An Ode To Older Glass: Sigma 35mm & 105mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART.
I am brand agnostic when it comes to cameras.
I have used and could use nearly any brand on the market.
What I decide to use in the end ultimately comes down to two things.
- Tangible, practical benefits.
- Sony.
- Pixie dust.
- Everything else I use,
The latter I will not make any attempt to rationalize. I like what I like. It is what floats my boat. And I can’t really be bothered to explain myself.
The former. Sony.
The big three are the same to me. I could make do with any of them. What pulls Sony ahead for me has to do wth two things.
- Time on the market.
- Value.
- Third-party lens options.
- Choice and value.
Camera.
The current Sony bodies I have came out years ago. And I am perfectly happy with either. But I do not even need bodies that are “new”. Give me anything A7III forward and I can get the job done.
Heck, give me an A7II and a battery grip to offset those PEZ-sized batteries, and I would be good to go.
And both can be had for a fraction of the cost of any new full-frame and most crop sensor cameras on the market. Not better than. A better deal than, in my opinion. I do not care about the latest and greatest features. To that point, on the camera side, this is not just a Sony thing.
I have had great fun with an old school Canon DSLR…
… and could do just fine with a Canon EOS RP.
Did just fine with a D3300…
…and could do fine with a Z5 or newer Nikon now.
Have had many a MFT Lumix camera…
…and could do fine with, now with phase detect AF, S5 II.
Have had, did my first ever paid photography gig with, and taken some of my all time photos with Olympus MFT, and could still make do with them if I chose to.
I still use fixed lens and big sensor Fujifilm cameras, have used their older cameras,…
…and could also do fine with any of their interchangeable lens APS-C cameras with the new 40MP sensor.
So, when people start arguing about camera brands, I immediately lose interest and wander off to take some photos.
So why Sony then? Easy… Options.
You can adapt legacy glass to any of the cameras above, and I have, so that is not it.
There have been a number of manual focus lens Sony AF adapters made, but after having some fun with them, I moved on.
As a product of Sony being first to market with full-frame mirrorless cameras, they have the deepest native used lens bench. And older native brand glass can save you money. But with Sony, the real for me draw is…
Third-party lens options.
For example, I currently do not own a single Sony-branded lens. Not because anything is wrong with Sony lenses. Over the years, I have owned many. They are great. But for me third party is where it is at. Other camera brands have access to some of the lenses below. But none others have all available to them.
Oddballs that are only available for Sony.
The precious. A lens only available for Sony and Nikon.
This lens is a must-have in my camera bag.
On to the topic of today.
These lenses are not only available for Sony. But combined with the options above they help cement my camera mount selection.
These lenses are early examples where Sigma took the shortcut of simply adding adapters to earlier DSLR glass.
While other brands have blocked third-party brands outright in the past or just have weak third-party support, Sony has many years of native and third-party glass on the market. And nearly all of it is good.
So much so that when a new lens comes out, I will usually check out the used price of the model that came out before it. Again. I do not need the latest and greatest. To that point, two of my current favorite primes are lenses that:
- Came out years ago.
- Were originally made for DSLRs.
- Have been replaced and discontinued.
- Use older HSM AF tech.
Ok, the last bullet is a giveaway that I am talking about SIGMA lenses. Specifically, these two SIGMA lenses.
Let’s take a look at them one at a time.
Recently, Sigma released a Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DG II Art Lens. Very nice lens. After the lens being discussed here, Sigma released a designed for mirrorless Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Lens. Also very nice.
But in both cases, my first thought was… I already have this.
I have found 35mm to be the best fast prime option for me. Multiple lenses faster than f/1.8 are not practical fiscally or storage-wise. And 35mm is a perfect middle ground between 28mm and 50mm lenses. And this older, discontinued, adapted DSLR variant costs hundreds less than the newer options above.
Are there advantages to the newer glass? Yes.
But nothing justifies the extra outlay for me. The older HSM glass:
- Focuses fast, accurately, and is silent enough for me.
- Has great image quality.
- Not that much larger and heavier.
Here are some photos taken with this lens.
Similar to the 35mm a new Sigma lens release prompted this post. The new Sigma 135mm f/1.4 DG Art Lens. A very nice lens. My first thought was…. but I already have this lens.
Sigma 35mm & 105mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART
Similar to the 35mm sitting between 28mm and 50mm, for me 105mm is the perfect portrait lens compromise between 85mm…
…and 135mm.
And similar to the 35mm I have found the 105mm focal length to be a perfect compromise. Add to that the fairluy ridiculous f/1.4 aperture, you not only get a front glass element the size of a paper plate…
…but it also brings amazing subject isolation and background blur. There are lenses you use when you want to capture what is seen. Then there are lenses like this that I use when I want to create something otherworldly. And it does not disappoint.
Mostly copied from above, I have found 105mm to be the best fast portrait prime option for me. Multiple lenses faster than f/1.8 are not practical fiscally or storage-wise. And 35mm is a perfect middle ground between 28mm and 50mm lenses. And this older, discontinued, adapted DSLR variant costs hundreds less than the newer, longer focal length option above.
Are there advantages to the newer glass? Yes.
But nothing justifies the extra outlay for me. The older HSM glass:
- Focuses fast, accurately, and is silent enough for me.
- Has great image quality.
- Around the same size and weight as the newer lens.
Here are some photos taken with this lens.
So with both of these lenses…
…I see no reason to “upgrade”. Add in the fact that both combined cost less than either of the newer Sigma f/1.4 lenses, and even better.
And they complement each other when I want a fast two body lens pairing as was the case when capturing the march in the pictures above.
So, they are free to release more and more glass. It is what they do. But, with the exception of bargain grade lenses,…
…I am perfectly happy utilizing glass from years ago.
Happy capturing.
-ELW
Eric L. Woods 
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