There are Many diffrent types of Lenses available for portrait photography, no matter if you’re shooting with Canon, Nikon, or Sony.
Most of the 90% of photographers choose the aperture and focal length while picking up the new lens for their portrait shoots.
Yes, image quality and other features are still in the game, but these are a prime feature which every photographer want to get if he is playing to buy a new lens.
So Recently I just purchased the brand new sigma 56mm f/1.4 lens for my Sony Mirrorless camera.
and after using it for a couple of months, I’m here to share an in-depth review of the sigma 56mm f/1.4 lens.
Like other photographers, I also love to capture portraits ( streets too ), and there’s plenty of different (cheap) lens available in the market to shoot portraits.
But I choose the sigma 56mm, there are so many points which I’m going to share with you as a reason to choose this beast instead of other lenses.
Also, I’m going to share some of the sample images captured using this sigma 55mm lens with before and after effect.
so you can easily get the difference.
now without talking more about it, let’s start the in-depth review on Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN lens.
Reviewing My Sigma 56mm lens | f/1.4 DC DN
If you’re running out of time or just want to know only the pros and cons of this lens then here is the quick list which you can read to get the idea.
and also sharing a recent price button so you can easily check the recent price if you want to.
Now let’s begin the in-depth review on Sigma 56mm lens.
So currently I’m using my Sony a6000 camera so I just bought this sigma APS-C lens.
No matter if you’re a street photographer, or even just love to take some good portraits.
this lens is just way better than any other prime lens under 400 USD.
As I mentioned earlier, this lens is very well known for the quality of the image.
after clicking a couple of images indoor ( just testing some bokeh effect, sharing images soon ), the image quality was unbelievable.
Also as you know this lens comes with a max aperture of F1.4, which Is just perfect for me to shoot portraits or streets (even during night times ).
because of this fast aperture lens, you don’t need to increase your ISO or decrease your shutter speed to get a properly exposed image.
and because of some of these prime reasons, everyone knows why it’s the fastest apertures an APS-C lens we get.
let me share some of the default or just you need to know, kind of configs of this sigma 56mm lens…
Specifications Of Sigma 56 MM lens
So the lens which I bought, contains a total of 9 Diaphragm blades.
the maximum aperture as you know is F1.4 and the minimum aperture is F16.
the minimum focusing distance of this sigma lens is 0.5 meters.
The filter size is 55mm and its weight is around 280 grams.
Now let’s discuss Why I love this sigma 56mm lens more than my kit lens and other prime lenses, which I own.
Things I love Most about The Sigma 56mm lens
Honestly, there’re so many things that I love and want to discuss with you about this lens.
but I’m picking up only some of the coolest things which I like to use with this lens.
the very first reason, I bought this lens is just because of its sharpness.
as you can see this is the edited image ( not the RAW file ) still It’s pretty easy to see all the details, which I’m trying to get with this lens.
it’s quite hard for me to get such details using my kit lens.
If you’re using the mirrorless camera for a very long time, then you must familiar with the quality which you’ll get with the Sigma lens.
- Know the difference: DSLR camera Vs Mirrorless Camera
And I’m a little bored by capturing some images using my Zoom & wide kit lens.
because the maximum aperture I’ll get is F3.5 or F4.
So to explore something new, I just bought this beast instead of Sony 50mm prime lens.
Yeah, it’s more costly than the sony prime lens but the result and overall picture quality tell me that I made a perfect decision by spending more money on this glass.
So, if you want to check the real difference then here is the picture which I captured using my Sony kit lens & then with this sigma 56mm F1.4.
I captured the same subject with a different lens.
I used Sony 16-50mm F3.5, Sony 55-210 F5.6 (zoom lens) & Sigma 56mm 1.4 to get the shot.
as you can easily say, which Image is captured with the sigma 56mm prime lens and which two are captured using the Sony kit lens.
Low light performance
If you’re familiar with aperture then you must know that maximum aperture like F1.8, F1.4, F1.2 as so on, are great to improve your low light photography.
and that’s the reason If you like to capture streets or even if you’re traveler photographer.
and hanging around the city during the nighttime, then you can easily capture some candid movements no matter if there is low light.
You can even get better portraits with a sharp subject in the foreground and creamy bokeh in the background.
Also as you know the focal length of this camera is 56mm or 84mm full-frame equivalent, so you need to maintain some distance between your camera and the subject.
so if you’re shy (like me) and don’t want to interrupt strangers, while you took pictures then this is the perfect lens to choose.
you can easily get the shot and they don’t even notice (sometimes :D).
Downside Of The Sigma 56mm F1.4 Lens
As I mentioned earlier, I’m using Song A6000 to use this lens.
and after using it for a couple of months, Now I’m pretty sure that the autofocus is not that fast as other Sony lenses.
yeah, it’s accurate but during nighttime, it takes some time to get the subject in focus using this lens.
If you’re using any expensive camera body like Sony A7 III or even Sony A6500 and ++ then this issue won’t occur to you frequently.
so just keep in mind, Its autofocus functionality is pretty accurate but if you’re capturing some action movement using this lens then sometimes it may give you some out of focus images.
Apart from autofocus this lens comes with no image stabilization, it’s not a big deal but many other lenses which you can buy under this price range come with this kind of feature.
but the plus point is that those lenses are not sharp as this one (scores level 😀 ).
Some FAQ about Sigma 56mm
here are some questions which you might have if you’re ready & made the final decision to buy this lens.
What type of photography you can perform using Sigma 56mm Lens?
The sigma 56mm is perfect for portrait photography, I personally love to shoot streets and products using this sharp lens.
if you’re a traveler and even if you love to explore streets then you can buy this prime lens.
you can even do some pre-weddings or even capture some great family portraits using this lens.
many youtubers like to use this lens to create some good cinematic footage & B-rolls.
Is Sigma 56mm 1.4 weather sealed?
Yes if you’re spending around 400 USD then you’ll get a weather-sealed lens.
What does DC DN mean Sigma?
So basically DC means that a particular lens is made for APS-C DSLR cameras.
and DN means that lens is made for compact system cameras.
so now as you know this the full title of this lens is Sigma 56mm F1.4 DC DN lens, it means its made for APS-C DSLR camera plus also made for compact system cameras.
Final Words
So now you know all the ups and downs of this sigma 56mm lens.
If you’re still confused and don’t know which next prime lens you should buy then just remember this is the lens that helps you to get more sharp images with creamy bokeh.
comes with maximum aperture F1.4, which is crazy ( at least for me ), that helps you to get creamy bokeh.
no matter if you’re planning to shoot some products, portraits, or even streets.
The other important point is that this lens is affordable.
If you’re confused between sony 50mm prime lens and sigma 56mm then save some extra bucks ( or work hard ) to buy the sigma 56mm, that’s just my opinion.
If you’re looking for some cheap e mount lens with a maximum aperture like F1.2 or F1.4 under 200 bucks then here are some best E mount Lens Under 200 USD.
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So now you can follow this article and other resources to get the lens which you like.
comment below & let us know which lens you’re going to buy next or are you going to buy this sigma 56mm F1.4 lens or not?
have a good day, thanks.
