Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM

The Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM is a new standard prime lens for full-frame DSLR cameras. Designed to be the ultimate “fast 50”, the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM is comprised of 13 elements in 8 groups and features a rounded 9 blade diaphragm which creates an attractive blur to the out of focus areas of the image. It has a Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) for quiet, smooth and accurate autofocusing, Super Multi-Layer Coating to reduce flare and ghosting, a minimum focusing distance of 40cm /11.8in and a maximum reproduction ratio of 1:5.6. The Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM lens is currently available for £849.99 / $949.99 in the UK and the US, respectively.
Ease of Use

Weighing in at 815 grams and measuring 9.9cm in length, the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM is a big lens given its focal length, and signficantly larger and heavier than other standard 50mm lenses, with the exception of the Zeiss Otus 55mm F1.4. As seen in the photos below, it complements a full-frame camera like the Canon EOS 5D Mark III very well though, feeling well-balanced if a little heavy!

Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM The Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM lens mounted on a Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM The Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM lens mounted on a Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM The Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM lens mounted on a Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM The Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM lens alongside a Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Build quality is excellent. The lens has a plastic shell with a mixture of metallic parts and a new compound material, TSC (Thermally Stable Composite), used inside. It also incorporates a brass bayonet mount that's supposed to be more durable. The optical elements are made of high-grade glass. The focus ring is pleasingly wide and ridged for easier grip.

Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSMFront of the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM lens

Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM Front of the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM lens

In terms of features, the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM offers all the basics that you need from a prime lens. The main exception is the lack of built-in Vibration Reduction, although the very fast maximum aperture of f/1.4 helps to make up for this.

Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSMFront of the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM lens

Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSMRear of the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM lens

Focusing is usefully internal and manual focusing is possible when set via the Focus switch on the lens barrel. Full-time manual focus override is also available at any time simply by rotating the focus ring. A clear distance scale in both feet and meters runs from the closest focusing distance of 0.4m / 1.3ft to infinity.

Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSMFront of the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM lens

Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSMRear of the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM lens

The Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM ships with a good quality soft case and also a large plastic petal-shaped lens hood. It accepts 77mm filters.

Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSMThe Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM lens in-hand

Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSMFront of the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM lens, with the supplied LH730-03 lens hood fitted
Focal Range

At the 50mm focal length the angle of view is 46.8 degrees.

 Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSMField of view at 50mm
Focusing

The Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM lens has a wide focus ring. There are hard stops at both ends of the range, making it easier to set focus at infinity. Polariser users should be pleased that the 77mm filter thread doesn't rotate on focus.

When it comes to auto-focusing, the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM zoom is a fairly quick performer, taking about 0.25 seconds to lock onto the subject when mounted on the Canon EOS 5D Mark III that we tested it with.

We didn't experience much "hunting", either in good or bad light, with the lens accurately focusing almost all of the time. It's also a quiet performer, thanks to the built-in HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor), which makes this lens quite well-suited to video recording.
Chromatic Aberrations

Chromatic aberrations, typically seen as purple or blue fringes along contrasty edges, are only conspicuous by their complete absence from our test shots.
Light Fall-off

With the lens set to its maximum aperture of F/1.4, there is significant light fall-off in the corners. Stopping-down to F/4 virtually eliminates this.

Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSMLight fall-off
Macro

The Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM isn't claimed to be a macro lens, with a minimum focusing distance of 40cm/15.8in and a maximum magnification ratio of 1:5.6. The following example demonstrates how close you can get to your subject, in this case a Compact Flash memory card.

Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSMClose-up performance
Bokeh

Bokeh is a word used for the out-of-focus areas of a photograph, and is usually described in qualitative terms, such as smooth / creamy / harsh etc. In the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM lens, Sigma employed an iris diaphragm with nine rounded blades, which has resulted in very nice bokeh in our view. We do realise, however, that bokeh evaluation is subjective, so we've included several 100% crops for your perusal.
Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM     Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM
     
Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM     Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM
Sharpness

In order to show you how sharp this lens is, we are providing 100% crops on the following page.

Canon White EOS Rebel SL1 Digital SLR Camera

Has it been one year already since the EOS Rebel SL1 was released and reviewed? That seems to be the case, although we do wonder what took Canon so long to coat the Rebel SL1 in a coat of white, where it will arrive with the EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens this time around as you can see above, coupled with another two lenses that we will talk about in greater detail after the jump.

Canon White EOS Rebel SL1 Digital SLR Camera Accompanied By New EF Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lenses
First up, the EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM as you can see above, will play nice with all EOS Digital SLR cameras, including full-frame models like the EOS 5D Mark III and EOS 6D Digital SLR cameras. This ultra wide-angle zoom lens will deliver high image quality and an Optical Image Stabilizer (IS) for shake correction, as well as up to four shutter speed steps, making it possible to perform handheld shooting even in dimly lit scenes where there is a risk of camera shake happening. Not only that, the ultra wide-angle zoom lens will also boast of newly developed, high quality Canon optics which incorporate three GMo (Glass-Molded) aspheric lens elements, including a large-diameter aspheric lens, which help improve image quality by correcting aberrations.

Canon White EOS Rebel SL1 Digital SLR Camera Accompanied By New EF Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lenses
As for the EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM that is depicted above, it has been developed to be a companion lens for the Canon EOS 70D, EOS Rebel T5i, EOS Rebel SL1 and other EOS Digital SLR cameras that sport APS-C size image sensors. It will further expand Canon’s range of Stepping Motor (STM) lenses, targeting entry-level users who want an affordable wide-angle lens with the ability to shoot creative, high-quality images and video in tight indoor locations.

The Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS USM and the EF-S 10-18mm f/4.5-5.6 IS STM ultra-wide zoom lenses are tipped to arrive later this June for $1,199.00 and $299.99, respectively, while the Canon EOS Rebel SL1 and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS STM lens kit in white will cost you $749.99 a pop.

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs Canon 5D Mark III in video camera test

It’s no secret that camera capabilities of high-end smartphones are improving all the time, and this is becoming an increasingly important factor when choosing a new device. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has a lot to recommend it, including a 13-megapixel camera with 4K video capture capability. Now its video performance has been put to the test in a Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs. Canon EOS 5D Mark III DSLR video comparison.

The Canon camera is a top-notch full-frame 22-megapixel DSLR featuring a SIGMA 24-70mm f/2.8 lens and photographer Alec Weinstein decided to compare the two devices in a video recording test. It should be pointed out that Weinstein did some editing to the videos such as adjusting contrast, sharpening and saturation as well as some other tweaks such as exposure for the Mark III footage, in order to provide a better comparison to the look of the Galaxy Note 3. The full test parameters are shown at the beginning of the comparison.

The video footage was captured at 1080p on the Mark III while it was downsized to 1080p from 4K for the Galaxy Note 3 and the different clips were taken in daylight for the best results. The YouTube video that you can see below our story shows the resulting footage of both devices simultaneously and for the first 15 seconds or so you won’t know which device took which footage so that you can form an initial unbiased opinion about which you prefer.

Several different samples of footage are shown, each time giving the viewer the chance to work out which is which, and although we don’t want to give too much away the results will surprise many. There’s also a bonus round towards the end of the test with the 5D Mark III raw as an extra point of interest, along with some other observations. Finally you’ll see a list of pros and cons for each device in the conclusion.

This offers a really intriguing look at the video capabilities of these devices and it’s worth bearing in mind that the Canon EOS 5D Mark III camera will set you back around $3,500 as opposed to the approximate $750 of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3. When you’ve checked out the full video embedded below we’d be really interested to hear which device you think offers the best results, so do send us your comments.