Hi I'm Gordon from camera labs and this Is my review of the sigma 23 millimeter F 1.4 DC DN a mild wide angle lens Designed for mirrorless cameras with Cropped aps-c sensors launched in April 2023 at a price of 550 or 450 pounds and Initially available in Sony E Leica L And Fujifilm X mounts it delivers Coverage equivalent to 35 millimeter Ideal for general purpose use and before You ask there's no plans for micro four Thirds Canon EFM Canon RF or Nikon Z Versions at least not yet the 23 becomes Sigma's fourth dcdn prime lens again Designed for apse sensors joining the Existing 1630 and 56 models all sporting Bright F 1.4 apertures play side by side You'll see all four lenses share a Family resemblance with similar design And controls if you're a Fuji film owner You already have the choice of two XF 23 Millimeter lenses from Fujifilm itself The compact F2 which is a little cheaper Than the new Sigma and the high-end F 1.4 which is pricier at around 900 now I Try and make consistent tests in my Reviews so you can check out my earlier Xf23 1.4 review to see how that model Compares to the new Sigma the model I'm Going to compare is side by side with in This review though is Sony's 24 mil F 1.8 Za a collaboration with Zeiss Launched over a decade ago in 2011 when Sony still used their NEX or next
Branding for aprc mirrorless cameras I Actually use this lens on my a6400 to Film most of my YouTube videos and is Still optimistically sell for around 800 Or over one third more than the newer Sigma 23 so in this review let's find Out how they compare here's sigma's 23 1.4 on the left and Sony's 24 1.8 on the Right they're roughly similar in Diameter but the Sony is 13 mil shorter And roughly two-thirds the weight thanks In part to its slightly dimmer aperture Like other models in the series The only Control on the sigma 23 is a smooth and Well damped manual focusing ring Likewise for the Sony lens neither of Which has any switches matched on their Barrels they don't have Optical Stabilization either like most new Sigma Lenses the 23 1.4 has a rubber grommets To provide ceiling at the mount albeit Not throughout the rest of the barrel That said the Sony 24 1.8 doesn't appear To be sealed at the mount at all so do Use it with some caution at the other End of the lens Barrel the sigma employs A 52mm filter thread and is supplied With a Bayonet lens Hood the slightly Narrower barrel of the Sony lens takes 49 mil filters and that model is also Supplied with a hood okay now for Focusing and unless otherwise stated all Of my tests here were made using a Sony A6400 body let's start with the sigma 23
Wide open at F 1.4 and using single AF Mode to both Focus between the two Bottles there's the usual wobble at each End to confirm the focus but it's quick Enough for General use switch the camera To continuous AFC mode though unlike Most Sigma lenses that I've tested the Focusing speeds up and avoids the Confirmation wobble for faster overall Response now let's compare the Sony 24 At F 1.8 where it looks a little faster Overall in single AFS mode mostly due to Less of a wobble to confirm meanwhile Switching to continuous AFC mode speeds Up the process again and eliminates that Wobble due to the autofocus system Exploiting the phase detect technology Here's the same test but now for video With the sigma 23 on the left at 1.4 and The Sony 24 on the ride to F 1.8 both Using a single AF area in the middle of The frame and with continuous autofocus You can see both lenses are capable of Smooth Focus pulls without wobbling for Video although do so at different speeds Here when using the camera's default Settings Note that some bodies may allow You to adjust the racking speed and Response next for face tracking starting With the sigma 23 again wide open at 1.4 But this time using the full AF area With face and eye detection here you can See the lens and Camera easily Refocusing on me as I move around the
Frame you can also see how this focal Length and aperture are ideal for Filming pieces to camera again it's why I use this for most of my YouTube videos Let's put the sigma 23 on the left and Compare it to the Sony 24 on the right Both at their maximum apertures of f 1.4 And 1.8 respectively both are clearly Good at this particular job and we'll be Taking a closer look at how they render The backgrounds in just a moment but First Focus breathing here's the sigma 23 F16 manually focusing from Infinity To the closest distance and back again Where you'll notice the field of view Shrinking at closer Focus sorry for the Wobbling here as it's an unstabilized System on the a6400 and for comparison Here's the sigma 23 on the left versus The Sony 24 on the right again both are 16 and manually focusing from Infinity To their closest distances and back Again where you'll notice the Sony on The right exhibiting virtually no Breathing at all and impressively as You'll see later on the Sony is also Focusing closer at the extreme end so a Solid result from this older lens here Okay now for my Optical tests starting With my distant landscape scene angled So that details run into the corners You're looking at the sigma 23 at 1.4 Here mounted on an a74 body in aps-c Mode since I needed fast to shutter
Speeds with the aperture wide open than My little a6400 allowed since the Sigma Lens is designed to be used with a Profile all of the images and results That I'm showing you have Distortion Compensation set to Auto in the Sony Menus where it corrects for some mild Barrel Distortion let's zoom in for a Closer look at the middle of the frame With the sigma 23 on the left and the Sony 24 on the right both here at their Maximum apertures of f 1.4 and 1.8 Respectively looking beyond the slide Different lighting conditions shows that Both lenses are capable of delivering Good results in the middle of their Frame right out of the gate with minimal Benefits to stopping down any further Now let's return to the sigma sample at 1.4 before heading into the far corner Where there's some of the usual Darkening due to vignetting but on the Whole it's respectfully sharp in terms Of details now I'm going to keep the Sigma on the left at 1.4 and now compare It against the Sony 24 1.8 on the right Showing a slightly different part to the Pier due to its slightly longer focal Length but looking at the pier legs on Both crops clearly shows the sigma 23 on The left taking the lead in terms of Sharpness when both lenses have their Apertures wide open as I gradually close The apertures on both lenses you'll see
The vignetting gradually lifting but the Sigma remaining ahead on Corner Sharpness know that this is with both Lenses focused in the middle of the Frame so it's also an indicator of field Flatness the Sony lens can be sharp in The corners but you'll need to focus There or close the aperture down moving On to portraiture the 35mm equivalent Focal length is great for wider Compositions that show a little bit more Of the surroundings and the context Without too much distortion on your Subject to worry about here's the sigma 23 F 1.4 where you can also get an idea Of the amount of blurring possible in The background and also the rendering Style Just for comparison here's the Sony 24 from the same distance at its Maximum aperture of f 1.8 we can see It's slightly tighter field of view and Slightly different rendering style now For a closer look with the sigma 23 on The left and the Sony 24 on the right Again at their maximum apertures when Viewed in isolation both lenses are Capable of Sharp portrait details but Play some side by side and the newer Sigma lens on the left is visibly Crisper while also delivering slightly Less busy looking bokeh in the Background now rendering is always a Personal choice but I'm preferring the Sigma here although do note that both
Lenses are also showing some evidence of Low cut fringing here next my Pokeball Test with the sigma 23 again wide open At 1.4 and focus close to its minimum Distance of around 25 centimeters let's Briefly toggle between it and the Sony 24 positioned at the same distance Although this time at F 1.8 notice how The sigma is actually delivering a Similarly sized subject to the Sony Maybe even a tad larger here despite its Slightly shorter focal length this is Due to the mild magnification from Focus Breathing at close range that you saw Demonstrated earlier taking a closer Look at both samples with the sigma 23 On the left and there's only 24 on the Right shows both lenses exhibiting some Outlining and textures within the blobs But I'd say the sigma blobs are a little Bit cleaner overall inside and larger Too thanks to its bigger aperture as I Gradually close their apertures you'll See the impact of their respective Diaphragm blade systems with the sigma On the left rendering the rounder shapes That we're more used to seeing on newer Lens designs versus the more angular Shapes of older models now there's no Right or wrong here only personal Preference so let me know what you think In the comments while Focus breathing Helps the sigma achieve similar Magnification to the Sony when
Positioned from the same distance the Sony lens can focus much closer so Here's the sigma 23 focused as close as I could to the ruler where it's Reproducing a subject measuring around 138 millimeters across the frame I'm Going to keep the sigma image at the top And compare it now against the Sony at The bottom from its closer minimum Focusing distance of 16 centimeters Where it's reproducing around 92 mil Across the frame now this might not make Any difference to you at all but Personally speaking the closer focusing Distance the Sony lens has actually Proven very useful when filming very Small details on the products that I Review on YouTube and it does give it Greater flexibility for me personally But again your mileage may vary at this Point I'd normally wrap up my review but I've got one final test for you which Actually proved to be a bit of a Surprise now as you know both lenses is Designed for use on cameras with cropped Aps-c sensors and as such you wouldn't Expect either of their Imaging circles To extend much beyond the corners of This smaller frame but since I did have An a74 to hand I thought I'd try both Lenses with that camera using its full Sense of coverage so I'm going to start With the Sony 24 in the cropped aps-c Mode which it's designed for followed by
The camera set to full frame where You'll now see the Imaging Circle as Expected so no surprises here but now Let's compare it to the sigma 23 in full Frame mode and while some of the Imaging Circle remains visible as expected it's Far less extreme than the Sony now to be Fair neither lens is designed to be used Like this but you can still see how the Sigma not only has a larger Imaging Circle than the Sony lens but one that Remains respectively sharp well beyond The aps-c frame size to better Illustrate the difference in their Imaging circles I'll now toggle between A blank wall photographed with both Lenses again on a full frame camera Using its whole sensor again this is not How they're meant to be used but the Sigma clearly has some potential for Owners of full-frame bodies if they're Willing to apply a mild crop perhaps When exploiting digital stabilization on Video and with that said it's now time For my final verdict where I'm going to Show you a selection of photos that I Took with the sigma 23 on the Sony a6400 Body and as always you can access many Of the original images they might review The lens at cameralabs.com The 23 mil 1.4 dcdn is a very welcome Addition to sigma's range of dcdn lenses Designed for mirrorless cameras with Cropped apse sensors with so much
Attention these days focused on full Frame systems it's easy for owners of Aps-c cameras to feel a bit left out but The 23 1.4 proofs were not forgotten and Delivers great results at this very Flexible focal length focusing is smooth And quiet the details are sharp across The frame near and far at the maximum Aperture and there's also potential for Some attractive blurring in the Background on the downside is physically A little larger than I'd like for a walk Around general purpose lens on a compact Body and there is some visible local Fringing but overall it's a solid Performer especially for the money in my Tests here it also mostly outperformed Sony Zone 24 1.8 as you'd expect or at Least Hope from a lens that's over a Decade newer although in its favor the Older Sony model does feel less Plasticky focuses closer and Exhibits Little to no focused breathing if you Already own the Sony 24 like I do I'd Say there's absolutely no reason to Switch but if you're buying today I'd Now go for the sigma 23 overall a Decision further cemented by its lower Price meanwhile if you're a Fujifilm Owner the xf23 1.4 remains one of the Best lenses that I've tested but it does Cost considerably more making the new Sigma an attractive mid-range option at This end of the market I'd also sooner
Have the sigma over the cheaper Fujifilm Xf23f2 unless compact size is your Priority sadly it looks unlikely that We'll see a version in Canon's neglected EFM Mount but fingers crossed for Canon RF and Nikon Z versions in the future I'd love to hear what you think in the Comments and whether the sigma 23 1.4 is The lens that you've been after for your Aps-c body and in the absence of a Sponsored section in this video you can Help me out with a like and a follow and If you're feeling extra generous I'm Always up for a coffee or you could Treat yourself to my camera Photography Book or perhaps a camera Labs t-shirt Like the one that I've been wearing Throughout this video there's links for Everything including the latest pricing In the description below thanks for Watching and I'll see you next time bye
