sigma v cannon

Brendan Mulachy

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dave
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i'm thinking of upgrading my 1.8 50mm to a 1.4 version, I've seen some lovely shots from the sigma art version, is it so much better than the canon 1.4 USM that it justifies the increase in cost...decisions decisions
 
The Canon 1.4 USM was never a great lens. In fact the latest Canon 1.8 STM is far better in every way except it’s not 1.4 (though it’s as sharp at 1.8 and the 1.4 isn’t great wide open)

ETA It’s not a true USM motor and I believe the optical design dates back to the A mount.

So in answer to your question the Sigma is better by miles.
 
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When I had Canon DSLR's the Canon 50's were never considered that great and the Sigma 50mm f1.4 seemed a strong contender and that's what I got. I took some of my favourite pictures ever with that 50mm on my 5D.

If you do get the Sigma 50mm f1.4 I hope you'll be very happy with it Dave. Even to this day that 50mm remains one of my favourite ever lenses.
 
i'm thinking of upgrading my 1.8 50mm to a 1.4 version, I've seen some lovely shots from the sigma art version, is it so much better than the canon 1.4 USM that it justifies the increase in cost...decisions decisions
Only you can determine that!
 
Only you can determine that!
i was hoping for some insight from someone who has used both to be honest. I've money burning a hole in my pocket and want to spend it. But I've only used my 50mm twice in the past few years ..like in say decisions decisions
 
I shot the Sigma Art 50/1.4 extensively on a Nikon D810 and D850. As others have said, it's still one of the best standard lenses available. There are, however, a couple of things you should know.

First, if you're shooting it on a DSLR, you'll need to buy the dock as well and calibrate the AF. Out of the box it can be a mile out. Which is a pain in the ass! Autofocus is also quite inconsistent, which makes calibration difficult. Really you need to focus them manually using magnified live view, which is a complete ballache since it requires a tripod. So, although the optical design trounces Canikon's f/1.8 and f/1.4 primes, you should bear in mind that it's hard to exploit it. I used the Nikon 50/1.8 G when shooting handheld just for the vastly superior AF performance and lighter weight. On a tripod in liveview, however, the Sigma is supreme.

The other thing you should know is that the Sigma 50/1.4 leaves quite a lot of CA uncorrected (by today's standards). It's extremely sharp even wide open, but specular highlights and highlight edges can look a mess even stopped down.

And the final thing - an announcement from the department for the pigging obvious here! - it's big and heavy. As I say, out for the day and shooting handheld, I left it at home and took the plastic 50/1.8 instead.
 
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