It’s the one I’ve been waiting for!  Even since Sigma released their  85mm F1.4 DN in 2020 (my review here) I’ve been harassing my Sigma contact about a 50mm DN lens.  Well, it’s here, and the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG DN ART is sure to be a hit.  Why do I say that?  While Sony has a TON of available lenses at this point, the amount of quality 50mm options is actually fairly low.  The older Sony Zeiss 50mm F1.4 Planar (my review here) is still available, though at a pricy $1500 USD. There’s the bargain Samyang AF 50mm F1.4 II (my review here) which is well worth considering at $650 USD.  Then at the top of the heap there is the brilliant Sony 50mm F1.2 G Master lens (my review here), though it will run you $2000 USD.  But Sigma is unique in that it brings us lenses that are more like direct competitors with something like the GM lineup though at a significantly reduced price tag.  In this case, the 50mm F1.4 DN is coming to market with an MSRP of $850 USD.  That’s a great value for such a high performing lens (as we will see), in particular because the new Sigma is much more competitive with the GM lens than either the older Sony or the new Samyang in terms of autofocus. 

Sigma has given the 50mm F1.4 DN their new HLA focus motor, making it just the second lens (after  the new 60-600mm DN Sport) to receive this superior high speed focus system.  HLA stands for “High-response Linear Actuator”.  There is a clear improvement in focus speed with this new focus motor, delivering near instant focus changes.  The Sigma is closer to the GM in autofocus performance than any of the other 50mm alternatives.

There are few lenses more valued to wedding and portrait photographers than a quality 50mm F1.4 lens, as this is a versatile focal length and can deliver very striking results.  The 50mm F1.4 DN definitely delivers on that front, and its reasonable price is sure to prompt the same kind of success that Sigma saw with its original 50mm F1.4 ART for DSLR mounts.

If you don’t “speak Sigma”, here’s a quick breakdown of what those letter combinations in the name mean.  DG is Sigma’ designation for a lens designed for full frame (DC denotes APS-C).  DN refers to lenses designed for mirrorless cameras (in this case the lens will initially come to Sony E-mount [tested here] and Leica L mount, with hopefully other mounts in the future).  ART is the designation Sigma gives to its higher end primes and zooms that tend to have larger maximum apertures and higher optical performance.

So should the new Sigma jump onto your wish list for a new 50mm lens?  Should you upgrade your current lens to it?  You can judge for yourself by either watching my video review below or reading my text review to get the full picture…or just enjoy the photos below.

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Thanks to Gentec (Sigma’s Canadian Distributor) for sending me a pre-release review loaner of this lens. As always, this is a completely independent review. *The tests and most of the photos that I share as a part of my review cycle have been done with the Sony a7IV along with the Sony Alpha 1 which will serve as my benchmark camera for the foreseeable future (my review here).

Sigma 50mm F1.4 DN Build and Handling

Photos Taken with the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DN ART

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