SIGMA has announced the mirrorless and improved version of its legendary 35mm Art lens. The 35mm F1.4 DG DN features many goodies packed in a high-quality glass that allow extraordinary imagery within an affordable price tag. The lens is available in L and E mounts. Explore it below.

The original Art: Excellent quality combined with affordable price

The new 35mm F1.4 Art is a reborn version based on the good and old (well.. not so old) widely used HSM lens. The original Sigma 35 mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art is a wide-angle prime lens that was announced at the 2012 Photokina trade fair. Back then, the lens was produced in Canon EF mount, Nikon F-mount, Pentax K mount, Sigma’s own SA mount, and the Sony/Minolta AF Mount varieties, all have the same optical formula. Since the lens covers full-frame sensors and includes an ultrasonic autofocus motor, it was fully compatible with most DSLRs. Reviews have noted excellent sharpness and overall performance on par with manufacturers such as Nikon and Canon, despite its price being significantly less than comparable offerings by those companies.

The reborn 35mm F1.4

According to SIGMA, the new 35mm F1.4 has been redesigned from the ground up specifically for mirrorless cameras, and thus, it’s significantly smaller and lighter compared to the original model. As stated by SIGMA: “The existing 35mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art was SIGMA’s first GLOBAL VISION lens. Released in 2012, it set the standard for all of SIGMA’s subsequent Art-line lenses, and thanks to its exceptional image quality it is still the 35mm prime lens of choice for many professional photographers. Nine years on, the 35mm F1.4 has been redesigned from the ground up specifically for mirrorless cameras.

Special features

SIGMA states that despite 35mm F1.4 DG DN Art being significantly smaller and lighter than the existing 35mm F1.4, it displays a high level of sharpness right to the edges of the frame at all apertures, as well as smooth and attractive bokeh and well-controlled optical aberrations. The lens was designed exclusively for use with mirrorless cameras, thus, the 35mm F1.4 DG DN | Art is light enough to feel balanced on a compact mirrorless camera, yet is packed with an array of professional features including ultra-fast AF, a de-clickable and lockable aperture ring and a customizable AFL button.

Part of the Art lineup

SIGMA says that central to the design of the 35mm F1.4 DG DN | Art is its sophisticated optical performance, which is consistent with the development of all Art line lenses. The lens incorporates 15 elements in 11 groups. With two Special Low Dispersion (SLD) elements, an Extraordinary Low Dispersion (ELD) element, an ‘F’ Low Dispersion (FLD) element, and two aspherical elements, and as well as other high-performance glass, the lens’ advanced optical construction utilizes SIGMA’s state-of-the-art optical design technology, minimizing all types of aberration including axial chromatic aberration, which cannot be corrected in-camera.

Controlled flaring

In spite of having a very wide aperture of F1.4, the lens is able to control sagittal coma flare extremely well even wide open, stopping bright points of light from flaring out near the edges of the frame. This will be particularly appealing to night sky photographers. Furthermore, owing to its 11 rounded diaphragm blades, the lens displays smooth, round bokeh so that out-of-focus areas are not distracting. This makes the 35mm F1.4 DG DN | Art well-suited to portraits, supported by its ultra-sharp image quality and minimal color bleeding. It also performs very well in backlit conditions thanks to SIGMA’s anti-ghosting and anti-flare technology that it has cultivated through countless simulations and real-life testing in our many years of lens development. This keeps shots high contrast and free of excessive flare even when working in difficult light.

Fast and quiet AF

The focusing mechanism in the SIGMA 35mm F1.4 DG DN Art features a stepping motor. This motor controls a focusing lens group composed of a single, lightweight element, which means AF is responsive and quiet and is able to keep track of moving objects very effectively. Manual focusing is smooth and precise, but with the right amount of resistance for filmmakers. Certainly, this lens has a focus mode switch on the body. Also, the SIGMA 35mm F1.4 DG DN Art wholly embraces the Art line concept, which is “designed with a focus on sophisticated optical performance”.

De-clicked aperture ring for filmmakers

On the body of the SIGMA 35mm, F1.4 DG DN Art is an aperture ring that allows the aperture to be controlled via the lens, or when set to Auto, using the camera. An aperture lock switch on the lens body allows the aperture ring to be locked in Auto so that it is not accidentally knocked during shooting. A big plus for filmmakers, the aperture ring can be de-clicked, allowing users to seamlessly adjust exposure. Also on the lens barrel is a focus mode switch and an AFL button, which can be customized to the desired function from within the camera menu (depending on the model). The switch is ergonomically positioned to be controlled by the thumb during use. A petal-type lens hood is included in the box, which helps reduce flare and offers the lens added protection if dropped. The hood has a lock mechanism that keeps it attached securely to the lens, and its rubberized grip makes it quick and easy to attach and remove.

Durability: Dust and splash-proof

The 35mm F1.4 DG DN Art offers an exceptional level of durability that helps it withstand long-term professional use as well as individual operating parts that give a good fit to the hand. The dust and splash-proof structure provide sealing on buttons and along joins between constituent parts, and there is a rubber gasket around the mount. There is also a water and oil repellent coating applied to the front element ensures that photographers can rely on it in any conditions.

SIGMA 35mm F1.4 DG DN Art: Technologies and highlights

1. Lens construction: 15 elements in 11 groups, with 1 FLD, 1 ELD, 2 SLD, and 2 aspherical elements
2. Inner focus system: To increase stability, this lens configuration uses movable internal lens elements that adjust focus without changing the length of the lens barrel.
3. Stepping Motor: The lens is capable of smooth, quiet, and high-speed AF made possible by a stepping motor, as well as supports Face/Eye Detection AF and video AF.
4. Compatible with Lens Aberration Correction: Matching the optical characteristics of the lens, this function performs in-camera corrections of peripheral illumination, chromatic aberrations, distortion, and more, to further enhance image quality.
5. Super Multi-Layer Coating: SIGMA’s own Super Multi-Layer Coating suppresses flare and ghosting by preventing reflections within the lens. All lenses in the current SIGMA range feature this original technology. In digital cameras, flare and ghosting may also be caused by reflections between the image sensor and lens surfaces. Here too, SIGMA’s Super Multi-Layer Coating is highly effective, assuring images of outstanding contrast.
6. Water and oil-repellent coating: Incorporates water and oil-repellent coating that allows water to be wiped away easily and prevents oil and fat from sticking to the surface, even in challenging shooting conditions. At the same time, the maintenance of the lens surface becomes easier.
7. Aperture ring: Aperture ring, designed to help users work intuitively
8. Aperture ring click switch: Mounted with a de-click function for removing clicks by the aperture ring click switch, enabling seamless operations that are especially useful such as during video shooting.
9. Focus Mode Switch: Using this switch, it is possible to switch the focus mode between AF and MF.
10. AFL button: the AFL button can be assigned with various functions widens the range of operations available on the lens.
11. Dust and splash-proof structure: This lens features highly effective dust- and splash-proof structure with special sealing at the mount connection, manual focus ring, zoom ring, and cover connection, allowing photographers to work in all types of weather.

Price and availability

The SIGMA AF 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art costs $900 and available to pre-order (See the “Products List” at the end of the article). 

Final thoughts

SIGMA’s Art lineup was designed with a focus on sophisticated optical performance and tremendous expressive power, to deliver high-level artistic quality. One of the major advantages is the price. The SIGMA AF 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art is no exception by offering maximum quality within an affordable price tag. If you like to shoot mirrorless with minimal flaring and extra sharpness, this lens might seem like a good fit, especially for filmmakers.

Do you own some SIGMA Art in your filmmaking arsenal? What are your thoughts about them? Comment below.

Products List

• Lens: SIGMA 35mm f/1.4 DG DN ART for Leica L. Price: $900 [maxbutton id=”1″ url=”https://adorama.rfvk.net/kjOjZd” ]
• Lens: SIGMA 35mm f/1.4 DG DN ART for Sony E. Price: $900 [maxbutton id=”1″ url=”https://adorama.rfvk.net/x9L9Q1″ ]
• Lens: Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART for Canon EF. Price: $800 [maxbutton id=”1″ url=”https://adorama.rfvk.net/YgRgBj” ]