The Sigma 16mm f1.4 Alternative - A more affordable option

[@forneverarrow]

It’s a tough call… it, basically, comes to personal preference and shooting style. I am using only manual, vintage lenses for my personal work and I love TTArtisan lenses. They have all the character from true vintage lenses plus the right amount of modern sharpness. But they can’t compare with any modern AF lens, and especially with the clinical sharpness of Sigma lenses. There are totally different lenses, for different purposes that coincidentally shares the focal length and aperture. For people that needs fast focus and edge to edge sharpness, TTArtisan lenses aren’t a choice. But for old school shooters are the holy grail and are crazy affordable! My all time favorite vintage lenses, Voigtlander 35/1.4 classic and Meyer Trioplan 35/f.28 II costs about 7 times more and the images that they produce are almost the same with my day to day favorite, the TTArtisan 23/1.4 that I bought for 129€!! Not to mention the build quality that’s almost on par.

[@50shadesofNV]

Agree, got this the day it was available over a year ago, one of the best TTartisans and the new 50 f2 pancake is solid

[@chrishuang8763]

I have this lens together with its siblings and some excellent Voightlander Leica mount lenses. Manual focus is in fact preferred over auto focus lenses as it never fail me using them. Auto focus lenses in fact have failed me before due to its motor not functioning. Unlike auto focus lenses they do not hunt in low light. Just use focus peaking or set the distance on the scale.

[@markwiemels]

Good insight.

[@danielsutherland6709]

Been looking for a good low f-stop lens for my M50 and this might just fit the bill. Thanks Mark, keep making great content!

[@markwiemels]

I'm so glad it was helpful! Thanks.

[@wise_math]

how is the result? good? I use M50 also

[@jizzythefroggy1108]

When I'm out and about with a manual lens I just set the focus ring to infinity and then use the aperture ring to quicky get the exposure I want.

[@markwiemels]

Yes, tends to work best/sharpest just a bit under infinity.

[@DebzLife]

You f****king legend i wanna hug you.. I'm so glad that i got this lens recommendation

[@wafflesquare]

Great video!! I totally agree with using manual focus. I got tired of the camera jumping focus between my hands and the actual item I was filming during close-up shots so I began using manual focus. I’ve noticed the camera will still attempt to focus on its own after a battery change or if it goes to sleep while setting up a shot so this lens would absolutely prevent that. Thanks Mark!

[@markwiemels]

Yes, another great thing about a manual focus lens, good point.

[@ecmjr]

SOLD!!! This is what I’m looking for. I really hate the new lenses where it’s designed as a “focus by wire”. This is why i like old lenses for manual focusing. There are hard stops at both end of the range (new lenses don’t do this due to electronic focusing).

[@dennis1562]

Had both, still have the sigma for my needs. The sigma has 1mm difference, but on a crop that is important. The sigma is not what I would call unaffordable so I would not compare these based on price.

[@luciastrougo]

Thank you for this excellent review

[@UP209D]

I am feeling it the more I force myself to go with manual focus lens, I think it is muscle memory is building up and then everything will be smoother and smoother, in some situation it is even quicker than AF, as if AF is not locking the focus right, or it focus on unwanted foreground object, etc... especially using old body with crap AF like X-E1

[@oqueeutofazendoaqui]

I bought sigma. And im thinking about a wider and a portrait. Maybe 12mm 13mm... and a 35, 50mm. What you think about this chinese lens? Ttartisan, 7artisans, meike? Which brand you like the most?

[@markwiemels]

This is the first of these lenses I have tried, I'm going to pick up a few more and cover them in detail.

[@BlaszkowskiCarruscaArnaud]

For manual focus Wide, normal and portrait-zoom lenses : ttartisan, kamlan and 7artisans --- for ultra wide lenses, stil manual focus : pergear and brightin star --- for autofocus lenses : viltrox

[@jayclas4023]

Great video, I owned the Sigma 16mm and it had barrow distortion as well.

[@markwiemels]

Good to know. Thanks.

[@AnthonyJGianotti]

I really wish on some of these manual lenses they offered a more expensive version for say $25 more that added electronic contacts for auto box zoom function for focusing and exif data in a similar manner to voigtlander lenses.

[@smmtavares]

Great video! Would this lens work for 'talking head'- like videos or for Zoom, Teams and streaming purposes? If so, what distance would you recommend between it and the person speaking?

[@markwiemels]

Yep, works well, 3-4 feet is good.

[@samsonluk3994]

I got my second hand sigma 16mm for about 190$ with warrenty. What a great deal!

[@sajidahmed4834]

This lens is no longer made for EF-M series. Can't find any in stock. Any other close alternatives at a similar price range? Needing a wide angle lens for a streaming setup to have it mounted behind my monitor with a good bokeh. I don't mind manual lenses as it'd be a set and forget setup.

[@aaronszpytman8887]

Great video man! I loved it!

[@olenDJ]

Hey Mark, I'm doing night time skyscraper photography for tourist. Currently I'm using the kit lens at 15mm with an off camera flash. I am worried about this lens that I would not be able to focus quick enough, and also the slightly tighther (17mm) shot. Would you still recommend this lens otherwise in comparison to the sigma 16mm?

[@markwiemels]

I would probably stick with autofocus in your case.

[@olenDJ]

@@markwiemels oh what is the reason? Is it because I'm doing paid gigs, and timing is of the essence? I.e. I can't ask my client to wait while I adjust my manual focus

[@hadenfirlej97]

from this video i think id still go with the sigma, despite the price for the manual focus. lens is very good for price though. A good video.

[@markwiemels]

Thank you so much!

[@kionmahuermicio9860]

Con qué cámara hiciste las pruebas del lente en la presentación de Van Gogh?

[@nahueljo]

I've had the sigma 16mm in my whishlist for a WHILE so this is a fantastic find! I like budget lenses. I bought a 35mm CCTV lens from China for my canon m50 which was almost free :P The quality is not as good as this lens but it has an interesting look!

[@markwiemels]

I love character lenses too. I think this lens has a nice balance of character and quality.

[@JoeyTreurniet]

Which exact lens did you buy? I'm interested.

[@nahueljo]

@@JoeyTreurniet ok I see my response with the link didn't get published. It's a fujian 35mm f1.6 cctv lens

[@FreddyBoyBoy]

those triceratops photos you took look awesome!

[@markwiemels]

Yeh, I was so surprised at how well they turned out!

[@JazzyJ5G]

Thanks for this video! I've been agonizing about getting the Sigma lens after recently getting my M50 MarkII and what gear I've acquired to date, but I wasn't willing to make the move; but with this 17mm lens, I went straight in to B&H and hooked this up. Can't wait to check it out on my camera.

[@markwiemels]

Enjoy! I have the Sigma and am still having a blast with this little 17mm.

[@JazzyJ5G]

@@markwiemels I sure will, Mark! Thanks! I'm sure I'll get the Sigma lens down the road a little, but I sure like the vintage look this lens gives, and the size is nice, too, as I just got the Zhiyun Crane M3 gimbal this week!

[@JazzyJ5G]

@Mark Wiemels Uh, oh! Being new to using the M50 MarkII, I'm not getting a response when I press the shutter button to take a picture. The manual seems to be for the M6, so I'm not sure what to do in the settings on my M50 to make it work. Any suggestions?

[@JazzyJ5G]

Ah! I finally figured it out where the custom functions section was from the menu! Now, it's time to have some fun!

[@markwiemels]

@@JazzyJ5G oh, great to hear! Such a great fun lens. I’m sure you will love it.

[@AWTechTuesday]

I appreciate that you say “Melbourne” the way aussies do.

[@markwiemels]

Are you saying I’m not Aussie? I have always said, I’m like the dog that sits at the dinner table and thinks it’s a human. I walk around thinking I sound like all the other Australians.

[@AWTechTuesday]

@@markwiemels I lived in Australia for three years. I didn’t specifically try to sound Aussie but I wanted to be a respectful immigrant and try to blend in so I would totally say “Melbourne” and “tomato” etc like them haha

[@markwiemels]

@@AWTechTuesday that’s pretty funny, I say tomato the Aussie way too.

[@mikebeon2539]

I own the Sigma 16... I might get this too and/or the 7artisans 25mm 1.8

[@markwiemels]

Both good options, and affordable, given you already have 16mm covered, I would look at a lens in that 22-25mm range

[@mikebeon2539]

@@markwiemels this is why I come to this channel… THE ANSWERS lol

[@markwiemels]

@@mikebeon2539 good to hear!

[@aniballeal74]

Mark Great Video hey when using this lens for video what are your settings? I have a M50II and I'm worry about the focus when shooting video...

[@markwiemels]

Use the focus peaking function, and set the aperture to f2.

[@josephasghar]

Great review. I have one on order for my BMPCC original. I think it’ll be a great combo.

[@markwiemels]

That should be an awesome combo, I have always wanted that camera.

[@god0t]

@markwiemels hey Mark and hey all. Thanks for the comparison. I am still unsure: Sigma 17mm 1.4 or this lense. I am on a budget but bought the ZV-E10 recently. I will mostly use it for talking head shot videos. 140 Euro TTartisan (new) vs. 269 Sigma (used) is a difference. However I would love to have the best video quality for my audience! Thanks all for the help!

[@AndoBobando]

are the silver and black one different? I found a silver one for a really good price and am wanting to buy it.

[@markwiemels]

Same lens, just different color.

[@marcusstubbs1662]

Your videos and explanations are top notch Mark! Do you need a adapter when using this lens with the m50? What kind of lenses can I purchase with out buying an adapter?

[@markwiemels]

Yep, no adapter needed. You can use any EF-M mount, also called EOS-M mount, lens, without an adapter. So if the lens says EOS-M or EF-M, you are good to go.

[@marcusstubbs1662]

@@markwiemels ahhhhh gotcha.. thank you! Would you say the kit lens is a no go for low light?

[@pascaledmonton]

As always, great content Mark. Your videos always add so much value compared to the obvious, low hanging fruit stuff so many channels never seem to go beyond. I own the Rokinon 12mm f2 and the Canon 22mm f2 and I’m wondering if you still see applications where this 17mm may be justifiable. Any advice would be much appreciated.

[@markwiemels]

Yah, it is a useful focal length between those two lenses, and I think it’s worth considering as something fun particularly for the price. The ultimate image quality won’t be on par with those other two lenses, but for me it’s a fun lens that is ‘good enough’

[@AmitozSingh]

Thank you for this man ♥️ I love your videos

[@markwiemels]

You are most welcome.

[@AminAlSharif]

Amazing find. Thanks again Mark. Would you recommend this for astrophotography beginners? Any major cons?

[@markwiemels]

I have not tested it, but my instinct would be no. Better off to save up for a Rokinin/Samyang 12mm, and just use the kit lens in the mean time. You can do astro with kit lenses, and it's a great way to get started.

[@cubax26]

Mark, which camera did you use at the Van Gogh exhibit to take your videos and photo? Thank you.

[@markwiemels]

M6 Mark II

[@cubax26]

@@markwiemels thank you Mark. I have learned a great deal with your channel and have recommended it to my friends.

[@musicfactorykoln1576]

But what about low light, to use it with the EOS M?

[@markwiemels]

Yep, it’s a good one.

[@ny_thep]

I shoot fuji but as a webcam i want a setup with the canon m200 and this lens to have a small aps-c webcam

[@DebzLife]

I placed my order! Thanks again man, take my sub you legend

[@BastianUllr]

The TTartist has a very noticeable barrel distortion. Sigma doesn’t. That’s a deal breaker unless you want to do post on all pictures you take.

[@markwiemels]

Yes, it also depends on the subject matter.

[@WVMUSIC_NL]

Hi Mark I have this lens and I use my kitlens - xc1545mm more and yesterday I thought about using it again. And when I used the ttartisan( without the s in the end as in your video description - sorry i am nitpicky) last evening I could not see my red high focuspeaking light up at all. It was enabled. What is the best aperture to show the focuspeaking with this lens? Btw are you Dutch ( like me) because if you are, your English accent is really outstanding. If you are native English it is understandable of course;)

[@markwiemels]

I think you need to put the camera in manual focus mode, for the focus peaking to work. I am American, lots of people are telling me that I am easy to understand, that's nice to hear, thanks.

[@exit_hero2230]

I couldn’t pick the tt artisans over sigma sharpness wise but 86 bucks omg it’s an amazing quality for sure!!! What a wierd shape though

[@SimFoxSim]

3 time the price? right now on Amazon Sigma is about 300€ and TT Artisan is 158€

[@gianlucaa.4480]

Where €300? It’s still 400 euro on Amazon

[@Shoirr]

is it good for vlogging tho?

[@kingdesignerr]

Is it good for talking head video for KZbin?

[@markwiemels]

Yes, prefect.

[@jaimetan]

Wow! I’ve been recently watching A LOT of sigma 16mm reviews but can’t bring myself to do it coz of its size and weight. The image quality looks amazing but seems like such a clunky thing to lug around. So thanks for this video! (You see, you really do keep adding more stuff to my wish list). This one seems way smaller and I guess lighter too? …and hmm yeah manual focus though… I still sometimes have issues with the AF on my kit lens coz it’s hard to tell with the tiny screen on the M50, so I’m not sure I’m ready for this learning curve 😅

[@markwiemels]

The Sigma is a big lens, you do notice it. For sure the manual focus can be an issue for some, go into the M50 and turn on focus peaking and try shooting some stuff in manual focus, an actual manual lens like this will be better, but this will give you some ideas at least.

[@jaimetan]

@@markwiemels oh cool thanks! Didn’t realise you could do manual focusing on an auto lens, great idea. Thanks!

[@il5165]

Would you recommend this for talking head videos for youtube?

[@markwiemels]

Yes. For sure.

[@il5165]

@@markwiemels thanks mark. Did you ever have issues with focus when presenting a product? Or does it just have one plane of focus since it’s manual?

[@Dobee1000]

Is it good for recording vlogging?

[@markwiemels]

Yes, It's almost not wide enough, but it's usable.

[@mpukatana3607]

Such great review, can u find good 10-14 good prime lens for fuji

[@markwiemels]

Viltrox 13mm, one of the best lenses I own.

[@jimmyjames6492]

Thanks for all your tips on the Canon M50 lenses and accessories.

[@markwiemels]

You are most welcome.

[@anammajeed93]

Hi, I bought 30mm a couple months ago, but feel like I should've gotten the 32mm after watching so many reviews. But now, I bought 16mm, but I am only trying it and unsure if I should keep or return. Because I want THE perfect lense, so maybe instead of keeping 16mm I want to replace it with something else. I tried 85mm and that one is amazing, but hard to use because of the Manual focus. So which lense would you recommend me to get, I already have 30mm. I will use it more for street photography and potrait. I want a crisp picture with blurred background. I have Canon M50.

[@markwiemels]

The answers to your questions are mostly about your own preferred focal lengths, just keep shooing, the answers will come to you.

[@OneandonlyD]

I just bought a canon eos m50 using lens 15-45mm and omg I think iPhone camera is better! Can u please recommend me a good lens for better quality of picture?! I don’t mind the price at all.

[@markwiemels]

Yes, the lens is only really a small part of it. The reason iphone photos are so good, is that the phone is doing all the settings and actually editing the photo for you, before you even see it. The kit lens on the M50 is vastly superior to an iPhone. Without taking the time to learn the skills, the iPhone photos will always look better. If you just want some nice blurry background shots, get the viltrox 56mm f1.4.

[@OneandonlyD]

@@markwiemels you’re right, I do need to take some time to get to know my camera. I shouldn’t give up just yet. I did spent like 1k on the camera haha. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@OneandonlyD]

@@markwiemels the Viltrox 65mm fit fulgifilm camera, would that also fit canon?

[@markwiemels]

It’s made for Fuji, Sony, and canon, you just want the canon version.

[@mattcero1]

Just bought one from CL today in mint condition for $60. I feel whole!

[@markwiemels]

Score!

[@JJCYouKnowMe]

Thanks for this video. When I looked at other reviews for the TTArtisans lens on KZbin, a number of commenters mentioned that their copies didn’t really seem to actually focus at infinity when the lens was reset to infinity, which I would use a lot especially for street photography. Is this something you’ve noticed on your unit?

[@markwiemels]

Mine would focus just beyond infinity (meaning it would go past infinity and become blurry again), which is typical of a manual focus lens.

[@thebigcraigo8529]

Hi Mark great info, complete noob here and don’t want to mess up when I’m looking for this lens is there a “cannon version” or do I buy an adapter? I’m confused.

[@markwiemels]

The canon version is direct EF-M mount, for the M series like the M50, no adapter needed.

[@nikolasgardner]

Will the ef-m Mount fit a camera with an ef Mount?

[@markwiemels]

no.

[@dba9923]

Can i use this with Viltrox speed booster?

[@markwiemels]

No, it’s not an EF lens, it’s a native ef-m, like the sigma 16mm.

[@FQ8]

How does one focus (me) when I don't have a stand-in for vlogging?

[@markwiemels]

There are a number of ways, I will try to make a video about this.

[@johnpatricklim4509]

I tried using a manual cine lens (rokinon cine lens) it's a different beast altogether....I attach it to the m50 with the adapter....not very good for photos but stlll usable...

[@markwiemels]

Thanks for sharing

[@ziv2liv]

I've got to stop watching your videos, every time I do, I end up buying something... I think this is going to be one of those. Btw, I love manual focus, I actually trust it more. Obviously if you shoot high action like sport or news, you cannot really rely on it, but for anything else, it's great!

[@dynamax1041]

Hii is that a fullframe lens ?

[@pratikkhadka253]

Nope, it's a crop lens but can be used in crop mode in a full-frame camera 😅

[@shinra188]

I went to the Van Gogh thing for my birthday last month

[@markwiemels]

Awesome. It was so good.

[@shinra188]

Very much so

[@SkeletonJacket]

awesome!! Do you live in Melbourne? Such a wonderful city

[@nicumarinoiu5358]

Excelent review!

[@qmccall0328]

I don't think you really showed the power of the lens the way you praised it. Nevertheless I am going to try it myself. Thank you

[@Zainphotography]

Mark, could you please review Sigma 16 and Viltrox 13?

[@markwiemels]

Good idea! Thanks.

[@achmadmarendes]

Thank you Will buy this Greetings from Jakarta

[@markwiemels]

Nice to hear from you.

[@artlam411]

How is the experience for vlogging?

[@markwiemels]

You can vlog with it for sure, I do think 17mm is on the verge of being too tight (to zoomed in). I might make a video with it and see how it goes.

[@SpuddyIRL]

This seems like a great streaming lens instead of the sigma 16mm

[@markwiemels]

Would work for that for sure.

[@top_tech.500k]

I am really surprised with the quality of this great lens 👍👍👍

[@markwiemels]

Yah, it’s very impressive!

[@jwu2431]

Comparing a lens with AF and the other with MF? 🤔

[@lori_noaviv]

I love how compact this is compared to the sigma.

[@markwiemels]

Yes, it was really noticeable when using it all day long, the Sigma feel like a brick in comparison.

[@Zainphotography]

Great review.

[@markwiemels]

Thanks!

[@ThisisJaadaa]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

[@markwiemels]

You are most welcome.

[@TrainMePlease]

Fellow Melbourne KZbinr here. I might see you around one day. Thanks for the review. Which camera did you use with this lens?

[@markwiemels]

M50 and M6 mark II

[@gangwarrior1967]

Thank you. THAAAAAAANK YOOOOOUUU

[@markwiemels]

You are most welcome.

[@rocheuro]

Sigma looks like at least 0.5 stop faster to me. (in your comparison).

[@danteinferno8983]

Auto focus is important that is not in 17mm

[@markwiemels]

It’s less important than you think.

[@lugaroz]

Thanks for sharing this with us! Cuídate.

[@markwiemels]

You are most welcome.

[@dsrbnew]

It's APS-c

[@GoandLove]

So if I use this on my M50 for video, the auto-focus will be disabled and it has to be only manually focus?

[@markwiemels]

Yes, autofocus and aperture control are then done with the lens.

[@shinra188]

I keep forgetting you live in Melbourne

[@markwiemels]

I know, it's so confusing, because of my accent, I sound more like I'm from Geelong.

[@shinra188]

@@markwiemels very true

[@AmitozSingh]

I’d love to meet u someday 🍻

[@markwiemels]

It's a small world.

[@OutingJournal]

Sigma 16mm F1.4 is 24mm F2.1 in Full Frame, but its still to big for a Full Frame lens, No Way I m going to use for APS-C! I hate ridiculous size

[@markwiemels]

Good point.

[@apollontv1078]

Can we use it on a canon 7d mark i

[@markwiemels]

No, its a mirrorless lens only.