If you are in the market for a 50 Millimeter lens for your full-frame Sony Mirrorless camera while the decision Really cannot get more difficult than it Is today because there are just so many Options just a couple of weeks ago I Reviewed this Sigma 50 millimeter F 1.4 Dgdn and it's a brilliant lens near Perfect but Sony had to get a piece of The pie as well so they recently Announced this 50 millimeter F 1.4 GM That's right a g Master now you might be Thinking didn't Sony just release a 50 Millimeter F 1.2 G master Yes they did but this lens is smaller Lighter a lot less expensive and Possibly sharper uh remains to be seen But from what I'm seeing I think this is Even better than the 51.2 so anyway That's not the point of this video in This video what I'd like to do is Compare these two lenses on paper they Are identical so to start out let's take A look at the physical characteristics Of these two lenses in terms of size There is not a huge difference between Them the Sony is smaller overall by About one centimeter in length it weighs 512 grams versus 654 grams for the sigma Is the extra 150 grams something that You'll notice probably not but you might If you are really picky both lenses are Weather sealed they have dedicated Clicky or de-clicked aperture Rings they
Have Iris lock switches autofocus and Manual focus switches and have autofocus Lock buttons the Sony just has an extra One which is Pro programmable Focus Rings are both electronic and smooth Front lens element is smaller on the Sony and there are some specs on the Front as for which is better built that Is up for debate for me personally I Like the tighter tolerances on the sigma And the different finishes throughout The lens body add to that the weight and In the hand I say that to most people The sigma will feel more premium but the Sony is no slouch even though it's Lighter and it feels more plasticky it's Still not something to complain about And if you have another G Master you'll Feel right at home so let's take a look At some side by side photos all these Are taken on my Sony a7c and all of them Are jpeg straight out of the camera the First shot as expected both lenses are Razor sharp wide open in the center of The frame the sigma is a little bit Warmer in this example but I found that The Sony was warmer in some situations So color temperature really is a wash Between the two bouquet it's interesting The Sony has more football shapes versus The oval shapes of the Sigma there's a Little bit more outlining with the Sony So I'd say that this shot the sigma's Bouquet is smoother a little more
Chromatic aberration in the out of focus Areas with the sigma though here is the Next shot and you see what I mean now The Sony is warmer both sharp but the Sony is a touch sharper in this photo Next one both lenses focused on the Further eye and they look like they came Out of the same camera and lens combo I Don't see any significant difference Here's the worst type of shot you could Ever take straight into the sun with a Ton of detail this will demonstrate Chromatic aberration and flaring and it Does look for as much as Sony and sigma Brag about using special Coatings to Reduce chromatic aberration it's still There both lenses showing chromatic Aberration ghosting and flaring the Flare on the sigma is more subdued and This is with both lens hoods on the Lenses my opinion based on these Pictures neither lens is really better Than the other in terms of color Fringing on to the next portrait check Out how close that is incredible Incredible detail and resolution on a Backlit portrait contrast is about equal Sharpness is equal bokeh difference is Noticeable however the sigmas is Smoother again although it has some Green fringing with the Sony you have More defined footballs a little bit Busier but very clean bouquet overall Here is an obligatory brick wall shot
Wide open both do a good job with Distortion as the lines are straight You'll see the corners are darker on the Sigma brighter on the Sony Center Sharpness is identical but when you move Into the corners the Sony is noticeably Sharper for a wide open F 1.4 it's Remarkable performance it's a very very Sharp lens across the frame next Portrait with the subject in the corner Same results really there isn't anything To talk about next portrait at F 2.8 Both are tack sharp Sigma is once again A little bit warmer but there's not much To it and this continues look at this Ultra close-up apart from the warmer Tone Sony both are incredibly sharp just Look at how detailed the eyes are here Even the bouquet looks identical here Next shot wide open significantly warmer On the sigma which isn't a bad look very Very sharp the Sony might be a touch Sharper and here's the last shot at f2 Again there isn't anything between these Two lenses I'm happy with either one of These shots so if I take a look at all Of those examples and I summarize what My findings are I'd say that both of These lenses are equally capable for Portrait work in fact for portraits most Of the time you're not going to be able To see any difference between either one Of these lenses now the Sony is slightly Sharper in the corners slightly brighter
In the corners however the bouquet is Not quite as smooth less fringing but More football shapes and flare Performance is better on the sigma so It's a wash as to which one of these you Want however that is not the end of the Store story because we have to talk About the autofocus performance which is Very very similar between the two of Them in fact for portrait work for Photography in general you will not Notice any difference between these two I can tell you that 100 both are very Very fast silent accurate both lenses Have linear autofocus Motors although The unit in the Sony is perhaps a little Bit more advanced but I did do two basic Autofocus video tests I had Janessa walk Toward me in the first one and you can See here that the lenses grab her face And track it effectively at the exact Same time and both are smooth through The clip as she walks towards the camera And exits and next is the pop-up test And honestly I thought I was going to See better faster performance from the Sony but autofocus speed and accuracy is Identical both lenses are fast it's an Impressive result from the sigma I think This is the fastest Auto focusing Sigma I've ever tested and you'll see here Even when we have a subject walk across The frame the moment that the lens Catches and focuses on Janessa is
Identical with either lens in terms of Focus breathing both lenses have it but The Sony has a trick up its sleeve in That when bodies support it you can Enable Focus breathing compensation and Completely get rid of this so what is The conclusion well the Sony lens is Remarkably good and I will go as far as Say as from what I've seen and what I've Heard from Sony themselves this is Actually sharper especially in the Corners than the 50 millimeter F 1.2 as Well so it truly is an incredible lens It's a very refined lens when you look At the Performance Corner to Corner not Only in terms of sharpness but also in Terms of the autofocus in terms of Distortion control you can tell that Sony spent a lot of time and money and Energy in making this 50 millimeter lens And making it the best that it can be Everything is well thought out and Crafted with a level of perfection that I haven't seen from Sony before but as Most things go that little bit of Something is going to cost you a lot More than you think and for many people Enthusiasts and professionals nothing But the best will do and they will Undoubtedly go for the Sony but for me When I think of a 50 millimeter lens I Remember the Canon nifty 50 a 50 Millimeter slow Auto focusing made of Plastic DSLR lens that cost 100 brand
New everyone had one it was cheap it was Sharp it was a blast to use nowadays When you throw around numbers like Fifteen hundred dollars for a 50 Millimeter or two thousand dollars for a 50 millimeter F 1.2 I think it's just Airing on the side of crazy look I get It r d costs the elements are way more Advanced the lenses are significantly Sharper and more feature Rich and better In every way you can blame inflation Etc but there is something about it that Just doesn't click with me the question Is do you really need a perfect 50 Millimeter prime lens and if you do how Perfect do you need that 50 millimeter Prime lens to be Because the sigma is pretty dang near Perfection this Sony is a few notches More refined they're both excellent Lenses and really if you're posting Casual photos even if you're doing Photography for clients no one's going To tell a difference between these two Lenses in the real world when I sit here And look at these two lenses and Logically think could I justify spending Almost twice as much on the Sony There's just not much to it I already Think that the sigma is kind of an Expensive lens but that's just my aps-c Mentality I'm used to cheaper lenses Than this but when you compare the sigma To the Sony it is an incredible value by
Comparison but the ultimate decision is Going to be in your hands so let me know Down in the comment section which one of These two lenses you think perform Better and if you are buying one let me Know down below as well I'm always Curious to read your guys's comments I'll leave some links to both of these Lenses down in the description so check Those out if you want to read more specs About them if you want to make purchases Of either one of these and by using Those links you do support the channel So thank you guys so much special thank You goes out to Sigma and to Sony for Letting me borrow these two lenses for Review I'm sending both of them back Stay tuned for more stay subscribed and I'll see you guys in the next one bye
