There are compact lenses that probably have restricted apertures and sometimes some optical compromises; there are huge, heavy lenses that take no prisoners in their quest for optical quality and lens speed, and the new Sigma lens falls squarely into the latter category. It’s big, it’s heavy, but is it beautiful as well? Let’s find out, using the full frame Sony A7R III 42MP body.

 

SIGMA AF 14mm f/1.4 DG DN | Art Handling and Features

Staring our tour of the lens at the front, we start this time with the lens cap. This is a new definition of big and heavy in its own right, weighing in at 93g on its own. The reason is that it seems the designers have been wondering what we might do with our gelatin rear filters for this lens, so have provided a cap with two gelatin filter storage drawers slickly installed in the back of the cap.

 

When the cap is removed, the vast, domed front element and the solid, built-in lens hood are revealed. Because of this, front filters are not possible, so a gelatin filter slot is provided at the rear of the lens. A separate guide plate (template) is included so gelatin filters can be cut to the correct size. Heating strips can be placed around the front of the lens, reflecting its applications in astrophotography.

 

The lens itself is a weighty 1170g including the tripod socket and collar and 1072g without. It still balances well with the Sony A7R III body. Removing the tripod socket and collar is straightforward, but not so easy to remove that it could become loose. Without its encumbrance the lens handles better for hand held shooting. Dimensions for the lens are 102.4mm diameter and 149.9mm length, bulky but tolerable. Dust and splash-proof construction is quoted in the instructions as being suitable for use in “light rain”. There is also a mention that the lens contains a magnet and it should be kept at least 2 inches away from pacemakers and that credit cards with magnetic strips should not be brought “close” to avoid possible corruption of data.

 

 

The electronic focusing ring is smooth as silk and all the usual Sony focusing options are supported. After the ring there are several switches around the lens barrel. The AF/MF switch is self explanatory. The AFL switch cancels AF and on some cameras may be programmable for other functions. The MFL Lock disables the manual focus ring, which could be useful to avoid the focus point being nudged in some settings. Click on/off engages the click stops on the aperture ring, something that will be useful for videographers in particular. Focusing is down to 30cm, for a maximum magnification of 1:11.9, not a huge magnification but about what is expected from a 14mm lens. This is more than satisfactory. AF is driven by an HLA (High Response Linear Actuator) motor and is virtually silent, fast and accurate.

 

The lugs around the lens secure the tripod socket and collar, and also a provided rubber protective cover for when the collar is removed. The tripod socket is ARCA Swiss compatible and two safety stopper screws and an Allen Key are provided to ensure the security of the attachment.

 

On the opposite side of the barrel is an unlabelled switch and this engages an aperture ring lock. The aperture ring is a beautiful bit of engineering, offering an A setting and manual settings at clear one-third-of-a-stop intervals, with or without clicks. The lock either locks us into A or out of A, and aids operation by tactile feel, for example, without the need to take the eye from the viewfinder.

 

 

Optical construction is 19 elements in 15 groups, including 1 SLD (Special Low Dispersion), 3 FLD (Fluorite-like Low Dispersion) and 4 Aspherical. FLD elements mimic the anomalous dispersion of Fluorite, but are lighter as well as being more affordable. The diaphragm consists of 11 blades to enhance bokeh as well as improving the rendition of stars as the lens is optimised for astrophotography.

 

A high quality brass mount completes the picture and the lens is available in Sony FE and L mount. In the latter case, it is compatible with Sigma USB Dock UD-11, meaning lens parameters can be adjusted and firmware upgrades downloaded.

 

Although inevitably perhaps a larger lens, handling is sweet and it really is a pleasure to use. Although 14mm might seem wide, it can be surprising how many images can be tackled and taking it out on its own encourages exploring ultra-wide shooting, which can be extremely powerful.

---

SIGMA AF 14mm f/1.4 DG DN | Art Performance

Central sharpness is excellent from f/1.4 all the way through to f/11 and very good at f/16. The edges mimic this, being also excellent from f/1.4 to f/11 and very good at f/16.

Sigma 14mm F1.4 DG DN | Art Lens MTF Charts

 

CA (Chromatic Aberration) is helped out by the camera and is very well controlled. Even at the edges, the worst result is still within one half of a pixel and in the centre CA is virtually banished.

Sigma 14mm F1.4 DG DN | Art Lens Chromatic Aberration Charts

 

Distortion measures -0.38% barrel, quite a remarkable result for such a wide lens. It is no doubt sorted between lens and camera, but sorted it is.

 

Bokeh is not usually the forte of ultra-wide lenses, but with an f/1.4 maximum aperture some differential focusing does become possible. The bokeh, the smoothness of those out of focus areas, is surprisingly good.

 

Flare resistance is also well sorted out and there is little to complain about in any of the images shot, even with the harshest light.

 

Vignetting is present and observable wide open, but this can look quite attractive in wide landscapes, darking the corners and concentrating our eyes on the central area, often where the main subject lies.

 

Aperture	Vignetting
f/1.4	-1.7
f/2	-1.4
f/2.8	-1.4
f/4	-1.4
f/5.6	-1.4
f/8	-1.3
f/11	-1.3
f/16	-1.3

 

Sigma 14mm F1.4 DG DN | Art Lens Sample Photos

 

Sigma 14mm F1.4 DG DN | Art Lens Aperture range

You can view additional images of the SIGMA 14mm F1.4 on our equipment database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.

[HOOK]position_1[/HOOK]

Value For Money

The [AMUK]Sigma AF 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art|sigma+14mm+f1.4[/AMUK] lens is priced at £1399.

 

The nearest competition would probably be:
 

• [AMUK]Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 GM|sony+fe+14mm[/AMUK], £1299
• [AMUK]Panasonic Lumix S 14-28mm f/4-5.6 Macro|panasonic+s+14-28mm[/AMUK], £699

The L mount lens doesn’t come close to f/1.4 of course, so the new Sigma will be a great first choice for L mount users.

 

VFM is good, delivering the right product at a fair price.

---

SIGMA AF 14mm f/1.4 DG DN | Art Verdict

Astrophotography, Landscapes, Weddings and Interiors are the primary applications for this lens and it is capable of covering all of those and more. Night photography also benefits from the excellent optical corrections. The lens handles really well, the tripod socket and collar take the strain when tripod mounted and hand holding is comfortable even for long periods.

In terms of quality, this is superb, admittedly assisted by the camera in some ways, but the end result is a fine lens that is so much better than the first attempts at 15mm f/3.5 lenses that came from Leica, Pentax and Zeiss in the early 1970s.

The price is not inexpensive, but it remains in the realms of affordable, so will be within reach of a wider range of photographers. However, it is not a general purpose optic and those who buy a 14mm f/1.4 will no doubt have a very good idea of why they want it. They are unlikely to be anything less than delighted. The Sigma AF 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art lens is a fine example of the Lens Makers’ Art and a clear Editor’s Choice.

 

[REVIEW_FOOTER]R_features=4.5|R_handling=5|R_performance=5|R_value=4.5|R_overall=5|A_level=5|A_text= Editor’s Choice – The first 14mm f/1.4 ultra-fast mirrorless lens excels with its brilliant performance.|E_id=7994[/REVIEW_FOOTER]

---

Sigma 14mm F1.4 DG DN | Art Lens Specifications

View Full Product Details