Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN ART Lens Review (Sony E-Mount)
It has been approximately a year since I bought the Sigma 35mm prime lens. As I’ve probably mentioned in a previous post, I debated between buying this lens or the Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG DN ART lens.
I was incredibly impressed when I first bought the lens and it’s still an important part of my camera gear to this day. The quality of the lens is impressive, but I haven’t been using it as much as I thought I would. In this blog post, I’ll be talking about my experience with this lens after a year and why the Sigma 85mm lens has become my favorite lens.
This review is solely based on my experience using this lens and what I prioritize when I go out to photograph on-location.
SPECIFICATIONS
As usual, I’ll start with the specifications of this lens. This Sigma 35mm ART lens for the Sony E-mount has a maximum aperture of f/1.4, minimum aperture of f/16, weighs 640g (or 22.6oz), with dimensions at 75.5 x 111.5mm / 3.0 x 4.4 in. (diameter x length), and a 67mm filter size. These are only some of the specifications of the lens, and you can find the full information on the Sigma website. But overall it’s fairly similar to that of the 85mm lens (slightly heavier, but barely noticeable).
APERTURE
I mentioned that one of the main reasons I bought the 85mm lens was because of its wide aperture of 1.4 and I stressed its importance because of my interest in night street photography. I haven’t done as much street photography at night as I used to, but I find myself wanting a more narrow aperture because I generally try to capture wide-angle cityscape when shooting with this lens. I’m not interested in getting a shallow depth of field. Instead I’m trying to get as much of the shot in focus.
But there have been a few occassions where having that low aperture has been helpful, such as the photos below of the Pacific Park Ferris Wheel.
PORTRAITS
This year, I have gotten the opportunity to photograph a lot more portraits than usual with the help of local Los Angeles modeling agencies. When I first got the lens, I wanted to try using it in portraits. I personally prefer the look of the 85mm when it comes to close-up portraits compared to the 35mm lens. And while the 35mm lens is much easier to use for environmental portraits since I’m not having to back up too far away from the model, I still like the look of the 85mm from far away more.
Taken with the Sigma 35mm lens.
Taken with the Sigma 85mm lens.
The Sigma 35mm lens is still a great option for portraits, but it’s usually a back-up once I feel I’ve gotten all I needed out of my Sigma 85mm lens.
IMAGE QUALITY
Similar to all of my lenses, I’m very impressed with the sharpness that the Sigma 35mm lens delivers in each photo. There’s minimal chromatic aberration that I can only see after zooming into the photo. Simply removing the chromatic aberration in Lightroom Classic helps what little issue there is.
As ecpected, there is a bit of vignetting out of camera lke the 85mm, but that’s also easily taken care of with the “Enable Profile Corrections” in Lightroom.
FINAL THOUGHTS
All things considered, I would highly recommend the Sigma 35mm ART lens for anyone who is looking for a quick and sharp wide-angle prime lens.
I think the biggest reason why I haven’t been as active with this lens is because my preferences in what I’ve been photographing and the way I want to capture photos has changed overtime. I enjoy capturing details in travel photography rather than just wide-angle architecture images like I used to.
Let me know if there is a certain focal length that you gravitate towards (or if there’s a certain lens that you find yourself using) and if it has changed overtime.
If you'd like to explore more of my website, please feel free to visit:
Travel photography from other cities I have visited
My commercial lifestyle photography portfolio for brands and businesses
My photography gallery featuring Sigma lenses