New To Me SIGMA ART Lens: Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART.
As said in the first post, on this lens…
Subtitle: I got bored and justified a purchase “test” of a used lens I need like a hole in the head from my local camera shop.
I am not even going to pretend that this is a rational decision. I have been blessed to figure out what gear I need and acquire it.
End cut and paste.
Camera nerd story time.
Since I mostly fleshed out my main kit recently, I had been on a bit of a purchasing freeze… not counting a completely unnecessary $40 K&F C/Y to GF adapter I ordered new that shipped from China last month that is now stuck somewhere in NYC since Thursday last week.
I have touched on this before but given enough effort I can talk myself into just about any photography gear.
Technically, I had one weak spot in my lineup.
No fast wide prime lens.
A mess of f/2.8 solutions courtesy of GF(equivalent)/FE primes and an FE zoom. But nothing fast (sub f/2) that is wider than 50mm, even M adapted.
I noticed this during the last wedding I did.
The venue had cave lighting. The Tamron zooms were… fine for wider stuff, but I missed having a fast prime lens that I could have paired with the SIGMA 105mm f/1.4 Art I have on a second body for the inside work, like in the first wedding I did.
On two bodies, I switched from the zooms I used outside to primes for the reception. At that time, the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 (One of the best prime lenses I have ever used and I still have no good excuse for selling it. A solid performer but not flashy in any way, and I guess I need that sort of thing.)…
…and a Rokinon/Samyang 45mm f/1.8. I could say the same thing I said about the Sony 85mm here. A fine lens.
So I trolled the used listings on Craigslist for my local camera shop, and they had two SIGMA 35mm Art primes listed. The f/1.2 and f/1.4 (Original HSM converted DSLR lens variant).
Went in expecting to get the f/1.2 because it goes to f/1.2. That old Spinal Tap amp gag plays in my head. Tested them both and went with the f/1.4. The why:
- The f/1.2 cost $200 more.
- The f/1.2 did not come with a hood, and the f/1.4 did.
- The f/1.2 is a bus of a thing.
- The f/1.2 had front filter ring damage, including a crack, and the f/1.4 was spotless.
- In the defense of this particular f/1.2, it was marked down compared to the usual asking price at $600 and change, likely owing to the damage. A higher priced copy in better condition would not have fared any better in this comparison, however. Largely because…
For the life of me, I could not tell the difference between the test photos I took with both.
Framing difference set aside I see nothing in this pic or others that would cause me to go for the more expensive, larger lens.
So, couched within an irrational purchase decision matrix, a bit of reason won out.
I know there is a newer purpose-built mirrorless version, but from a comparison video I watched, I saw nothing to convince me to spend the extra $300.
- Slightly smaller and lighter.
- Slightly improved, but similar IQ.
- More silent, but similarly accurate and speedy AF.
Sidebar: Seems it is easy to confuse the HSM DSLR based and newer DN mirrorless versions. KEH has a photo of an HSM version on their DN page and MPB has a photo of an HSM version for sale as a DN for DN money. The difference being that MPB posts pics of the actual product and KEH uses a representative placeholder pic. Moving on.
Took it to an intern orientation meeting yesterday at work, where I am one of the mentors, paired it with the SA mount 105mm f/1.5 ART I bought on clearance from Adorama with an MC11 for less new than a brand new Sony version.
The camera of choice this day was the A7C II, which I adore. Both lenses performed flawlessly. As usual the 105mm killed it.
And the 35mm was no slouch either.
They will definitely be put to use for my next wedding session coming up.
Here is a sampling of images I have taken so far.
Thoughts.
What of the “What about?” lenses.
This is not my first 35mm f/1.4 lens used on Sony.
Rokinon/Samyng makes one.
The IQ is great when it hits.
I bought it… twice. And sold it twice. Why?
- It is rather huge.
- As much as makes no sense it manages to be slightly larger and heavier than the SIGMA HSM DSLR based lens. In isolation this is not too bad of a thing, but then you add…
- AF is less than meh.
- Much more, that would have been a great pic of it were in focus, than there should be with a modern mirrorless lens on a Sony body. It just can’t seem to keep up.
- Build that is just ok.
A shame because a new one can be had for about the same asking price as I paid for the SIGMA used. They did update… create newer versions. New housing. But according to reviews, they kept the same AF tech inside. So… You do not bother to fix the one issue I had with the lens.
Honorable mentions.
Rokinon/Samyang 35mm f/1.8.
A lens I prefer over its faster f/1.4 sibling.
- Reasonably priced.
- Far less expensive used than any options listed above.
- Decent build.
- Not up to the SIGMA standard, but just fine and even adds a programmable switch.
- Small and light.
- Respectable AF performance.
- Not quite as good as the SIGMA but a consistent speed demon compared to the f/1.4 Rokinon/Samyang variant.
- Great IQ.
- Perhaps not a match for the SIGMA, but just fine considering the size and price.
- Absolutely killed it on a trip to NYC.
Why did I sell it?…
Why so few images in the Flickr gallery?…
Why have I not ever bought it again?…
Similar to the Sony 85mm f/1.8 and Rokinon/Samyang 45mm f/1.8 mentioned above I have no good answer. Maybe, not special enough… whatever on Earth that even means?…
If you are a rational human being that prizes a solid performing, reasonably priced, small and light 35mm lens for Sony here you go.
But, I am not a rational person so I will move onto the next honorable mention.
7Artisans 35mm f/1.4 for M mount.
Why on Earth would I include a manual focus only M mount lens in a post that has been about AF Sony FE lenses until now? Easy.
I adore the IQ of this lens.
And great for analog photography if you nab yourself an M mount film camera.
Ok. I am officially in the weeds now.
Here is my attempt at a sum up.
What would I recommend?
Forget I mentioned the 7Artisans. That is a very me affliction.
If you are a rational person, I would say grab yourself a Rokinon/Samyang 35mm f/1.8.
If price is no object for you, then by all means grab yourself a newer DN mirrorless version.
Me? The older HSM Art f/1.4 all day.
It is a perfect mix of functionality and price.
For me it is also a great trade off compared to the more practical Rokinon/Samyang 35mm f/1.8 I mentioned above. Yes, it is heavier, larger, and pricier, but those are compromises I am willing to accept in exchange for the better feel, IQ, slightly brighter aperture, and AF performance of the SIGMA HSM f/1.4. I will admit that the gains are not massive, but that is what personal preference is all about.
Additionally, it also has image quality that puts me in the mind of the &Artisans I gushed a bit about.
It also delivers close enough performance to the brighter Art f/1.2 and newer DN Art f/1.4 that I do not feel penalized at all for going with the older lens.
So, in a way, the SIGMA is a compromise for me. A bit of my favorite things from many different lenses that I like a lot.
Welp. That is it for now. Thank you for hanging out.
Happy capturing.
-ELW
Eric L. Woods 
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