This is the all-new Sigma 14 millimeter F 1.4 dgdn art and it is according to Sigma the widest F 1.4 fixed focal Length lens available on the market Today apart from fisheye lenses but Those aren't usually F 1.4 and it is an Astrophotographer's dream this lens is Specifically designed for Astrophotography with a high emphasis on Reducing coma reducing chromatic Aberration and making it optimized for That purpose but as a result of that It's also pretty good for architecture Work and for super wide Landscapes so Let's check it out it comes in a large White box that is all too familiar Looking inside there is a manual and a Warranty card and a little box full of Goodies here you will find a few straps For the zippered pouch a rubber lens Heater retainer an allen wrench with two Bolts and a template for the rear filter Cutout opening the pouch you get the Lens with a plastic rear lens cap but The front lens cap is worthy of some Time at first glance it doesn't look That exciting it's just a plastic lens Cap but Sigma was pretty genius with This on the reverse side there are two Labeled slots that when you release open A little storage compartment for your Rear filter you can pop one in one side Another in the other and you always have Those rear filters with you as long as
You have the front lens cap with you It's a cool little feature now onto the Lens which is a large heavy chunk of Glass polycarbonate TSC which stands for A thermally stable composite AKA High-end plastic and some magnesium in Total it's about 1160 grams or two and a half pounds the Finishes are all high-end it feels great Various textures throughout it's a Well Executed lens body as you can expect From the art Series this new lens has Sigma's HLA or high response linear Actuator linear motor for auto focusing So when it's not connected to a camera And not turned on You do hear a loose element inside Starting at the rear there is a metal Mount with electronic connections here Is the rear filter mount with an all new Locking mechanism that does click into Position quite nicely there is a rubber Gasket around the mount and this lens is Dust proof and splash proof according to Sigma to top it off the front element Has a water and stain repellent coating Moving on to the body there is a zero Two three here for a 2023 release and a Removable tripod mount although with That off it does make the lens look a Bit unfinished next up is the aperture Ring which is typical art series Goodness it's clicky nice to turn but You can turn the click off with this
Switch here as well there are quite a Few more switches here autofocus manual Focus switch and AFL or autofocus lock Button and MFL or manual focus lock Switch and on the other side there is a Switch that locks you into or out of Auto aperture the manual focus ring is Nice and large and grippy it has a good Feel a little bit of resistance it's Smooth but it's all electronic so you Can rotate it infinitely in either Direction finally around the front there Is a large convex front lens element That is protected by this built-in rose Petal lens hood that is not removable And this is great because you can place This lens face down on a table and not Worry too much about it but given the Price I took the lens cap with me Everywhere inside there are 19 elements In 15 groups with several fancy elements All designed to remove chromatic Aberration coma flare and ghosting Mounted on my Sony a7c it makes for a Big and heavy setup it's a long lens as Well coming in at just about six inches But it looks good I will say it makes Even my 85 millimeter F 1.4 art looks Small by comparison and while I have These two lenses side by side you will See the only difference in body design Is that the material used on the base It's a polished metal on the 85 Millimeter whereas the 14 millimeter has
That TSC polycarbonate so the question At the end of the day is how good is This new 14 millimeter art lens and Notice that I didn't ask is it good Because over the last three to four Years every single art lens release has Been exceptional in my opinion they Really haven't messed one up yet so Let's take a look at how this thing Performs mounted on my a7c all of these Are straight out of the camera unedited Ready Set Go There's something about the way that you Say my name Make me forget everything [Music] So good but I wish I was heartless [Music] [Music] There's something about the way that you Say my name Make me forget everything when you call Me later [Music] Foreign So optically this lens is absolutely Brilliant I'm used to ultra wide angle Lenses but I'm not used to super fast Ultra wide angle lenses that F 1.4 Creates a very unique look and it does Make this lens special it is sharp sharp Sharp wide open at F 1.4 it's sharp and It has a very nice flat focal plane Meaning that if the center is sharp at F
1.4 the corners are also very sharp as Well the color and contrast is excellent And the distortions are incredibly well Controlled this lens in terms of Chromatic aberration is one of the best That I've tested you can take an image Like this and zoom in and there is just The famous little remnant of fringing But most of it is gone it's a stellar Performance in that regard and a Wonderful option for Landscapes as a Result according to Sigma they paid Special attention to correct chromatic Aberration wide open through the entire Image and especially at Infinity focus And that's what makes it so for astral Work the focusing is lightning quick Accurate and Silent these new linear Motors from Sigma are top level as good As Sony lenses in my opinion this one is Compatible with high-speed autofocus and It tracks very well there is a little Bit of focus breathing if you are Manually pulling Focus but I don't see Many using this for video work to where That would be a real concern so what are The negatives well this lens is not Cheap it's coming in at sixteen hundred Dollars US and there are a couple of Ways to look at this it's top of the Line it's an art series lens and it's Only sixteen hundred dollars on the Other hand you have competitors out There as well even sigma's own 14 to 24
Millimeter Zoom which is an F 2.8 is an Excellent lens from what I've read Haven't tested it in person but I've Thought about buying that lens many Times what you get with this 14 Millimeter over that Zoom is f 1.4 Instead of f 2.8 the linear autofocus Motor and the optical quality wide open Low to no chromatic aberration and low To no coma wide open and that is for Many people who are into Astrophotography worth it for me Personally if I were to buy an ultra Wide angle lens I would be buying it for Real estate in which case the Flexibility of the zoom on the 14 to 24 Would be a little bit more appealing and I wouldn't care so much about F 1.4 Because I'd be shooting an f8 in every Room anyway but This lens is truly incredible and it's Very impressive and if you are into Astrophotography you should definitely Check this thing out I can appreciate it And optically this thing is incredibly Good that is going to be it for my Review of this lens I hope you guys Enjoyed it and you learned something From it I have to send this lens back to Sigma actually it's a couple of days Past due but I just wanted to play Around with it for a couple of days Extra so I apologize Sigma for holding On to it a little bit too long let me
Know what your thoughts are down in the Comments section below I'll have a link To this lens if you want to read more About it in the description stay tuned For more and have a nice day bye
