Review on Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art DG HSM Lens for 📷 Nikon - Black - 3.7 x 3.03 x 3.03 (Model 340306) by Iyhan Putra

Name: Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art DG HSM Lens for 📷 Nikon - Black - 3.7 x 3.03 x 3.03 (Model 340306)
Item: Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art DG HSM Lens for 📷 Nikon - Black - 3.7 x 3.03 x 3.03 (Model 340306)
Rating: 3

September 13, 2022

Mediocre product, probably won't use.

Complete nonsense in comparison with native optics! I am one of those people who buys optics not for "now use", but for the long term. If you can get used to the operation of AF, then compatibility problems should not be taken lightly. In the minuses, I indicated the problems and in the sequence that I had to face. After trying several copies, I chose the most successful one. After several shootings, I returned it back to the store. Instead, having collected my thoughts, I decided to take my native Nikon 35mm f / 1.4G, with a significant overpayment. But now I don’t care about compatibility problems and AF works in such a way that you can shoot at f / 1.4 without worrying at all.

I doubt that this review will collect more positive marks than negative ones, since there are a lot of Sigma 35mm f/1.4 fans. Apparently, a certain part does not encounter problems (I don’t believe it), given the kilotons of “subject” reviews on youtube, in our and foreign segments of the Internet: blogs, reviews, etc. If your budget is limited by the cost of the Sigma 35 f/1.4, take a closer look at the Tamron 35mm f/1.8 and the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G. This is certainly not the cherished 1.4, but maybe you can do without them?

I don't blame Sigma for all the troubles. Something tells me that Nikon is putting a spoke in the wheels of a third-party optics manufacturer, not giving full and correct work.

Pros

+ Build quality. Sigma is not the same as it was 10 years ago, of course. Indeed, there is something in common in this regard with Carl Zeiss. + Autofocus (speed). Slightly faster than the native Nikon 35 f / 1.4G. + Sharpness. If you manage to hit accurately, you can be sure that even at f / 1.4 you will get pixel-by-pixel sharpness. + Balance. The size and weight are perfectly combined with a full-frame camera. + Cost. Almost 3 times the difference in cost compared to the native Nikon 35mm f / 1.4G. + Secondary market. Easy to buy, easy to find a buyer.

Cons

- Autofocus (accuracy). Lives his own life. Okay, let's say you were lucky to choose the only one from several copies that was exactly focused: they "shot" in the store, "shot" at home, everything seems to be ok. The next day, when shooting a wedding or graduation, you get 80% of the marriage! Having covered the aperture to f / 2-2.8, you finish shooting with grief in half. And this is a purely technical problem that does not depend on the photographer: you can get 4/10 hits on the central point from static portraits, and if you start chasing the point across the entire focused screen, then don’t count on more than 1/10! The peculiarity of the "subject" is: if it accurately focuses from 2 meters to the object, it does not mean anything at all. One step forward, two steps back, an object, a long shot. milk! Dock station!? Are you seriously!? Ok! You buy a docking station, make changes, the problem cannot be completely solved. AND? Will you suffer further? - Incompatibility of Sigma optics with Nikon carcasses. I explain: I have 2 carcasses D810 (penultimate firmware) and D300s (latest). Compatibility with D300s is complete, AF in Live view does not work on D810. I decide to ate the carcass to the latest firmware. AF work falls off in all modes completely! How do you like such an investment in optics, which is not known when it will no longer be supported by your system? It was possible to return the work of AF by rolling back the firmware. - Bokeh. The disgust is complete in comparison with the Nikon 35 f / 1.4G. There is only a zone of focus (very sharp if you managed to focus accurately) and soap, consisting of circles with hard edges. There can be no talk of any smooth transition from one zone to another. Too technical drawing. This is a very subjective minus. Perhaps this is not so, but I like the picture from my own more. - Secondary market. Remember I wrote above that it is easy to find a buyer? But after all, many people know about problems with AF. Are you sure that you will be able to sell it as easily as your own optics?