Don’t think…buy! This is the lens that matches the Zeiss Otus performance for a quarter of the price! And now you can preorder it for Sony A-mount at BHphoto (Click here). It’s the worldwide first preorder option! For non US readers: BH ships worldwide and calculates import tax for you. let me know if you find more stores accepting preorders on this lens! Also E-mount camera owners should consider buying this lens. It’s the best you can get!
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wow. 949 nice!
Any samples???
E-Mount version? Autofocus?
Sorry but how can you claim this lens is so good when there are only a few reviews without a lot of actual testing results available? I am thoroughly happy with my FE 55 1.8. Why would I possibly want to buy a slightly faster 3rd party lens that requires an adapter on my A7r when the FE 55mm has been tested by dozens of sites and the consistent results prove that the FE 55 is just as closes to the Otus in image quality as the Sigma, including DXo labs testing results! Not to mention the FE 55 is smaller and lighter.
I agree.. I also love my FE55. Even if this Sigma is slightly better, having to use an LAEA4 adapter adds weight and size and you do lose some light making the F1.4 not much different from the F1.8. I don’t see a real benefit of this over the FE55.
I really cant wait for some test to see if it is really better than the fe 55mm.
I think there is no doubt that it is better than the 55 mmF1.8 .The problem is that it is not “better” enough to sacrifice the size, weight and native mount of my 55mm. If I was a D800 user I would buy it instantly. SLRgrear are a very reputable test site
I think there is still plenty of doubt at this point.
I may rent one and see if it is that much better. The thought of this lens actually matching the otus makes me want to get a A99 just for this lens. I can easily find a A99 body for 2,000 or less so for about 3,000 I would still save over a grand over the otus with no AF. Or I could use the sony adapter and only use the sigma for photo shoots. I will wait and see what real world results show before I go crazy.
” Also E-mount camera owners should consider buying this lens. It’s the best you can get!”
E-mount owners would probably be better served by the excellent, fully supported and much lighter FE 55/1.8
agreed!
What Sigma should really do to make mirrorless people happy is to start releasing their existing DG (full frame) lenses for E-mount, without changing the optics. They have a number of pretty nice glasses and while short focal length ones would suffer from some unneeded distance from the sensor, they would still be a great option for the type of lenses that simply don’t exist for FE natively. And for telephotos there wouldn’t be much difference anyway.
Unless I’m wrong, all they’d need to do is to supply longer tube for the mount and come up with electronics that can talk to E-mount (especially with regards to the native autofocus).
Lack of useful autofocus with LA-EA3 or Metabones adapter or such sucks. At the same time, LA-EA4 is bulky and eats some light away.
Why should they do that when the market is not there? How many FE bodies are in the wild for them to make it worthwhile? It’s Sony’s responsibility, not Sigma’s, to make the mount attractive for third party suppliers.
You don’t get it. It has nothing to do with responsibility, all to do with oportunity.
And E-mount can be an oportunity for Sigma, because they already have the lenses with required optics and mechanics (in form of EF mount lenses, which are also fully electronic and have internal motors, unlike non-HSM A-mount lenses).
They would need to change the bayonet mount shape (cheap and easy) and replace the chip that talks EF protocol with the E-mount protocol (which also shouldn’t be hard, since E-mount specs are open). All that means that Sigma could jump into the full frame E-mount bandwagon without much investment and steal some cake from Sony, especially since there are obvious gaps in Sony FE offering.
If there _were_ an actual opportunity, you think Sigma would not have jumped in feet first?
And if adapting DSLR lenses to E mount is as you say, then why hasn’t Sony of all people done the same for their entire A mount catalogue? They, after all, “already have the required optics and mechanics”, no?
Well, that’s an interesting question why they didn’t. Do you know?
Sony A-mount range story is different for two reasons:
1. A-mount lenses have different mechanics: physical aperture lever, lack of image stabilization and screw motor interface for non-SSM lenses. They would need to be redone and lack of stabilization would hurt the E-mount users especially on telephoto lens.
2. Sony’s strategy so far seems to be releasing smaller lenses for the E-mount, enforcing the image of a small and lightweight system, probably also not wanting it to canibalize the A-mount too much. Sigma doesn’t need to care about any such things.
I’d like to hear about a-mount future timeline, prior to buyig a-mount lens.
+1 to that
I would love to have the 55/1.8 several times more than this.
Look, the optics are nice, but they really have to work on mechanical design. With their plastic crap they’re certainly not making me happy.
And I would like to hear that AF motor once. Is it as silent as the FE lenses are?
You want a silent lens on a noisy body…
The motor on my Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art lens squeaked like a mouse. They swapped it out for me, and now it’s better. But it has problems in really cold weather, unlike my Sony lenses.
How would this lens compete vs the SAL50F14z? I have this one and I am pretty happy with it.
Simply better
Sharper. That’s it. If you have the Zeiss don’t sell it at a loss to get this lens, that would be bonkers IMHO. I own it as well and love it’s image quality and size and weather sealing. It lives on my a99. It’s up to Sony now if they will
Drop the price but I don’t think they will. I suspect we’ll be rewarded with compatibility with faster AF systems down the road that Sigma won’t.
We dont’ know that. We need a real comparison test to be done and so far there isn’t any.
Who has clearly shown in a truly comparable way, that the Sigma lens “matches” the Otus?
Nobody. It’s probably the usual weird generalizations made when speaking about a single characteristic of the lens.
Take a look here:
http://slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1677/cat/30
and here:
http://slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php/product/1664/cat/98
You mean the test made with different cameras of different resolutions that mostly consider sharpness to be the all-telling sign of a lens performance? See the charts on chromatic aberrations? See the performance of each lens at 1.4? or f2? perhaps seen any photos showing the quality of highlights in the out of focus areas?
Let’s not be selectively blind, shall we?
@disqus_DwE632rDXz:disqus: I think it might be you who is selectively blind. You asked for some results, and you got them. I’m sorry. This is the best that can be done. If you want a perfect comparison, you will not get one (at least yet). But don’t berate someone for giving you (80% of) what you supposedly wanted. Some people really want tests and others already have their opinions set in stone and will pick apart any results given to them. If you’re in the second group, then nothing will satisfy you. If you’re in the first group, then lucaspix provided a nice service which, though imperfect, can help you in your decision-making.
Now now, let’s not hyperventilate until we see a true comparison. As for me, I’m happy with my Zeiss 50mm, but if this one really proves to be “all that,” I could be tempted to move downmarket.
I also have the 50z. I really don’t think this lens is going to warrant a switch. SSM and weather sealing combined with a lighter and shorter lens will always justify a slight difference in sharpness to me, not to mention future proofing for the new AF improvements coming like the a6000 has. Notice the Sigma emounts aren’t compatible…
I agree, this does not warrant a switch, but if I hadn’t bought the 50mm Zeiss I’d probably go sigma. Sony needs to seriously rethink it’s pricing strategy.
I just don’t know how Sony could ever compete with a company that will sell 10 times the number of lenses given they can sell Canon and Nikon mounted versions. The return on R&D investment will be larger even based on half the per unit profit VS a Sony lens. Sigma are in a powerful position here! How Sony reacts will be interesting to watch!
Don’t think… buy? Ha! You’re speaking to a community that fiercely analyses and debates camera and lens features a year before they are even announced!! 😉
IMHO this is a super lens! Anyway, I still want the Sigma 24-105 f4 first, to be my walkaround in place of the Sigma 24-70 f2.8 HSM I have. Maybe I’ll consider the 50/1.4 Art for Christmas!
Samples.
http://fstoppers.com/sigma-50mm-art-review
Will there be an ART 135mm 1.8??????
when will this release?