Sigma's line of bright F1.4 prime APS-C format lenses gets its widest angle entry yet in the form of the 12mm F1.4 DC Contemporary ($629). The lens captures a broad angle of view that's appropriate for landscape and architecture, environmental portraiture, and self-recorded vlogs, with a bright aperture that improves picture quality in tough light and softens backgrounds behind subjects. It's a good lens for photographers and content creators who are comfortable using a prime, and while it lacks the versatile angle of view of a zoom like the Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary, the 12mm F1.4 earns our Editors' Choice endorsement.

Design: Light, Wide, and Bright

The 12mm F1.4 DC Contemporary shares the same design language and approach as others in the series. It's a small lens (2.7 by 2.7 inches, 7.9 to 8.8 ounces depending on mount) and impressively covers a broader angle and captures as much light as the larger, heavier 16mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary (3.6 by 2.8 inches, 14.3 ounces).

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Like others in the DC Contemporary series, the 12mm's optics provide coverage for APS-C format image sensors; its image circle is not large enough to cover full-frame chips. Its angle of view is still plenty wide, about the same as an 18mm full-frame prime, so it's a better tool for scenes where you want more of the world in view than tighter lenses like the aforementioned 16mm F1.4 (24mm full-frame equivalent).

The lens is small, but it's well-made. The outer barrel is a sturdy polycarbonate, and the lens includes dust and splash protection, along with anti-smudge fluorine on its front glass. It's suitable for use in and out of the studio, and you won't have to hide it away in your bag if you run into rain clouds. It includes a 62mm thread to add a creative or protective filter if you like. I used the lens for video with the Canon EOS R50 V and opted for a neutral density filter so I could use the correct shutter speed for movies while keeping the aperture open.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Sigma makes the 12mm F1.4 DC Contemporary for three different camera systems: Canon R, Fujifilm X, and Sony E. Alternative options vary a bit from mount to mount. In Canon, the 12mm F1.4 has few peers: The closest alternatives are the Sigma 10-18mm and Canon RF 16mm F2.8 STM. Fujifilm photogs can weigh it against the XF 14mm F2.8 and Zeiss Touit 12mm F2.8, the latter of which is also available for Sony cameras. Sony makes a very similar lens for its E system, the E 11mm F1.8.

Controls and Focus: A Simple, Minimalist Approach

The 12mm F1.4 keeps things simple when it comes to on-lens controls. It has a manual focus ring as well as a control ring. The ring is dedicated to aperture adjustment for the Fujifilm and Sony versions of the lens, while the ring on the Canon version supports a configurable function (aperture, EV, or ISO). The ring clicks as it turns for precise third-stop adjustments for all versions, a slight downer for videographers who prefer smooth, silent operation.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Manual operation works as expected. The focus ring turns comfortably, with enough resistance to allow for precise focus, avoiding the sloppy action of too-loose focus systems. I wouldn't have minded having an AF/MF toggle switch on barrel, especially since many camera bodies hide that setting in a menu, but I don't consider it a dealbreaker.

I'm also impressed with how well focus breathing is controlled—there is only a slight shift in angle of view when focused close versus infinity, so you can use it for focus rack shots that shift between subjects without worrying about a blooming frame pulling viewers away from the narrative.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The autofocus speed is quite good. With the EOS R7, I clocked a drive from infinity to a near-focus distance at around 0.7 seconds. It's not as speedy as you get with the fastest lenses, which snap between focus points at speeds too short for me to practically measure. That said, you'll rarely, if ever, run into a scene where instant focus will help you get an image you otherwise wouldn't with an ultra-wide lens.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The lens is a good pick for close-up snaps, too. It focuses down to 6.8 inches (measured from the sensor), so you can get up close and personal with subjects. The wide angle of view means that the macro magnification is a meager 1:8.4 at the minimum distance. You'll need to use a longer lens like Sigma's excellent 105mm F2.8 DG DN Macro Art to bring the tiniest details into close view, but the 12mm F1.4 is a good choice for scenes that set a smaller subject against a broad background.

Image Quality: Good-Looking Photos With Soft Backgrounds

I primarily used the 12mm 1.4 DC Contemporary with the EOS R50 V in the field, but switched to the 33MP EOS R7 for lab tests. The 12mm scores in the very good range on an Imatest SFRplus evaluation with the R7's pixel-rich 33MP sensor, showing around 3,000-3,300 lines from f/1.4-11. There's a noticeable drop off in picture quality at the minimum f/16 aperture; optical diffraction softens the output, and the lens scores in the low register for the sensor, around 2,400 lines. You may want to use the lens at its minimum aperture situationally, though, at f/16 it draws gorgeously crisp 18-point sunstars.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

If you use your camera for JPGs or movies, you won't have to worry about a distortion or vignette, both are corrected by your camera's image processing system. Raw images aren't processed in-camera, however, and optics show heavy barrel distortion at any f-stop and darkened corners when used at brighter settings (f/1.4-2). Thankfully, Adobe's lens correction profile (LCP) system makes it pretty easy to fix images; it just takes one click to apply a profile in Lightroom Classic. Adobe has not yet released a profile for the 12mm F1.4, but Sigma provided me with an early copy for testing, and it works as expected. With some lenses, it's okay to skip a profile, but the distortion from this one is heavy enough that you should make sure your photo editing software supports the feature before adding the 12mm F1.4 to your kit.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

I'm happy with how well the 12mm F1.4 controls flare. I made several images into the sun and didn't have to worry about a loss of contrast or false color. I noticed some large ghosts (false color caused by an internal reflection) in one backlit scene with the sun positioned just at the top of the frame, but since I was using a neutral density filter, I can't directly attribute it to the lens, but I couldn't reproduce the effect making photos directly into the sun without a filter at any aperture.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

You won't get blurred-out backgrounds in every situation with this lens. Even though the aperture opens to f/1.4, the 12mm focal length simply doesn't provide enough compression for the effect when taking photos with a distant focus point. But if you're able to get within a couple of feet of your subject and put some distance between it and the background, a bokeh effect is achievable. Backgrounds fall shy of the smooth results you can get with an exotic telephoto like the Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG Art, but I'm happy that they avoid false color, texture, and hard edges, all factors that lead to distracting backgrounds.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)