Photography News

 

Sigma lenses are divided into groups: Art, Contemporary and Sports. The Art group are lenses that aim to reflect the pinnacle of the lens makers' art, billed to be the cream of the crop, the best that can be delivered. This is a claim that has been upheld very well, continuously and reliably. Sigma have been consistently making some very fine lenses indeed. Of course, there are many companies who offer very fine lenses, so the competition is fierce. Let's see if Sigma have offered here something that is indeed a cut above the rest and can take on even the very expensive top marque optics. To take us on this voyage of discovery, we have  the lens plus the very capable 42MP Sony A7R III body. Let battle commence....

 

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG II Handling and Features

The lens is solid, but not onerously so, using Aluminium and Thermally Stable Composite. These materials work well together as they have the same coefficient of expansion. Weight is a reasonable 525g, and dimensions measure 73.0mm x 96.0mm. This is much larger than a traditional 35mm f/1.4 lens would have been, but is in keeping with current design and manufacturing parameters. The whole is dust and splash resistant. The front element also has an oil and water repellent coating in addition to Sigma's AAC (Advanced Amorphous Coating) multi-coating. 

There is a provided petal shaped lenshood that clips smoothly and securely into place. A flush locking catch ensures that it stays there, and this cannot be easily pushed by accident so there is little chance that the hood could be accidentally displaced. Within the bayonet fit for the hood is a standard 67mm filter thread.

 

 

First up is the generously sized focusing ring, utterly smooth in operation as befits its electronic nature. Behind this is a selection of buttons and switches. There is the usual AF/MF switch. All the usual Sony focusing options are available – AF-S (Single shot), AF-A (Auto selection), AF-C (Continuous), DMF (Direct Manual Focus) and MF (Manual Focus). DMF enables tweaks to the focus position to be made manually when AF is active. This can be particularly useful for close up shooting where the desired point of focus may be offset from where the AF system settles.

There are two AF-L buttons, a click on/off that refers to the aperture ring click stops and an aperture ring lock. This lock can be operated when the ring is set to A, preventing it from being nudged off that setting. It can also be set when using the aperture ring values, thus preventing A being selected in error. This is a very logical and useful arrangement. The aperture ring itself is clearly marked in one third of a stop steps and is very slickly engineered.

Focusing is down to 28cm, or 11.1”, for a maximum magnification of 1:5.4. This is in line with what we might expect from a 35mm lens intended as a standard lens. AF is driven by dual HLA (High Response Linear Activator) motors using a floating focus system. AF is smooth and virtually silent as well as being fast and accurate. 

 

 

Optical construction is 15 elements in 12 groups, including 2 SLD (Super Low Dispersion) and 4 Aspherical. The diaphragm comprises 11 blades for an impressively rounded aperture. This suggests that we might be finding some gorgeous bokeh.

There is no IS built into the lens. This is provided by the Sony camera body, and is still highly effective despite the A7R III not being the latest incarnation. It does the job extremely well.

The mount is the usual high quality Sigma, the fit being firm on this A7R III. It may not be the smoothest fit, but it is solid and does the job. There are Sony FE and L mount versions of the lens, the latter fitting the Sigma USB Dock UD-11. 

There are a few places where a well-established manufacturer such as Sigma could go astray with a quality prime lens such as this, and indeed, Sigma delivers the goods very effectively. The controls are high quality and operate flawlessly. Is this quality of construction and ergonomics matched by its technical performance? Time to find out.

 

 

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG II Performance

Central sharpness is excellent all the way from f/1.4, right through to f/11. It is still very good at f/16. The edges are also excellent from f/1.4 through to f/5.6 and then still very good from f/8 to f/16. This is a truly great performance.

 

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG II MTF Charts Previous Next

How to read our MTF charts

The blue column represents readings from the centre of the picture frame at the various apertures and the green is from the edges.

For this review, the lens was tested on a Sony A7R III body using Imatest. Want to know more about how we review lenses?

 

CA (Chromatic Aberration) is very well controlled throughout, and colour fringing is unlikely to be an issue.

Distortion is just -0.11% barrel, an impressively low figure. The slight residual barrel distortion is the right choice anyway, as that is what our eyes expect from wide-angle lenses.

 

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG II Chromatic Aberration Charts Previous Next

How to read our CA charts

Chromatic aberration (CA) is the lens' inability to focus on the sensor or film all colours of visible light at the same point. Severe chromatic aberration gives a noticeable fringing or a halo effect around sharp edges within the picture. It can be cured in software.

Apochromatic lenses have special lens elements (aspheric, extra-low dispersion etc) to minimize the problem, hence they usually cost more.

For this review, the lens was tested on a Sony A7R III body using Imatest.

 

Bokeh is a subjective assessment of the quality of the out-of-focus areas in an image. This new lens is beautifully smooth, aided by the 11-blade construction of the diaphragm and the rounded aperture. Lovely.

Flare control is about as good as it gets and even the most harsh lighting is easily handled without any sign of artefacts.

Vignetting is present wide open, albeit not excessively so, and thereafter well under control.

 

Aperture   f/1.4 -1.6 f/2 -1.3 f/2.8 -1.3 f/4 -1.3 f/5.6 -1.3 f/8 -1.3 f/11 -1.3 f/16 -1.2

 

This all represents a very high standard of performance, definitely up there with the best.

 

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG II Sample Photos Previous Next

 

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG II Aperture range Previous Next

You can view additional images in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own reviews, photos and product ratings.

 

[HOOK]position_1[/HOOK]

 

Value For Money

The [AMUK]Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG II Art|Sigma+35mm+f/1.4+DG+II+Art[/AMUK] lens is priced at £849. It is possible that stocks of the original Mk I lens might be found at £769.

Some alternatives for Sony FE fit:

• [AMUK]Samyang AF 35mm f/1.4 Prima|Samyang+AF+35mm+f/1.4+Prima[/AMUK], £528
• [AMUK]Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM|Sony+FE+35mm+f/1.4+GM[/AMUK], £1429
• [AMUK]Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 Distagon T” ZA|Sony+FE+35mm+f/1.4+Distagon+T”+ZA[/AMUK], £999

VFM is not only about price, so adding in the performance level, which is very strong, then this is excellent VFM.

 

 

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG II Verdict

For full-frame cameras, the 35mm lens has always represented an alternative standard lens for those photographers who prefer something a little wider than the ubiquitous 50mm. Many classic compact cameras have had fixed 40mm lenses, or thereabouts. For the experienced photographer, it brings the opportunity to step in a bit closer and feel more included and intimate with the subject matter. This is particularly ideal for street/reportage shooting and brings us into a more inclusive style of street photography, becoming a part of the events unfolding rather than just an observer. Beginners may appreciate a slightly wider view that avoids clipping the edges of the subject, allowing a little more space.

The new Sigma lens is a superb performer, fitting the hands well, delivering the quality at the highest level and yet being reasonably priced. The ergonomics is a lesson in good design, and the Sigma engineers can be truly proud of the fine lens that is the fruit of their labours. It duly receives the accolade of Editor's Choice.

 

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG II Pros

• Excellent central and edge sharpness
• Low distortion
• Low CA
• Fast, accurate and virtually silent AF
• Dust and splash-resistant construction
• Low vignetting
• Low flare
• Excellent handling

 

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG II Cons

• No IS inbuilt

 

[REVIEW_FOOTER]R_features=4.5|R_handling=5|R_performance=5|R_value=5|R_overall=5|A_level=5|A_text=Editor's Choice – A superb “wide standard” lens for full-frame cameras|E_id=8027[/REVIEW_FOOTER]

.borders { border: 1px solid #ccc !important; border-collapse: collapse; } .borders td,.borders tr { border: 1px solid #ccc !important; } .borders { border: 1px solid #ccc !important; border-collapse: collapse; } .borders td,.borders tr { border: 1px solid #ccc !important; }

 

Outdoor portraits add levels of interest to a shot you can't always get from an indoor shoot and as this time of year particularly, it's the perfect excuse to wrap up in layers and pose in front of snow-filled scenes. No snow? Well, your highstreet at night can be an equally cool location as can be your local woods or even your backyard should you not want to walk as far. 

To kick-start your outdoor photoshoot, we've put a few easy to understand but rather essential outdoor portrait tips together for you to peruse. Plus don't forget to share your examples of outdoor portraits in our Gallery or Daily competition forum. 

[HOOK]position_1[/HOOK]

1. Get Your Lighting Right 

Once you've found a model brave enough to go out, possibly in the cold, you need to sort out your lighting. It is a good idea to have a friend or fellow photographer on hand. This applies to both male and female photographers and an extra pair of hands can be really handy to hold flashguns and look after things during the shoot.

If working a night, a powerful torch will help you focus. Just shine the light at the subject – not directly into the model's face and focus. It is worth considering shooting using manual focus for this subject because autofocus might continually adjust and throw the subject out of focus once the torch is switched off. Flash modifiers, coloured filters and lighting stands will find a use too. 

One of the big problems of using flash at night – apart from the attention (sometimes unwanted) that it attracts – is that a flashgun can pump out too much light and burn out the subject. You need to watch this and use flash exposure compensation to cut down the amount of light if that is the case. 

Another important thing to remember is the inverse square law – double the distance between the flash and the subject and the power output falls by a factor of four, not two as you might expect.

As well as on-camera type flashguns, there are several studio-quality flash units that run off portable batteries. These are more powerful than a typical flashgun and worth trying.
 

 

2. Tripod Or No Tripod? 

Your tripod is handy here too, especially if you want to mix flash and ambient lighting. That said, blurring the ambient light can be an effective technique. Any tripod will be fine, although if you have to walk some distance to your chosen shoot location you may want to consider packing a light-weight model. Carbon fibre models are lighter than those made of aluminium, although they can be cold to the touch but many tripods feature thick foam on the legs that enable a secure grip and stop you having to touch the cold surface.

 

 

3. Poses & Direction 

Make sure you've primed the model regarding poses, clothing and the location that you will be shooting in. You need to think of their comfort, dealing with the weather, keeping warm in between shots and so on. Conversation can help with the flow of the shoot but if you're not very good at banter, just be concise with your posing instructions and don't try to be something you're not. 

You can find plenty of ideas about posing in lighting in fashion magazines and in ePHOTOzine's gallery but just don't simply copy someone else's work, always put your own 'stamp' on it. You need to shoot quickly and have fresh batteries in the flashgun. Minimal messing around is a good idea too and show the model the effects you are getting as you go along. 

 

You've read the technique now share your related photos for the chance to win prizes: Daily Forum Competition

Shooting in auto is normal. It is professional. The camera now takes over a technical layer that once demanded constant attention and experience. Exposure, white balance, tone mapping, and autofocus are handled quickly and with stable results. What used to require conscious monitoring now arrives as a reliable baseline. This does not mean the work disappeared. It means part of the work moved. 

[Read More]

50mm remains the most popular prime focal length for a reason: it sits in a natural middle ground, neither compressing like a telephoto nor distorting like a wide angle, which makes it the lens many reach for first. Christopher Frost has now tested over 70 different 50mm lenses, and with a wave of new options hitting the market, his original ranking needed a serious update. 

[Read More]

Finding a capable camera for under $1,500 on the used market is completely realistic right now, but the right choice depends entirely on what you're shooting. The gap between a dedicated photo camera, a video workhorse, and a true hybrid is wide enough that picking the wrong one is an expensive mistake. 

[Read More]

Raw files straight out of your camera carry noise, chromatic aberration, and lens imperfections that will follow your image through every step of post-processing. Running your files through a dedicated pre-processor before you ever open Lightroom gives you a cleaner foundation to work from, and the results compound as you edit. 

[Read More]

Lighting modifiers can make or break a photo, but most people learn about them by reading descriptions instead of seeing them work in real time. Watching how light wraps, falls off, and creates dimension on an actual three-dimensional subject is a faster path to understanding than any chart or spec sheet. 

[Read More]

 

Waterfalls, no matter their size, are a pretty awe-inspiring naturally occurring element that stand tall in the landscape and are well worth a photo or two. With this in mind, here are some quick-fire ideas you can think about next time you're lucky enough to be photographing one. 

 

Do It Differently 

 

Instead of starting with slow shutter speeds and blurry water (we'll get to this in a bit) why not take the time to think how you can shoot the waterfall you've found on your travels differently?

1. Try standing on the curve of a riverbank so you can use the s-curves created by the flowing water to lead the eye to the waterfall. Look at the scenery to the sides of the waterfall. Do the wet rocks have particularly interesting patterns? Is the foliage particularly vibrant and as a result will make a colourful frame?

2. Closer to the waterfall take your wellies, waders and macro lens with you and photograph the bubbles that are formed.

3. When winter comes around again a few days of really cold weather can turn waterfalls into interesting ice structures and icicles on the edge of banks can turn an ordinary-looking shot into something more spectacular.

 

4. Enhance the power of the waterfall with fast shutter speeds then finally turn your attention to everyone's favourite technique - blurring water with slow shutter speeds. You need your tripod and your camera set to shutter priority. Then, pick a slow-ish shutter speed of around one to two seconds, check your composition and take your shot. If you find your shot's overexposed use a polarising filter or switch to aperture priority mode but then it can take you a while to find the right shutter speed. You can also go back to your chosen location at sunrise or sunset when the light's not as bright.

 

For more tips on photographing waterfalls, have a look at these tutorials:

• Ten Top Tips On Photographing Waterfalls
• Waterfall Photography For Beginners
• Capture Movement In Your Landscape Shots
• Photographing Waterfalls

 

You've read the technique now share your related photos for the chance to win prizes: Daily Forum Competition

Professional photography expanded under conditions of limited access, high risk, and irreversible failure. Those conditions no longer define most photographic tasks. As they collapsed, professional involvement narrowed to a much smaller set of requirements. What remains is a persistent mismatch between task complexity and professional scale. 

[Read More]

After comparing the new MacBook Neo to Apple’s Air and Pro, a lot of people asked the obvious question: what about Windows?  

Yesterday I went to Walmart, bought a $659 Asus Vivobook, and tested it directly against the $600 MacBook Neo using the exact same real-world tasks.

Watch the video above to see the exact results of every test, but I'll summarize my findings below. 

MacBook Neo ($600)

Apple’s cheapest laptop continues to punch way above its price.

Pros

[Read More]

Every year, the cherry blossom trees around the Tidal Basin and throughout D.C. bloom in a spectacular display of pink and white petals. These annual events provide an opportunity to create stunning landscapes and captivating portraits. In preparation for this year's National Cherry Blossom Festival, here are some tips and tricks to help get you up to speed on where to get the best shots and when to shoot. 

[Read More]

Apple just released the incredibly cheap Macbook Neo for $599 and you might be wondering what it's capable of. In this video I'll put it head to head against the Macbook Air, and Macbook Pro.  

To see the results of each test, you'll need to watch the video above but I'll give you a quick summary of what I discovered. 

MacBook Neo

A18Pro, 8GB Ram, 256GB Storage, $599

This is easily the most surprising laptop of the bunch.

Pros

[Read More]

  Wondering what the point of using a tripod is when your arms do a great job of holding your camera? Here are our eight reasons why you should consider popping a tripod on your 'must-have' photography kit list. 

 

1. A Tripod Frees Your Hands

 

Using a tripod leaves you to have your hands free, making it easier to tweak and adjust your lens, camera settings and composition. You can also set the camera up and move away from its position which means you can capture shy animals or position your tripod where you may not want to stand such as in a pool of water that sits in front of a waterfall. 

 

2. Helpful For Panning

 

If you want to create a sense of speed when capturing action shots such as cars racing around a track or bikes speeding around a course you'll want your sharp subject to be sat against a blurred background. To do this you need to pan your camera, following the subject as they move through your frame and although you can do this hand-held, some photographers find it easier to use a tripod or monopod to help them capture the perfect pan. Monopods can move with the turn of your body while if you choose to use a tripod, a pan or ball head will make the task easier.

 

3. Create Different Angles

 

By using a tripod, you can get to new higher or lower angles that you wouldn't be able to reach as easily or comfortably if working hand-held. For example, macro and flower photography is easier if you have a tripod where the centre column can be moved from zero to 180-degree angles. You can then use your camera facing the ground or at 90-degrees if you're shooting into a flowerbed. Some tripods also have special low lever legs and macro arms that mean you can position the camera at almost ground level. 

 

4. You Can Do Time Lapse Photography

 

Time-lapse photography is all about capturing a sequence of shots a few seconds, minutes, hours or even days apart. These shots are then combined to form a series of images that can be played back as a short video. As any movement of the camera will cause your final piece to appear jaunty you'll need a support for your camera. Take a look at this tutorial for more tips: Time Lapse Photography

 

5. Play Around With Longer Exposures     

If you're planning on taking photos at sunset or in the evening you'll need to use slower shutter speeds so enough light can reach the sensor for the image to expose correctly. But working with slower speeds hand-held can mean shake will blur your shot. A tripod will help reduce this and keep your hands free to hold a cup of tea when you're using really long exposures to capture evening shots such as light trails!

Don't think you just need your tripod in the evening though as to turn the movement of waterfalls, rivers and waves into smooth, dry ice-like textures, you'll need slower shutter speeds. 

  6. Get Your Horizons Straight

 

Most tripods feature spirit levels which will show you if your tripod's straight and you can also buy spirit levels which can be clipped to your camera's hot shoe. Tripods also make it easier to adjust the position of your camera which in turn will move where the horizon sits in your shot. For more tips on why this is important, take a look at this article: Photographing Horizons

 

7. Capture Panoramas

 

Panoramas are created by stitching a series of shots together (either in-camera or during post-production) that you've captured by moving your camera from one side of the frame to the other, allowing for a little overlap between each frame. A tripod will keep your shots steady and level which means they'll be easier to stitch together if you're doing it manually. 

 

8. Shoot Self Portraits

 

Working with your arm outstretched so you can be in frame isn't practical and won't produce award-winning shots anytime soon. For this reason, it's important to have a support so you can frame up, ensuring your horizon is straight if out on location before you take your shot. The same goes for group shots at parties, weddings and other gatherings you attend where you want to be in the frame. It also means you can shoot self-portraits in the studio, leaving the camera framed-up on the spot you want to position yourself in once you've set the camera up. 

 

You've read the technique now share your related photos for the chance to win prizes: Daily Forum Competition

Photography education has a blind spot. Workshops teach you exposure. YouTube teaches you composition. College teaches you history. But nobody sits you down and explains the professional norms that separate working photographers from talented hobbyists who can't figure out why clients aren't coming back. These aren't technical skills. They're behavioral patterns, the kind of knowledge that usually arrives the hard way, after a mistake you can't undo. Here are ten of them, collected so you don't have to learn each one at your own expense. 

[Read More]

Lightroom's lens blur filter got a bad reputation fast. When it launched, some people predicted it would make fast glass obsolete, and then it didn't, because on most real-world photos, cranking it up just looks fake. 

[Read More]

For many of us, photography has been an outlet for processing loss, grief, and our connection to humanity. One photographer takes us along his own journey in the literal footsteps of his ancestors — through the viewfinders of their very own cameras. 

[Read More]

Shooting personal branding with a single light sounds limiting until you see what Lindsay Adler does with one modifier, a few small adjustments, and a corner of the room. The gap between a dramatic, shadow-heavy portrait and a soft, glowing high-key image can come down to nothing more than removing a grid and pointing a light at the ceiling. 

[Read More]

Shooting portraits only during golden hour with an 85mm lens sounds like solid advice until you realize it's quietly limiting what you're capable of creating. This video breaks down five of the most common portrait photography myths and explains what to do differently. 

[Read More]

Wedding photography stress is mostly optional. That might sound like a bold claim, but this video makes a compelling case that the overwhelming feeling most people associate with shooting weddings comes from gaps in preparation, not the job itself. 

[Read More]

The CHUZHAO Mini TLR was one of the most unexpectedly popular digital cameras to hit the consumer market in 2025. In this short video, I'll show you how to shoot infrared photography with this viral toy camera. 

It was an undertaking completely devoid of logic outside all rational photographic understanding. I'm not sure what possessed me to attempt to use this tiny plastic camera for infrared photography. Much like the summit of Mount Everest, perhaps I wanted to undertake this ridiculous experiment simply because it was there.

[Read More]