Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art DG HSM Lens for Canon, Black, 3.7 x 3.03 x 3.03 (340101)

First and foremost this is not a 3,000.00 dollar lens. I do not expect it to have the same exact performance as a high priced Nikkor lens etc. I fully understood the aperture limitations on the wide end. If I had wanted or needed a 2.8 wide range telephoto lens I would have hocked a kidney...sold some blood and one of my children for one. However I did not and so I accept what a lens at this price can and should do. Many people have reviewed this lens so to, yet again, give my two cents worth mostly would be much repetition. I will just hit some points. This lens has the potential to be nice and sharp. Seems many copies including mine have a slight front/rear focus error. I easily fixed this in the D750 AF adjustment...took -3 to nail the 400mm length nice and sharp. Long term fix and to insure spot on at various lengths and apertures I got the USB dock for the lens. It is not expensive and I got mine used...get one. The max potential seems to be with the dock if you need to fine tune the AF to the anal retentive level. The auto focus works fine on my D750. Works as expected...almost never hunts or missed focus and when it does it has mostly been do to the scene or using the incorrect AF metering for the shot. But this was rare. Again its not a 3 grand lens. The OS works fine...seems to add a few stops but then again at 400mm handheld there is limitations to any OS if you want tack sharp especially cropped. Put it on a tripod....simple. The lens is dark yes...but that is obvious...it is clearly stated the max aperture at 400m. If this won't work drop a kidney and a liver on the black market and get a 2.8 lens. Personally I value my kidney and liver and can't afford that so I learn to shoot with it. It does fairly well in moderate light....crank up ISO a bit and a tripod I have no issues. Handheld at f11 or smaller in anything other than sunlight well who's not performing? The lens or the person behind the camera..? The ability to set the C1 and C2 settings via the dock is nice. Helps in different situations to have a quick ability to change OS or AF priority etc. Overall its a fine lens at the price....not perfect but again at this price I do not have any complaints. if I had spent several grand and up then I could talk about a few but I spent under $800 so...keep it in perspective. Last there are always bad or defective copies....happens to all manufacturers even your favorite manufacturer...I have had bad copies of cameras etc from several top brands...it happens. Sometimes it may just not be your cup of tea....if so...drink coffee and be happy.

This lens is perfect and it's a great addition to my equipment. I had been needing a shorter lens to shoot the before and after "chaos" that happens with youth sports. I've gotten really great quality images with this lens.

Later edit: I also bought the Sigma 150-600 Contemporary because it is not much more expensive than the 100-400mm and the extra reach seems to be always useful. The weight difference between the two lenses did not seem like a lot initially, but then I went on a full day trip to Point Pelee National Park for birding, and boy did my hands start hurting after an 1-2 hours of operating the 150-600m. In the end, I had to switch to the 100-400 because my arms fatigued after a while, and I just couldn't handle the 150-600 well without a tripod. I will return the 150-600, and will keep the 100-400 lens. I also tried the 1.4x TC 1401 with the 100-400, and in a bright enough environment, autofocus works well on my D500 at f/9 without any real drop in image quality (to my eyes). After customizing the OS and AF of this lens with the USB dock, things seem to be working a lot better. I changed the OS mode to "moderate" which resulted in noticeably more stable viewfinder images over the "standard" mode that the lens comes programmed in. The "dynamic" mode gives the most stable viewfinder, but is jumpy when you move the lens around (this can also be seen on Sigma's videos on lens customizations). The performance with changes is exactly as described in the Sigma videos. I am consequently updating the review to 5 stars. I changed the autofocus mode so that is focuses faster. I still think the Nikkor focus is marginally better in low contrast situations, but this does not bother me as much. To my eyes this lens is sharper on my D500 than the Nikkor 70-300 IF-ED. Also the minimum focus distance seems smaller than 1.6m if you adjust it manually, which is a plus! ................................................... Original review: This is a short initial review for a potential buyer. This lens is sharp (for my purposes) at all focal lengths, especially at 400mm. I recommend purchasing this lens with the Sigma USB dock. While the in body Optical Stabilization (OS) on this lens is great, the viewfinder with stabilization turned on is surprisingly jumpy compared to the Nikkor 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 IF ED. I can often not tell the difference (in the viewfinder) between OS on and OS off. It seems that this can be rectified by choosing a different OS mode ("dynamic" or "moderate") with the USB dock. However, to get more viewfinder stabilization, one might have to sacrifice a little bit of in body image stabilization according to a Sigma rep I spoke with over the phone. Note I purchased this lens WITHOUT the Sigma dock, and am thinking of purchasing the latter soon. With the initial shock of jumpy viewfinder stabilization having passed, I am now slowly getting used to the OS on this lens. Despite the jumpiness in viewfinder, my actual images come out quite sharp, even at 1/20-1/10s. The rep also said that the lens is safe to put on a tripod even although there is no tripod collar. I am deciding between the Nikkor 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 and this Sigma, and I will probably keep the latter because the extra reach seems quite useful to me. This lens also feels quite a bit heavier than the Nikkor 70-300mm, but the weight makes handling the lens easier than the Nikkor. The lens is also beautifully designed, and I am really appreciating the push-pull mechanism to adjust the focal length. It gives me less arm fatigue than having to turn the focal length ring. Sigma 100-400 is quiet compared to the Nikkor 70-300, especially while autofocusing and when VR turns on, which may be a bonus when photographing wildlife. However, it does seem that the Nikkor focuses a little bit faster than this Sigma at times. Again, I was told that the AF can also be adjusted with the dock, so perhaps even the AF acquisition can be improved with the dock. For what it's worth, I am attaching some sample images taken with this lens on a Nikon D500. They were all taken at 400mm, in a not particularly bright environment from my balcony. The shot of the moon is handheld. I don't know if it uploads as a sharp image on Amazon, but it was surprisingly sharp for me!

Un objetivo muy bueno. Un bokeh y comportamiento excelente

E' un obiettivo f 1,8 costante su tutte le focali. Nitidezza e robustezza sono tipiche degli obiettivi Art. Il mio obiettivo è per attacco sa (sigma) e copre perfettamente anche il formato per sigma SD Quattro H. Possedendo una fotocamera Sigma SD Quattro l'angolo di campo equivalente è pari a un 80-160 mm, che è ciò di cui avevo bisogno. A volergli trovare un difetto c'è il peso: 1490 grammi. Il peso è un fattore soggettivo a mio parere. Io porto il tutto in uno zaino quando vado a camminare anche per 15 km e non è un problema. Codesto obiettivo utilizzato su Sigma SD Quattro in modalità bianco/nero produce delle foto di una bellezza che è difficile descrivere.. Grandissimo obiettivo.

Je n'avais pas encore trouvé d'optiques de grandes marques (Canon & Nikon essentiellement) qui se rapprochent qualitativement de certains bijoux Leica-R que je possède ou que j'ai possédés. Je pense aux Apo Asph 90/2, 28/2.8 (II), 60/2.8, 180/2.8, Modular Apo 280/2.8 + Apo Leica-R extender x1.4 et même le 80-200/4 vs Canon Apo 70-200/4. Utiliser un adaptateur sur mes boîtiers Canon pour profiter de mes optiques Leica-R, c'était shooter à ouverture réelle, ce qui n'est pas d'un confort à toute épreuve, vous en conviendrez. Mais la qualité de ces optiques Leica-R reste toujours superlative et malgré cet inconvénient, j'ai préféré garder mon parc optique de la marque au logo rouge. Et puis Sigma a bousculé les marques bien établies en sortant cette optique (le 50mm ART semble être du même acabit) sans compromis, ou si peu, alliant haute résolution optique, haute tenue du microcontraste, maitrise des aberrations chromatiques, de la distorsion, du flare, du coma, du Bokeh. Seul le vignetage à l'ouverture maximale est marqué, mais pour une optique ouvrant à f:1/1.4, le reproche honnêtement n'est pas justifiable. Les optiques Leica-R ont été abandonnées au profit des numériques Leica-M et Leica-S. Le Leica-R numérique est mort, vive les optiques Sigma ART! Concernant la livraison, j'ai commandé à 17h00, j'ai reçu le colis le lendemain matin à 11h00: un service "super express"! Concernant l'optique en elle-même, j'ai dû l'étalonner via la station d'accueil USB (indispensable à mes yeux et plus précis que le correcteur interne aux boîtiers Canon) pour une mise au point ultra précise (ouverture oblige), avec une remise à niveau du logiciel interne. Rien à redire, c'est parfait. Concernant l'autofocus, moi qui suis un adepte de la mise au point manuelle, qui peut le plus peut le moins: très silencieux, et très efficace après mise à jour par la station d'accueil USB. Pour ne rien changer à mes habitudes, j'ai découplé le réglage de l'autofocus du déclencheur. La mise au point manuelle est très agréable avec le verre Eg-S de mon Canon EOS 5DMKII. Je n'ai pas assez de recul pour dire que cette optique me subjugue, mais les quelques essais effectués semblent déjà tenir leurs promesses. EDIT DU 27/07/2014: Après l'avoir essayée dans des situations de lumière difficile tout comme en plein jour, je confirme que cette optique est d'un très haut niveau et d'un excellent rapport Q/P voire le meilleur à l'heure actuel. La tendance chromatique est moins pointue que les meilleures optiques Leica-R mais très agréable tout de même, un peu chaude. Le vignetage est marqué à pleine ouverture mais s'estompe dès f:1/2.0. Pour le reste, c'est du très bon, la distorsion modérée est totalement corrigée par des logiciels comme DxO Optics Pro (télécharger le module adéquat) et Lightroom 5.5. L'autofocus calibré est parfait et la mise au point manuelle facile sur mon EOS 5DMKII. J'attends mon deuxième boîtier, l'EOS 6D. MAJ du 28/05/2018: Propriétaire de l'objectif depuis 3 ans. Qualité exceptionnelle avec une ouverture parfaitement utilisable comme tous les Sigma ART. Peu d'aberrations chromatiques même à pleine ouverture, bokeh superbe, diaphragme à 8 lamelles. Déformation quasi-inexistante. Parfaitement utilisable sur des capteurs (à plus) de 50Mp. Rapport Qualité/Prix sans équivalent. La mise au point peut être facilement réglée grâce à la technique DOT-TUNE. Le mieux est d'utiliser conjointement le dock USB qui affine le réglage de l'AutoFocus en fonction de l'appareil auquel il est couplé et de la distance de mise au point. Mise au point silencieuse, rapide et efficace une fois parfaitement réglée même à pleine ouverture. Le Hic c'est l'embonpoint et le poids, mais ça vous le savez sans doute, c'est la politique actuelle du "no undue hardship for top quality". Dernière version firmware à vérifier (2.0 à ce jour); sinon, la mise à jour se fait via le Dock USB... Un sans faute.

Bel objectif SIGMA, bon piqué, mise au point rapide, bon rapport qualité/prix, le Dock USB SIGMA s'avère nécessaire pour le calibrer correctement avant la première utilisation

Qualité exceptionnel. Un peu lourd mais piqué exceptionnel.