In-Depth Review: Sigma 35 f1.4 DG HSM Art

Tech Specs
Focal Length: 35mm
Dimensions: 3.7 x 3.0 in. 
Weight: 23.5oz.
Maximum Aperture: f1.4
Minimum Aperture: f16
Diaphragm Blades: 9 (rounded)
Front Element: non-rotating, non-extending
Optical arrangement: 13 elements in 11 groups
Autofocus Mechanism: HSM
Closest Focus: 11.8 inches
Maximum magnification: .19x
Filter Size: 67mm

'A' is for Art.

Background
At Photokina 2012, Sigma announced that it was revamping its lineup. Gone would be the plethora of acronym designations ind arriving would be a much simpler, 3-designation system. One of the new lines of lenses was the 'Art' series, designed for the serious photographer who values the utmost potential for creativity. At announcement of the lineup reboot, Sigma announced a 3 new lenses, one for each category. At the time, Sigma had long been producing a highly-regarded 30mm f1.4 exclusively for sub-frame cameras, so a similarly specified enlarged optic for full frame/film did not seem so out of the blue. The big question: would the new lens live up to the hype? 

Metal mount, distance window, manufacturer-grade construction.

Build Quality: 5/5
The Sigma 35 f1.4 DG HSM Art is built to very high standards that put it on equal footing with many current manufacturer lenses. As for construction, the lens is built on a metal mount and the barrel seems to consist of both metal and plastic sections. The lens features just a single switch to control the AF, making for a very clean look. There is also a recessed distance scale behind a window, a feature that, just a handful of years ago, would have been unheard of on a third-party lens. As for feel, the lens is a pleasure to shoot with as it features ample grip in both a ribbed, rubberized focus ring as well as a similarly-textured rear barrel. All in all, you won't have to worry about your sweaty/wet hands slipping off of where you want them.

Survivability
This lens contains electronics and is focused by a built in motor, which will eventually die. If you want this lens, but it factory new with warranty as Sigma will have to fix it for free if it breaks within the warranty period and for a cost even out of warranty so long as parts are available.


See Also: Weather-Resistant Sigma Lenses

Other side of the lens. Note the ribbing on the rear barrel.

AF Performance: 5/5
Focus is as fast and accurate thanks to Sigma's Hypersonic Motor (HSM) AF drive. Additionally, being a ring-type motor, the HSM mechanism allows for full time manual focus simply by grabbing and turning the focus ring, no need to flip a switch. In reality, the AF/MF switch can be thought of as more of an AF/AF disable switch.

Optics: 5/5

Sharpness
This lens is sharp, really sharp, and across the whole frame to boot! Initially looking at my pictures, I had to check the EXIF data to make sure that the pictures that I thought were shot at f1.4 were actually shot at f1.4! As for the performance, the lens is sharp right from the get-go at f1.4 in the center and mid portion of the frame with slight softness in the corners. Stopping down to f2 results in the corners catching up to the rest of the frame while f2.8 results in optimal sharpness across the frame as the center and mid frame areas are slightly (emphasis: slightly) sharper than at wider apertures. All in all, Sigma has quite an optical gem, even better than the legendary Nikkor 28 f1.4 AF-D, which says a lot!

Vignetting
The lens does feature some obvious light falloff at f1.4, which is no real surprise considering that just about every f1.4 lens features this downfall. Yes, Sigma could have designed the lens with a 77 rather than a 67mm filter, but it's a lot easier to simply stop down the optics to f2 to reduce the problem significantly or f2.8 to eliminate it altogether than to carry around an even bigger, heavier lens.

Note: the vignetting wide open can also be used to create some cool effects in your pictures, such as increased subject isolation (flower) and an overall dreamy look (trail).

Distortion:
Very minimal and should be of no distraction.


CA
Virtually nil.

Only a tiny spot of green flaring shot right into the Sun.

Flare/Ghosting
Virtually nil here even in the most extreme conditions.

That smooth boken is a result of 9 rounded aperture blades.

Background Blur
Thanks to those 9 rounded diaphragm blades (above), background blur is silky smooth (below).

Astrophotography

Infinity focus is actually infinity! Simply turn the focus ring until it stops and you'll have perfectly-focused stars all night!

 Manually focus to infinity and forget it!

Oh yes, the lens can AF on the Moon, too!

Value: 5/5
Simply put, where else can you get a currently produced 35mm f1.4 lens for FF/film for under $1,000? Answer: nowhere but here. Oh yes, the Sigma 35 f1.4 DG HSM Art is also a one heck of a lens, going to make it an even better bang for the buck.

Competition
When it comes to the 35mm f1.4 market segment, there is lots of competition as this is a very popular focal length lens among photographers. Canon, Nikon, and Sony all make such optics. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten to play with any of them, which means that I can only give second-hand comparisons. Reading reviews of the competition vs. the Sigma, the Sigma seems to be every bit as good (some sites say even better) than the Canon and Nikon optics while the Sony is widely considered to be a $1300+ dog. If you're a crop cam shooter, skip this lens and get Sigma's highly regarded 30 f1.4 as it costs a lot less and is a lot smaller and lighter as it's only designed to cover a sub-frame imaging circle.

No light? No tripod? No stabilizer? No problem!

Conclusion: 5/5
By reading this far, the final conclusion should be a no-brainer: Sigma has really outdone itself on this one as the 35 f1.4 DG HSM Art is, without doubt, the best lens I have ever used! What else is there to say? The optics are truly superb, the AF is the best offered via current technology, the build is on-par with manufacturer lenses, and the price? Well, while it is not cheap at $900, you'll pay far less for Sigma's wonder lens than for the similar manufacturer optics that have no real advantages except for snob appeal. To put it plainly, I you shoot with FF digital and/or a compatible film camera and need the best, fast wide-standard lens around, look no farther than the Sigma 35f1.4 DG HSM Art. . 

Samples

Sigma Fan? Check Out These Reviews:
Sigma 24-105 f4 DG HSM OS Art
Sigma 100-300f4 DG HSM Apo

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Canon 70D vs. 7D: Controls and In-Hand Feel

Should I buy a 70D or 7D? That's the question many are facing after Canon announced the latest of its popular xxD line of mid-level dSLRs: the EOS 70D, which replaces the almost 3-year old 60D, which was greeted with a lot of groans upon announcement. With the 70D, Canon upped its game and the camera's performance, meaning that the 70D is more of an upgrade from rather than a successor to the 60D, which begs the question: how does it stack up against an aging, price falling, yet higher-tiered EOS 7D?

Well, let's have a look.

First up: on the specification sheet, the cameras are very similar, with the real differences coming down to construction quality, viewfinder size, and the 70D's new (untested) sensor. This all aside, there's another area that needs to be addressed: the controls and in-hand feel, which couldn't be more different.

For starters, the cameras are pretty much about the same size. With that, the similarities end. So, let's progress to the differences.

 The 7D and 70D: top view

Looking at the top of the cameras, things look pretty much the same, at first. On the top left, looking at the mode dial, there are some differences in what the cameras offer. On the mode dial, the 7D offers three user-defined settings while the 70D offers only one. On the other hand, the 70D offers a scene mode control and a flash disable option. That aside, all square.

Progressing to the right of the camera, things get more different. Both 7D and 70D have a control wheel and shutter button in just about the same place. As for buttons, the 7D has 5 while the 70D has 6. From there, the differences increase. By looking above the buttons on the cameras, one sees that those on the 7D are dual in function while those on the 70D are single, which could be a good or bad thing either way. Opinion aside, let's look at the differences.

The main difference here: the 70D loses direct access control to the white balance and bracketing options. For inexperienced shooters, this will not be a big deal as most would be content to leave the camera in auto WB most of the time and probably not even touch the bracketing button. For more advanced photographers, this could be a put-off. Additionally, both cameras have a button just behind the shutter, with the 7D's being a multi-function, customizable button and the 70D's being for controlling the AF point pattern. Which is better? Your call there.

Moving to the back of the camera, things couldn't be more different. 

The 7D and 70D: back view

On the top right of the camera, things are the same with the movie on/off button and the functions of the 3-button grouping on the top right corner. Another similarity: a quick control dial lock button on the bottom right. Beyond that, all's different.

The reason for the completely different control layout s a practical one: the 70D's articulating LCD screen, which necessitates the removal of all buttons along the left side of the camera, which is exactly where they are with the 7D. On the 70D, these buttons have been moved to the right side of the LCD screen. As for the buttons themselves, the 70D has fewer than the 7D. On the 70D's chopping block: the additional file button and picture style control. Another difference: the joystick on the 7D has been incorporated into the quick control dial on the 70D. Streamlining or cutting? Your call, but the differences on the back of the two cameras are there and very pronounced. Another thing to think about: the left vs. right side placement of the buttons themselves.

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