Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM

The Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM is a new large aperture, standard prime lens for the latest digital cameras. This lens incorporates HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor), which ensures a quiet and high-speed AF as well as full-time manual focus override. It effectively becomes an 80mm medium telephoto lens on digital cameras with APS-C size image sensors. Price and availability of the Sigma 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM to be confirmed.

Sigma Press Release

2008.3.18

The Sigma Corporation (COO: Kazuto Yamaki) is pleased to announce the new large aperture 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM standard lens.

50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM
Availability :TBD
Fittings :Sigma, Canon, Nikon, Pentax*, Sony*

*If the camera body does not support HSM, auto focus will not be available.

Distinguishing characteristics
* Standard lens with large maximum aperture of F1.4.
* It creates sharp images with high contrast and ensures superior peripheral brightness.
* Incorporates molded glass aspherical lens, perfectly correcting coma aberration and creating superior image quality.
* Super multi-layer lens coating reduces flare and ghosting.
* Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) ensuring silent, high-speed AF.

This is a large aperture prime lens with a standard focal length of 50mm, ideal for digital cameras. This lens is perfectly suited for a wide range of subjects enabling outstanding, sharply defined images against a nicely blurred background. The fast, F1.4 aperture makes this lens desirable for use with Digital SLR cameras. This lens effectively becomes an 80mm medium telephoto lens on digital cameras with APS-C size image sensors. The optimum optical design and molded glass aspherical lens elements provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations. This lens has superior peripheral brightness and provides sharp, high contrast images even at the maximum aperture. Superior optical performance is also ensured throughout the focusing range. The super multi-layer lens coating reduces flare and ghosting.  This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 45cm (17.7”) and has maximum magnification of 1:7.4. It creates a very attractive blur, even when a small aperture is used.

This lens incorporates HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor), which ensures a quiet and high-speed AF as well as full-time manual focus override.

Published: Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Reader Comments

1. Seems an extremely odd move for Sigma - first of all, a prime in the world is all zoom, and in 50mm - the "normal" lens for 35mm, with Nikon and Canon having many choices in that focal length. Canon alone has 3 - from $70 to well over a grand. Where's the market for another 50mm prime?

   fxk at 06:10pm on Thursday, March 20, 2008

2. What will make this Sigma 50mm 1.4 prime special besides the HSM is the fact that it will have a molded glass aspherical element which should go a long way in insuring very high quality images taken at it's full aperture of f/1.4. It seems to be on paper anyway nearly equivalent to the EF Canon 50mm 1.2 L except a half a stop slower. The Sigma will no doubt be much more affordable as well. Bravo to Sigma.

   Bruce Esbin at 06:37pm on Friday, March 21, 2008

3. I have been waiting for this lens for a long time. My camera is Nikon D40x and it only supports AF-S or HSM lense. This is the 2nd prime lens for my camera(another is Sigma 30mm F1.4 HSM which is too wide for me. Thanks Sigma for the great move. We all D40/D40x/D60 users are getting fan of Sigma

   Reaz at 05:45am on Thursday, March 27, 2008

4. Well you have the AFS-60mm and AFS-105mm micros as well. The release of this lens hopefully pushes Nikon to speed up their replacement of current AFD lenses to AFS.
   
   Unless there is a significant price advantage or optical improvement, I am likely to stay with Nikons.

   FG at 02:40am on Monday, March 31, 2008

5. Well those are F2.8 not F1.4. I forgot to add the word “FAST” (1.4) prime lens. If I go to 2.8, I prefer zoom lens than the primes. I have already Sigma 50-150mm F2.8 HSM lens and that lens is excellent. I love Nikon but it's very sad that they want earth as the price of the lenses for very few improvement of image quality and cost of heavy weight.

   Reaz at 03:47pm on Monday, March 31, 2008

6. Does anybody know the filter size of this thing yet?

   Ledpaddle at 04:38am on Wednesday, April 09, 2008

7. 77mm

   Khimmy at 05:26am on Monday, April 14, 2008

8. When can one expect this to come in stores?
   
   How long after the release of the 30mm did it become availabe?

   JR at 07:37pm on Tuesday, April 22, 2008

9. 67mm not 77mm

   Johnson at 05:13am on Monday, May 05, 2008

10. Sigma announces this optic with specs and then their is virtually no info on release date or price. Why do they bother to announce the lens with no follow up? On paper this lens appears to be an answered prayer as an affordable fast high image quality 50mm than Canon's 50mm 1.2 with an aspheric element as well to improve IQ when shot wide open. It's only a half a stop slwer than the Canon L lens and I could easily live with that.

    Bruce Esbin at 06:40pm on Monday, May 05, 2008