The Sigma 35mm F1.2 DG II Art ($1,549) brings a host of upgrades to the earlier 35mm F1.2 DG DN Art lens. An all-new optical formula cuts significant size and weight away from the original, and linear motors provide the instant focus required to capture fleeting, candid moments. It's one of those lenses that gets just about everything right, but since the 35mm focal length is so popular, it faces stiff competition. If you want the most background blur possible, you'll no doubt be wooed by the F1.2 optics, which are a third-stop brighter than lenses starting at F1.4. That said, you can save some money and enjoy a lens that's just as good and nearly as bright by opting instead for our Editors' Choice, the Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG DN Art, which is a relative bargain at $989.

Design: A Full-Frame F1.2 Lens You'll Want to Carry

It's easy to see where Sigma has made changes if you look at the 35mm F1.2 DG II Art alongside the original 35mm F1.2 DG DN Art. The newer lens is noticeably smaller, coming in at 4.5 by 3.2 inches (HD) and 1.7 pounds, versus 5.4 by 3.5 inches and 2.4 pounds for the original. Sigma's second effort is the smallest and lightest of the F1.2 options for E-mount and L-mount cameras, also besting the Viltrox 35mm F1.2 FE Lab (4.8 by 3.5 inches, 2 pounds).

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The downsizing is impressive enough, as the 35mm F1.2 isn't that much bigger than F1.4 lenses like the Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG DN Art (4.4 by 3.0 inches, 1.4 pounds) and the Sony FE 35mm F1.4 GM (3.8 by 3.0 inches, 1.2 pounds). The brighter F1.2 optics deliver just a little bit extra background smoothing and are a plus for making images in extreme low light. The difference falls short of night and day, though. For instance, you can make the same exposure at 1/40-second at f/1.2 versus 1/30-second at f/1.4, all other things being equal.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Sigma makes the 35mm F1.2 II for E-mount cameras from Sony as well as L-mount bodies from Leica, Panasonic Lumix, and Sigma itself. Aside from the mount and a tenth-inch difference in length, the two are physically identical. The lens's 17-element/13-group optical formula is housed in a black barrel constructed from both metal and thermally stable composite, and works with 72mm threaded filters.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Dust, splash, and anti-smudge fluorine are incorporated into the design, so the lens is suitable for use both in a studio and outdoors. Fluorine is a fairly common feature in newer lenses, but it is still worth mentioning as the material repels water and oils. Raindrops bead off without leaving a mark, and it's easy to wipe away a stray fingerprint with a microfiber cloth.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

There is a minor technical difference between the two mounts. Sony restricts third-party lenses to 15fps continuous focus drive with cameras that can go faster, like the a9 III (120fps) and a1 II (30fps). There's no such limitation with L-mount, so you can use the lens at full speed with models that go faster, like the Lumix S1R II (40fps). The L-mount version also works with the UD-11 dock, an accessory that lets you use a desktop app to fine-tune manual focus response and update firmware. I don't see either as a major drawback for Sony owners, as 15fps should be more than enough for typical wide-angle scenes, and the dock just isn't that useful.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The lens ships with front and rear caps, a reversible hood with a push-button release for its bayonet lock, and a soft carrying pouch.

Controls: Everything You Need On the Barrel

The 35mm F1.2 II's control scheme is pretty much the same as its predecessor. It includes discrete rings to set aperture and adjust manual focus, an AF/MF toggle switch, and a configurable function button that engages autofocus lock (AF-L) by default with most bodies but may be remapped to do other things via the camera menu. I keep L-Fn set to AF-ON with the a7R IV I use for E-mount lens reviews, for instance.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The aperture ring works as expected. It supports manual settings from f/1.2-16, as well as camera body control when set to its A position. You can switch its operation between third-stop clicks or a silent continuous movement with the flick of a toggle switch, and lock it in either the A setting or its manual range if you like. Basically, it works just like the rings on other Sigma and Sony lenses, as opposed to the Viltrox 35mm F1.2 FE Lab, which suffers because its aperture control is inconsistently indexed. With the Viltrox, you sometimes don't know if you need to turn the ring by one, two, or three clicks for a third-stop change, which means you can't reliably set the f-stop by feel and ear.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Sigma puts just one copy of the L-Fn button on barrel, as opposed to larger telephoto lenses that often include two or three copies, so it's easier to access when holding the camera vertically for portraits. I don't see this as a misstep, however, as the barrel diameter falls shy of huge, and the button is set just below its middle point. This makes it pretty simple to reach with my index finger for vertical shots.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The focus ring is large and takes up much of the barrel. It has a rubber exterior with ridges so it's easy to find by touch and manipulate, even if you're wearing gloves. The ring turns smoothly with enough resistance to make precise changes to the focal plane, and shows no lag between action and focus drive. I've got no complaints here; this is as good as it gets for manual adjustment with a focus-by-wire lens.

Autofocus: Instant Results from Linear Motor

The original 35mm F1.2 Art relied on a hypersonic motor (HSM) that, while quick, fell just short of delivering instant shifts between far-off and nearby subjects. Sigma switched to its newer high-response linear actuator (HLA), a magnet-powered type that drives focus elements without any delay. I can hear some noise from the lens as it focuses, which may be a concern for use on quiet cinema sets. I tried some video in a typical home setting and couldn't hear the focus on the soundtrack over normal background noise. HLA motors are typically quiet, so I attribute the sound to the lens's focusing group moving back and forth inside the barrel.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Focus breathing is another concern for video recording. Lenses that breathe change their angle of view based on the focus distance, and usually catch a narrower field of view when focused close. This can detract from shots that rack focus from one subject to another for narrative effect, a fairly common practice in the language of cinema. The 35mm F1.2 DG II Art shows only very slight breathing, so it's an excellent choice for video. This is one area where it's worth spending more versus the 35mm F1.4 DG DN Art, which is, to put it colloquially, a heavy breather. The Sony FE 35mm F1.4 GM also breathes quite a bit, but since Sony supports in-camera breathing compensation for first-party lenses with newer cameras, it's only a concern if you use a camera released prior to the a7 IV.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Minimum focus is at 11.1 inches, which is good enough for 1:5.3 macro reproduction. This may be limiting to photographers who want to lean in and get close to a subject, but is pretty typical for a bright 35mm prime. The Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG DN Art just about matches it (1:5.4), while the Sony FE 35mm F1.4 GM is a standout in the class for close-ups due to its 9.8-inch focus and 1:3.8 magnification. In L-mount, the Lumix S 35mm F1.8 supports 9.4-inch focus for 1:4.6 life-size capture.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Image Quality: Gorgeous Detail and Beautiful Bokeh

I tested the 35mm F1.2 DG II Art with the 60MP Sony a7R IV and Imatest software to check its optical performance. Set wide open to f/1.2, the lens scores in the good range (3,700 lines), and improves quickly when stopped down, scoring in the excellent range at f/1.4 (4,400 lines) and crossing into outstanding from f/2-8 (5,200-5,300 lines). Its wide-open resolution is slightly behind the Viltrox 35mm F1.2 and the earlier Sigma 35mm F1.2 (both 4,400 lines), but you'll really need to pixel peep or make huge prints to spot the difference. The Sony FE F1.4 GM remains the sharpest 35mm prime I've tested for the system, scoring in the excellent range wide open (4,600 lines) and outstanding at medium apertures.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

All camera lenses lose some detail at very narrow f-stops, a result of optical diffraction. The 35mm F1.2 DG II still does a good job at f/11 (4,600 lines) and f/16 (4,200 lines). You may want to use a small aperture for landscape scenes for greater depth of field and to induce sunstars, an effect of diffraction that draws small, bright points of light as multi-point starbursts. The 35mm F1.2 DG II draws dramatic sunstars with 22 points and clearly defined tines at f/11 and f/16.

The lens sometimes struggles with false colors and ghosting in flare when making images into the sun, not surprising given its large aperture. Thankfully, it only takes a slight change in angle to compensate in many instances, but it's good to be aware. The flare example below is at f/1.2; you can reduce the false color by using a narrower aperture, but doing so will make any ghost reflections more visible.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The optics show very little geometric distortion. In Raw images, I see just a hint of a bulge from the barrel effect, but I wouldn't be able to tell if not comparing them side-by-side with a JPG with in-camera distortion correction enabled. There is a visible vignette at f/1.2-1.4, but it's gone by the time you stop down to f/2, and is also corrected in-camera for JPGs. Adobe has not yet released a profile for the lens for Adobe Lightroom, but provided me with the one that will likely be included in the next scheduled Creative Cloud release. It worked as expected to compensate for both distortion and vignette.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Other aspects of image quality fall under the character umbrella. I'll qualify the lens as having a modern, clean look. Its background blur is free of distracting false texture and color fringing, and specular highlights show pleasingly soft, feathered edges. This combination lends itself to transitions from focus to out of focus and background blur (bokeh) that's smooth and free of distracting elements. I do see the cat's eye shape for bokeh balls that are located toward the edges and corners of the image at f/1.2, but at f/1.4, they take on the round shape of the 11-blade aperture. That's an advantage over lenses that only open as wide as f/1.4, as they must be stopped down to f/1.8 or f/2 to realize perfectly rounded defocused highlights from edge to edge.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)