SIGMA has announced the imminent launch of a new 50 mm prime lens for a full-frame mirrorless camera, the SIGMA 50mm F1.4 DG DN | Art. The lens will be available for Sony E-mount and L-Mount cameras. The company has also released major firmware updates for the SIGMA fp series cameras. The update adds new features to appeal to filmmakers.
SIGMA 50mm Art lens overview
SIGMA’s new 50mm DG DN | Art lens has a wide maximum aperture of F1.4. This means the lens will be great in low-light scenarios and will give you a very shallow depth of field. The iris also has 11 rounded aperture blades which should give you an attractive bokeh in out-of-focus parts of your images. The lens has a manual aperture ring with click and lock switches.
Optical performance
SIGMA says that the new 50mm Art lens improves the optical performance of the previous 50mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art lens. The company also claims that the new lens has outstanding edge-to-edge imaging performance with a completely new optical formula optimized for mirrorless systems. In addition, sagittal coma flare has been improved, so you should get beautiful, rounded star images and a clean bokeh effect. Sagittal coma flare is a distortion at the edges of the image that makes small objects or points of light appear elongated.
Improved autofocus
SIGMA’s 50mm Art lens uses SIGMA’s new HLA (High-response Linear Actuator) autofocus driver. This system was first introduced in the 60-600mm DG DN OS | Sports lens. The HLA autofocus is quick and silent which makes it great for video work.
Other features
The 50mm f1.4 lens weighs around 23.5 ounces (670g) and is 4.4 inches (112mm) in length. It also has a dust- and splash-resistant build so you can be confident of using it even when the weather turns bad. In addition, the 50mm Art lens has an AFL button to which you can assign any function from the camera. It comes with end caps, a case and a petal-type lens hood with a lock.
SIGMA fp firmware update
The new firmware updates are Version 5.0 for the SIGMA fp, and Version 3.0 for the fp L cameras. They add a new color mode called Warm Gold. SIGMA says that this color mode creates a mellow atmosphere with subdued tones and warm colors. Following the updates, you can also now use a 4 TB external SSD with the cameras. In addition, the new firmware adds support for ATOMOS Cloud.
New features for filmmakers
The firmware updates make the fp and fp L the first mirrorless still/cine cameras to incorporate the EL ZONE metering system. This system was created by cinematographer Ed Lachman, ASC. It is a false-color exposure tool that helps you to utilize the dynamic range of your camera to its fullest. In addition, Open Gate with Anamorphic Desqueeze for the ARRI ALEXA LF / ALEXA Mini LF has been added to the camera and settings registered in Director’s Viewfinder Mode. This will be really useful to filmmakers shooting with ARRI cameras.
What we think
The new 50mm F1.4 DG DN | Art prime lens improves on SIGMA’s previous 50mm prime lens. The SIGMA Art series of lenses have always been popular so it’s good to see that the company continues to improve and update the range. The 50mm Art isn’t cheap, but you can be assured that you are getting a quality lens that will give you pin-sharp footage.
It’s also great to see that SIGMA has added new features for filmmakers using their fp and fp L cameras. If you shoot with either model you should update your firmware now.
Pricing and availability
The SIGMA 50mm F1.4 DG DN | Art prime lens will be available for Sony E-mount and L-Mount cameras for $849 in late February 2023.
The new firmware updates Version 5.0 for the SIGMA fp, and Version 3.0 for the fp L cameras are available to download now from the SIGMA website.
