The Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG DN Art ($849) is the answer for photographers who've been yearning for a bright standard prime lens, but have been turned off by the $2,000-plus price tags attached to the Panasonic Lumix S Pro 50mm F1.4 or the Sony FE 50mm F1.2 GM. This made-for-mirrorless update to an old favorite SLR lens comes with new optics that are tuned for high-pixel sensors and lightning-quick autofocus response. All of the trappings of a premium lens are here, but at a midrange price, making the 50mm Art an easy Editors' Choice recommendation for both E- and L-mount system owners.

A Classic Angle Gets the Art Treatment

The F1.4 Art series started with SLRs, but in recent years Sigma has shifted to making lenses primarily for mirrorless camera systems. So while the names are very similar the 50mm F1.4 DG DN Art is a completely different lens than the 50mm F1.4 DG HSM Art, despite the latter being sold for the same Sony E and L-mount camera systems.

The new 50mm F1.4 DG DN Art makes the old HSM edition seem out of date. It offers a host of handling upgrades, including on-barrel aperture control and anti-smudge fluorine glass, features that are expected today but weren't in 2016 when the 50mm DG HSM Art debuted.

Size-wise, the 50mm DG DN Art is average for an f/1.4 aperture prime. At 4.3 by 3.1 inches (HD) and 1.5 pounds, the lens is in line with Sony's svelte FE 50mm F1.2 GM (4.3 by 3.4 inches, 1.7 pounds), and for L-mount photographers, a heck of a lot easier to carry than Panasonic's chunky Lumix S Pro 50mm F1.4 (5.2 by 3.5 inches, 2.1 pounds).

The lens ships with a zippered carrying case, front and rear caps, and a petal-style hood. The hood features a push-button lock, and is reversible for storage. The barrel is a mix of machined aluminum and composite, the same that Sigma's been using for recent Art series entries like the 24mm and 35mm F1.4.

Dust and splash protection are incorporated into the design, along with anti-smudge fluorine coating on the glass. It's easy enough to wipe away a stray fingerprint, and water drops bead off. There's a 72mm filter thread if you wish to add a protective or creative filter.

Handling and Controls

Sigma incorporates several on-barrel controls into the 50mm Art's design. It includes an AF/MF toggle switch for quick changes to focus mode, and a function button. The button is configurable via the camera; most photogs use it for AF-L focus lock or AF-ON focus drive.

The aperture control ring ranges from f/1.4-16 with third-stop detents and markings. If you prefer silent, click-free operation it's just a matter of flipping an on-barrel toggle. There is also an aperture lock available; if it's engaged it won't let you move the lens between manual f-stops and the A position.

Autofocus is driven by an HLA focus motor. The 50mm F1.4 is the second Sigma lens to get this type of linear actuator, following the 60-600mm Sports. Here it drives focus instantly, at least with the Sony a7R V, and silently. Focus isn't quite as instant on the previous-generation a7R IV, but is as fast as any lens I've used with the camera.

The manual focus ring takes up much of the surface area. The lens includes the standard ridged rubber and is strongly dampened. The extra resistance makes it a bit easier to dial in precise focus, and a linear response is a plus for photographers who really want to define the plane of focus for shallow depth-of-field images. If you get the lens in L-mount, you can pick between linear and nonlinear manual focus response and fine-tune other settings with the USB Dock accessory.

While the focus experience is good, significant focus breathing is evident. The angle of view is noticeably constricted when focusing close, so the frame will bloom and expand depending on the point of focus. Videographers will want to avoid using this one for rack focus shots.

The 50mm F1.4 focuses about as close as other fast 50mm primes. Its 17.8-inch minimum distance captures subjects at 1:6.8 life-size. It's not a good pick for macro shots, but again, lenses of this type don't usually do a good job for macros. The Lumix S Pro 50mm F1.4 offers similar, 1:6.7 magnification.

Sigma 50mm F1.4 Art: In the Lab

I paired the 50mm F1.4 DG DN Art with the 60MP Sony a7R IV for resolution tests. Imatest analysis of an SFRPlus test chart shows it to be a fantastic performer, only slightly behind the Sony FE 50mm F1.2 GM in sharpness. The Sigma delivers excellent marks (4,600 lines) at its maximum aperture. The field of focus is uniformly flat, so you can get clear results, even for off-center compositions.

Resolution ticks up at smaller f-stops, with the crispest results coming in the f/2.8-5.6 range (5,500 lines). This is as good as you can expect from the a7R IV, or any full-frame camera for that matter.

Chromatic aberration is well-controlled. I couldn't spot any false purple color around power lines or branches, nor is there evident purple or green color in defocused backgrounds. The optics do show some pincushion distortion and a vignette, but Sigma includes a correction profile for Raw editors to remove it, and in-camera corrections take care of it for JPGs.

There are some optical drawbacks, however. I noticed some coma effects in photos with bright specular highlights. Coma is typically a concern with astrophotography, where stars are rendered with oblong, false color halos. I spotted it in several photos made on earth; magenta coma popped up around the water droplets left over from a previous night's rain on a hand-painted sign I use as a regular test scene, and I was able to see it in the reflection of a flash in a dog's eye in a portrait. It's lessened at f/2 and gone by f/2.8, and is one of those aspects of lens performance that doesn't affect every image.

You'll want to use the lens at wider apertures for portraits and other blurred-background photos. Defocused backgrounds are pleasingly soft, and I couldn't spot any evidence of onion skin or distracting hard-edge highlights. You'll see some cat's eye shapes toward the edges of the frame when using the lens at f/1.4—this is common in lenses with aspherical elements. Setting the aperture to f/2 or smaller turns the cat's eyes into circles, as light is shaped by the 11-blade circular aperture.

Flare isn't as well-controlled as with the premium options, and it's more likely to be a concern for creators than coma. If you're working against a strong backlight you can expect to contend with some ghosts and flare at wider f-stops. For shots into the sun you can set the lens to f/5.6-8 to sidestep flare, and if you go down to f/16 you'll get scenes with 22-point sunstars.

Value and Performance Come Together Beautifully

Sigma worked to establish its Art lens series as a value option for photographers who were after stunning picture quality and reliable performance without spending for first-party options. The price of 50mm F1.4 lenses from big-name camera makers has crept up over the years, so the $849 asking price is significant on its own. Picture quality and autofocus performance are on par with alternatives like the Panasonic S Pro 50mm F1.4 ($2,300) in L-mount, and the Sony Zeiss 50mm F1.4 ZA ($1,500) or FE 50mm F1.2 GM ($2,000) for E-mount.

L-mount customers don't have many alternatives to consider. The Panasonic S Pro 50mm F1.4 and Leica Summilux-SL 50mm F1.4 ASPH ($6,595) won't appeal to value-minded buyers. In E-mount, there are more low-cost 50mm options, but few that open up to f/1.4. If you're open to getting an f/1.8 lens you can spend less, and find a smaller lens too, for either system.

We have very little bad to say about Sigma's mid-priced effort. The 50mm Art has the resolving power for sharp pictures with high-pixel cameras. There are a couple of drawbacks, some flare and focus breathing for example, but not nearly as many as you get with budget-line alternatives like the Rokinon 50mm F1.4 AF. It's why we're naming the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG DN Art as our Editors' Choice winner for photographers looking for a bright standard prime at a reasonable price.