Hi I'm Gordon from camera labs and this Is my review of the sigma 50mm F2 dgdn a Standard prime lens for full frame Mirrorless cameras announced in April 2023 at a price for around 640 or pounds It's initially available in Sony E or Leica L mans and sigma loaned me a Sample to try out the 50mm F2 dgdn Joined sigma's ever-expanding Contemporary eye series of compact and Affordable full frame mirrorless lenses Now with nine primes to choose from Between 17 and 90 mil the new 50 slots Between the existing 45 and 65 models Delivering so-called standard coverage Making it ideal for general purpose use Now we're not sure of 50s including Sigma's own recent high-end F 1.4 art Version so let's see how this one Measures up like other models in the I Series The 50ml is fairly compact Measuring 70 million diameter 68mm in Length and weighing 350 grams this makes It comfortably smaller and almost half Half the way to the 1.4 art the F2 Version also shares the same styling as Other I series models with a metal body Ribbed control rings and weather sealing At the Mounds albeit not throughout the Entire Barrel my test sample was made in Japan working outwards from the lens Mount is a switch for auto or manual Focus followed by an aperture ring from F2 to F22 in one-third increments with
An a position for body base control note Unlike the 1.4 art version this is not The clickable then towards the end of The barrel is a well-damped manual Focusing ring and a 58 millimeter filter Thread like other I series lenses Sigma Supplies the 50 with a choice of two Lens caps one a traditional Spring-loaded plastic cap and the other A small metal disc held in place by Magnus the latter is a fun alternative Which snaps into place quite Satisfyingly but I mostly ended up using The plastic cap which is also easier to Fit or remove when the supplied Cylindrical aluminum hood is fitted Speaking of which here's how that looks The lens employs internal focusing with A stepper motor and you're watching it Right now wide open at f2 on the Sony A74 set to single autofocus and at very Close range like most Sigma lenses I've Tested on Sony bodies there's often a Little wobble to confirm the focus in Single AFS mode but the end result is Confident and accurate and again like Earlier models have tested switching to Continuous AFC mode eliminates the Wobbles with a slightly faster and more Decisive Focus pull that lands straight On the target here's the same test but For video filming 4K 25p with a single AF area again in the middle of the frame And with the lens wide open to F2 as you
Can see the lens and Camera combination Can deliver smooth and confident Focus Pulls while filming video and this test Also illustrates the kind of shallow Depth of field effects and focus Breathing that you'll experience in a Real life scenario next for face Tracking again with the lens wide open F2 but this time using the full AF area Here you can see the lens and Camera Easily refocusing on me as I move around The frame let's put the F2 lens on the Left and compare it to the recent 1.4 Art version on the right where you can See it's shallower depth of field but While there's obviously less blurring From the F2 model in the background There's still plenty of background blur And it's clear how this kind of lens can Still be used to make good looking Portraits or video presentations to Camera next for Focus breathing with the Lens set to F22 and manually focusing From Infinity to the closest distance of 45 centimeters and then back again as I Focus the lens closer you'll see the Field of view reducing as if I was Zooming into a longer focal length Remember though this is the full Focusing range you're seeing which You're unlikely to be doing in practice So do refer back to my bottle and face Focus tests for more of a real life Example 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 image Without lens compensation here and now With this Distortion compensation set to Auto where you can see the profile only Having to make very minor corrections to The geometry with a very mild crop as a Result since the lens is designed to be Used with a profile all of the images That I'll show you from this point on Have it applied I'm now going to switch To some tests that I made later in the Day when I was able to shoot at f2 Without overexposing the image so here's The view with the sigma 50mm F2 dgdn Wide open F2 and focused in the middle Of the frame taking a closer look in the Center reveals very crisp details which I'd be very happy with but closing the Aperture one stop to F 2.8 brings minor Improvements to overall sharpness Closing any further makes little to no Difference to the focus detail though Returning to the F2 sample and now Moving out into the far Corner shows the Details becoming a little softer and Also some darkening due to vignetting as I gradually close the aperture this Improves until the field is uniformly Sharp at around their 5.6 to f8 moving On 50mm lenses are a popular choice for Close range portraits or smaller group Shots and while F2 won't deliver the
Kind of blurring of models with bright Apertures this Sigma lens still provides Some decent degree of separation from The background without obliterating it Entirely here the rendering in the Background looks pretty well behaved Without any distracting busyness and if You zoom in for a closer look there's Plenty of fine details on my face here's The full view again at f2 before Switching to a version taking the F 2.8 For those who want more of their subject To be sharp albeit at the cost of a more Defined background next for my Pokeball Test here with the 50mm F2 focused close To its minimum distance of 45 Centimeters and with the aperture wide Open the fairy lights behind the Ornament have been rendered into Attractive looking blobs and while not Immune to some elongation in the corners They're mostly uniform here taking a Closer look also reveals minimal Outlining or textures within the blobs Two giveaways of a lesser lens in this Regard so on the whole a pretty good Result as I close the aperture down You'll see the blobs become smaller and More uniform reflecting the shape of the Nine-bladed aperture system now let's Briefly compare the 50f2 on the left Against the 1.4 art on the right both Set to their maximum apertures sure They're taken from slightly different
Angles but the distances are similar Here and you can see the difference Between the two lenses for rendering and Depth of field sticking with close-ups Sigma quotes a minimum focusing distance Of 45 centimeters for both the F2 and The earlier 1.4 art lenses and you're Looking at a ruler photographed with the F2 model as close as I could manually Focus it here it's reproducing two 10 Millimeter across the width of the frame Note that I managed 192 mil with the 1.4 Art lens but that doesn't make a huge Difference in real life and neither lens Is particularly ideal for macro Close-ups and now it's time for my final Third date to join which I'll show you a Bunch of photos I took with a 50 F2 dgdn On the Sony a74 and as always if you'd Like a closer look you can access some Of those original images via my review Page for the lens at cameralabs.com the Sigma 50mm F2 dgdn stands out in a Crowded Market of standard lenses by Delivering a step up from entry-level Models without the cost or weighted Premium options it's pretty light and Compact but well built focuses quickly And delivers crisp subjects against Nicely rented backgrounds if you're After corner to corner sharpness you Will need to close the aperture down to Around their 5.6 and of course an F2 Lens will never match a brighter model
For potential blurring at the same Distance but both of these are designed Decisions to meet a size weight and Price points in the Contemporary Eye Series I'd say the biggest issue facing This lens is the wealth of Alternatives Available Sigma Zone 51.4 dgd and art Released a couple of months earlier Isn't that much more expensive giving You a well-corrected option at around 850 dollars but it is larger and almost Double the weight Sony has a multitude Of options from the budget 1.8 to the Compact 2.5 5 and of course the premium 1.4 and 1.2 G Masters but interestingly Nothing to directly compete on price Samyang also has a 50mm 1.4 for Sony Owners that's a little cheaper than the Sigma but I've not personally tested it Meanwhile for L Mount owners there's Panasonic's 50mm F 1.8 coming in a Little bit cheaper at around 450 dollars There really is a 50mm lens for everyone But I feel Sigma is doing a great job at Identifying and plugging any gaps in Terms of price and spec and now it has Two great standard primes for full-frame Mirrorless owners if you like their Style the only real question is to spend 640 for the compact F2 or 850 for the Heftier 1.4 art both lenses are easy to Recommend but which do you prefer I'd Love to hear what you think in the Comments and whether Sigma has made the
Perfect 50mm standard lens for you and In the absence of a sponsored section in This video you can always help me out With a like and a follow what do you Mean you're not following my channel Already click that button and if you're Feeling extra generous I'm always up for A coffee or you could always treat Yourself to my own camera Photography Book there's links for everything Including the latest pricing for the Lens in the description below thanks for Watching and I'll see you next time bye
