Sigma 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art Lens Review

In a world dominated by zoom lenses, the 50mm prime has survived unscathed. There are good reasons for this, the 50mm giving a perspective similar to that of the human eye and the lenses being generally more compact, faster (brighter) and quite probably of better optical quality as well. Sigma introduce this new 50mm, and with this design some of the compactness has been sacrificed to enable an ultra-fast f/1.2 aperture. This is just the thing for those black cats in coal cellar shots, so let’s see how we get on, coupling the new lens with the 42MP Sony full frame A7R III camera body. First, find your coal cellar….

Sigma 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art Handling and Features

Starting our tour of the lens from the front, there is provided a slick bayonet fit petal lenshood. This clips smoothly into place in a way that could be a lesson to some more expensive marques. It is released using a small well recessed catch on the hood. This catch is on the correct side to avoid it being pressed accidentally if a right handed persion places the camera/lens down sideways in a bag or on a surface. It is also well recessed so out of the way in normal use. Within the bayonet fit for the hood is a standard 72mm filter thread.

There is a wide manual focusing ring that is very even in feel and could be described as moderately firm. Not as slick as a top class manual focus lens, but not far adrift from that. It is electronic in operation and has no hard stop. The AF is driven by a High Response Linear Activator that does its job well, providing fast, accurate focusing that is virtually silent. Focusing is down to 40cm, or 15.8”, for a maximum magnification of 1:6.2. This is about what would normally be expected with a standard 50mm lens. The lens supports all the usual Sony focus settings, accessed in the camera menus.

Next up are a series of buttons and switches around the lens barrel. First, on the left, is the Click control that switches the click stops of the aperture ring on or off. The off position is of special advantage to videographers. The AFL button is for locking the AF position. Next to this is the usual AF/MF switch. On the opposite side of the barrel is the aperture ring lock switch. If applied whilst the aperture ring is set to A, it locks that position so that it cannot be accidentally moved. If it is switched in whilst an aperture is set then the A setting is prevented, stoppping the user from setting this whilst using an aperture selected on the very fine aperture ring. The aperture ring is indeed a beautiful design, with smooth (with or without clicks) setting in clearly delineated one third of a stop steps.

The optical construction is 17 elements in 12 groups, a very far cry from traditional 7/6 designs. There are 4 aspherical elements, plus no less than 13 blades to the diaphragm, for a rounded aperture. The design also minimises focus breathing, another boon for videographers. The overall construction of the lens is dust and splash resistant and the front element has a water and oil repellant coating. Finally, the bayonet mount is Sigma’s usual very high quality, fitting very precisely with absolutely no rotational movement once clicked into place.

In use, what a gorgeous lens this is. That f/1.2 maximum aperture is of course the icing on the cake, making it so easy to manually focus where desired. Moving from zooms with their tiny apertures, by comparison anyway, the handling and the pleasure of looking at the bright f/1.2 image are quite a revelation and a reminder of just how useful a fast 50mm lens can be.

Sigma 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art Performance

CA (Chromatic Aberration) is centrally very close to zero. At the edges it is still kept within half a pixel or so and hardly likely to be seen in most images. If further adjustments were to be deemed necessary then there are software solutions.

Distortion measures just -0.05% Barrel, which is very close to rectilinear, a remarkable result for such a fast lens.

Bokeh is the smoothness of gradation in the out of focus areas in an image, and those 13 blades have definitely paid off. The bokeh is simply luscious, so smooth…

Sigma 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art Chromatic Aberration Charts

Sigma’s coating technology is also up there with the best. Even the harshest of tests fails to generate any artefacts. Contrast is also maintained.

Vignetting is, it would seem, the only optical sacrifice made. Corner darkening is visible, but even so not to an excessive amount. In any event, some darkening can be an advantage for many subjects, concentrating our eyes towards the centre of an image where the main subject may be. Software correction can of course be applied if needed.

Sigma 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art Sample Photos

Sigma 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art Aperture range

You can view additional images in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own reviews, photos and product ratings.

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Value For Money

The [AMUK]Sigma 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art|Sigma 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art[/AMUK] lens is priced at £1299.00

Alternatively, for Sony FE users there is always:

• [AMUK]Sony 50mm f/1.2 G Master|Sony +lens[/AMUK], £2099

For users of other systems, just for comparison:

• [AMUK]Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.2S|Nikkor Z +lens[/AMUK], £2299
• [AMUK]Canon RF 50mm f/1.2L USM|Canon RF +lens[/AMUK], £2449

With all of these lenses performance will not be an issue, making the new Sigma excellent value for money amongst its peers.

Sigma 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art Verdict

The 50mm focal length is great anyway, as it emulates so well what our eyes see as a normal view of the world. There is much to be said for starting off in photography with a 50mm lens, then moving into a telephoto or a wide angle once the type of shooting being done is established. The speed of this lens is an added bonus and shooting can continue into the darkest of conditions, probably places that it is far too dark to manually focus in but are now within our range thanks to powerful AF systems. We never did find our black cat in a coal cellar, but we did establish that the Sigma 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art lens is a superb photographic tool at a highly competitive price and therefore a strong Editor’s Choice.

[REVIEW_FOOTER]R_features=4.5|R_handling=5|R_performance=5|R_value=5|R_overall=5|A_level=5|A_text=Editor’s Choice – An outstanding ultra-fast 50mm f/1.2 lens with luscious bokeh|E_id=8027[/REVIEW_FOOTER]

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