Sigma - 56 mm-F/1.4 (C) AF DC DN lens, Fuji X-MOUNT mount mount

Product Information

Sigma has done it again with this lens, as I found nothing that would put me off considering it for my kit bag. It produces rich, sharp images, has great autofocus, and is lightweight and compact. Although relatively low in cost, the lens feels and performs like a premium lens and would be a worthy addition to your own kit bag for portrait, travel, pet, street, and everyday photography. The mount features a special sealing to make the lens an excellent choice in a wide variety of conditions. The optical path is based on ten elements arranged in six groups. Two aspherical lenses are featured in the line-up, along with a single SLD (Special Low Dispersion) element. Unlike in the sibling 16mm Contemporary lens, there are no FLD (‘Fluorite’ Low Dispersion) elements. Even so, the design aims for optimum sharpness and contrast along with minimal chromatic aberrations and distortion. Ideal for portraiture and still life, the lens combines great sharpness with beautiful bokeh and negligible fringing (Image credit: Matthew Richards)

So Jaco, would you keep this 56mm forever or are you missing any of the previous lenses you have owned? The brass mount combines high precision with rugged construction. Its treated surfaces and enhanced strength contribute to the exceptional durability of the lens.

In addition, other great features include nice color and contrast. Flare is also well m-controlled during normal usage. The 56mm f1.4 DC DN Contemporary does vignette wide open but that isn’t out of the ordinary. Stopping down one stop reduces vignetting significantly, and by f4, it’s pretty much gone. I don’t own any of these other lenses anymore, I just have Fuji’s 56mm. It gets out of my way and lets me focus on my shoots.”

What I particularly love about this lens is how light, and compact it is considering this is an 85mm equivalent with a large f1.4 maximum aperture. The 56mm f1.4 weighs just 9.9 oz / 280 and the dimensions are 2.6 x 2.4″ / 66.5 x 59.8 mm. It also uses a 55mm filter. These specs make this lens feel more like a normal lens like a 50mm or even a 35mm equivalent rather than a short tele. To compare, the Fujifilm version, the 56mm f1.2 R WR lens, weighs 15.7 oz / 445 with dimensions being 3.1 x 3″ / 79.4 x 76 mm. It used a 67mm filter. As you can see, there is a big difference in overall size here. Along with the sturdy design of the Sigma 56mm f/1.4 comes a high degree of weather and dust sealing – another big advantage. elements in 6 groups and includes the finest materials. This compact and lightweight lens effectively minimises optical aberrations and offers superb resolution at wide-open aperture and throughout the aperture range. The optical design and stepping motor deliver smooth, autofocus during video shooting, while the mount features a special rubber sealing for a dust and splash resistant structure. Above, left to right: Sigma 56mm f1.4, Sony e 50mm f1.8, Sony FE 50mm f1.8. All at maximum aperture. Full images.As expected, sharpness increases as the lens is stopped down a bit but I found this to be a clear winner in sharpness even at f/1.4. Before we go on, I’m going to make this clear, like we have previously. In fact, I’m going to quote specifically from our Sigma 35mm f1.4 DG DN Art review. Here’s what we said: It can be tempting to go for a third-party lens because it’s cheaper. But sometimes, it’s not always the better bet. A good friend of mine recently bought the Tokina 56mm for Fujifilm. He loves it, and that’s fine. It’s super affordable and he’s getting great photos with it shooting comedy shows in NYC. He brought it with him the last time we met up. I set it to continuous autofocus, and the lens couldn’t focus at all. It only worked in single autofocus. There’s also no full weather sealing, which is fine for him. But in the long run, he might see differently.