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Review: Sigma 14mm 1.8 DG HSM Art Lens

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Review: Sigma 14mm 1.8 DG HSM Art Lens

July 21, 2017  |  by samys

Here I go again, Sigma is one helluva great company pulling off the impossible.

Who would have thought that a super wide angle 14mm could be engineered into a super fast lens with an extremely fast 1.8 aperture? The magicians at Sigma have the imagination and the ability to create such a lens which is appropriately one of their highly regarded line of finely crafted ART lenses.

[caption id="attachment_4647" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Credit: Sigma[/caption]

Photographing wide open at 1.8, one could explore the night sky for astrophotography, shooting at a music venue in front and backstage, use in an underwater housing with a wide angle port. At 1.8 it creates an incredible, creamy out of focus background with a razor sharp subject in the foreground.

[caption id="attachment_4648" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Credit: Ralph Elliott Starkweather[/caption]

Let’s not forget that one can shoot stopped down for incredibly sharp and incredible depth of field foreground to background.

[caption id="attachment_4649" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Credit: Ralph Elliott Starkweather[/caption]

This is a great lens for interiors and for landscapes. And, as all other art lenses has the most pleasing color palette which is consistent throughout the Sigma ART lenses. I was blown away by the revolving power as well, especially when blown up to a very large size on the monitor.

One of the cameras I used for my 14mm 1.8 lens for this review was the amazing Canon 5DSR and 5DS which has the look of a medium format digital camera with incredible resolution: a perfect match for this lens to see what it is capable of. And yes, the sharpness extends out to the edge of the image - no mushiness as with many other super wide lenses.

[caption id="attachment_4641" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Credit: Ralph Elliott Starkweather[/caption]

I am a fan of ultra wide angle lenses; but, it took me a few dozen exposures in different situations to get the feel for it all again.

[caption id="attachment_4642" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Credit: Ralph Elliott Starkweather[/caption]

It is amazing how the wide angle can be perfect as far as the rectilinear aspect with straight lines important for architecture; but, on the other side of the coin, the crazy movement and forced perspective can add a lot of zing to a boring mundane photograph.

[caption id="attachment_4651" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Credit: Ralph Elliott Starkweather[/caption] [caption id="attachment_4643" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Credit: Ralph Elliott Starkweather[/caption] [caption id="attachment_4644" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Credit: Ralph Elliott Starkweather[/caption]

This lens requires a lot of glass to achieve this 1.8 aperture. So, it is not lightweight; but, the results are definitely worth the effort.

As you are photographing them with this lens, thank your lucky stars that a company called Sigma exists and keeps producing such incredible lenses.

[caption id="attachment_4645" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Credit: Ralph Elliott Starkweather[/caption]

From Sigma:

[caption id="attachment_4646" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Credit: Sigma[/caption] 14mm F1.8 DG HSM | A Category: Lenses, Wide Angle Lenses, USB Dock Compatible, MC-11 Compatible Class: Art Typical Photography: Creative, Travel, Landscape, Wedding & Events, Specialty
  • World’s first and only Full-frame F1.8 ultra-wide-angle lens
  • Exceptional optical performance ideal for ultra-high megapixel cameras
  • Ideal for Astrophotography, Landscape Photography, Documentary and Architecture
  • Featuring a large-diameter aspherical lens element
  • Minimized chromatic aberation and distortion
  • Dust/splash-proof construction
  • Newly designed HSM with faster, yet smoother focusing
  • Electromagnetic aperture control (for Nikon) 
  • Handcrafted in Japan 
The Sigma 14mm 1.8 DG HSM Art is the worlds first 1.8 prime lens at the 14mm focal length. This fast wide prime features the same large aspherical element touted in the Sigma 12-24mm F4 Art to control distortion and create stunning imagery. An updated Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) provides fast and accurate autofocus while 3 Premium FLD and 4 SLD glass elements control chromatic aberration and sagittal coma flare. Building on the highly reputable Art line, the Sigma 14mm 1.8 DG HSM Art is designed to resolve the latest high megapixel DSLR sensors.  Like each and every Global Vision Lens, the Sigma 14mm 1.8 DG HSM Art is handcrafted at our single factory in Aizu, Japan and undergoes individual evaluation before leaving Sigma’s facility. Check out the Sigma 14mm 1.8 DG HSM Art Lens here.   
July 21, 2017

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samys

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