Sigma 50mm f1.4 EX DG HSM lens review

Sigma 50mm f1.4 EX DG HSM lens for Canon

I'm hopping up and down with excitement as my new photography toy has arrived. Those of that know me know how much I love my photography its been a hobby since I could hold a camera over 40 years ago now....eep!

I was originally brought up with film cameras where I even developed my own prints using the developer, fixer and rinse and you can never take away that moment your image starts to appear through the tray of liquids, similar to the fun of using a Polaroid camera...but without standing in the darkroom choking on the chemical fixer fumes lol.
Saying that; it still brings back really fun memories.

I have 5 main lenses which I use with my Canon 7D as I adore taking a variety of styles of photos from lifestyle and product photos to my wildlife images and my all time favorite my macro bug images. More recently I have enjoyed being more creative within the camera and have wanted a faster lens with more bokeh for years. The widest I have is a f2.8 on my Canon Macro lens but I wanted more and at last I finally have it.

See after the jump how I chose the right lens to suit me and a full review of the gorgeous Sigma 50mm f1.4 EX DG HSM.

Ive used Photoshop since 1998 ps5 and yes you can get a certain amount of bokeh if your a whizz with photoshop; but its never quite the same as getting it straight from the camera.

That stunning flower popping from its dull greenery behind it, or you want a persons face to pop from a crowd or emphasize the soft cute eye or nose of a dog, well you get the idea....

So after a lot of reviewing I narrowed it down to 3 lenses  to choose from;

• Canon 50mm f1.4
• Sigma 50mm f1.4 
• Sigma 30mm f1.4

With yet more thinking I decided I wanted a tighter frame than the 30mm although its a stunning lens, but felt a 50mm would also give me tighter product images with some background. I had also heard in other reviews it made an awesome video lens for my own Canon 7D. So reading yet more reviews I finally decided on the 50mm soooo then...it was just between the heavyweights Canon and Sigma. 

So finally after watching endless YouTube videos looking closely at 100s yes 100s of images I finally chose...drumroll....the Sigma 50mm f1.4...WooHoo!

I know I could have just said I bought the Sigma one, but where's the fun in that!

It arrived today and I'm so excited. I bought mine from Wex photographic as it was not only the cheapest but Ive bought from them before and they have excellent customer service and always been there for advice and help.

 It was padded for England as you can see above; wrapped in thick large bubble's bubble wrap to almost four times the size of the box inside. Then a layer of waterproof packaging on the outside. Thank goodness my postman was in a good mood today and didn't try shoving it into the postbox phew!

Inside was my new lens and a Hoya UV filter 77mm to protect the new lens.

Nag alert: Never, never buy a new lens without a putting on a good quality UV filter immediately its out the box. 

Believe me I learn't the hard way many years ago. I was so excited to use my new Canon lens from the box I couldn't wait till my UV filter had arrived and while photographing an offroad Jeep yes you guessed it; a stone chip hit bang smack in middle of the gorgeous shiny new Canon 100mm Macro lens. Luckily it never effected any images and is still one of my favorite lenses today.

*Believe me the day you see a scratch, chip on your filter you will breathe a sigh of relief it wasn't your expensive lens. 

My new Hoya HMC UV filter 77mm

Tip; Stick with Hoya as they make excellent quality glass and they have never let me down. I have over 6 lenses each one with a Hoya filter on and Ive not 1 scratch on any of them...eep ...I hope I haven't just talked it up!

Its no good paying hundreds of pounds for your amazing new lens to then put cheap quality glass on the end. Your then not getting the quality of the images as its going through crappy glass...your defeating the object aren't you....ok...nagging over...! ;-)

The lens and case are well packaged inside with warranty and guarantee.

 What I always love about Sigma lenses is that you get a case and a lens hood. Only Canon's high end L series lenses come with case and hood....sorry Canon I do still love you but... you really need to give your customers some little extras, even if its only a lens cloth.

 This case is made of strong black ballistic nylon with double zips and belt loop and leather logo on the front. Inside is padded with lightweight shaped foam to hold the lens firmly inside.

 In the box you get your Sigma 50mm f1.4 lens, lens cap and base. 

Flower petal lens hood.

The petal-type lens hood it amazing quality made from 4mm thick plastic and blocks out extraneous light and reduces internal reflections.

It screws easily onto the main lens and using the triangle arrow and dot to line up locks-on with an extra click.

Lens Terminology

DG

Sigma's lenses are designed for cameras with a full frame sensor, but cameras with a cropped sensor (mine) can also use them. These are large aperture lenses with wide angles and short minimum focusing distances. They have alot of peripheral illumination so they are ideal for digital SLR's whilst also suitable for traditional 35mm SLR's.

HSM (Hyper-Sonic Motor)

These lenses are motor driven by ultrasonic waves to offer quiet, high speed autofocus. Those of you that have used lenses without HSM will know how noisy they can get; Ive had them frighten off my wildlife Im shooting in the past on other lenses.

EX

The exterior of the lens is EX-finished meaning superior build and optical quality to enhance its appearance.

Okay lets just take a moment to admire this stunning looking lens...sigh!

Description
This Sigma 500mm f1.4 EX DG HSM is a fast prime lens and ideal for Portraiture. This lens effectively becomes an 80mm medium telephoto lens on  APS-C sensor cameras.
It has a minimum focusing distance of 45cm (17.7 inches) and a maximum magnification of 1:7:4 with outstanding optical performance throughout the entire focusing range.
The fast wide f1.4 aperture gives superior peripheral brightness and the 9 rounded blade diaphragm creates an attractive blue to out of focus areas.

Measurements
Length with petal lens hood is 12.2cm.
Widest point is 8cm without lens hood and 9.2cm with lenshood.

Use
Lifting the lens out the case it has a gorgeous substantial weight to it and oh my  goodness you can feel the quality oozing off of it.

The distance indicator window is clear and smooth and shows a choice of meters and feet. For those that don't know this helps to show you an approximate range of acceptable depth of field at different apertures.
 It also has an infinity symbol too which helps to get everything sharp if you need the visual help.

 Autofocus and manual focus switch
I love lenses with this switch as you have the choice of auto-focus or manual as I use both depending on the image Im after. If its wildlife and continuous shooting Ill use Auto-focus, but I use manual most of the time especially with this lens as I want small aspects pin-sharp and the rest a beautiful fade.

 Lens with lens cap and base on.

My only niggle is that my lens cap is a bit fiddly to clip on with the UV filter on.

Sigma have it nailed with beauty of lenses with the gorgeous gold accent ring and their EX sigma logo; it really adds elegance and class to this lens. 

The manual focusing ring has a good grip ring. Its firm and very but responsive.

On Camera

First of all I have to say this 50mm lens was made for my Canon 7D; its a large bulky camera and some small lenses can look lost or look like a kids toy on it, but not with this Sigma. You can see how balanced it looks from all sides. Its the perfect lens...well except the 600mm that would look amazing if anyone wants it reviewed...joking of course.

Even without the petal lens hood on it looks really substantial on my camera.

 With hood it looks professional and gives you a quiet confidence it can cope with any image you want to capture.

What type of photography is this lens best for?

This Sigma 50mm f/1.4 is quite a versatile lens and can cover alot of style ground but here are what I feel this would suit best.

1. Portraits and weddings as it will be gorgeous to get that romantic blur with the rings and the bouquet, the brides eyes and makeup etc.
2. Perfect for pretty flower piks.
3. Product and still life photography. 
4. Indoor photography without a flashgun.
5. Casual snaps.
6. Street photography.
7. Landscapes.
8. Lowlight photography as its fast. 

The resulting images

So lets talk about the images as thats the most important isn't it. Firstly I'm so happy with the results, its a stunning lens, substantially built, excellent quality and the images through the f stops are just gorgeous. This was exactly what I wanted and was missing from my kit. I wanted to capture that beautiful bokeh and softness.

So let me show you rather than ramble on...okay maybe its too late to stop me rambling on lol!

This is my style of pretty flower shot I love taking. I have to have part of the flower super sharp; however some lenses just cant give me both sharp and fade that this Sigma can and its so soft and romanticky.

My cat and bird garden ornament was taken at f/1.4 as you can see on my camera settings; but I have produced slightly different background effects, depending on the light and position.

I prefer my 2nd image as the cat and bird just pops from the background which has blurred beautifully. The bird in particular is sharp.

 More examples are of an up and coming review of my new Peony flowers Ive been collecting. See the variety of artistic styles that you can capture using the one lens; no more swapping lenses every 5 minutes like Im used to doing. The wide f/stop allows me complete control over my images.

 I also want to show you just how fast this lens is too. While photographing these flowers, the wind blew it straight off my table in midshoot and I was delighted to find this image while downloading them. See how sharp both flowers are.
NOTE; no flowers were damaged during this shoot as they were plastic...shusshh!

 Here I shot these Highland cattle (not literally lol) on f/2.8 so they are lovely and sharp but the foreground starts to fade a little and so does the close wire fence and branches above where I'm standing. Ive deliberately not removed them in Photoshop so you can see how the lens almost makes them disappear just by settings alone.

This big fella I shot on f/5 so the whole image is fairly sharp even almost up to the far trees.

I took the same image on different f stops to show you just how beautiful the bokeh is; bet you can tell my favorite; yep its the f/1/4 as it is just so scrummily soft. Im so happy with these results.
But you now have the choice whether you want beautiful bokeh or sharp all the way through.
Its totally a personal preference!

This pik was taken at f/2.8 to get more detail of the flowers in and fade any background clutter of the table and bottle; they really pop from the image.

Opinion

I could keep showing you example piks forever; but this would be an even longer post than it already is...oops sorry...lol! I hope these images are enough to convince you how versatile this gorgeous lens is.

I'm actually blown away with how stunning this lens is, the quality and build is outstanding, I feel it looks more expensive than it was and the HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) is smooth and barely heard compared to my other lenses. The images produced are bright and vivid as well as sharp, there are no obvious aberrations as the optical design and moulded glass lens elements correct many of them. Ive certainly not noticed any in my images.

The lens itself is heavier for its size but you are saving on dragging 4-5 lenses with you on a day trip. This versatile lens would cover a day out perfectly, its also a shorter lens taking-up less room in my camera bag.

Ive literally fallen in love with this lens, Ive wanted perfect bokeh and now I can have it. I cant wait to show you more images at a later date. I will be using this lens for future videos too as its the ideal size frame for my product YouTube videos.

This was a fantastic investment lens for me and I cannot see how the lens could be improved by Sigma's new Art lens version and certainly not for the hefty £895 price tag it carries; it just seems crazy.

This lens is selling for around £320 new but you can get some second hand lenses with people that are updating to the Art series; so you may get a bargain as its a fantastic staple lens for your kit if your not sure which lens to get next.

 Sigma 50mm f1.4 EX DG HSM

£319
From Wex Photographic

 at time of press.

Hoya 77mm HMC UV filter 
£24.99
at time of press.

Note: I have not been paid or supplied with a sample for this review. The lens was paid for by me.

Do you own this lens; if so what do you think of it? Or are you thinking of buying it and have some questions as Ill try and help.

Coming soon reviews of my tripod and head.

 Horizontal Grip Action Ball Head with RC2 Rapid Connect

&

 Manfrotto 055XPROB Pro Tripod

Thanks for popping by

ZX Pi Spectrum 3.14 build is nearly finished #5

 Build is nearly finished.

Ribbon cable

Adding the ribbon cable, a couple of gentle bends and they push right into place, this came with the break out board and has the right amount of 40 pins for the new Pi, 14 extra than the original Pi allowing me to connect extra goodies.
Just wanted to add that, that is in part why I came up with the name ZX 3.14 - Spectrum was the third mini computer from the ZX lineup, zx80, zx81, Spectrum and the 14 was because of the extra pins. Pats Herself on the back.

Please see more after the jump.

Touchscreen

I realized once having the Adafruit 2.8 screen in my hands that the keyboard just wouldn't fit because the screen pushes onto the pins on top of the Pi, so exchanged it for the DFRobotic USB 2.8 screen (above) from Pimoroni a brilliant firm as they are extremely knowledgeable in all things Pi.
By the way which means I can run it from the Pi's USB and it also powers it. There is a larger screen available but it just would not fit in the available space, my plan is to have a computer in a box when the keyboard is fitted it looks to the uninitiated like thats how it came from the production line.
Shusshh no-one will know....!

I hunted through all my past power packs but not one would fit in the space that was left in the box and I also wanted one that would put out 5V at 2 AMP and with the ability to run the Pi etc while also being charged itself; thus allowing it to act like a Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). As you may know the Pi doesn't much like any surprises when reading or writing to the card, this way I can do a SUDO shutdown if I forget and pull the plug or just take it to another room,without having to reboot.

 Powerpack and the ZX Spectrum's own space-bars

I needed to space the power pack off the base of the case for fitment of USB spagetti and to allow me to insert/remove micro sd card beneath. What better spacers to use than old space-bars from the Spectrum's which I then cut and filled flat.

 Glueing in the spacer bars

Spacer bars all glued in.

 Powerpack now fits perfectly.

The height of the newly glued in power pack allows 1mm between it and the fully fitted keyboard above it.

 Then came the fitting of the speakers with some double sided grip pads, job done.

 The next part was fitting the USB adapter and pendrive.

I used a once fitted permanent sticky pad to stick in the USB adapter, a one shot stick, no shakey hands wanted here...eeep!

All stuck in and the USB drive plugs in with mm to spare phew!

 I managed to find this super cool HDMI that swiveled and bent in any direction as I knew space was going to be severely limited. My original plan was to have a cable for the HDMI folding over the Pi and exiting out the back where the Spectrum has TV printed; keeping to Spectrum's original look; but those cables are just not flexible enough and it would have looked fugly...!

 New plan build the HDMI directly into the front of the case simple and a lot neater. So I had to collar my own Dremel man to cut out some of the front plastic to make this fit neatly.

 Look how snug it fits through the cutout and straight into the Pi.

 Wiring in the Breakout board.

The break out board allows easy connections for the 3 volts and earth needed to run the sound Amplifier, there is also a built in switch to turn it off if I need to conserve power.

 Fitting the four rubber feet underneath was as simple as peeling off the protective covers and aligning carefully in each corner, they are 8mm high and will protect surfaces from the spacer bolts and also stop the system from slipping off my desk.

Plus looks so damn good!

Doncha just love an easy-peasy job.

 Inserting Noobs.

Flipping the case over allowed me the access hole under the power pack to place the micro sd card in its new resting place. With the new Pi not only is the SD card holder smaller but it has the push/push locator that is way more secure than the original push/pull that sometimes would cause a bad contact, possibly with the detriment of having to do a software reinstall.

 Almost Done...Im loving the bright colours which match the original Speccy colouring.

I'm so excited I cant wait to turn this baby on...no I haven't tried it yet...I have confidence now its all built in...gulp!

Bluetooth Dongle on the left and Nano Wifi Dongle on the right.

 Of the four USB ports the two that are hidden underneath, house the WIFI to the rear and the Bluetooth towards the front of the case.

So now its just tidying the cables, the black splitter cable that runs from the rear then divides into two is the power in to the power pack and the other lead is for running any PRIMARY projects that don't need to come from the power pack.
Notice the colours of the noodle cables are red, yellow, green and blue like the Spectrum colours on the keyboard case, second pat on the back coming up :-)

Red is the power cable (of course)
Yellow is power pack extension SECONDARY for projects
Green runs the USB to the screen
Blue is to the 16 gig USB pendrive.

 At the back a keyboard locator has been added to hook the keyboard onto the bottom lip of the base so the keyboard sits at an angle (see below) to comfortably use the keyboard and see the little monitor easily which is angled to face you.

Are you liking this so far; Im so proud of my very first build; I wanted to get old technology and new technology together and I have and I think its so very neat as it simply looks like a normal keyboard at first sight; until you lift it off and slide it down.

Incase you missed the main build here are the other 4 posts so you can catchup with the hows and whys.

Project PI #1 Introduction.

Project PI #2 Choosing the case.

Project PI #3 Introducing the new ZX 3.14.

Project PI #4 The Build

Coming Next final installment #6 Booting up the Pi; not as painful as it sounds!

Id love to know what you think...and of course what you are building too.

Thanks for following this first build, I already have plans for the next Pi project which Im super excited about as its one of my favorite animated characters.