Sigma35mm F1.4 Art DG HSM Lens for Canon, Black, 3.7 x 3.03 x 3.03 (340101)

As a filmmaker/photographer I shoot most of my projects on my Canon 5D Mark III. While traditionally it is best go for lenses that offer full control (full time manual iris and focus) I personally find it best to search for lenses that can accommodate both cinematography and photography. I need manual focus for shooting video but I also want auto focus for photos.This lens does it all.The build quality is fantastic. It's metal body gives a sense of sturdiness that's hard to find in most other lenses. It's enough of a step up from say the Canon 35mm 1.4 L lens (which feels more like plastic) to make you forget that the lens isn't weather sealed. Then again nether is the Canon L lens so it's not really an issue for me.The auto focus system is quick and silent. It's so quiet that you might even forget that it's on. Also, the switch from AF to MF has a fool little white indicator when it is in Auto.The picture quality is very beautiful. The colors are lovely and kind of contrasty, the sharpness is great and even the bokeh is buttery smooth. Given that the lens has a nine blade iris this is to be expected.Image quality remains stunning even all the way open at 1.4 with pretty much no issues like chromatic aberration, ghosting or other such things that come with shooting wide open. And even if they do appear they are easily fixed in post.Even when shooting video with this lens I was very impressed with the quality that the glass was putting on my sensor. It gives the video a kind of expensive look as if you were shooting with a Zeiss or even a Cooke lens.I can't recommend this lens enough. Rather you do photos and video as a hobby or as a pro this lens is a must own. And for the price it is most defiantly worth it.

Like most photographers who have been paying attention for a while, I was a little nervous about buying a Sigma lens. I needn't have been. This new Sigma seems to be the real deal and this lens is their star performer.I'm using it mounted on a Canon 7D. That's a crop sensor camera, so the lens performs as a slightly narrow standard, a critical niche to fill. While the 7D is a crop (APS-C) sensor camera, it is a large one, so the weight and size of the lens matches very well, providing a balanced package. I have had no trouble with focus accuracy or performance compared to Canon lenses. It is quick and quiet and no more likely to misfocus on my body than the Canon lenses I own (including a couple of the premium "L"s).I only have a couple minor complaints.I was a little surprised at the degree of vignetting at f/1.4 considering the sweet-spot effect of the crop sensor. That said, it is still very minor, easy to correct for, and can be hard to spot or desirable depending on the condition. But do be aware that when shooting wide open a significant portion of the field will be a tiny, but noticeable, bit darker than you might have expected. I'm not sure any lens would do better, though, as wide lenses all suffer from this.Longitudinal chromatic aberration (bokeh fringing) is also fairly severe at f/1.4. If you shoot a bright white object on a dark background (such as a cat's whisker in the sun against black fur) even slightly out of focus (easy to do at f/1.4) there will be a very noticeable purple or green fringe. You can get the same thing (though harder to spot) shooting a dark object like a tree branch against bright sky. This is usually something you can correct for and is, again, a general feature of large aperture lenses.On the petty side, while the lens cap and end cap are perfectly functional, they don't live up, aesthetically, to the standard of the rest of the lens. The rest of the lens is gorgeous, including the hood and case that come with it.So, in short, don't expect miracles, but this is every bit the great lens people have been saying it is, and it works great mounted on a Canon 7D.

Prior to this, I purchased the 30mm Sigma EX (APS-C lens) and the 18-250mm Sigma DC OS. Like many, I had the litany of focusing issues that not even a -20 Micro focus adjustment on my Canon 7D could correct all the way (though it came close). I was a skeptic like most others when the NEW line came out, but after reading several reviews ( Digital Picture, DP Review - Gold Award, Amazon, Adorama, BHPhoto, Amazon) I said "Ok I'm in"To date my personal reference for prime glass is my trusty old Tamron 90mm Macro - the 172E. Yes. The 14 year old original, slow as molasses focusing 172E. If you're shooting close up portraits, who cares how fast it is. But the image quality and sharpness is sublime.HELLO Sigma 35mm ART! Sweet Lord does this thing deliver. And though I'm still playing a bit, I haven't felt like I've need to move my 7D Micro Focus adjust off one tick. However, the USB adapter was JUST released yesterday for these new Sigmas, so if adjustment is a must, voila! No need to send it off with your body.Center sharpness is tack on wide open at 1.4 and can yield amazing bokeh results in front and behind your target at close range. Stop it down to 2.8 or 4 and the entire field opens up.So far as lenses go, this SHOULD be your prime, no hesitation. Build quality is solid. Put a quality B&W MRC UV filter in front of this and you'll knock your own socks off.Gear: Canon 7D. Tamron SP 90mm Macro, Tokina 11-16mm ProDx, Tamron SP 70-300mm Di VC USD, Sigma 35mm ART. B&W MRC FiltersUPDATE: 10/25/2013I have since added a Canon 85mm f1.8 Prime and a Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS Mk II to my line up. I am now firing this tele for closeup portraits and using the 35mm Sig for full body. It really makes for a gorgeous and highly versatile portrait duo. Although the Canon 85mm is still after 20 years a damn near unbeatable fast prime for next to nothing in terms of cost. I do use it with the 35mm sometime when I need to be less obnoxious than the air traffic controlling 70-200