Product ReviewsSigma DG 50mm f/1.4 HSM DG EX ASP Lens For Canon

Great lens and value. 50mm F1.4 sharp wide open :-)

This lens is awesome. I didn't expect it to be sharp wide open but it is. Fast focus and built like a tank. It's kind of heavy but I don't mind and I was debating to get the Canon but I'm glad I got this one because it's sharper. I used to have the Canon 50 f1.4 which is an older lens. Great lens but the Sigma color saturation and contrast is more appealing to me. Wide open it's awesome and I'm so glad I got this lens. Was thinking of getting the ART or L glass but they were way too much money for my budget. Read full review...

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Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: benthjoe

Great...if you don't want to use it at f/1.4. *smh

I bought the Sigma 50mm as I wanted to try an art lens without spending a ton of money. I do a lot of nature photography and wanted the opportunity to shoot in ambient light.

After reading a number of reviews, I expected the lens to need some micro-adjustment. What I was not prepared for was the degree to which it was focusing short would exceed my Canon 7D's ability to compensate. This means I'm using it at f/2...not so great when you should have f/1.4.

At f/2, however, I'm seeing good results. f/2+ is excellent.

So, I'm giving it three stars. It is providing me with experience while saving up to buy the more expensive Canon model. BUT if I had it to do over again, I'd save my money.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: mapcamera

Best for optics and price as long as you can get a good autofocusing copy

I was weary to buy this lens due to many review of the autofocusing not behaving. I bought 2 copies to hope that one would work with my camera. I noticed within the two copies that one was softer than the other. The autofocus is also not super at low light situations.
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My previous Canon 50mm f/1.8 II had better autofocusing than this Sigma. This Sigma compared to my Canon that the focal length is slightly wider and it allows much more light, even at the same apertures.
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That said, when it is focused, it is extremely creamy background and wonderful contrast. There is a light color fringe but not noticeable and easy to adjust.
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The other concern is that it is fairly heavy. It can be hard to carry the camera and lens all day with no camera strap. This lens is significant to most small primes.
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I believe this lens is the best of price and quality. It has better optics than than Canon f/1.4 and f/1.8, on par to the L f/1.2, but at a third of the price.
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If you are concerned about the autofocusing, I would either buy multiple copies from a retailer that allows easy return shipping or mail it to Sigma for calibration. They do this for free within the warranty, which is a nice customer support.Read full review...

Best value 50mm 1.4 lens for Canon

Exceptional color, contrast, quality and sharpness, I compared this lens directly against my 50mm 1.4 and 1.2L lens. By far sharper at 1.4 than both Canon lenses with much less chromatic aberration. The out of focus areas in the image appear smoother than the Canon EF 50mm 1.4 at the same aperture, 2.8 shows smooth out of focus where the Canon shows the 8 blade diaphragm clearly and is not nearly as smooth. The 50L is of course smooth but not as sharp, 1.2 is horrible comparatively. All are about equal at 2.8 as far as sharpness, the big difference is bokeh and for the price the Sigma 50mm 1.4 HSM is easily the winner. My copy only needed a minor AF adjustment and is spot on, I have tried the Sigma 50mm Art lens and do not feel the additional weight and cost is justified. If you can find a good copy, this is probably the best 50mm 1.4 for Canon you can get with auto focus for the price (about 2 bills).Read full review...

Verified purchase: No

Sigma 50mm f1.4

At some stage in any aspiring photographers' lens-ladder they find themselves in need of a so called "nifty-fifty". Having saved vigourously, I can proudly say that my entire Canon lens collection consists of L-series glass, and there are five of them, 16-35 f2.8, 24-105 f4, 135 f2, 70-200 f2.8 and the 100-400!

So along came my step in the ladder for the nifty-fifty... and I could not weather the $1500 storm for the Canon 1.2 L, so I did my research, made the calls and sent the e-mails all to get input from people out there using the variants available. I must admit, as other photgraphers, I kind of stick to the same brand in lens as in camera and I did the same here. Got the Canon 1.4 50mm and whistling high notes, off I went in search of some low light conditions to make the most of my new purchase.

At this stage I must strongly emphasize that I am by no means even close to those guys at DP-Review or Digital-Review, I am a mere mortal. Point made. Shoot went ok, not brilliant but as much as I could have hoped for, for the limited planning that went into the preparation. i did a couple of face shots, some landscape, city life (late at night) and lastly, ont he way back, I tired some long exposures on a tripod... Well... well...

I decided to rent a Sigma version of the same lens and tried to get the exact places as I did with my new Canon version of the 50mm. Boy oh boy was I surprised at the difference!!! Again, I want to reitterate, I am by no means a pro, for this matter even a semi-pro, but even I could see the difference in the result between the two lenses. Two days later, I had the Sigma in my sights while the Canon was being auctioned.

I have still not looked back... maybe, just maybe I got that one lens in every million which is brilliant and I'm really happy for that. Brilliant little lens, really.

Next step in ladder... 400mm 2,8 IS... (if the white-beared, red coat old man upstairs is listening by any chance) :)Read full review...

Once it's calibrated, the lens can't be beat.

The lens is big and heavy for a 50mm, which I like. It feels solid and the build quality is superb. The only drawback is that there is no weather sealing.
When I first received the lens it had severe front focus issues. It was way off. I was going to return it, but I thought I would try the usb dock to see if I could calibrate it myself. I was afraid that the focus was too far off for the dock to correct, but much to my surprise it worked like a dream. It took me about 15 minutes to calibrate the lens over 4 different distances. It's very easy. Now the lens is Tack Sharp and performs like a champ. I would highly recommend this lens, but be aware, it might have front or back focusing issues right out of the box.Read full review...

Great purchase, fantastic lens

Received my lens today and could not be more happy. My first lens addition outside of my kit lens and the 50 mm 1.4 Sigma takes absolutely beautiful photos. Only took a handful so far but I am excited to get this lens out and about. People say the Nifty Fifty is a must-have lens and I can see why. Its a heavier lens but the quality that Sigma put into it is outstanding. Glad I went with it over Canon. The bokeh in the 1.4 is amazing. Really blows the background out.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: quK6nspESQ6@Del...

Sigmadud 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM for Canon

I thought I'd roll the dice on the Sigmalux, despite hearing all of the focus issues that people are having with this lens on Canon bodies. Initial shots at f/1.4 were quite soft. Luckily, I have a Lensalign Pro, so I checked it out. It front focuses like I've never seen before. On a 5d II at four feet, it's off several inches, probably 4-5. The problem is, even at the maximum AF microadjust setting of +20, it still front focuses by an inch or 2.

The bokeh is really nice, which is the main reason I bought it (I have an excellent Canon 50/1.4), but without functioning AF, I have decided to return the lens and will not likely try another one.

Chances are if you buy this lens, you will receive one that does not focus correctly at all distances. Many that report good focus performance under 10 feet will find that focus is way off at 20+ feet. Some that send the lens to Sigma for calibration have reported better results after calibration, while others still have issues. If you're feeling lucky, just make sure you buy the lens from someone with a good return policy, and be prepared to pay for the shipping back to them.Read full review...

excellent pictures

I am very pleased with this lens. It takes wonderful pictures and the large f-stop of 1.4 allows for a great field of depth. the only issue I have with it is it the auto focus is a little on the slow side, but from talking with other photographers, sigma is notorious for slow focus speeds.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: thepixelhub

Great lens!

The reviews and testing on this lens rated it better optically than Canon's comparable lens. For that reason alone I decide to take a chance on this lens. All I can say after using it the first time is WOW! This lens delivers! Pros: speed, focus accuracy, strong build, sharpness, color accuracy, great bokeh, size (twice the size of most 50mm), great over all size & weight, quiet motor. Cons: none as of yet. The one complaint that I have always had with 50mm lenses is their size/weight. They always felt too small for my taste. Not this one. This lens has big, clear glass. Yes it is more than twice the weight of most 50's (and many zooms for that matter) but it feels balanced on my EOS 50D. I also love that it has a full size pedal style lens hood. This lens is deffinately the best choice. Service from the seller was great. I could not ask for better.Read full review...