting it. I'de probably lean to the 50/85 combo myself if I were to buy another prime. The 70-200 mk2 is incredible for everything though. Extremely good and flexible, just heavy. way off topic now....

Are the canon fanboys too nervous to chime in on how that comparison that was posted is not representative of what the lens will really be like? Or how how it doesn't matter if it is so sharp becuase it will miss AF 90% of the time????

Dude, that is sick. I am so jacked about this, I already have $1400 hidden away

I'm a bit of a "Canon Fanboy" that really likes Sigma lenses too...I was looking at ^^Charlie's^^ Flickr (which is awesome BTW) and my eyes are immediately drawn to the 50L shots ("Game Over, you lose" and "Eat the Money") There's a quality that you get from the 50L that doesn't have anything to do with the sharpness or any corrections made to distortion. I see it in the 85L as well, it's not really in the processing either because I get the same feel in my shots when I use the 50L or 85L...It's not only the wide aperture either, it's the contrast/color and over all "feel" of the shots.

I owned a few copies of both the Sigma 85mm's and the 50/1.4's...While excellent lenses and I was thrilled to use them, test them,show off the images through my Flickr and so on and so forth. I ended up coming back to the Canon 50L and 85L....For the mere fact that I can't get that exact same feel from the Sigmas...Not necessarily the wider aperture, but the image as a whole, to me renders better with the Canon.

All that said, the numbers on the Sigma Art 50 look CRAZY good, just wondering how the images will "feel"

thatkatmat wrote in post #16724459
I'm a bit of a "Canon Fanboy" that really likes Sigma lenses too...I was looking at ^^Charlie's^^ Flickr (which is awesome BTW) and my eyes are immediately drawn to the 50L shots ("Game Over, you lose" and "Eat the Money") There's a quality that you get from the 50L that doesn't have anything to do with the sharpness or any corrections made to distortion. I see it in the 85L as well, it's not really in the processing either because I get the same feel in my shots when I use the 50L or 85L...It's not only the wide aperture either, it's the contrast/color and over all "feel" of the shots.

I owned a few copies of both the Sigma 85mm's and the 50/1.4's...While excellent lenses and I was thrilled to use them, test them,show off the images through my Flickr and so on and so forth. I ended up coming back to the Canon 50L and 85L....For the mere fact that I can't get that exact same feel from the Sigmas...Not necessarily the wider aperture, but the image as a whole, to me renders better with the Canon.

All that said, the numbers on the Sigma Art 50 look CRAZY good, just wondering how the images will "feel"

I love my Sigma 35, but as you said, there's more to lenses image quality than sharpness alone.

I sold the 50L, but IMO, it has a very rich quality that is lacking with the comaprativel "cold" rendering of the Sigma. Buttery smooth bokeh, and rich color rendering...if it weren't for the annoying focus issue, I would have held onto it.

Yea, once you get over the "sharpness" argument, the 50L is a desirable lens in my opinion. There is beauty in imperfection, and thats something the 50L can provide. On paper, its pretty poor. But in use, really cool things can be done. Im excited about this Sigma lens nonetheless, but I'm also considering a 50L, which is something the me of a few weeks ago would never have done.

Not everything needs to be razor sharp.

thatkatmat wrote in post #16724459
I'm a bit of a "Canon Fanboy" that really likes Sigma lenses too...I was looking at ^^Charlie's^^ Flickr (which is awesome BTW) and my eyes are immediately drawn to the 50L shots ("Game Over, you lose" and "Eat the Money") There's a quality that you get from the 50L that doesn't have anything to do with the sharpness or any corrections made to distortion. I see it in the 85L as well, it's not really in the processing either because I get the same feel in my shots when I use the 50L or 85L...It's not only the wide aperture either, it's the contrast/color and over all "feel" of the shots.

I owned a few copies of both the Sigma 85mm's and the 50/1.4's...While excellent lenses and I was thrilled to use them, test them,show off the images through my Flickr and so on and so forth. I ended up coming back to the Canon 50L and 85L....For the mere fact that I can't get that exact same feel from the Sigmas...Not necessarily the wider aperture, but the image as a whole, to me renders better with the Canon.

All that said, the numbers on the Sigma Art 50 look CRAZY good, just wondering how the images will "feel"

thanks for the comment, and you're definitely right about the 50L. It's not crazy sharp or anything, but I love the whole image that it creates. I have lenses that are much better optics wise, but the 50L really stands out regardless of that minor concession.

Come out in North America already!! D:

Nick3434 wrote in post #16718541
I will let you know how that combo works out in April when I get the 50

Not if I don't beat you to it! This will be my first pre-order lens ever.

I will jump so fast on this pre-order it aint even funny.

I'd sell the 35 for the canon 24L 24/50/85/135 much better combo

Mine too! I never buy new at release....Until now. I can't wait to preorder. On that note, who is best to preorder with? I like BH, they should be fine but I don't want to wait if too many go there...

Also, I am a total feel guy, not a test guy. Some of my favorite shots are "soft". And my 50 for forever has been a pentax super takumar because of the "feel". I have ZERO doubt in the fact that this lens will have an individual feel and quality to it. Any quality 1.4 prime with technical awesomeness will have a "feel" to it. I can't imagine the bokah is busted on this lens, at worst it will be like the 35 and from what I have seen of that, "feel" won't be an issue.

From my personal experience, The 24 is a technical powerhouse, but I like it for the feel it can have, I can't imagine this being a "dead" lens that is just really sharp.

Too bad, I spent a bit over $800 for 2 lens and I've already went my limit and can't spend more than $500 for another 2-3 months. If the price is good, I guess my next purchase would be Sigma 50 ART and that won't happen until early summer. But because I've a similar range from 40mm (I'm not comparing), I will be more likely to try it out first at store Samy's if they plan to carry and play around with it.

Either way, I'll be looking forward to people preordering theirs and uploading their unboxing videos on YouTube, haha.

gnome chompski wrote in post #16724565
Yea, once you get over the "sharpness" argument, the 50L is a desirable lens in my opinion. There is beauty in imperfection, and thats something the 50L can provide. On paper, its pretty poor. But in use, really cool things can be done. Im excited about this Sigma lens nonetheless, but I'm also considering a 50L, which is something the me of a few weeks ago would never have done.

Not everything needs to be razor sharp.

Most photographers only know how to quantify a lens' sharpness, but bokeh contrast and other factors are however something that is well understood by lens designers, and can easily be measured adjusted. There is nothing magical about it.

Have a read through this site if you do not believe that this is something that is very well understood:

http://bokehtests.com/​styled/index.html


The 50mm f/1.2L has an extremely neutral and even circle of confusion, with very tight contrast, which is what leads to it's amazing bokeh. This is something very hard to accomplish and lets us objectively say that the 50mm L lens is a 10/10 in bokeh and therefore character.

The 50mm f/1.4 ART is reportedly tuned to have the exact same sort of circle of confusion as the 50mm L.

What this means is that the 50mm f/1.4 ART might deliver images that identical clones of images from the 50mm f/1.2L at equivalent apertures, if you just add some blur, and correct for difference in CA, distortion and vignette.

Like I said I would wait, because both lenses could have the exact same character and 10/10 look. Sigma is trying very hard to make their lens unequivocally better.

Nick3434 wrote in post #16724402
Are the canon fanboys too nervous to chime in on how that comparison that was posted is not representative of what the lens will really be like? Or how how it doesn't matter if it is so sharp becuase it will miss AF 90% of the time????

Dude, that is sick. I am so jacked about this, I already have $1400 hidden away

Well everyone is a fanboy of something. Does it make you a Sigma fanboy by praising a lens that you don't even own yet?

Maybe it's a good time to pick up a Canon 50L. I hope the Sigma is as good as all the rave here. And if not then I hope it's good enough that the price of the 50L will drop to around $900.