Sigma launched two wide-angle prime lenses, Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG DN Artwork and Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN Artwork, for Sony E-mount and Leica/Panasonic/Sigma L-Mount full-frame mirrorless cameras final 12 months. The 20mm prime is especially notable as a result of it is a considerably uncommon lens. Other than the Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG HSM Artwork for DSLR cameras, the Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG DN Artwork for mirrorless is the one 20mm F1.4 lens accessible for full-frame cameras.
Nobody makes such a lens, together with Canon, Nikon and Sony. There’s a 20mm F1.8 lens however no 20mm F1.4 lens. One of the shocking issues about this distinctive lens is that it is accessible at retail. only $899. Learn my hands-on overview of the Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG DN Artwork lens beneath.
Design and Usability
The Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG DN Artwork is a gorgeous lens, like lots of Sigma’s different Artwork collection lenses, with a wide range of black supplies, some with flat surfaces and a few with a bit extra gloss. With regards to shiny surfaces, they do an excellent job of repelling fingerprints, which is sweet. The lens is made utilizing Sigma’s Thermally Secure Composite (TSC), a kind of polycarbonate that thermally behaves like aluminum. The lens “feels” like metallic to me. When it comes to materials, it’s a top quality lens.
It’s a comparatively giant lens with a size of 4.4 inches and a most diameter of three.5 inches. It is value noting that the utmost diameter is positioned on the very entrance of the lens so it could actually settle for 82mm filters with none noticeable vignetting. The remainder of the lens is narrower and particularly slim close to the lens mount. It weighs 1.4 kilos, which is heavy for a wide-angle mounted lens. Nevertheless, on the Sony a7R IV digital camera I used to check it, the lens stabilizes very properly and is extraordinarily simple to shoot handheld for prolonged durations of time.
The lens contains a number of switches on the barrel, all of which give passable tactile suggestions, together with a brand new MFL swap that permits you to lock handbook focus so your focus will not change should you by accident transfer the massive focus ring. Cable focus lenses do not normally provide nice handbook focusing experiences, however this lens is an exception. There may be an AF/MF swap, an aperture ring anti-click swap, an aperture ring lock swap, and a perform button.
Talking of the diaphragm ring, it is good. It contains aperture markings at full stops from F1.4 to F16 and dashes for every one-third aperture setting. There’s additionally an “A” setting that permits you to set aperture utilizing your digital camera’s dials or have aperture managed robotically.
The lens comes with a top quality petal sort hood. It contains a number of supplies, together with one with a grippy floor to make it simple to rotate the hood on and off the lens body. It additionally features a lock button. A slot to extra simply spin a polarizing filter would have been a pleasant enchancment, however aside from that it is a good, useful hood. The lens additionally comes with an oblong case. It is not a troublesome scenario, however it’s far more than only a pouch. The smooth case incorporates padding and a particular insert for the lens. It is all the time good to see lenses are available in good circumstances, particularly once they’re beneath $1,000.
General, the Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG DN Artwork has wonderful construct high quality and design. The weatherproof lens seems like it should maintain as much as the weather and up to date photographers a very long time. It feels good within the fingers, and the generously sized focus ring works properly and affords good resistance to make focusing exact and rewarding. Sigma’s design workforce all the time does an excellent job, and the brand new 20mm F1.4 Artwork lens isn’t any exception.
Sony A7R IV, Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG DN Artwork. Publicity: 1/6 sec., ƒ/11, ISO 100.
Picture high quality
The Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG DN Artwork incorporates 17 parts in 15 teams, two SLD parts and three aspherical lens parts. Among the many three aspherical parts is the most important double-sided aspherical factor Sigma has ever utilized in certainly one of its lenses.
The lens is sharp, particularly while you’re standing nonetheless. It is fairly good at ƒ/1.4, however total, I observed some softness even within the middle of the body. Granted, that is solely noticeable throughout “pixel peek”. Pictures seem sharp when considered at common sizes and even pretty giant prints.
If you wish to enhance the sharpness, all you need to do is cease to ƒ/2. At this aperture, the picture within the middle of the body is noticeably sharper. Nook efficiency additionally will get some enchancment, however not that huge of an enchancment.
At ƒ/2.8 the lens is sharper. At this aperture the lens achieved optimum efficiency so far as I can inform. Nook efficiency is barely higher, however nonetheless not superb, however that is not shocking for a 20mm mounted lens. Is the efficiency at ƒ/4 higher than at ƒ/2.8? If that’s the case, by a really slim margin. You separate the hairs to see the large distinction between the picture high quality at ƒ/2.8 and ƒ/4.
After all, there’s extra to picture high quality than sharpness. The Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG DN Artwork lens does an excellent job of controlling aberrations. Whereas there are some small purple fringes across the high-contrast areas, it is barely noticeable. The lens additionally performs properly with distortion and vignetting.
The lens has an 11-blade spherical aperture. The ensuing bokeh is gorgeous. Though it is a wide-angle lens and also you normally haven’t got to fret about bokeh, it is also an ƒ/1.4 lens. Out-of-focus parts are rendered softly, and bokeh is freed from ugly, distracting parts.
Sony A7R IV, Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG DN Artwork. Publicity: 1/800 sec., ƒ/2.8, ISO 100.
Auto Focus Efficiency
The Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG DN Artwork incorporates a stepper motor and is an internally focusing lens. Autofocus velocity and accuracy are wonderful. The lens can be pretty quiet when focusing, however chances are you’ll hear a slight buzz sometimes.
The E-mount model I am utilizing is appropriate with Sony’s fancy autofocus modes together with DMF, AF+MF and AF Help. I’ve already talked about the MFL lock swap, which is nice by way of handbook focus. As for the minimal focusing distance, the lens can focus right down to 9.1 inches, leading to a most magnification of 1:6.1. It is from a macro lens, however can give attention to very shut topics within the foreground for panorama images.
There may be a lot to love and little to dislike concerning the Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG DN Artwork lens. The lens is not notably sharp when pulled broad open, however even a slight cease helps quite a bit. General, it affords a novel mixture of ultra-wide-angle discipline of view and quick most aperture. To current this enticing mixture from $899 very spectacular
Jeremy Grey is the remark editor of our sister web site. View Supply. Learn the prolonged model of this overview and take a look at further pattern pictures on image-resource.com.
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