Sigma 35mm F1.2 DN (Sony FE): Review | 4K

Truly a remarkable lens, Sigma's lens designing chops are second to none. The wide open sharpness is almost beyond belief, credit also goes to the focusing system to be able to precisely nail focus with such a shallow depth of field. Another great review Dustin Abbott, thank you for sharing this through and honest test.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

My pleasure.

[@aziznasuti2690]

I am constantly saying you are one of the best reviewers in the planet!

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Thank you

[@emberlensdesigns2355]

Shit, now we live in a plant?! I thought life was supposed to be a simulation. 😩

[@shawndean100]

Planet!

[@charliipresley]

No way. He needs to wear a tight shirt that says: “ I Shoot CAMERA “ then ... maybe 😎

[@thomasgunn4146]

This lens renders images that almost mimic the look of medium format. Stunning!

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Agreed. Pair this with the a7RIV and you've got a very impressive combination.

[@Kirill-q7i]

@@DustinAbbottTWI a7RV in my case even better, great glass!

[@mrDoctorWho0]

Thank you, Dustin! Your reviews really help buying a lens or camera that costs it's money. I enjoy watching your videos.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I'm glad it helped.

[@randolphcroft4212]

Your prior review set my mind at ease and I ordered one last Wednesday. Thanks for such logical and comprehensive reviews!

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

You're welcome.

[@mohamedkyson440]

Sorry to be offtopic but does anyone know of a trick to get back into an instagram account..? I was dumb lost my account password. I would appreciate any tricks you can offer me

[@chrisjaiden1405]

@Mohamed Kyson Instablaster =)

[@mohamedkyson440]

@Chris Jaiden thanks for your reply. I found the site on google and im in the hacking process now. I see it takes quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@randolphcroft4212]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4uxonWEfNx3bMk

[@acouragefann]

Happy to "report" that after a firmware update, I no longer found the stepping/pulsing in video to be particularly noticeable, while it certainly was before! Going from the 28mm 1.4 to this, I actually find it overall a lot easier in the hand. Not Samyang 45 easy, but more manageable than I expected.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

That's good to hear.

[@simonp8088]

Dustin, i just broke down and bought this lens. I already have the Sigma 85 dg dn and the 14-24 dg dn. I consider Sigma and Tamron to be the best lens makers. Thank you for your review.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

That's a pretty great Sigma kit; all of those lenses are excellent.

[@The_Essential_Light]

I have the Rokinon 35mm 1.4 which is the exact same lens as the Samyang and I don’t think for most people including myself that the differences justify the high price unless money is no object. I can do everything I need to do with 1.4. I also think it’s too big.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

That is the basic problem, for sure. The Samyang is already "good enough" for most people, and is both smaller and much better priced. Still, if one wants the supreme portrait option at 35mm, the Sigma is the way to go.

[@charliipresley]

I used the 85mm Rokinon (needed an 85 ASAP and Amazon next day ...) I was pleasantly surprised at how great it was all around. Built nice, focus was great, built great. Really great for the price

[@philliphenry9792]

Rented it and love it, looking forward to their newly patented 50mm 1.2

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I'm sure it will be pretty sweet.

[@highrro]

I just bought the Sony 35mm f1.8 lens and I’m really enjoying the 35mm focal length and the physical size of the lens itself. An f1.2 would be so nice but the size of that lens is crazy! Regardless I would still like to test it out!

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

It's a beautiful lens optically, but yes, I wish it were at least 30% smaller.

[@artmaltman]

Hopefully soon you will review the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 for FE. Please always pay particularly close attention to focus breathing for this focal range. Why? 70mm is a crucial focal length at events, as it's the shortest length for close portraits (half body or less) of 1 or 2 people that is likely to be complementary to faces, in my experience. If a 24-70mm is effectively a 20-50mm at ten feet, then event photographers run the risk of inadvertently distorting faces of some people when the lens is set to 70mm (but really shooting at 50mm). On the other hand, if a 70-200mm is really a 50-150mm at close distances, well, really what are you going to need to photograph at a distance of ten feet at 200mm? That's the realm of a macro lens IMHO. Thanks for your great work. Art.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I've already had discussions with Sigma about the lens. I'm sure it will happen somewhere around the end of 2019

[@JAS4BG]

Thanks for your pleasant and thorough reviews. I appreciate your work!

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

You're welcome!

[@NikkThompson]

All around lens, comparison. Between this and the 24mm 1.4 gm? Think the 24mm being wider, might be the better all arounder? For low light and boque, photo but mainly video? Of course with separate audio capture

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I haven't yet tested the GM, so I can't give an informed opinion there. The GM is much smaller and lighter, but 24mm is not 35mm. I suspect both lenses are very good, so you should choose what focal length works better for you.

[@fouriousbanana6966]

The thoughts I’m getting from this lens is that its size and weight is great… so is the optics. Tough choice compared to the Sony 35mm f/1.4 GM, since as an astrophotographer and MFT sensor user, I’m just *craving that speed!*

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Fair enough.

[@AsianWithHat]

Thank you for the review Dustin!

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

You're welcome.

[@huliboy4727]

Your reviews are very thorough and unbiased. Thank you for providing such informative content.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Glad you like them!

[@artmaltman]

Superb detailed review (who else notices that the autofocus has visible stepping?!). Question: Do you find that the Sigma lenses with all their heavy glass and superb optics perhaps lose some light - effectively a lower T stop compared to other lenses with less glass? I've been curious ..... Thanks.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

That's often a metric that Samyang does well with (simpler optical designs). I have noticed that with some, though frankly I didn't a lot of evidence of that here.

[@CoolhandLukeSkywalkr]

As a guy investing in the RF system with the new R5 Mirrorless, I sure hope Sigma and Tamron will bring out some native RF lenses soon. I am anticipating your hands on reviews of the R5 and also the upcoming RF 35mm f/1.2 L series. Hopefully, you'll be testing out the new prime on an R5 body. Because that's going to be the first RF I will invest in to pair with my new R5. Anyway, really appreciate your input. Your reviews are always exceptional.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I too am very eager for the R5. I have saved the money to potentially purchase one if it lives up to the hype.

[@CoolhandLukeSkywalkr]

@@DustinAbbottTWI Canon is selling the R5 for a very reasonable price. But the RF lenses are better than the EF lenses and if you want 8K resolution, a lot of the old lenses just aren't sharp enough. That's where they get you, the RF lenses are almost prohibitively expensive. But yeah, I'm glad I never invested in the Sony system, because Canon R5 and R6 bodies are going to totally shake up the market. Sony and Nikon will be playing catch-up with Canon for a while, they are all going to have to adjust their MSRP on forthcoming camera bodies because of this move. Canon is certainly making the most of the new 7nm? SoC. The processing power is insane. Obviously, to really fully enjoy this camera we will need brand new desktop computers with AMD Navi or Nvidia Ampere GPU, you will literally need a GTX 3080ti with it's rumored 33 teraflops. You need 128 gb of ram. You need a very modern CPU with more than ten cores. USB4 will also be very helpful. You need HDMI 2.1 hooked up to your 8k tv or displayport hooking up to an 8k monitor. Basically, it will be a couple years before tv and computer technology can catch up to this camera and allow people to easily edit 8K raw on an 8K monitor setup. Did you hear the R5 has Zebra Stripe Peaking for preventing overexposure in video, View Assist: allowing you to shoot flat LOG but preview graded footage, and it can internally downconvert 8K to higher quality 4K? There are few issues I can think of as far as R5. I wish they would have made the SD card slot with the new "SD Express" format, as it's four times faster than the SD card we're getting. But it's not coming to cameras until 2021. 8K Cameras with 1 "CFExpress" and 1 "SD Express" slot each makes a lot more sense. You could probably just use two SD Express slots and be happy. Not as fast as CFExpress, but fast enough and a lot smaller. The SD slot we're getting is outmoded technology, not fast enough to record 8K to, and it's the biggest flaw I can think of. What's some other flaws it might have? Anyway, I'm excited about it.

[@CoolhandLukeSkywalkr]

@@DustinAbbottTWI I wish it had 12-bit color. It seems like that's the biggest thing it's missing along with live Dolby Vision encoding and live HDR10+ Dynamic metadata encoding. With the 10-bit PQ setting, it's "HDR10" you are locked in with static metadata, unless you shoot RAW. Is that accurate? You can definitely encode raw footage into HDR10+ to generate dynamic metadata in DaVinci Resolve, but can you add dynamic metadata into the C log or hdr10 pq to turn it into HDR10+? I'm not sure. I'm not sure how to actually go through with the process of color grading for HDR, but I'll learn. Obviously, I have to get a display that will feature both Dolby Vision and HDR10+ if I want dynamic metadata encoding. Just so I'm getting the most out of the camera and the tv. Learning dynamic metadata encoding is going to be pretty straightforward, I assume. Not that KZbin streams in hdr10+ or Dolby Vision, but you can upload in hdr10 or hdr10+ and as far as I'm aware, KZbin HDR is only going to display it with static metadata. Unless they update the way HDR is displayed on KZbin. I've never watched KZbin HDR or compared playback on KZbin of an HDR video uploaded with and without the dynamic metadata to see if there might be a difference in viewing quality? KZbin displays hdr10+ as just static metadata? Does anyone know.

[@franknurnberger1102]

Thank you Dustin, for really using the lens for what it is made for - separation at mid distance wide angle shots. Apparently, it seems to deliver in spades. A bit like a 35mm noctilux. It is not about light gathering ability in these times anymore. Most premium smartphones are able to take nice images in situations where the "olde pro" had to load Delta 3200 into his camera. Thank god, you did not compare the "bokeh" of different lenses at arm's length (all lenses have sorta OK bokeh at a distance of 1 foot)

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

There's a lot of truth to this. If your goal is to obliterate a background, there are better tools than any 35mm lens.

[@joe2snj]

Beautiful scenery and again great review Dustin..

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Thank you!

[@dannyli9424]

Great review as always. Sigma 35 1.2 is truly a fantastic lens, yes, it' better than the Canon 35 F1.4L II I have, I think it also beats the Milvus 35mm 1.4 in many categories, such as edge sharpness and Bokeh. I really wish they bring that to the Nikon system as well.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I definitely hope these DN lenses make the jump the RF and Z mounts

[@dannyli9424]

@@DustinAbbottTWI Now we have the Sigma 35 F1.2 and Sony 35GM out, any chance you will update one of those review to include a small section of how they compare? i am owner of 35 1.2 and Voigtlander 35 F2 APO but wondering if the 35GM is a better " compromise" between the two to serve as all-in-one 35mm.

[@Solarfactor]

The size of this lens would put me off it. In general, I think the Sigma lenses are too large and too weighty for the FE mount.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

That's definitely the most serious liability here. I think if it were smaller (maybe if they just made it F1.4), it would probably be more generally attractive.

[@saintmovies7735]

Dustin Abbott Well it’s attractive “As Is” to me....given the amazing pictures it produces. I did a wedding just before the pandemic lockdown, and the lens never came off my A7RIV - the images it produced were simply amazing.

[@snotlobber]

Another fantastic review DA! May I ask your opinion of the 40mm 1.4 ART for Sony vs. this lens for sharpness?

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I would say they are close. The 40mm might be ever-so-slightly sharper, but I'm not sure you'd notice in the field.

[@snotlobber]

@@DustinAbbottTWI I really appreciate that Dustin. I am an active stock and commercial photog and sharpness/resolution matter as I find myself cropping quite a bit (hence my monthly sharpness question that I post.) Your reviews guide most of my purchases. That being said, sure hope you get hands on a pre-release A9III ;)... I passed on the 2 based on your verdict. Thanks again and keep up the great work!

[@SONYAdicto]

How does this lens performs for autofocus interview-type of scenes? Where the subject moves a little but not much. I find that my Samyang fails to keep the face in focus all the time and constantly pulses which can be distracting.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

The AF is more stable in this lens. When you say, "my Samyang", I assume you're referring to the AF 35mm F1.4, and it's true that the AF on that lens isn't as stable as more recent Samyang releases.

[@ryanhostudio]

your explanation is crisp

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Thank you

[@TheDeadTexan]

Excellent review, Dustin! I can't wait to have this lens for my concert shoots. I've been making due with my 24GM in crop mode when I need that 35ish look, but this is going to be something else entirely.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

That's true.

[@charliipresley]

Hey I’ve thought about getting the 24mm GM and using in crop mode to get the 35mm look and then still have the 24mm for everything else. I do a lot of 35mm portraits. Do you see any downsides to using the 24mm GM on crop mode ? VS a traditional 35mm other than MP loss???

[@charliipresley]

@dustinabbott

[@TheDeadTexan]

@@charliipresley I never did end up getting this Sigma lens, but the crop on the 24GM is good enough for the 35 look in most cases. I use a Sony A7RIV so the MP count is still pretty high even after the crop. There's been lots of rumors about Sony maybe releasing a 35GM this year, so that's something you might be interested in on waiting for.

[@AllTrackerz]

Great review , Thank you Dustin ! By the way you caught my interest with the brightin star 12mm F2 for my Fuji gear , i'm looking forward to your review ;)

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I believe you'll see that next week.

[@AllTrackerz]

@@DustinAbbottTWI Many thanks !

[@namjasaram]

Paster, I would like to know what microphone you are using for your videos. Very neat review certainly!

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Sure Joseph - I use this: bhpho.to/34cRCTR (Rode SmartLav+)

[@jacobriechers2501]

How would you compare this to the 35 Milvus? Thanks for the great review!

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

This lens is sharper. The Milvus has that uniquely Zeiss richness to color and microcontrast that few Sigma lenses can match, but the Sigma is probably far more practical.

[@youuuuuuuuuuutube]

Love the shot at 7:57, I think that's where this lens excels the most, at environmental body shots.

[@aziznasuti2690]

That was amazing!

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I completely agree

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Thanks

[@BalkanBiker]

I bought this then returned it because the autofocus was loud. But, I did take it out for a test run, shooting cars in the middle of a sunny day. I have noticed no flare whatsoever. I did not shoot straight into the sun, but according to the video, there are flares even when not shooting in the sun. One of the pictures is towards the sun but not with the sun in the view. No flares at all. I did use a polarizing filter.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Hi Nox, that's odd that the autofocus was loud. Definitely NOT what I saw (are you sure it was the F1.2 version and not the F1.4?) As for flare - we reviewers intentionally try to cause flare to test the lens in worse case scenarios. It doesn't mean you will see flare every time the sun is in the frame. A polarizer would not help that, by the way.

[@BalkanBiker]

@@DustinAbbottTWI yup, I currently own Sigma 35mm f1.4, I bought f1.2 a few months ago. Returned it, got a new one, same problem and I returned that one as well, decided to keep the f1.4. But the upgrade itch... Maybe batch issue with those two I had.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Wow, that's odd, actually.

[@troyphillips1077]

Please do a side by side comparison with this to the Sigma 40mm Art. I shoot live music photography and videography. The flare problems may be an issue. I do love the look of the images from this lens . So I’m torn between the Tamron 35 f/1.4 this lens or the 40art . Looking heavily into that 40mm art but both this lens and the 35 Tamron have some of the best bokeh I’ve seen in modern lenses

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I'm working on the 40mm ART review right now, though I don't have the 35mm on hand anymore to directly compare to. The Tamron 35mm F1.4 is also a very, very special lens.

[@STEPXVisual]

I am thinking of getting this lens, but I am worried about the aperture ring moving while shooting.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

That's not an issue, and you can always lock it into automatic mode and control aperture from within camera like any other lens without an aperture ring.

[@joeblack4026]

This sigma vs tamron sp 35mm 1.4 would be interesting review

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I agree to some extent, though it is hard to compare lenses designed for different platforms in a meaningful way. The Tamron is automatically disadvantaged by reviewing it on a platform that it was not designed for. Autofocus, for example, would simply not be competitive, and there is always some chance of minor optical degradation from the adapting process.

[@dannyklesh]

Dustin when your shooting at 1.2 and focusing on the eyes how did you get your daughters hands in focus as well as her eyes

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

You'll have to be more specific as to the shot. The most likely reason is the focus distance. At ten feet the depth of field on a 35mm lens (even at F1.2) is 1.79 feet...plenty for everything on the subject to be in focus.

[@winfoto9288]

Interesting review with a lot of information! Thank you! 👍🙏😀

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Thumpr110]

Hey Dustin, have you heard anything about sigma bringing a 70-200 for Sony? I saw some rumors online about it a few months ago, but it seems to have gone quiet.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

There's nothing definite that I can comment on this point.

[@dannyklesh]

Dustin how is the distortion when you are close to the subject for portrait. It’s the one thing that is making me thinking about returning in favor of my 50 ART. I feel like I can do everything with my 50

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

There is going to be more perspective distortion with a 35mm lens than a 50mm lens. You can't use it in exactly the same way. If you prefer the 50mm focal length, you probably need to shoot with that. That has nothing to do with the lens, per se, but rather with physics.

[@dannyklesh]

Dustin Abbott i was basically just asking if with that specific 35 if it was more pronounced or not. But I guess it’s the same. It’s tuff cause I sold the 50 for the 35 1.2 and realize I lose that close portrait. There is a 85 1.4 art e mount I found for 700 shipped so that would take care of that. I always thought 35 was my lens but starting to realize 50 can basically do it all

[@chacmool2581]

Is this the optically finest fast FF 35mm lens?

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I would say yes. It's very large, but optically its amazing.

[@sa.t.2507]

Just got the 35 1.2. First of all I don't understand why people complain about size and weight. It's not much bigger or heavier than my 24 70. The image is amazing. This is one of those lenses you keep as an investment that gives you those special images.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

My experience is that people have very different tolerances for size and weight. Just enjoy it!

[@sa.t.2507]

@@DustinAbbottTWI so true! May I ask, how do you find the manual focus? Does it focus softly when turning the focus ring or does it transition unevenly in the image? My lens is uneven.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

It's been several years since I've done that review, so I can't really recall. Most of what I review is a loaner, so I don't have them long term.

[@robertcudlipp3426]

Dustin, thanks for putting your usual thorough assessment of this great lens. My only regret is cost. However, compared to Leica ( and maybe Zeiss), the glass to be kept forever when have sold one of my kidneys! Great job, as usual, not sure where you find the time to do essentially a trio of videos for each lens review.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I work efficiently, bottom line. I don't waste much time.

[@Magnetron692]

Hi Dustin, thank you for this thorough review! Hopefully there’ll be a version for my Nikon Z6. Best wishes from nearby Stuttgart, Germany, Magnetron

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

It's still unclear what Sigma and Tamron's plans are for the Z and RF mounts. They are just getting spooled up on Sony FE. I'm not exactly sure yet how easy cross-platform development across those three mounts actually is.

[@prjct72]

Hi, is the AF “action-ready”? Can it cope with the 20fps of the A9? Thanks

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I didn't really torture test the lens with action, but I saw nothing to be concerned about on that front. It's a little easier with a wider focal length anyway, as depth of field is more forgiving.

[@prjct72]

Dustin Abbott Very kind, thank you for being THE lens reference

[@dannyklesh]

I really could kick myself. I found this on FB marketplace for 1300 and he wound up letting it go for 1100. @ the time I was content with keeping my 50mm art. If I would of seen this glowing review before I would of bought it off of him. Even the video you filmed this video you can tell how amazing it looks on this video. God it’s gorgeous

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

It's definitely a more special lens than the 50mm ART at this point, though that is still a strong lens.

[@markrobinson8254]

well done review!

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Thank you!

[@shughy1]

I really hope they issue the 50 or 85mm as a dedicated FE mount, had the 50 on my old canon and it was amazing, just a pity it leaves a mirrorless camera so front heavy,

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I suspect that such lenses are on Sigma's radar, though their next lens will be a dedicated 24-70mm F2.8 FE, which could indicate that they will tackle a 70-200 next to complete the "trinity" with the 14-24

[@michaelrobbins1758]

absolutely, environmental shots is where 1.2 is not too shallow.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

For sure.

[@roberteneslatt5702]

Thank you for a great review with regards from North Sweden. Lens is now ordered and I can't wait until having it mounted on my A7rII. -Hopefully that'll happen before next outbreak of Aurora Borealis! :)

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

For sure!

[@Celestialrob]

Wonderful and complete review. I have so many lenses in this space. Sony 35/1.4 Distagon, Sony 35/1.8, Voigtlander 40/1.2.... it’s tempting, but not for me. Your videos are so good that I watch them even when I know it’s not for me. Thanks!

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Sounds like you are well covered in this focal range.

[@vhines10]

Hi dustin, I just bought this from marketplace and I heard noise on autofocus when taking photos whereas filming was silent

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Is it autofocus noise or the sound of the aperture blades opening and closing?

[@vhines10]

It’s autofocus noise I think. Does this lens make any noise when using autofocus on photography

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I don't remember that being the case...but I've reviewed dozens of lenses since doing this review.

[@photographerjonathan]

I have the Sigma 35 f1.4 art Canon mount. I bought it when it first came out. but I wish I didn't need an adaptor for it to use on my A7r lll, personally I wouldn't really want a 35 lens heavier than the 1.4 art. Lenses like this new f1.2 and the 105 f1.4 are amazing lenses but I just wouldn't want to carry them around. but if I was doing a portrait shoot and they were on a table in front of me then I would love to use them for a few minutes. I am considering selling my Sony 28 f2 and my Sigma 35 Art to get a new 35. but I am still not sure witch one I would want. the Sony 35 f1.8 interest me for it's small size and weight, but there is still part of me that wants f1.4. I use my 28 mostly for street photography, and the 35 more for portrait. is there a major focusing difference between the Sigma 35 f1.4 art, with an adapter or a native one without an adaptor ? and is the Sony worth the money over the Sigma if you are not using it for video to often ? I hope you are going to be reviewing the new Sigma 24/70 f2.8 FE mount soon.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

The new 24-70 won't be available (even to me) for another month. The focusing difference between an adapted ART lens and an FE mount version is minimal. Lenses purpose designed for Sony (which is not true of the 35mm F1.4 ART) have an advantage. The Samyang AF 35mm F1.4 is a good budget option if you want F1.4

[@karan111987]

Hello, Is it possible to put this(Sigma 35mm 1.2) on Moza aircross 2 with Sony Full frame cameras. Thanks

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I think I've answered this question for you elsewhere.

[@karan111987]

@@DustinAbbottTWI ..Ya, received ur answer elsewhere. Thanks for ur prompt response. Do take care of urself n ur loved ones from this pandemic. Luv from India❤. Namaste🙏🙏

[@emmanuelowusu-prempeh2151]

Do they have a Canon mount for the canon eos r ?

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

No, but I certainly hope they do produce these for Canon in the future. That would put some pressure on the high prices for RF lenses.

[@KobusGevelspar]

Thanks! I’m still in doubt between the 35 and 40. Honestly I’d only publish the parts 2 in future videos..

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

If you are on Sony (I'm assuming), I would go with the 35. If you plan to shoot on both Canon and Sony, then I'd go with the 40.

[@KobusGevelspar]

@@DustinAbbottTWI Hey man, thanks for the reply! I'm on L-mount, s1h. The weight and size and minimum focus distance of 40 cm are the only cons I know, other than that I think it is a workhorse for full frame video. I'd really like a smaller package like the Zeiss batis for example, but haven't found it.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I don't know L mount enough to give advice there. If I had a choice, personally, I would grab the 35mm.

[@KobusGevelspar]

@@DustinAbbottTWI Dustin, I'm also leaning towards the 35 based on versatility and shorter minimal focal length. What is the reason you'd pick the 35? Do you think the 1.2 is worth it? Thanks again, much appreciated.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Because the lenses are fairly similar in performance, I would personally choose the lens that is designed for mirrorless if that is where you are going to use it.

[@Dylcandraen]

Great review, thank you! If my priority is natural light night portraits (novice dad photographer here), and my other lenses are f2.8 zooms, will this lens really be 2+ stops brighter? I've struggled to find any talk of transmission and might just resort to renting it. I don't want to lug the weight if it ends up being a T1.6 like many of the f1.2 and f1.4 lenses on the market.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

It's definitely brighter than F1.4 options wide open. I suspect transmission is no worse than T1.4, and probably closer to T1.3. Those F2.8 zooms are probably more like T3.2, so yes, you will notice a huge difference in light gathering ability.

[@donaldfarra3910]

Excellent as always. A side note, can you add Adorama to the selling links? The reason being I do not prefer dealing with B&H sales tax handling system that limits my purchase to a single bank over a credit card that offers airline mileage perks. Meanwhile, I will continue supporting you on your Patreon page. Thank you for your service to the world wide public here on the Net.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I'll have to explore Adorama. I've never had any conversation with them.

[@officialtiimo]

@@DustinAbbottTWI I love Adorama, and as a VIP360 member with them I get twice as long to evaluate a lens before it might need to be returned, free two day shipping, and drop and spill protection on all purchases for one year on everything I buy. So for me personally, Adorama is definitely the way to go.

[@momchilminkov5722]

I own a 15mm 1.7 lens for micro 4/3. Gives rather similar 30mm field of view eq. It weighs 115g and is under 6 cm long. I would really like to see it on a table next to this Sigma. Just for the fun of it :D

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Well, the effective aperture in many situations is not really comparable, nor is designing for such a small sensor, but yes, the lens is huge.

[@charliipresley]

That’s a 30mm F3.4 equivalent. No comparison 🤠

[@charliipresley]

As much as I was this for the novelty. It’s just hard to believe there is a visible difference (to a client) of 35 1.4 vs 35 1.2. Factor in that size and weight...

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

To a client? You're absolutely right. That extra near 1/2 of a stop is for you, not the client.

[@lesterlewis7018]

Its so beautiful.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

It is a beautiful lens

[@RealRaynedance]

That flare is bordering on being as bad as the notoriously bad Samyang 18-28 f/4-4.5. It has its uses, but _wow_ it's noticeable.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

That flare is the one vulnerability. Fortunately it mostly shows up in direct situations.

[@RealRaynedance]

@@DustinAbbottTWI Annoyingly, one of my favorite times to shoot is high noon to mid afternoon. Almost impossible to not get the sun in a shot with what I do. :(

[@louispasdeprenom9950]

love this lens but what the hell putting the apperture ring on it. i ofter touch it and change the f setting. it is possible to disable that ? if not on camera i will put black tape loll

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

You can put the aperture ring in automatic mode and it will stay there

[@louispasdeprenom9950]

@@DustinAbbottTWI ok humm you know how ?

[@frankluo230]

Never wanted it nor do I see myself need it in the near future, watched whole review and thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you! I am more interested in this lens compared to their "pinnacle" Art 40mmF1.4 I know the focal length and max aperture are different but still close enough. Both are heavy and bulky I don't think anyone would carry both out for a shoot.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I'm reviewing the 40mm F1.4 ART right now, and I think the 35mm is every bit as good (sharper at the edges, actually).

[@frankluo230]

@@DustinAbbottTWI better sharpness sounds promising. 40Art can be used on D850 not 35FE f1.2 for Nikon DSLR shooter. 40ART has the best LoCA I have seen, corner astigmatism and coma are insanely well controlled also the field curvature is very flat. More of a tool than a characteristic lens I guess.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

That's another consideration, for sure. Being able to use a lens on multiple systems is a real plus.

[@jamesbell8730]

Thanks for the early look on your review on Patreon.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

You're definitely welcome!

[@S3l3ct1ve]

That size :/ that is the only problem.... This sigma, 40mm 1,4f ART and now the Nikon 58mm 0,95f Noct... Crazy weight/size lenses... And crazy prices too... Here I am holding this little jupiter - 3 50mm 1,5f and thinking how the hell did they managed to create such excellent optics ~50 years ago.. I think the one who actually remakes these designs for modern mirrorless camera will steal most of the markets because of the simplicity/weight/size and probably lower price as well.. Chinese brands are trying to do something like this. Some of their lenses are not bad and are quite affordable. In the end most of the users would be completely happy with less sharp lens but smaller and lighter lens. Looking at that Sigma beast It seems like I could put at least 10 units of jupiter 3 in the box of that lens..

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

It's a valid point. I too am not a huge fan of monstrously big prime lenses in many situations. This is a nice portrait lens, but I would find it too big for travel or general purpose...and thus I would end up using it less.

[@sdijnfpo0jaisf]

Sigma and Z mount... Bueller... Bueller... Waiting for this lens to hopefully come out for my z6

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

So far I've not heard anything from Sigma or Tamron about development for Nikon Z or Canon RF.

[@dannyklesh]

Seems like you love this lens

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

It's a nice lens...just way too big.

[@billzidis2656]

Where is the snow ? :)

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

A little early for that.

[@firpofutbol]

Dont like the bokeh of this lens or any other Sigma lens it seems. Because of its quality, it always seems like its a stop or two different than advertised. A f1.2 looks like a 1.4 or 1.8.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Interesting, though I don't think that's true. I compared to F1.4 lenses and the specular highlights are definitely bigger/softer.

[@firpofutbol]

@@DustinAbbottTWI That's indeed probably true. I'm just talking from a laymen perspective and what I see when I compare shots taken from Sigma lenses compared to Canon/Sony/Tamron. On Sigmas, I notice objects that are supposed to be blurred tend to pop out and distract more. Also the gradient from focus to blurr is sharper. It's a cheaper look IMO.

[@darrenrose8263]

wow you are so good

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

Well thank you!

[@celestialdrums486]

Thank you once again, Nicolas Cage.

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

I've gotten that a few times.

[@gerardferry3958]

the modern trend of large fixed lenses just leaves me cold, big and heavy expensive behemoths boasting speed with unusable depths of field for everyday use, an outlet for gear moths with little practicality for image makers and only really justifiable if you can acquire one for free

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

That's true of some, but not all lenses. I disagree about the DOF point, however, with a 35mm focal length. That aperture is usable in many situations, as the 35mm focal length doesn't lend itself to shallow DOF naturally. I would argue that F1.2 is more useful here than on, say, an 85mm F1.2 where your point might be more true.

[@jochenkraus7016]

Fast wide lenses might be great for video and photos if you want to blur the background without getting too close. But they are just so big and heavy. Some years ago I bought an Nex6 with the 20mm/2.8 to have a small second system next to A-mount. Mirrorless has developed a lot since then ;-)

[@MrRobertnganchiu]

too expensive

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

The new 35mm F1.4 DN from Sigma might be a better choice for you, then.

[@박덕배-i6r]

DO NOT BUY sigma 35 f1.2. I have shot thousands under various surroundings (indoor, outdoor, flash, sunshiny, rainy, kids, flowers, landscapes, portraits...etc)with my Alpha 7R iv. this is NOT such a fancy like what you imagine or what youtubers w affiliates show to you. Real world is different. very regretful. 1. the real images are sucks with bad autofocus performance 2. SO SERIOUS chromatic aberration like $200-300 lenses 3. motor noises - u will have to prepare external mic for video. 4. poor sharpness like APS-C lenses

[@DustinAbbottTWI]

This is just patently untrue. None of those things you describe are typical of a functioning copy of this lens.

[@박덕배-i6r]

@@DustinAbbottTWI Dear Dustin, I bot it a month ago and I was very disappointed at AF performance of the glass. usually I've shot my 25months old son playing alone or running toward me but due to poor AF performance, 9 of 10 images had to be trashed out! Sigma 105mm f1.4 also has the same issue. If you have Sony body, BUY native glasses!! Do Not be regretful. Please find many comments by the users and refer to real reviews without affiliates from the other countries. * Visable chromatic abberation * Shifty n Poor AF performance on moving subjects.