Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art Lens

Introduction

Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens is the top of the line ART series lens from Sigma. It is sharp, accurate with very low distortion and chromatic aberration making it one of the best lenses in the industry for photography. The lens is produced in many mounts including Canon, Nikon, Sony E mount to serve the needs of professionals and amateurs alike with accurate, fast autofocus capabilities for a variety of camera systems.

Sigma 24mm lens can be best described as the most sophisticated and best-engineered lens currently available for Canon or Nikon line of cameras. The MTF charts and hands-on experience using this lens confirms the dedication and know-how that has gone into producing such a stellar lens.

Lens Design

24mm Focal Length

Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens sits among the other wide angle lenses as probably the favorite for not only wedding and event but also for street photographers. There are also 20mm and 28mm focal length Art series lenses available from Sigma that are also very well built and deliver incredible results.

The 24mm focal length is very popular and very useful for various photography applications as this focal length is “wide enough” without the wide angle distortions at close distances and permit for complex composition. For example, 24mm focal length is my first choice for architectural photography, but I also use it for portraits in my studio.

The distortion is minimal which can be auto-corrected in Adobe Lightroom but can be left to provide a unique quality to the photographs. For general use, Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens allows me to capture the perspectives and lines in a compelling way.

When I am photographing with Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens for interiors, the tight spaces can be best presented without the obvious spacial distortions of wider focal lengths. This control of distortion coupled with minimal chromatic aberration is what sets this lens apart from other lenses in the industry. For example, if someone were to ask my opinion on doing real estate photography, I would say get a 24mm lens, better yet, get a Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens to capture sharp photographs that do not distort interior spaces like other lenses.

Street Photography

Street photographers can also benefit from using Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens, the fast aperture of f/1.4 for low light situations makes this lens perfect for night photography as well as for helping to create a fantastic bokeh during the day.

While most street photographers prefer to shoot at f/8 or high f stops to utilize all “in focus” look which is also an artistic choice, anyone using a Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens will immediately notice the improved sharpness at higher f stops.

Wedding Photography

As a prime, Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens can be considered the bread and butter lens of Wedding and event photographer for those group photos or groom and bride dancing shoots. I like the look of capturing a bit of the background to convey the feeling of festivity or mood with the 24mm focal length which somewhat is lost when telephoto lenses are used.

Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens also serves as a great in-studio wedding photo lens as the angle of view creates an intimacy due to the proximity of the subject in relation to the camera. This lens coupled with good lighting will produce results that are of the highest quality photographs providing a boast to any wedding photographer’s business.

Photojournalism

Photojournalists have been using wide angle lenses for years to convey the mood. Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens yields results that surpass the industry standard lenses making companies like Canon revamp and improve on their optical designs for their lenses. Hence, the release of Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM lens costing about twice the price of this lens to compete with its stellar performance. More on this later…

As a wide angle lens, Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens is very versatile especially for portraits in close proximity or for larger group photos in tight spaces. In some cases, a photojournalist’s needs are similar to those of a wedding photographer requiring to compose images for portraits as well as group photos. Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens is an ideal lens to do both without needing to use zoom lenses.

A Fast Lens

There is a platitude of 24mm focal length lenses in the lens market, but as a third party lens, Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens provides the best value and performance in its category. Canon and Nikon have been dominating the industry with a stronghold on the market for professionals. Sigma’s stellar performance with high-quality optics has caused both players to step up their game.

Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens provided professionals what they were looking for sharpness and quality. When MTF charts were compared the performance of Sigma showed a clear advantage over the industry standards up until the release of Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM lens where the performance is on par with Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens.

At first, there were many skeptics, including me, could not think of a small company like Sigma offering a lens that would outperform the giants of the industry. At the price that these ART lenses were selling, most professionals thought there must be a catch. Some wanted to a track record was it the quality, or was I being charged exorbitant prices for lenses that should have cost a lot less. Favorable reviews were not enough; hesitantly I purchased Sigma Art lenses one by one. Now, three years on, my Canon and Nikon lenses are packed away or sold with the exception of newly released, updated Canon lenses and there is sound reasoning behind it all.

At f/1.4, Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens offers incredible low light capabilities even in the most challenging lighting conditions. The question is how good does the lens perform wide open, to that, the answer is simple, incredible. The lens is designed around the idea that the person who is buying this lens is going to be using this lens at a wide open aperture or only stop down a stop for sharpness. This is why Sigma engineers were keen on delivering a lens that would get the attention of the professionals. Today, we have pros like Lindsay Adler choosing it for her arsenal.

The giants of the industry are still charging almost twice the price for their version of legacy lenses that do not perform as well in terms of distortion, chromatic aberration, and sharpness. This is why professionals are turning to use Sigma Art lenses for their optical performance and build quality. Now, with the joint partnership with such companies like Leica camera, they are poised to be the leader in the industry.

Art Line up

Sigma has successfully built an entire range of fast lenses for professionals even for focal lengths that are not considered standards like the Sigma 40mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens. This is a step forward in the right direction for the whole industry as the photography becomes more and more demanding to meet the needs of the rapidly changing landscape of digital photography.

Just a few years ago, most photographers only dreamed of adding some of the iconic lenses that were produced by the behemoths of the industry. All this changed slowly for the better with the introduction of smaller lens companies entering the full frame market. While the Chinese knock-offs are still struggling with quality issues, Sigma has paid close attention to what their customers were demanding, faster autofocus, better contrast, improved sharpness coupled with robust design.

Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens delivers the right characteristics of a high-end full frame lens nicely completing the line of wide angle lenses. For those who might remember, the introduction of the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens was the groundbreaking success that has launched Sigma as a quality lens manufacturer that delivered results at a fraction of the cost of legacy glass. The 24mm focal length in my humble opinion delivers superior performance to the other lenses out there.

Technical Specifications

Mount Type: Canon, Nikon, Sigma
Lens Construction: 15 elements in 11 groups
Focal Length: 24 mm
Angle of View (35mm): 84.1°
Maximum Aperture: f/1.4
Minimum Aperture: f/16
Minimum Focusing Distance: 25 cm / 9.84′
Maximum Magnification: 1:5.3
Diaphragm Blades: 9 (rounded)
FLD and Special Low Dispersion Elements
Hyper Sonic AF Motor
Super Multi-Layer Coating: Yes
Autofocus: Yes
Filter Size: 77mm
Accepts Filter Type: Screw-on
Dimensions: 85 x 90.2 mm / 3.35 x 3.55″
Weight: 665 g / 1.46 lb

Build Quality

Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens is a beautifully designed lens with minimalistic lines that catch the attention. The focus ring turns smoothly with very pleasing to pull focus manually should you yearn to indulge in photographing a-la-manual mode. There is an autofocus/manual switch that is discreetly placed for the option of switch between autofocus and manual control. This single switch is located within easy reach of the left thumb with cleverly marked high-visibility white markings can easily be read in dimly lit situations to ensure AF or Manual function is appropriately selected.

Sigma Art lenses are manufactured from Thermally Stable Composite material commonly referred to as TSC which provides a formidable appearance and light weigh in place of aluminum housing found in typical lenses. The beauty of this new composite material is that it does not shrink or expand when the temperature range in the extremes which is a great benefit for long-term durability.

Frankly, the feel of the Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens is no different than a metal one, but the benefits of the composite exterior are evident with weather sealing and robust design. The mix of matte and gloss black finish with ribbed rubber rings are details that lend to impressive design qualities of Sigma Art line of lenses. Benefits of these design features become evident as one gain experience handling this lens, for example, the ribbed surface acts like a “sure grip” to ensure proper handling when the weather conditions are less than ideal.

Handling

Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens may be the ideal size lens for handling. It is relatively lightweight for its size yet delivers the comfort of holding it firmly in hand. It is a pleasure to use while light enough to carry around when traveling. Personally, this is the lens I like to pack when I am heading to European cities simply because regardless of lighting conditions I am prepared to capture beautiful images without being weight down. In essence, this has replaced my Canon 24-70mm lens simply because it offers me sharpness and low light performance when I need it.

The lens hood is a nice size but what really excites me is the 77mm size filters which is great to slap on the front for protection against dirt and dust while achieving incredible results should you choose to opt for a polarized filter. If you are drooling over the idea of shooting wide open, you can also place an ND filter for those high key situations and achieve incredible results.

When I place this lens on my Canon 1dc, I feel it is nicely balanced without being front heavy. On a Canon 5d MK4, it still feels good to hold without needing to support with two hands.

Size and Weight

Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens weighs in at 23.5oz (665g) which is relatively lightweight especially when the speed of this lens is taken into account. Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM lens weighs in at approximately 22.8oz (646g) which is in line with the size and performance correlation that exists in lens design.

Key features

Creative, Travel, Landscape, Wedding & Events, Family, Specialty
Optical performance of fast prime lenses
Dust- and moisture resistant structure
Designed to minimize flare and ghosting
Designed to meet all shooting conditions
Firmware Upgradeable Lens (Sigma USB dock)
Full-Time Manual Override
Two Aspherical Glass Elements
Fast f/1.4 maximum aperture
Thermally Stable Composite Material
Internal focus design
Full-Time Manual Focus Override

Autofocus

Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens incorporates an HSM (Hypersonic) motor that is astonishingly quiet and swift to focus even in dimly lit scenarios. While I prefer to shoot in autofocus mode, occasionally I like to override the autofocus by merely dialing the focus manually which automatically overrides the autofocus.

Vignetting

As with most lenses, shooting wide open at f/1.4 renders a bit of vignetting which is easily corrected in Adobe Lightroom. On my Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens, I only had to stop down to f/2.8 to remove all visible vignetting from the images.

In wide angle lenses, chromatic aberration also becomes a key consideration as the light traveling through the lens elements are often prone to not fall correctly on the sensor causing purple fringing issues. This becomes more apparent as the aperture widens to let in more light. Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens has an impeccable lens design to deliver near perfect color rendition without chromatic aberration issues.

Chromatic Aberration

To test for chromatic aberration, I took my Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens out and photographed with objects in highly backlit backgrounds. I literally had to search for ideal conditions to render any chromatic aberration, this placing objects against the overcast sky. The results were terrific, chromatic aberration was nonexistent in most images with only minor purple fringing visible should you choose to pixel peep at about 100% zoom. Lightroom quickly corrected for that without a sinch.

For those panoramic shots, corner to corner sharpness becomes an important factor. Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens is very sharp in the corners especially if you choose to dial down the aperture to f/5.6 which is a suitable aperture to photograph landscape and panorama shots. Sigma claims this sharpness is achieved with the inclusion of FLD and SLD glass elements. The FLD is similar to fluorite glass elements found in microscopes and telescopes that cost thousands of dollars, and the results from this lens prove that sharpness is well achieved with this design element.

Sharpness

Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens is one of the sharpest lenses in the industry. Arguably, it is as sharp as the Canon 24mm f/1.4 II lens should you choose to do a side by side comparison. On the many images I took with both lenses, I chose Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens over the Canon simply because the contrast appeared better.

Bokeh

Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens features a nine aperture blade design giving us almost a perfectly rounded bokeh. I was pleasantly surprised to obliterate the background with f/1.4 aperture when photographing portraits nearly. On a close-up shot, you can see what a pleasing background can be achieved.

Autofocus

This 24mm lens like many other wide angle lenses is not image stabilized. In my opinion, there is no need for it, and instead ultra-fast autofocus is the key to achieving incredible results. In that department, Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens AF delivers incredible results through its HSM (Hypersonic Motor). Autofocus is also very quiet with the focusing being achieved internally.

I shot many images by shifting focus from near objects to far ones to see if the focus failed at any time. I could not get it to miss the shot even while I attempted to change the framing of the composition. At night time, I did notice some focus hunting which can be attributed equally to the focus detection system of the camera.

Subject tracking mode (AI Servo) is perfect should you choose to do fast panning shots. I nailed focus each time the lens locked on a target.

Verdict

TheSigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art is an excellent lens all around and when consideration of price is factored in its the best value lens in the market. The only viable choice is the Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM Lens which is considerably more expensive and does not deliver better results to Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens. On the Nikon front, I have tested Sigma’s 24mm lens against the Nikon 24mm f/1.4G AF-S Lens on which I have written a separate article.

I prefer this lens over all other lenses for the color rendition and contrast, simply put, there is nothing quite like this lens when it comes to achieving incredible results for wide-angle photography.

Where to buy Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens

Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens can be ordered online through authorized dealers but also available in the second-hand market. I have provided links for both below. We believe the links are the best prices at the current time.

Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art lens

Canon EF 24mm f/1.4L II USM Lens

Canon EF-S 24mm f/2.8 STM Lens

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