Apparently, Sigma’s lens options continue to improve, with speed and sharpness among the best lenses you can buy with the hard-earned money.
The new sigma lens 20 mm f / 1. 4 is certainly no exception and continues the excellence of the Sigma series of photographic lenses, the Art series. The best part of this 20mm to $900 lens is that it covers a full-size sensor, so it works perfectly on cameras like the Sony A7S II camera, which is exactly what Sebastian did recently in cinema5D, testing the lens in some of the most challenging moonlight conditions.
Here’s what Sebastian said about the Sigma 20mm f/1. 4 Art Series lens testing process:
I filmed everything on Slog2 Gamma and put the movie note with one?Low light? That I created for this project, which retained most of the spectrum, lowered the dark areas and subtly accentuated the reflections. I tried to create a low contrast look and I am very happy with the result, I have heard of it in another way, but personally I recommend shooting in low light in Slog2 because it is, for me, the ideal starting point for a balanced image.
This is both a camera test and a test for Sigma lenses, but, to our delight, both work wonderfully here, and the lens seems to respond well to the frame lights, even when it is open. Although the image quality is excellent, Sebastian had some notes on how to use the lens on a movie camera:
The focus can be set in manual and the Sigma lens has an analog focus ring (unlike most Sony photo lenses). Unfortunately, there are no difficult stops, which makes it very difficult to use the lens with focus gears or focus tools. It is also very narrow and, since the target has a fine depth of field, sometimes it can be difficult to focus manually. The lens is clearly designed with the photographer in thinking. This is a problem that video filmmakers who use other digital cameras such as mirrorless and DSLRs are already accustomed to, but it is not ideal for some applications and does not offer the best ergonomics.
Having a sudden stop is useful in many situations, so it is unfortunate that this goal has none (like many Sigma objectives). This can be a little difficult to navigate depending on usage, but it’s important to note that most Canon lenses don’t have yet I don’t have a definitive closure.
The people of Sigma mentioned that they did not intend to develop film objectives, but these objectives, duly refocused by the manufacturer, would be perfect for the cinematic effect. You can achieve resized goals, but with a significant cost increase. If Sigma went down the road. that Samyang chose for his film goals, and not only was he doing a full review, I’m sure they would at least see sales, especially if the price was right. These Sigma lenses compare to the best targets on the market, so it’s a shame that it’s not possible to get them in a way that’s more useful for movies.
Let’s see what happens in the future, but there’s no doubt that these goals are fantastic and can still work well, depending on what you need.
Learn a little more about this professional brand of lenses and flash, in our article: Sigma Photography: Quality and Accessibility?