I totally agree with you, I suspect though that Sigma know that many people would like a premium 50mm f1.4 and that their only competitor for emount is the Zeiss Plannar.
Alan Parker wrote:
"Disappointing if it's not f/1.2."
I personally agree that Sigma should make a f/1.2, f/1.4 and f/2 version of this to please different audiences, but who am I
Digicame-info existed while Nokishita was still active, not really the same person or group but now Nokishita seems to be posting rumors in a Japanese camera (and wide variety of other topics) discussion board called 5channel and Digicame-info and Asobinet pick those rumors from there and refer to that "same old source", i.e. Nokishita.
j4nu wrote:
Hmm, Samyang is lighter and smaller...
A Fiat 500 is lighter and smaller than a Porsche.
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tschopp wrote:
Would be nice if it gets their new linear motors.
That would be nice, a good chance given the size and weight!
Been looking forward to this lens for must be over a year, since it was first rumoured. These specs are heavier and bigger than I was hoping for, but hopefully it means they've compromised less on the optical and AF performance than the 35 and 85 f1.4 DG DNs. Can't wait for this one, will be my first day one purchase
I've been waiting for this lens. I was hoping for 600 grams or below, it is 670g according to the rumor, but I can live with that - it is still okey enough to come with me out on photo shots.
If the optical quality is around the 85/1.4 DG DN and the price is reasonable I will buy one.
Why have 50mm lenses become larger and heavier? Canon EF and Nikon F used to have excellent 50mm f/1.4 options that were sharp, small, lightweight and relatively inexpensive. Those were always a great option to add to a simple lens kit. $2,000 and 2 pounds for the Sony or Canon RF f/1.2 lenses just doesn't seem like a widely appealing "starter" lens. I understand they're useful in certain circumstances. But wouldn't a $500 1/2 pound 50mm be more useful to more people?
We seem to be loosing the middle ground. You can have a really basic f/1.8 lens or an f/1.2 lens at 10x the price. Is there no market for the middle ground anymore? Or have the quality of 24-70mm zooms just made those starter lenses irrelevant?
Sigma apparently can't make a lightweight 50mm anymore lol, but I am probably gonna get it. Judging from my experience with their 35 / 85, this one will be a banger optically too.
jeffbuzz wrote:
Why have 50mm lenses become larger and heavier? Canon EF and Nikon F used to have excellent 50mm f/1.4 options that were sharp, small, lightweight and relatively inexpensive. Those were always a great option to add to a simple lens kit. $2,000 and 2 pounds for the Sony or Canon RF f/1.2 lenses just doesn't seem like a widely appealing "starter" lens. I understand they're useful in certain circumstances. But wouldn't a $500 1/2 pound 50mm be more useful to more people?
We seem to be loosing the middle ground. You can have a really basic f/1.8 lens or an f/1.2 lens at 10x the price. Is there no market for the middle ground anymore? Or have the quality of 24-70mm zooms just made those starter lenses irrelevant?...Show more →
To be fair, I think they are giving us what is asked for. We now have expectations of lenses being sharp from wide open into the corners of the frame on higher resolution bodies (in which we keep looking for more resolution...).
I don't think the Canon 50 f/1.4 USM would go over well today, honestly I don't remember it being that great on my old 12mp 5D. I was usually stopping down past f/2 to get things reasonably sharp in the center. I'm not a pixel peeper and I don't need the latest thing, but I would take my Sony/Zeiss 55 f/1.8 over the old Canon lens any day.
The Samyang 45 f1/.8 seems to have a following, and since it's relatively modern I'd guess even the Sony 50 f1/.8 probably isn't terrible. If you specifically want a small, f/1.4 lens with autofocus for a low price you might be out of luck, but in general I think we are spoilt for choices right now.
670g is a bit heavy. After waiting for a compact 50 1.4 lens, I finally settled on a Samyang 50 1.4 series ii around Black Friday for $460 shipped. It has been great so far. My only request is for an aperture ring. For casual use, I am very happy with it.
I will keep an eye out on this as I was waiting forever for it. I wish Sony had something like the 35MM GM in a 50mm. Maybe like a 50mm 1.4 G or something that is super compact with linear motors.
Here in the UK the 55mm f1.8 goes for £679, very small and lightweight.
jeffbuzz wrote:
Why have 50mm lenses become larger and heavier? Canon EF and Nikon F used to have excellent 50mm f/1.4 options that were sharp, small, lightweight and relatively inexpensive. Those were always a great option to add to a simple lens kit. $2,000 and 2 pounds for the Sony or Canon RF f/1.2 lenses just doesn't seem like a widely appealing "starter" lens. I understand they're useful in certain circumstances. But wouldn't a $500 1/2 pound 50mm be more useful to more people?
We seem to be loosing the middle ground. You can have a really basic f/1.8 lens or an f/1.2 lens at 10x the price. Is there no market for the middle ground anymore? Or have the quality of 24-70mm zooms just made those starter lenses irrelevant?...Show more →
jeffbuzz wrote:
Why have 50mm lenses become larger and heavier? Canon EF and Nikon F used to have excellent 50mm f/1.4 options that were sharp, small, lightweight and relatively inexpensive. Those were always a great option to add to a simple lens kit. $2,000 and 2 pounds for the Sony or Canon RF f/1.2 lenses just doesn't seem like a widely appealing "starter" lens. I understand they're useful in certain circumstances. But wouldn't a $500 1/2 pound 50mm be more useful to more people?
We seem to be loosing the middle ground. You can have a really basic f/1.8 lens or an f/1.2 lens at 10x the price. Is there no market for the middle ground anymore? Or have the quality of 24-70mm zooms just made those starter lenses irrelevant?...Show more →
The Canon EF 50mm F1.4 USM is not very good. I did get a well-aligned copy. I haven't tried the Nikon, but I would be surprised if it was much different. Even the C/Y Zeiss Planar is pretty bad. The aspherical element in the Sony FE 50mm F1.8 and maybe its tuning for Sony cover glass makes it perform better, though still with similar faults.
formula4speed wrote:
To be fair, I think they are giving us what is asked for. We now have expectations of lenses being sharp from wide open into the corners of the frame on higher resolution bodies (in which we keep looking for more resolution...).
I don't think the Canon 50 f/1.4 USM would go over well today, honestly I don't remember it being that great on my old 12mp 5D. I was usually stopping down past f/2 to get things reasonably sharp in the center. I'm not a pixel peeper and I don't need the latest thing, but I would take my Sony/Zeiss 55 f/1.8 over the old Canon lens any day.
The Samyang 45 f1/.8 seems to have a following, and since it's relatively modern I'd guess even the Sony 50 f1/.8 probably isn't terrible. If you specifically want a small, f/1.4 lens with autofocus for a low price you might be out of luck, but in general I think we are spoilt for choices right now.
You are apparently correct. There must be at least a perceived market for these big 50's. Although it seems new materials and designs could be used to build a more modestly sized and modestly priced 50 1.4 with much better optical performance compared to those 1990's vintage lenses.
QuietOC wrote:
The Canon EF 50mm F1.4 USM is not very good. I did get a well-aligned copy. I haven't tried the Nikon, but I would be surprised if it was much different. Even the C/Y Zeiss Planar is pretty bad. The aspherical element in the Sony FE 50mm F1.8 and maybe its tuning for Sony cover glass makes it perform better, though still with similar faults.
Agreed. Those old 50 f1.4 lenses were not perfect. But they were a dramatic step up for new users from a kit level zoom lens at a comparatively reasonable price. Often those 50's were the "kit" lens with a new body. My understanding is that 50mm is one of the simplest optical designs and is quite easy to get good performance without many extra elements.
newdom wrote:
A Fiat 500 is lighter and smaller than a Porsche.
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That would be nice, a good chance given the size and weight!
Been looking forward to this lens for must be over a year, since it was first rumoured. These specs are heavier and bigger than I was hoping for, but hopefully it means they've compromised less on the optical and AF performance than the 35 and 85 f1.4 DG DNs. Can't wait for this one, will be my first day one purchase
Porsche being the GM in this case .
Anyways, the Samyang is up there with the best (ZA, GM) so it will be interesting to see how the Sigma stacks up.
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