Photo-Wednesday: Who is the new Sigma 40 mm f / 1.4 ART for?

What is your favorite focal length? Most photographers will probably answer this question, saying "35 mm" or "50 mm". What if you could have these two focal lengths in one lens?

I spent a few weeks photographing the latest Sigma 40 mm f / 1.4 ART. A lens with a strange focal length - 5 mm narrower than the favorite stand of many photographers and 10 mm wider than the favorite stand of others.

In the assumption that the Sigma 40 mm f / 1.4 should reflect the "true viewing angle of the human eye". Is it actually 40 mm? It is not known. Canon and Sigma say yes. Tamron, that the focal length of 45 mm is closer to the human eye. Nikon, 58 mm.

Apart from the human eye, the Sigma 40 mm combines the advantages of 35 and 50 mm focal lengths in one excellent glass. Has it succeeded?

Sigma 40 mm ART

Sigma 40 mm f / 1.4 ART is indeed great.

From the side of quality and optical quality, this lens is a miracle of technology. As it was based on the construction of Sigma CINE film lenses, it is compatible with 8K resolution and perfectly sharp throughout the frame. Owners of cameras such as Nikon D850 or Canon 5DS R should definitely take a look at the new Sigma, because it allows to actually use the full potential of large matrices.

The quality of the photos is phenomenal. There is nothing to attach to here, there are no optical defects visible to the naked eye. To the same as befits the Sigma of the ART series, on f / 1.4 bokeh is lovely. I dare say that the characteristics of the blur in the "forties" I like even more than in the "stop" .

Sigma 40 mm ART

Sigma 40 mm ART

From the strictly usable point of view, when buying such a lens, you have to accept the fact that it is huge and heavy. Much bigger than typical 35 or 50 mm, much bigger than Tamron 45 mm and incomparably heavier. 16 elements in 12 groups, of which the interior of the lens is built, translates into a total mass of 1200 g, which makes you feel. Both in the hand and in the bag.

You can feel a little bit at the speed of the autofocus. Accuracy and accuracy of the AF system in Sigma 40 mm is excellent, but the focusing time is a bit too long. Closer to the portrait Sigma 105 mm (which is still faster than it) than the classic "fifty".

The lens will appeal to people shooting SLR and sharpening manually; the focus ring is large, solid, and it sets the right resistance. It is very easy to focus on the desired point.

Sigma 40 mm f / 1.4 ARTICLE

Who is Sigma 40 mm f / 1.4 ART really for?

For two weeks I photographed the new Sigma, me and my wife. I mainly took pictures of the equipment, mainly portraits.

To be honest, 40 mm is not suitable for one or the other.

Sigma 40 mm f / 1.4 ARTICLE

I really wanted this lens to be useful in product photography. Finally, for a long time 90 percent. I took Tamron 45mm photos and they were great; it seemed to me that the 5 mm wider would not make such a big difference. It did.

5 mm less was enough to disturb the proportions of devices with regular shapes. Sigma 40 mm will not change your laptop into a trapeze, like a focal length of 24 mm, but you can already see that "something is wrong".

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The portraits are also average, because on the one hand it is too narrow to make portraits with more background, and on the other too wide, for example to make it tight headshots.

40 mm would seem like a great focal point for the street, but with this application Sigma 40 mm ART in turn deletes its dimensions and AF speed. With the "barrel" of this size attached to the camera, we are not a bit unobtrusive, and autofocus is also just too slow to pass the exam in the rapidly changing situations on the street.

This is of course only my subjective opinion, based on experience in what I photograph every day. I am sure that there will be photographers for whom 40 mm will become the new favorite focal length.

For me, unfortunately, 40 mm turned out to be a dud, although I hoped that it would be different. This focal length lies perfectly between 35 mm, which I can not stand and 50 mm, which I love. Unfortunately, in practice, the new Sigma is much closer to the first range, which is why it did not work in my applications.

Test drive is mandatory here.

The new Sigma 40 mm f / 1.4 costs PLN 4990, regardless of whether we are talking about the version under Canon, Nikon or Sony FE. It is not a small amount of money, and although the lens is of all-purpose value, it is a good idea to check before buying whether the unusual focal length will work in our style of photography.

Sigma 40 mm f / 1.4 ARTICLE

It did not work in mine, but it does not mean it will not work in yours. And if it turns out that someone is 40 mm tall, the new Sigma 40 mm ART will be a great complement to the photographic arsenal.

It's a great lens. Only that it is not for everyone.



Photo-Wednesday: Who is the new Sigma 40 mm f / 1.4 ART for?

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