Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens review

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Will Chao (willchaophotography.com) will review the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens (currently $100 off) and compare it to the Canon 50mm f/1.2, Canon 50mm f/1.8 and the old Sigma 50mm f/1.4 lenses:

Will Chao here, I am a wedding photographer in Melbourne. Welcome to my review of the Sigma 50mm F1.4 ART vs Canon 50mm 1.2. I also threw briefly the old Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX lens and the Canon 50mm F1.8. Before I start, I have to make it clear that I am in no way affiliated with any of these brands and certainly am not being paid to write this review. Sigma 50mm F1.4 ART is henceforth known as S50A.

I have used Sigma 50mm 1.4 EX Old version (henceforth known as S50) and the Canon 50mm F1.2L (henceforth known as 50L) quite extensively in the past, but both left something to be desired.

The two lenses are on par when it comes to image quality, with Sigma 50mm F1.4 HSM having slight edge when it comes to Bokeh creaminess, which surprised me because it was a 1.4 compared to Canon’s 1.2, but the Bokeh circles have less outlining issues and smoother in general.

However, as someone who is used to the image quality produced by the 70-200 F2.8 IS II, 85mm F1.2 II, as well as the 200mm F2.0 IS, I couldn’t seem to get similar results from the two 50mm’s, especially after being printed (I shoot a lot of times wide open, so wide open sharpness is important to me).

For years, 50mm had been a void in my arsenal that I would have loved to use but hated the image quality, but that is until the announcement of Sigma 50mm F1.4 ART. The lens which is designed to rival even the Otus 55mm F1.4 in image quality terms, let’s see how it measures up against the old 50mm’s.

For a bit of fun I also threw in a $125 50mm F1.8 lens, just to see how they compare.

I am privileged to have access to a SUPERBLY SHARP copy of the Canon 50mm F1.2L, courtesy of Clarte Photo , so you might recognize a bigger resolution gap between more standard copies.

The images are JPG directly converted from RAW with no processing what-so-ever. White balance is set manually using a grey card (this is important when comparing colours from the lenses because white balance affects it more than you imagine).

All images are shot with the maximum aperture available for the lens, with Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX and Sigma 50mm F1.4 ART being shot at F1.4, Canon 50mm F1.2 L being shot at F1.2 and the 50mm F1.8 being shot at F1.8:

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The Sigma 50mm F1.4 ART obvious has the sharpness advantage, I don’t think anybody had any doubts.
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But does the bokeh live up to the F1.2 hype?

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Posted in PR reviews, Sigma| Tagged , | 18 Comments

HD Pentax-D FA 70-200mm f/2.8 ED DC AW lens delayed

HD Pentax-D FA 70-200mm f:2.8
Ricoh Japan announced a production delay for the HD Pentax-D FA 70-200mm f/2.8ED DC AW lens ($2,296.95) that was announced back in February. The lens was supposed to be available now, the new expected shipping date is fall of 2015.

Posted in Pentax, Ricoh| Tagged | 13 Comments

Sony a7R II camera announced

Sony-a7R-II-mirrorless-camera
Sony just announced a new Sony a7R II camera priced at $3,198. Here are the main specs:

  • 42MP Full-Frame Exmor R BSI CMOS Sensor
  • BIONZ X Image Processor
  • 5-Axis SteadyShot INSIDE Stabilization
  • 399 Phase-Detect AF Points & 5 fps Burst
  • Internal 4K XAVC S Video & S-Log2 Gamma
  • Weather-Resistant Magnesium Alloy Body
  • Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity with NFC

Sony a7R II product videos:

Additional images:

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Posted in Sony| Tagged | 135 Comments

Sony RX100 IV and RX10 II cameras announced

Sony-RX100-IV-camera
Sony-RX10-II-camera
In addition to the new a7R, Sony announced also the Sony RX100 IV ($948) and RX10 II ($1,298) cameras. The specs in a glance:

Sony RX100 IV

  • 20.1 MP 1″ Exmor RS BSI CMOS Sensor
  • BIONZ X Image Processor
  • Internal UHD 4K Video & S-Log2 Gamma
  • Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* f/1.8-2.8 Lens
  • 24-70mm (35mm Equivalent)
  • 2349k-Dot OLED Tru-Finder Pop-Up EVF
  • 3.0″ 1229k-Dot Multi-Angle Xtra Fine LCD
  • Slow Motion Video at 960 fps
  • Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity with NFC
  • ISO 12800 and 16 fps Continuous Shooting

Sony RX10 II

  • 20.2MP 1″ Exmor RS BSI CMOS Sensor
  • BIONZ X Image Processor
  • Internal 4K XAVC S Video & S-Log2 Gamma
  • Carl Zeiss 24-200mm f/2.8 Lens (35mm Eq)
  • Slow Motion Video at 960 fps
  • 3.0″ 1228K-Dot Tilting Xtra Fine TFT LCD
  • XGA OLED Electronic Viewfinder
  • Built-In Wireless and NFC Connectivity
  • Low-Light Sensitivity to ISO 12800
  • Super Sonicwave Motor for Fast Autofocus

Press release and promo videos:

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Posted in Sony| 11 Comments

New Leica Q Typ 116 compact full frame camera with Summilux 28mm f/1.7 ASPH lens announced

Leica-Q-compact-full-frame-camera-1-550x338
Today Leica announced a new Leica Q Typ 116 compact full frame camera with a fixed Summilux 28mm f/1.7 ASPH lens. Additional details can be found here. Check out also the details hands-on review.

Posted in Leica| 8 Comments

What else is new?

SLR Magic 50mm T0.95 HyperPrime CINE lens
→ SLR Magic announced new 50mm T0.95 HyperPrime CINE lens.

Voigtländer-10.5mm-f0.95-Nokton-MFT-lens
→ The Voigtlander Nokton 10.5mm f/0.95 Micro Four Thirds lens will start shipping on June 12. The US price is not yet announced.

Metabones-SpeedBooster-XL-0.64x-adapter
→ Metabones announced a new SpeedBooster XL 0.64x adapter.

Panasonic matte black G7 cameraPanasonic matte black lens
Panasonic matte black lens 2Panasonic matte black lens 3
→ Panasonic Japan announced a new line of “matte black” G7 camera and lenses.

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Posted in Metabones, Panasonic, SLR Magic, Voigtlander, Yongnuo| Tagged , | 6 Comments

The lot of 600 vintage cameras from 1880-1980 is still available for sale

600-vintage-cameras-for-sale
The lot of 600 vintage cameras I reported about few months ago is still available for sale on eBay. The item description is “most are in working order, newer SLRs not working“… The collection, described as the 3rd or 4th largest in world, contains Zeiss, Nikon, Leica, Canon, Rollei and Kodak cameras from 1880-1980. You can also make an offer 🙂

Additional pictures from the collection:

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Posted in Canon, Kodak, Nikon, Rollei, Zeiss| 11 Comments

First leaked picture of the Ricoh GR II camera

Ricoh GR II camera
The first picture of the upcoming Ricoh GR II camera leaked online. The design looks identical to the previous (current) version and has the same 18.3mm f/2.8 lens. The only difference appears to be in the hot shoe:

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Posted in Ricoh| Tagged | 27 Comments

This is the new Hasselblad A5D aerial camera

Hasselblad A5D aerial camera
Hasselblad got a new A5D aerial camera. Here are some of the new features:

  • Reduced foot print designed to fit existing POD mountings
  • Up to 14 stops Dynamic range ( depending on sensor)
  • Improved external connectivity via LEMO connections for DC power, FMS and multiple camera synchronisation
  • Secure camera mounting via 4x M4 screws
  • Choice of On-board CF storage or external storage via Firewire 800 connection

Press release:

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Posted in Hasselblad| 8 Comments

The mirrorless movement: Sony boasts record growth in expanding mirrorless digital camera market

Sony ILC Brand Growth (PRNewsFoto/Sony Electronics)

Sony ILC Brand Growth (PRNewsFoto/Sony Electronics)

Events & Situations for Taking Photos (PRNewsFoto/Sony Electronics)

Events & Situations for Taking Photos (PRNewsFoto/Sony Electronics)

Interchangeable Lens Camera Growth 2013 - 2015 (PRNewsFoto/Sony Electronics)

Interchangeable Lens Camera Growth 2013 – 2015 (PRNewsFoto/Sony Electronics)

First-time ILC Buyers (PRNewsFoto/Sony Electronics)

First-time ILC Buyers (PRNewsFoto/Sony Electronics)

Sony is happy to report that in the past 12 months:

  • their mirrorless camera revenue has grown 16.5% (while DSLR sales declining approximately 15%)
  • Sony has experienced a 66% boost in their company’s mirrorless camera sales
  • Sony is currently the #1 overall mirrorless brand, a position they have held for 4 consecutive years

Now if they can only release a firmware update for the RX1…

Here is the full press release:

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Posted in Sony| 6 Comments