Sigma 50/1.4A: It's been reviewed

http://slrgear.com …t.php/product/1​677/cat/30

And what a stunner. That sort of FF wide-open performance is pretty staggering for this focal range. Any focal range.

Edit-- Looks like I missed an earlier post on this one. My bad.

Yep, it's going to be a killer of a lens.

Another nail in the coffin of the 50L.

At the same price, I'd still take the 50/1.2L. It's a lot smaller and lighter and that half-stop in speed and DOF is worth something. I used to shoot with Canon's 50/1.4. It looks far more ghastly than either lens wide open in test charts, but I found it just fine for portraiture.

Interestingly, though, between Sigma's recent design improvements and the USB dock, the Sigma may well have more accurate focus. And it's likely to cost $500 less.

I do not now much about these comparison and certainly not capable of noticing sharpness issues between photos unless some one showing them in terms of charts and numbers. Comparing slr gear blur charts, it is not producing blur chart at F2.0 similar to what 18-35 showing at 18mm wide open either with Canon 1Ds Mk3 or 7D. 18-35 blur chart is based on 7D. But corners are better.

KnightRT wrote in post #16814475
http://slrgear.com …t.php/product/1​677/cat/30

And what a stunner. That sort of FF wide-open performance is pretty staggering for this focal range. Any focal range.

Edit-- Looks like I missed an earlier post on this one. My bad.

Sigma is playing in a new arena and Canon and Nikon have a lot of catching up to do. Within less than a year Sigma has introduced, in order, the 35mm f/1.4, 30mm f/1.4, the 18-35mm f/1.8, the 24-105mm f/4 and now the 50mm f/1.4. Every one of these lenses betters most of its direct competitors by a large margin, and does it with equal or better build quality AND at a lower price. I can't imagine what conversations the Canon and Nikon R&D people must be having. If a comparatively smaller vendor like Sigma can do this, its obvious that Canon and Nikon are resting on their as... er, I mean laurels. They better wake up before Sigma becomes the lens maker of choice for professionals and serious amateurs.

To me, the brand most threatened is actually Sony. They're the most expensive with the weakest lens lineup. Still, it's great to see some downward price pressure on all of the larger makes.

Actually I look at it this way...because sony doesnt have a strong lens lineup I would expect every lens they do make to be quite good. They get to use todays tech for developing new lenses while canon and Nikon still have some very old lenses in their lineup. Not saying thats bad but if I was developing i would prefer to work with current tech.

This will be awesome.

Got to have this lens. got to have.... need to drink the GAS energy drink.

I have never had GAS for GAS sake, BUT.........

This is the most excited I have been about any kind of gear. I doubt I will like it as much as my 24Lii for my tastes, but after going ff I have really enjoyed my already excellent Pentax 50 1.4. I didn't care much for 50 on crop, but I think as far as walk arounds go this looks to be awesome. Sub $1000 makes it. I find the Otus bokah to be super pleasing so hopefully sigma comes close to that.

elitejp wrote in post #16815679
Actually I look at it this way...because sony doesnt have a strong lens lineup I would expect every lens they do make to be quite good. They get to use todays tech for developing new lenses while canon and Nikon still have some very old lenses in their lineup. Not saying thats bad but if I was developing i would prefer to work with current tech.

Interesting interpretation given the historical Minolta connection to the Sony DSLR line. There is definite carry over to some of the current "Sony" lenses.....

Sigma is truly amazing. They have 8 new Art lenses, 2 new Contemporary lenses and 1 new Sports lens. That's 11 new lenses in the first year and each with high standing in its category. Sigma is like an unstoppable juggernaut. I wonder what they will come up with next, and I wonder even more what Canon and Nikon will come up with to try to slow them down.

Why would Canon or Nikon try to stop Sigma? Good Sigma lenses make Canon and Nikon cameras more valuable. It's not zero-sum.

I might guess that Canon makes more profit from selling cameras than they do from selling lenses.

I don't think Canon body purchases correlate at all to Sigma lens sales. In fact, since the latter are mount agnostic, they shore up systems that might not otherwise have been considered, so you'd expect to see innovative bodies from weak systems (here again, Sony) pull sales from Canon. Problem for Sony is that they make a lot more money on lenses.