The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 isn’t super small, but it handles well The lens has only one control: a broad rubberized focus ring that spins smoothly, though without much damping. The lens is a bit longer than the average normal prime lens, and is similar in overall size to the Sony Zeiss FE 55mm f/1.8.

There is no flimsiness whatsoever, and the whole package feels great. It’s built of a mix of metals and high quality plastics that are very tightly assembled. Construction and Handlingĭespite the Contemporary badge that signals Sigma’s consumer line of lenses, the 30mm f/1.4 is a very solidly constructed lens. I review products on how they act for me as a photographic tool. There are plenty of other sites that cover those. You won’t find lens charts or resolution numbers here. If you’re not familiar with my reviews, I review from a real world shooting perspective. The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN is one of the fastest AF lenses for Sony E-Mount I’ve been shooting with the 30mm f/1.4 for Sony E-mount for the past week, so let’s find out. Does this signal lower performance, or will this fast lens become the go-to normal prime for Sony APS-C and Micro 4/3 shooters.

In an odd twist, the 30mm f/1.4 is from Sigma’s lower cost ‘Contemporary’ line of lenses, rather than the higher end ‘Art’ line a line that the cheaper f/2.8 optics were part of. Now, Sigma has released a fast lens to complement those f/2.8 optics with the new Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN. The Sigma 19mm f/2.8, 30mm f/2.8 and 60mm f/2.8 are still among the very best values in the mirrorless world, providing very high quality optics at a fraction of the price of most lenses. 6Color, Contrast and Chromatic AberrationĪ few years back, Sigma made some waves with the release of three very affordable, but moderate aperture prime lenses for mirrorless cameras.I always obsessively zoom into my images in Lightroom and I really can’t find any major visual flaws with this lens.Īs a matter of fact, if I’m not mistaken, by the numbers it is actually the 2nd sharpest lens for Sony APS-C cameras behind the Sigma 56mm F1.4. I tend to shoot portraits at about F2 in order to get a great balance of bokeh and edge-to-edge sharpness.Īs for obtaining “perfect” sharpness, the lens peaks at about F4, and even pixel peepers won’t find any significant flaws. Stopping down just a bit is where the lens really starts to shine. Wide open, the results aren’t quite as strong as the 16mm, but we still see incredibly sharp centers with only minor corner softness. The lenses in the Sigma trio (again, the 16mm, 30mm, 56mm) are known as being the sharpest lenses in the Sony APS-C lineup, and the Sigma 30mm F1.4 is absolutely no exception. Some friends of mine on top of a mountain overlooking Hidden Lake in Glacier NP. When hiking, I can toss it easily in my bag. I’ve shot with this thing for hours straight in the city and haven’t had any issues with comfort. It balances perfectly on my Sony a6000 and the massive focusing ring provides a really nice rubberized gripping point when out shooting. Overall, I think the Sigma 30mm F1.4 is the perfect combination of build quality, size, and ergonomics. It’s a bit annoying and probably my only major gripe with this lens. Unfortunately, to achieve such a clean and minimalistic lens barrel, they had to omit a physical AF/MF switch. The focusing ring is massive and to top it all off, there’s a nice little “C” badge (signifying the lens as being part of the “contemporary” lineup). It has a sleek blackish-gray finish that contrasts very well with the white engraved text. I understand that the aesthetics of a lens is a rather minor point, but this one looks really nice. Aesthetics & ErgonomicsĪnother thing I appreciate about the Sigma 30mm F1.4 is the simple and minimalistic design. Chief Mountain near the Montana/Alberta border, photographed in 2019.

Sigma 30mm 1.4