I dont have too much to add that hasn't already been said by other reviewers. I bought this lens after reading the online reviews for both this lens and the two Nikor versions of this prime lens. The sigma version got consistently better reviews than the Nikon version and I have been very pleased with my past purchases of Sigma EX lenses so I ordered it and am so glad I did. I also own the sigma 105mm Macro for a sony and the 24-70mm EX DG Macro zoom for a Nikon and am very pleased with both lenses. Pro's and Cons are as follows:
Pro's
1.) The best bokeh I have ever seen, rich, creamy, perfect.
2.) Sharpness, at f1.4 if you really blow up the image there is just a little softness at F1.8 on up this lens is absolutely tack sharp.
3.) Color and contrast nice rich saturated colors and great contrast just superb with my other lenses I usually have to tweak color, saturation and contrast a bit when editing to get them to my liking with this lens images are perfect as is all I have to do is a bit of cropping and maybe resize if posting online of emailing.
4.) Focusing is very precise and quiet with the HSM, I cant even hear it focus.
5.) This lens is fast, great for handheld shots in low light, and even very low light such as candle-lit subjects with a tripod or rest, I can sometimes even pull of candle light handheld if I am very steady.
6.) The focal length makes it the perfect portrait lens when used with a body with a APS-C sized sensor(75mm equivalent), Looks and balances perfectly on my D300.
7.) Build quality is superb, unlike the Nikon there is not much if any plastic on this lens, metal and glass like in the old days, this is a solid lens.
Con's
1.) The only con I can even think of is maybe price, this is one of the few cases where the Sigma version of a lens is actually a little more expensive than the Nikor glass. But IMO this is a better lens than the Nikon and worth the few extra bucks. Usually the Sigma EX lenses are one half to one third the price of the Nikors.
Jeff
Update: After using this lens for a couple of weeks now and putting it through its paces, I wanted to add that I have not experienced the front focus issues that some other reviewers have. I have tested the lens wide open F1.4 from the minimum focus distance to about 8 feet and every time focus has been consistently spot on. This is with a D300 with no AF tweaking. I continue to be impressed by the sharpness, color and contrast of images taken with this lens. So far I love it a truly outstanding lens.
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This Item  Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $198.00 | $599.95 | -28% $649.99 List: $899.00 | -39% $245.00 New Price: $399.00 | -8% $459.95 List: $499.00 | -10% $196.95 List: $219.95 |
| Delivery | Get it as soon as Monday, May 20 | Get it May 15 - 17 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it as soon as Monday, May 20 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 | Get it as soon as Thursday, May 16 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Picture quality | ||||||
| Auto focus | ||||||
| For portrait photography | ||||||
| Quality of material | ||||||
| Sold By | TONY'S Camera Shop | Willoughby's Established 1898 | TRADING DEALS | PIXIBYTES | est est | Amazon.com |
| lens type | Standard | Standard | Wide Angle | Telephoto | Standard | Standard |
| compatible mountings | Nikon F (FX) | Canon EF | Nikon F (FX) | Canon EF | Canon EF-S | Nikon F (FX) |
| lens design | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime |
| focus type | Ring-type ultrasonic | Ring-type ultrasonic | Auto Focus | Auto Focus | Ultrasonic | Ultrasonic |
| minimum focal length | 50 millimeters | 50 millimeters | 35 millimeters | 50 millimeters | 30 millimeters | 50 millimeters |
| max focal length | 50 millimeters | 50 millimeters | 35 millimeters | 50 millimeters | 30 millimeters | 50 millimeters |
| fixed focal length | 50 millimeters | 50 millimeters | 35 millimeters | 50 millimeters | 30 millimeters | 50 millimeters |
From the manufacturer
50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM
The Perfect Standard Prime
Sigma''s 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM is high quality, professional optics and you’ll know it the minute you pick it up. In the past few years, camera manufacturers have overlooked the need for a reasonable fast prime lens that is compact enough for everyday use, yet provides the necessary image quality to meet the highest expectations. Now, with the advent of the APS-C cameras, the long popular 50mm focal length takes on double duty as a portrait length lens of approximately 75mm on most of the small chip cameras.
Dimensions (Diameter x Length): 84.5 x 68.2 mm/3.3 x 2.7 in
Weight: 505g / 17.8oz.
About Sigma
Since 1961, and with the recent introduction of Sigma Global Vision, we have worked toward one single, simple goal: To hold ourselves to the highest standard of design & manufacturing of imaging products. Photography is all we do. And it’s all we’ve done. So you can rest assured that it’s something we know extensively and care deeply about. You have a vision. We’ve made it our mission.
- Fast, large aperture standard lens
- Molded glass aspherical elements
- Carrying case, lens hood, front & rear caps
- Sony and Pentax mounts are discontinued
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Reviews with images
Looking very nice! - when it is in focus!! Now a 1 star rating!
I am just getting back to SLR photography after giving it up 10+ years ago. Currently using this lens on a Nikon D300s and so far the bokeh, the details, the precision is very nice. So using it more as a portrait type lens but can be quite versatile. See the photo uploaded here for results.******************************************************UPDATE: June 9, 2011After using this for a full year, I have to say that this is an excellent lens ... when it is in focus.I begun noticing some images are not 100% in focus ... which I thought it was not an issue for a while ... now I think it can be an issue as I can repeat the problem. See the pictures in the comments below. Essentially, if I focus on infinity (e.g. rotate it manually to infinity) and have it auto-focus on something close by, I can make it not focus.I purchased this last year during a father's day promotion and got a good deal. Would I recommend this lens again - yes. I gave it a 5 stars originally and now brought it down to 3.******************************************************Update: May 23, 2012After using this for almost 2 years now, I have made to decision to send it back for service.Obtained a test sheet and managed to demonstrate that regardless what I do with AF Fine Tune - which is an important feature with my Nikon D300s - I could not get it to focus sharply in the middle if my aperture is set to f/2.8 or below. It seems that larger apertures the lens just could not focus. See the lines and settings on AF Fine Tune and resulting test images here: [...]Planning to send it back for service.
Top reviews from other countries
Daniela
This lens is amazing. It takes crisp photos every time
Reviewed in Canada on September 28, 2015
halmagedon
鉄道写真（駅撮り）用に
Reviewed in Japan on February 28, 2016
halmagedon
Reviewed in Japan on February 28, 2016
APS-Cだと35mm換算で75mmになるので、ホーム上等から線路１本挟んで対向の列車をなるべく後ろまで撮影したい時は
このレンズがベストです
前ピンはボディーで調整して使ってます
F1.4なのでシャッター速度も稼げて良いのですが、幾らでも明るく出来るので露出設定に迷う事があります
シャッター速度優先モードだと露出オーバーになりやすいので注意が必要です
見た目やデザインも良くカッコいいレンズですね
【作例】
シャッター速度 1/4000
絞り値 f5.6
ISO 800
露出補正 +0.3
WB K5260
Images in this review
