I said that if you purchased this, you would be rewarded for carrying around a 1kg weight. Thanks to the beautiful Chloe for helping me out on the shoot | Sony A7Riii + Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DG DN ART | f/1.2įirstly, let’s start with sharpness. One nice little surprise was the minimum focus distance which allows the 35mm to be used as a pseudo macro similar to the Tamron 28-75mm. They’re more likely to be used for portraits and in that genre, the Sigma is more than capable of holding its own. It won’t be the first choice for sports, but I don’t think lenses like this are ever suited to that genre. I would say substantially faster than many of the Sony lenses I have tried and given the amount of glass this lens is moving, that’s an impressive achievement. It doesn’t explain is why animal AF worked on one of our children, although that’s more likely to be my side of the family than my wife’s.Īfter resolving the initial animal AF teething issues, I can now conclude that it’s excellent. I’d forgotten to switch off animal eye-AF. Ten minutes into the test run with my first two subjects, my six and nine-year-old, I discovered the problem. The AF was good, but the eye-AF was horrendous. Initially, these expectations seemed correct. Not with Nikon, and not with my previous Fujifilm gear. Wide glass isn’t normally great from an AF perspective. I had some preconceived ideas about the focus performance before I picked it up. The f/1.2 makes the subject pop | Sony A7Riii + Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DG DN ART | 1/8000 sec | f/1.2 | ISO64. While it may not seem like a big issue, having a lens cap fall off in the camera bags leaves the risk of the lens cap scratching the front element. On paper everything on the lens sounds pretty good, so where did Sigma go wrong? That would be the horrible Sigma lens caps which are prone to falling off. The only negative with the rubber ring is that it attracts fluff, but I think I’d rather have it there than not. It feels better than the hood on my Sony 100-400mm G Master.
They are well constructed with a rubber bumper and a button that ensures that don’t fall off accidentally. I can honestly say it’s one of the nicest hoods I’ve seen on a lens (with the exception of the $100 metal Fujifilm hoods which are exquisite). I find the inconsistency of having them on some lenses and not others means I prefer something on the camera for muscle memory. The focus lock button is a bonus although I don’t use mine often. If you don’t like them, put it in auto and put an elastic band over it.
I don’t mind them at all, I got used to them from my Fujifilm days. The lens has a surprisingly short minimum focus distance allowing for pseudo macro shots | Sony A7Riii + Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DG DN ART | 1/200 sec | f/2.8 | ISO100.Īperture rings can be a love it or hate it affair. The aperture ring and focus lock buttons aren’t something Sigma don’t typically provide with their lenses in the past and seem to be recent editions for their mirrorless lenses. The lens comes equipped with a manual/autofocus button, focus lock button and an aperture ring.
If you take it, you will be rewarded, and I’m not referring to the free gym membership. If it’s a show stopper, you’re going to be looking at one of the 35mm alternatives that are a lighter weight. The question you will have to ask yourself is whether you can live with the weight and size of the 35mm f.1.2? Mirrorless buyers tend to be a little more focused on weight than their DSLR counterparts. I also think the weight will be one of the single biggest deterrents for potential buyers. If you want a lens that will double as a self-defence weapon in a dark alley, this is it. That’s a prime lens that weighs 250 grams more than the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN ART. This lens is a solid chunk of steel weighing in at just over 1kg, nearly as much as my 135mm ART. Manuals/Warranty pack that normally go back into the box and never get read Inside the box, you’ll find the following:
The 35mm comes packaged in Sigma’s usual ART series white box, with an upmarket look and feel. The construction on the Sigma ART 35mm f/1.2 is impeccable