Not quite fair comparison. A 1.4 prime vs a F4 zoom? and closing the aperture down on the prime vs wide open zoom. Compare it to the cheaper Nikon 20mm F1.8G?
Nikkor isn't as sharp as the Sigma, but the autofocus is far more reliable. Nikkor is also a lot cheaper, less bulky and not as well built, but has weather sealing. That's pretty much it.
Perfectly fair. In framing a photograph, the field of view is of prime importance. If i can't get the framing I want, I'm not likely to shoot. in choosing my lens, any lens that frames my desired image is a contender. In practice, any choice of lens is a compromise, Tony touched on the ability to vary the focal length. I want a lens with movements, that requirement eliminates both of these lenses.
+John Summerfield I dont think you;re understanding where Im getting at. Comparing a F4 zoom wide open vs a 1.4 prime stopped down. IQ wise isnt fair. Itss not about the framing of the shot or the focal length when you're comparing 2 wide angle lenses. Generally wide open a lens doesn't perform the best. Usually lenses perform the best when they have stopped down a stop or 2. I did not mention the framing or the focal length rather the apertures those 2 lenses used. Here you had Tony using the zoom wide open @ F4 and the prime stopped down to F2.8. Obvious the stopped down lens is going to be performing way better. This episode isn't about framing a photograph and how to shoot, but rather a lens review and comparison
I recently bought this lens and I gotta say i have never seen such built quality, sharpness and reasonable pricing all in one package, it is an amazing wide angle and I believe now has become the new benchmark.5Stars
I just got this lens a couple weeks ago, with the idea of using it primarily for astrophotography. However, I have found that I actually love using it at weddings too since it gives a look that not a lot of other lenses can create. Definitely agree with your review so far after a couple weddings and a few times out shooting. The coma is not great, but acceptable in my opinion. Now I just need to pick up a 5DSr to replace one of my mark IIIs to make use of all that sharpness, haha! Great review as always!
hyperlocal length of 20mm for 5d at 5.6f is 2.38mts, so how can it be out of focus, as u are mentioning at 7:48. Truth is that this lens is not sharp at corners compared with canon 16-35 f4 lens.
1:40 but with a wider than usual prime and a good sensor / pixel count you can drop the image to taste 2-5mm wouldn't make much difference. 20mm is a great length for landscapes, for me, it's the magic number.
i use this lense for astrophotographie and i'm super happy with it so far. but i must also say, that it has defininetly more coma than the rokinon 24mm, as shown also in this video. but the wider angle is the bigger advantage for me :-)
well there is a huge thing you left out which i use it for... party photography! i work in clubs and take pictures inside and ususally u want to flash just a tiny bit. in many situation the 1.4 aperture can be used there! :p
Thanks for pointing out the use of this lens-anyway some samples photos can be seen at F1.4? thinking to get this lens for indoor and looking for as much info as possible, regards
Hi Tony, as a keen astro-shooter I'd point out that AP is not just about wide angle shooting. If you want to make hubble-like images then you need to use a longer focal length like 200-600mm. I shoot mine primarily with 70-200mm at the moment. My most recent purchase is the Canon 35mm f/1.4 L II, which I'll also use for astro. Do yourself a favor and test the 35mm L II, it will blow your mind.
Here is my favourite target: the Carina Nebula. flic.kr/p/HW56r5 (Shot with the 70-200mm, 1036 images stacked i.e. 43min of exposure) Only got the 35L II a couple of days ago and there's been stormy weather here so will finally get to shoot astro with it tomorrow night when humidity is lower.
Charles Talhelm I'm no art-world authority, but I subscribe to Eileen Rafferty's rhetorical question: "What is your subject?" I consider something to be astro-photography when the astronomical structures are the subject of the image. Based on this premise an "astro-landscape" is a landscape shot where the night sky is just an added element. For example I would therefore classify star trails as landscape shots, not astro-photography, as the night sky could just as easily be replaced by a Ferris-wheel or an interesting cloud formation and the image would still work. Also, with astro-photography it is preferable to shoot a decent amount above the horizon otherwise you lose a lot of resolution due to atmospheric scattering.
i love the astrophotography, but i'm also a concert photographer. i think this will help me so much for the public shoots during the night or indoor shows, can't wait to get this lens!
Well balanced lens with reasonable price. It has less distortion than 24-70. Crazy sharp in the center and very sharp at the corners. It is not possible to use with nd filter due to design of the front element.
What about the Nikon 20mm 1.8? That would have been the better comparison. I think it's overall the better lens. Less weight and a filter thread. Greetings from beautiful bavaria
Just wanted to write the same. I think the Sigma will be sharper, but as you said, the Nikon has a filter thread. Some (or many?) astrophotographer are using didymium filter (also known as red intensifiers) to cut of light pollution. I´m still waiting for DxOMark to test the Nikon version of the Sigma to have a side-by-side comparison with the Nikon 20mm F1.8. Greetings from Stuttgart, Germany
+Ferdigrafie bought the Nikon 20mm yesterday, and it's ridiculously sharp lens. Way sharper than my nikon 14-24 2.8 and I'm looking forward to carry it around. The 14-24 is sooo heavy. Griassle ins spätzleland
I picked one up late last year. It works great on the a7rii with the metabones adapter. I was debating the 20mm or 24mm, but chose the 20mm since it was a focal length I had not shot at before, and I planned to get a 24-70 at some point.
The Coma turned me off from this lens but I am curious what happens at f/2.2 or so. The rokinon 24 gets better quickly as the aperture is stopped down.
I have no issues with coma because I usually do stitches, you can't get a substantial astrophotography composition without doing it anyway. That being said I usually stop down to F/2 for situations where I don't stitch, like time lapse and it looks great in the corners then.
Question Tony, how did you manage to get correct exposure of yourself and the Monitor in the background? I find that when I film something off a monitor it's one or the other (monitor or everything else). Thank you!
We spent more than an hour tweaking the brightness, contrast, and color of the monitor. It actually looks a little weird in person, but it looks good on camera.
Hey Tony, I have the Nikon 20mm 1.8 and I think it's much better. I don't need the 1/3 extra stop... I've looked for a review from you on the 20mm Nikon and can't find anything... the nikon allows for a 77mm filter mount
I love your videos Tony (and Chelsea), but (and that's a huge one): these videos cost me a lot of money. Because of you I already bought a few lenses for my camera and guess what: I'm extremely happy with it ;) long story short: greetings from germany and have a great day/week/month/year/life. Wish you all the best! Maybe I'll see you at photokina in Cologne :) Dirk
I got this lens last May, it got CRAZY image quality on the D810 for landscapes, sharpness wise - but as all Art lenses I've ever laid my hands on, it probably needs a little focus tuning in camera for it to perform optimally
Tony please follow along. Normally, vignetting is not a big deal. When you are shooting astro, it's a huge deal! Say you shot your sky at ISO 3200, and you check the lens correction. If the software brightens those corners by, say, two stops, now the corners look like you shot them at ISO 12,800!!! I will say that on this lens, I don't know any astrophotographers who shoot at F1.4. They all stop down to f2.2 or f2.5 to get rid of the horrible coma wide open. At THAT point, the vignetting is not a problem.
Thanks for the review @Tony. I'm going to rent this lens in August for a wedding contract before making a definite purchase... so far I only shoot primes (35A, 50L, 85L & 135L) but I need something wider. What makes me hesitate the most is the amount of back focus I get with the Sigma 35A ... although I calibrated multiple times with the dock. It's bad enough that I am ready to sell it for a 35L mark I ... a less sharp lens that will look sharper anyway because it'll nail focus better :S.
Hi Tony and Chelsea. Thank you for your helpful work. Could I please ask which would be your preference for a crop-sensor camera, primarily for video work, between the Sigma 18-35mm f1.8, Sigma 24mm f1.4, or Sigma 20mm f1.4? I'm looking to upgrade my canon 28mm f1.8 on my canon 600d. Thank you in advance, Ruben
Hi Tony, would love to know your opinion on how the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 stacks up against the Nikon 20mm f/1.8G. Are the sharpness and extra 2/3rd stop of light worth the extra size and weight over the Nikon? The Nikon is almost a third the weight of the Sigma, not to mention that the Nikon supports a standard 77mm filter thread while the Sigma lacks one. Thanks.
i own this lens since today and I didn't have the chance to try it out. But the few test-shots look promising. Thanks for the fantastic review. I thing I'm going to like this lens, especially in low light situations.
I'm going to slap this Sigma 20mm f/1.4 lens onto a E-Mount speedbooster and hook the whole contraption up to my Sony a6300 which will give me the same 20mm effective focal length along with an additional stop (or thereabouts) while making it an f/1.0 in terms of light-gathering on the sensor. It'll be interesting to see if that setup or having this on with a dumb adapter on my Sony a7s will give me cleaner astrophotography images at 25 seconds exposure at ISO 400.
Sigma is good on wide lenses. Its rectangular and circular fisheye lenses are unique in price and quality. The reason why Sigma full frame art lenses are so popular is simple. They are new. Check Wikipedia and discover how old, most Nikon and Canon full frame lenses are. Most of them introduced before 2010 and many around 2005. Of course the advances of optics are much slower than electronics. However a lens introduced to the market in 2005 is old. Canon and Nikon should lower the prices and make new versions with wider apertures of their older lenses. I have a sony a7 with a LA-EA4 a-mount adapter. Many sigma lenses are available for sony a-mount but not this. I hope sigma will make it available for Sony. The sigma e-mount adapter for sigma EF mount lenses doesn't offer fast autofocus like LA-EA4 adapter with its translucent mirror and optical phase detection similar to sony a99.
Tony - Good review. Something about astrophotography that I am not sure you are aware of. There is a "rule" for shutter speed to avoid star trails. take 500 and divide by focal length. That is "roughly" the shutter speed you should use.
+《AiM》 more of a problem at 24mm, this means that you can get both a wider field of view (20% wider) and a slight bump in image quality (again 20%) compared to the Rokinon because you can leave the shutter open about 4-5 seconds longer. I think this is also why the coma is worse on the Rokinon in Tony's testing (because they were both shot at 30s, and the star trails would be longer). Hope this makes sense?
Tony try and review the new Zeiss Batis 18mm... seems the new "Ooo-la-la..." for the Sony A7 series.... Could be very interesting testing it not only for stills but also for video - using manual AND auto focus. Regards.
Just went out and shot the Milky Way tonight off the Oregon Coast and could definitely feel the restrictive nature of my 28-75mm f2.8 Tamron lens when shooting the stars. I had to go Shooting 10 second exposers based on the NPF rule, I had to use 5000-6400 ISO, (which isn't terrible on my a7III, but still) to compensate for that f2.8. This lens would definitely be a game changer for me if I could afford it.
Dear Tony, could you (or other people having experience with the following three lenses) please illuminate us on the following question(/s): On a full sensor Canon body (e.g. 6D, 5DIV), and I'm talking about straight out of the camera, will the Sigma 20mm at f/1.4 have the same amount of vignetting as the Sigma 24mm at f/1.4 and/or the Canon 24 L II at f/1.4. And at f/1.4 is the image quality the same across all three lenses? Tnx in advance
Tony, can you explain what you meant by extra optics used to stabilize a lens and how they degrade image quality? It would be cool to see a video on how stabilized lenses work and maybe even a comparison between different brands.
It's kinda obvious. Extra optical element equals extra two air to glass boundaries. Air to glass boundaries degrade the image quality. This is the sole reason why all manufacturers still produce lenses without image stabilization - it's a compromise.
Nice review! The coma kind of kills it for me for astro when comparing what the Rokinon costs v.s. the Sigma. Have you ever reviewed the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8? It's my go-to for astro and I've managed to get great results.
I have the lens and love it. Sharpest lens i have ever owned.. Def a specialty lens. I shoot landscapes with it.. I have been thinking about one of the versions of the 16-35 or 17-40 family tho. Primes are sharp as hell but the play in zooms is missed at times.
I thought I was sold on the 24mm art for team photos in gyms with the bonus of astro, now there is this? I think the 20mm might be a better astro lens but might be too wide for my team shots in the gym? Back in dilemma mode. Thx lol
I'm torn between getting this 20mm lens, or Sigma's 35mm 1.4, or even Sigma's new 14mm 1.8; somebody help me make a decision. I would be using the lens for Astrophotography (of course) and possibly Landscapes, such as sunrises and sunsets. I would be using a D810 btw.
I wonder if the native E-Mount Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art that was just released keeps the same quality (or if it's even better - you guys mentioned that using MC-11 had some side-effects especially in the corners?)
Hey Tony! Great review video! How come there is so much noise at ISO 100 in the astro shot with the sigma? did you artificially increase the exposure in post? Thanks!
When I see the nightsky over that house, the Rokinon makes a very different light in the sky with dark corners. The Sigma image looks strange with light corners and is dark in the middle. Is that just for this image or is it caused by lens caracteristics? Will that be good for astro photography?
What are your thoughts on using something like this for night photography vs something like Tamron's 15-30 2.8 with VC? Are they comparable? How much does the VC (and slower shutter speed) contribute to the capture of light? I have the 35 1.4 art and love it; I also have the 15-30 and would like to know if I can justify the 20 1.4 art. Thanks so much in advance if you reply!
Nice review. Your landscape comments bring up the question to me-What is your favorite zoom lens (size and manufacturer and mount) for landscapes since you stated you primarily use a zoom for landscapes?
I really like the Nikon 14-24 and Tamron 15-30. I need to test the Canon 12-24, though. But I use the Canon 16-35 f/4 all the time, because it's versatile (it has IS) and light. I didn't really narrow it down much :).
Hi Tony & Hi Chelsea! How are you? I have a question. I want to decide a camera between Nikon D5500 & Canon 80D. Which one is good? I require it basically for landscape & Wild life photography.
You started out by saying that one wouldn't want to put this on an APS-C camera. The only camera I have is an APS-C, so what wide-angle lens you would recommend for my Canon EOS 760D/Rebel T6s when shooting Astrophotograpy? Thanx for another great review!
While far from perfect the Tokina 11-16 f2.8 is a good place to start, as you can use it for much else. If you don't already have it the Sigma 18-35 f1.8 which is made for crops is stunning, makes for a good astro lens that you can also use as a walking around lens. Hope that helps.
Tony & Chelsea Northrup can u review new Tokina 24-70 i cant find any good reviews for it. also can u compare it with tamron 24-70. btw i saw ur comparison 24-70 but without tokina
how is the continual auto focus in video mode with Nikons? is it fast and quiet or does it make a noise picked up by the mic? wondering if this can be used for vlogging? thanks
I hate tripods and I prefer handheld shooting of the cities landscape during the blue hour. For good dynamic range and colors o have to use the Sony a7S II with the sigma 20mm f/1.4 e-mount. _The sensor of Sony a7S II offers the some quality of photos of two stops lower ISO of similar current cameras. _The sensor stabilization of a7S II allows 1 stop slower shutter speed which permits 1 stop lower ISO with handheld shooting. _The f/1.4 of the sigma 20mm instead of the typical f/2.8 of similar lenses allows more light and lowers the ISO two stops. For example with the Canon 1 DX II and the Canon 24mm f/2.8 L USM I will need five stop more ISO to achieve the some quality of photos of the Sony a7S II and Sigma 20mm f/1.4.
HI sir, i hope you shall be fine, i am reading your marvelous book SDP. it is a great help. sir i am from pakistan, i want to setup a weeding photography service here. but wedding shoots here are bit different from you area. i want to ask you which 85mm lense is best in sharpness as well as budget. also which dslr would you suggest for video shooting in wedding apsc or fx? here 4k video is not known to people most of the shooting is done from contemporary video tape camera or a few times from DSLR in hd. also suggest any other second lense to compliment 85mm thanks in advance
Hi Tony - does Sigma make wide primes for Sony E-mount (A9)? It's a little confusing when I search online. I'm looking for the best Sony e-mount lens for astrphophotography that is of course, below 2.0 aperture.
Hi guys, great job that you're doing, love you channel and videos. Keep doing what you're doing, you're great! One little thing that keeps bugging me, why don't you hide the cable that's coming out of the TV?
I'm sure the manual focus beats the Nikon version. How did you not get star trails at 1:1 with a 30 second exposure? Anything longer than 13 seconds on the D750 and I notice them with the 20mm 1.8g.
I saw star trails in his 30 sec exposure. I'd shoot this lens for no longer than 20 seconds because of my own personal taste in how the stars come out.
Thinking about buying this lens for Sony for me A7R3. Looking for tight/small spaces for boudoir in low light. Do you think this is the lens or what would you suggest? Thank you
You say you wouldn't use on a Aps-c , why not ? I have a Canon 80D , just bought the Canon 24-70 F2.8 and would like to add the sigma 20mm Art to my collection as i do wedding photography and thought it would be a good lens to add.
Never shot weddings but the 24-70 seems like a bad choice if you have an 80D. Why didn't you go for something like the sigma 18-35 f1.8, a lens actually made for aps-c cameras, and get a lot more light with a similar full frame range equivalent (28-56mm)? For half the price none the less.
Great review! Good to see this art lens is a winner since the art lenses have been kinda a mixed bag. I have to say the comparison of the rokinon interested me the most though. Its literally half the price of the sigma which just confirms its incredible value and why ill probably buy it over the sigma.
Which the better lens between sigma 20mm art or 18-35mm art? Anyway I've 70d but sometimes I'm using full frame camera. So what camera lens can do the best?
I'm so disappointed with this lens , I just bought it and firt i had to tune the autofocuswith my 6D because there was too much backfocus. Then I went to my favorite Bar too shoot some rock band : iso 200 125, F1.4 ; and nearly 50% of my shots were out of focus again; behind the subject. Sometimes the person is at 5meters , and the autofocus locks at 6-7 meter... Thinking of getting another lens or going to canon
⭐ Buy the lens on Amazon at help.tc/s20 ⭐
It is designed for APS-C also and full-frame. Thats the meaning of DG, when talking about sigma.
Tony , why don't you do a review on full frame lenses like Sigma , adapted to aps-c cameras ! Fringer lens adapters , adapter to Sigma lenses !
Not quite fair comparison. A 1.4 prime vs a F4 zoom? and closing the aperture down on the prime vs wide open zoom. Compare it to the cheaper Nikon 20mm F1.8G?
Nikkor isn't as sharp as the Sigma, but the autofocus is far more reliable. Nikkor is also a lot cheaper, less bulky and not as well built, but has weather sealing. That's pretty much it.
Perfectly fair. In framing a photograph, the field of view is of prime importance. If i can't get the framing I want, I'm not likely to shoot. in choosing my lens, any lens that frames my desired image is a contender.
In practice, any choice of lens is a compromise, Tony touched on the ability to vary the focal length. I want a lens with movements, that requirement eliminates both of these lenses.
+John Summerfield I dont think you;re understanding where Im getting at. Comparing a F4 zoom wide open vs a 1.4 prime stopped down. IQ wise isnt fair. Itss not about the framing of the shot or the focal length when you're comparing 2 wide angle lenses. Generally wide open a lens doesn't perform the best. Usually lenses perform the best when they have stopped down a stop or 2. I did not mention the framing or the focal length rather the apertures those 2 lenses used.
Here you had Tony using the zoom wide open @ F4 and the prime stopped down to F2.8. Obvious the stopped down lens is going to be performing way better.
This episode isn't about framing a photograph and how to shoot, but rather a lens review and comparison
I recently bought this lens and I gotta say i have never seen such built quality, sharpness and reasonable pricing all in one package, it is an amazing wide angle and I believe now has become the new benchmark.5Stars
I think for the aps-c it will be awesome too. Esp for those who are looking for that 35mm focal length. Right?
I just got this lens a couple weeks ago, with the idea of using it primarily for astrophotography. However, I have found that I actually love using it at weddings too since it gives a look that not a lot of other lenses can create. Definitely agree with your review so far after a couple weddings and a few times out shooting. The coma is not great, but acceptable in my opinion. Now I just need to pick up a 5DSr to replace one of my mark IIIs to make use of all that sharpness, haha! Great review as always!
hyperlocal length of 20mm for 5d at 5.6f is 2.38mts, so how can it be out of focus, as u are mentioning at 7:48. Truth is that this lens is not sharp at corners compared with canon 16-35 f4 lens.
1:40 but with a wider than usual prime and a good sensor / pixel count you can drop the image to taste 2-5mm wouldn't make much difference. 20mm is a great length for landscapes, for me, it's the magic number.
Wow. I'm always amazed at how much info you share. You and Chelsea are so great, and you sure know what you're doing.
i use this lense for astrophotographie and i'm super happy with it so far. but i must also say, that it has defininetly more coma than the rokinon 24mm, as shown also in this video. but the wider angle is the bigger advantage for me :-)
This lens for northern lights here in Alaska is absolutely amazing
What about shooting weddings on aps-c camera (D500) like inside church etc... in low light where you need wide angle?
I like the 20 mm Sigma lens . But my question is why would you not put it on a aps-c sensor camera ?
well there is a huge thing you left out which i use it for... party photography! i work in clubs and take pictures inside and ususally u want to flash just a tiny bit. in many situation the 1.4 aperture can be used there! :p
Thanks for pointing out the use of this lens-anyway some samples photos can be seen at F1.4? thinking to get this lens for indoor and looking for as much info as possible, regards
Thanks for showing the coma. No-one ever mentions the coma, but that's the most important thing!
Been using this lens for a few months now. Unreal for landscapes and night photography.
Tony! I shoot with the APS-C D500. What would you recommend for astrophotography? I have the Dx 17-55mm f2.8 and 12-24mm f4. 35mm f1.8.
Hi Tony, as a keen astro-shooter I'd point out that AP is not just about wide angle shooting. If you want to make hubble-like images then you need to use a longer focal length like 200-600mm. I shoot mine primarily with 70-200mm at the moment. My most recent purchase is the Canon 35mm f/1.4 L II, which I'll also use for astro. Do yourself a favor and test the 35mm L II, it will blow your mind.
Can you share some of your pictures? I´m looking a 35mm
Here is my favourite target: the Carina Nebula. flic.kr/p/HW56r5 (Shot with the 70-200mm, 1036 images stacked i.e. 43min of exposure) Only got the 35L II a couple of days ago and there's been stormy weather here so will finally get to shoot astro with it tomorrow night when humidity is lower.
Nico Ramirez I'm planning on shooting a wider field shot of the Southern Cross and Carina, as well as a wide field shot of Scorpius constellation.
maybe it would be better to call it astrolandscape when at wide angles. Of course there's also the term deep sky astrophotography...
Charles Talhelm I'm no art-world authority, but I subscribe to Eileen Rafferty's rhetorical question: "What is your subject?" I consider something to be astro-photography when the astronomical structures are the subject of the image.
Based on this premise an "astro-landscape" is a landscape shot where the night sky is just an added element. For example I would therefore classify star trails as landscape shots, not astro-photography, as the night sky could just as easily be replaced by a Ferris-wheel or an interesting cloud formation and the image would still work.
Also, with astro-photography it is preferable to shoot a decent amount above the horizon otherwise you lose a lot of resolution due to atmospheric scattering.
Hey Tony, how's Chelsea haven't seen her in any videos -She still not feeling good ?
i love the astrophotography, but i'm also a concert photographer. i think this will help me so much for the public shoots during the night or indoor shows, can't wait to get this lens!
I tried with Sony A7S-II and adapter it was awesome for astrophotography in a zero light pollution with no moon. Epic.
That micro contrast was very impressive 👍🏼 No mention of the mis focusing that everyone mentions.
Well balanced lens with reasonable price. It has less distortion than 24-70. Crazy sharp in the center and very sharp at the corners. It is not possible to use with nd filter due to design of the front element.
What about the Nikon 20mm 1.8? That would have been the better comparison. I think it's overall the better lens. Less weight and a filter thread. Greetings from beautiful bavaria
Just wanted to write the same. I think the Sigma will be sharper, but as you said, the Nikon has a filter thread. Some (or many?) astrophotographer are using didymium filter (also known as red intensifiers) to cut of light pollution.
I´m still waiting for DxOMark to test the Nikon version of the Sigma to have a side-by-side comparison with the Nikon 20mm F1.8.
Greetings from Stuttgart, Germany
+Ferdigrafie bought the Nikon 20mm yesterday, and it's ridiculously sharp lens. Way sharper than my nikon 14-24 2.8 and I'm looking forward to carry it around. The 14-24 is sooo heavy.
Griassle ins spätzleland
If i had a FF, i would already have the Nikon 20 :) But atm i am stuck at APS-C :(
Guts Nächtle
Maybe suggest it to someone that shoots with Nikon.
I picked one up late last year. It works great on the a7rii with the metabones adapter. I was debating the 20mm or 24mm, but chose the 20mm since it was a focal length I had not shot at before, and I planned to get a 24-70 at some point.
The Coma turned me off from this lens but I am curious what happens at f/2.2 or so. The rokinon 24 gets better quickly as the aperture is stopped down.
I have no issues with coma because I usually do stitches, you can't get a substantial astrophotography composition without doing it anyway. That being said I usually stop down to F/2 for situations where I don't stitch, like time lapse and it looks great in the corners then.
+Sigma Octantis yeah i was wondering what happens when you stop this lens down a little, can you link to some shots with this lens you took?
I know you say not to use it on apsc sensor cameras but I've heard it has fantastic results on 90d.
I have the Sigma 20 ART, and I agree with you. It's a great lens. I like the 20mm focal length very much, way more than 24mm.
Question Tony, how did you manage to get correct exposure of yourself and the Monitor in the background? I find that when I film something off a monitor it's one or the other (monitor or everything else). Thank you!
We spent more than an hour tweaking the brightness, contrast, and color of the monitor. It actually looks a little weird in person, but it looks good on camera.
Tony & Chelsea Northrup Ah,of course, that makes sense :) Thank you
Hey Tony, I have the Nikon 20mm 1.8 and I think it's much better. I don't need the 1/3 extra stop... I've looked for a review from you on the 20mm Nikon and can't find anything... the nikon allows for a 77mm filter mount
I love your videos Tony (and Chelsea), but (and that's a huge one): these videos cost me a lot of money. Because of you I already bought a few lenses for my camera and guess what: I'm extremely happy with it ;) long story short: greetings from germany and have a great day/week/month/year/life. Wish you all the best! Maybe I'll see you at photokina in Cologne :) Dirk
I got this lens last May, it got CRAZY image quality on the D810 for landscapes, sharpness wise - but as all Art lenses I've ever laid my hands on, it probably needs a little focus tuning in camera for it to perform optimally
Tony please follow along. Normally, vignetting is not a big deal. When you are shooting astro, it's a huge deal! Say you shot your sky at ISO 3200, and you check the lens correction. If the software brightens those corners by, say, two stops, now the corners look like you shot them at ISO 12,800!!! I will say that on this lens, I don't know any astrophotographers who shoot at F1.4. They all stop down to f2.2 or f2.5 to get rid of the horrible coma wide open. At THAT point, the vignetting is not a problem.
Thanks for the review @Tony. I'm going to rent this lens in August for a wedding contract before making a definite purchase... so far I only shoot primes (35A, 50L, 85L & 135L) but I need something wider. What makes me hesitate the most is the amount of back focus I get with the Sigma 35A ... although I calibrated multiple times with the dock. It's bad enough that I am ready to sell it for a 35L mark I ... a less sharp lens that will look sharper anyway because it'll nail focus better :S.
Hi Tony and Chelsea. Thank you for your helpful work. Could I please ask which would be your preference for a crop-sensor camera, primarily for video work, between the Sigma 18-35mm f1.8, Sigma 24mm f1.4, or Sigma 20mm f1.4? I'm looking to upgrade my canon 28mm f1.8 on my canon 600d. Thank you in advance, Ruben
Hi Tony, would love to know your opinion on how the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 stacks up against the Nikon 20mm f/1.8G. Are the sharpness and extra 2/3rd stop of light worth the extra size and weight over the Nikon? The Nikon is almost a third the weight of the Sigma, not to mention that the Nikon supports a standard 77mm filter thread while the Sigma lacks one. Thanks.
i own this lens since today and I didn't have the chance to try it out. But the few test-shots look promising. Thanks for the fantastic review. I thing I'm going to like this lens, especially in low light situations.
I'm going to slap this Sigma 20mm f/1.4 lens onto a E-Mount speedbooster and hook the whole contraption up to my Sony a6300 which will give me the same 20mm effective focal length along with an additional stop (or thereabouts) while making it an f/1.0 in terms of light-gathering on the sensor. It'll be interesting to see if that setup or having this on with a dumb adapter on my Sony a7s will give me cleaner astrophotography images at 25 seconds exposure at ISO 400.
I'm surprised you even brought up the Rokinon 24mm for astrophotography. That has been my go to lens at point reyes.
Sigma is good on wide lenses. Its rectangular and circular fisheye lenses are unique in price and quality.
The reason why Sigma full frame art lenses are so popular is simple. They are new. Check Wikipedia and discover how old, most Nikon and Canon full frame lenses are. Most of them introduced before 2010 and many around 2005. Of course the advances of optics are much slower than electronics. However a lens introduced to the market in 2005 is old. Canon and Nikon should lower the prices and make new versions with wider apertures of their older lenses. I have a sony a7 with a LA-EA4 a-mount adapter. Many sigma lenses are available for sony a-mount but not this. I hope sigma will make it available for Sony. The sigma e-mount adapter for sigma EF mount lenses doesn't offer fast autofocus like LA-EA4 adapter with its translucent mirror and optical phase detection similar to sony a99.
Tony - Good review. Something about astrophotography that I am not sure you are aware of. There is a "rule" for shutter speed to avoid star trails. take 500 and divide by focal length. That is "roughly" the shutter speed you should use.
I know right, 30 secs is a bit too long for 20mm hahaha.
+《AiM》 more of a problem at 24mm, this means that you can get both a wider field of view (20% wider) and a slight bump in image quality (again 20%) compared to the Rokinon because you can leave the shutter open about 4-5 seconds longer. I think this is also why the coma is worse on the Rokinon in Tony's testing (because they were both shot at 30s, and the star trails would be longer). Hope this makes sense?
Dxo doesnt have how many pixels it will produce on APs-c
Tony try and review the new Zeiss Batis 18mm... seems the new "Ooo-la-la..." for the Sony A7 series.... Could be very interesting testing it not only for stills but also for video - using manual AND auto focus. Regards.
I love your reviews and waited so long for a good rev on this lens. Thanks :-) Made my day
Just went out and shot the Milky Way tonight off the Oregon Coast and could definitely feel the restrictive nature of my 28-75mm f2.8 Tamron lens when shooting the stars. I had to go Shooting 10 second exposers based on the NPF rule, I had to use 5000-6400 ISO, (which isn't terrible on my a7III, but still) to compensate for that f2.8. This lens would definitely be a game changer for me if I could afford it.
Tony your thoughts on the Pre Sigma Art 50 mm 1.4. Found a great deal on this Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens for Nikon for less than $400
HI Tony, Am I wrong in thinking that this would be an excellent lens for underwater photography? or am I missing something
Dear Tony, could you (or other people having experience with the following three lenses) please illuminate us on the following question(/s):
On a full sensor Canon body (e.g. 6D, 5DIV), and I'm talking about straight out of the camera, will the Sigma 20mm at f/1.4 have the same amount of vignetting as the Sigma 24mm at f/1.4 and/or the Canon 24 L II at f/1.4. And at f/1.4 is the image quality the same across all three lenses? Tnx in advance
Why only look at CA at f/5.6?
Finally coming to native Sony E mount in a couple weeks
Maybe the best lens for low Light, low ISO handheld photography.
Will you be reviewing the new Nikon AF-P DX NIKKOR 70-300mm f/4.5-6.3G ED VR?
Would you recommend putting this on a sony a7riii with an adapter. Mainly for landscape photography and vlogging?
Tony, can you explain what you meant by extra optics used to stabilize a lens and how they degrade image quality? It would be cool to see a video on how stabilized lenses work and maybe even a comparison between different brands.
I would watch said video if they make it
It's kinda obvious. Extra optical element equals extra two air to glass boundaries. Air to glass boundaries degrade the image quality. This is the sole reason why all manufacturers still produce lenses without image stabilization - it's a compromise.
Nice review! The coma kind of kills it for me for astro when comparing what the Rokinon costs v.s. the Sigma. Have you ever reviewed the Rokinon 14mm f/2.8? It's my go-to for astro and I've managed to get great results.
Stick it on the Ursa Mini and you have a 24mm 1.4 and the same with GH5 and metabones XL.
I have the lens and love it. Sharpest lens i have ever owned.. Def a specialty lens. I shoot landscapes with it.. I have been thinking about one of the versions of the 16-35 or 17-40 family tho. Primes are sharp as hell but the play in zooms is missed at times.
hello Tony , could you review Sigma Art 35mm 1.4 please ... many thanks
hi Tony, one thing I don't understand is why cropping down will reduce sharpness compared to Canon sharpness at certain equivalent focal?
I thought I was sold on the 24mm art for team photos in gyms with the bonus of astro, now there is this? I think the 20mm might be a better astro lens but might be too wide for my team shots in the gym? Back in dilemma mode. Thx lol
did you review the nikon 20 mm f 1.8 lens?
That lens with the pentax k1 would be the ultimamte landscape/astrophotography combo. Great review Tony
+Rodrigo Vazquez yes, just wish they made a Pentax mount!
Hope they will. Sigma is usually about 6-8 month late with K mount releases...
It should be great with a speedbooster on a GH4, don't you think? Equivalent of a fast 30 mm?
I'm torn between getting this 20mm lens, or Sigma's 35mm 1.4, or even Sigma's new 14mm 1.8; somebody help me make a decision. I would be using the lens for Astrophotography (of course) and possibly Landscapes, such as sunrises and sunsets. I would be using a D810 btw.
I wonder if the native E-Mount Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art that was just released keeps the same quality (or if it's even better - you guys mentioned that using MC-11 had some side-effects especially in the corners?)
Hey Tony!
Great review video!
How come there is so much noise at ISO 100 in the astro shot with the sigma? did you artificially increase the exposure in post?
Thanks!
When I see the nightsky over that house, the Rokinon makes a very different light in the sky with dark corners. The Sigma image looks strange with light corners and is dark in the middle. Is that just for this image or is it caused by lens caracteristics? Will that be good for astro photography?
What are your thoughts on using something like this for night photography vs something like Tamron's 15-30 2.8 with VC? Are they comparable? How much does the VC (and slower shutter speed) contribute to the capture of light? I have the 35 1.4 art and love it; I also have the 15-30 and would like to know if I can justify the 20 1.4 art. Thanks so much in advance if you reply!
Thanks for the quick review Tony!
What happened with the high noise in comparison with the rokinon? ISO 100 on both lenses and same time !!!
Nice review. Your landscape comments bring up the question to me-What is your favorite zoom lens (size and manufacturer and mount) for landscapes since you stated you primarily use a zoom for landscapes?
I really like the Nikon 14-24 and Tamron 15-30. I need to test the Canon 12-24, though. But I use the Canon 16-35 f/4 all the time, because it's versatile (it has IS) and light.
I didn't really narrow it down much :).
Hi,Tony! I probably say a stupid thing, but if compare with a sigma 19mm-2.8 ART for crop sensors? How well 19mm is? Thanks beforehand.
The coma you mention in your video is the way of the star traveling in the sky?
Hi Tony :) How does it compare with the tamaron 15 -30 @2.8 and further?
Can u pls make a real time test for that?
Hi Tony & Hi Chelsea! How are you? I have a question.
I want to decide a camera between Nikon D5500 & Canon 80D. Which one is good? I require it basically for landscape & Wild life photography.
You started out by saying that one wouldn't want to put this on an APS-C camera. The only camera I have is an APS-C, so what wide-angle lens you would recommend for my Canon EOS 760D/Rebel T6s when shooting Astrophotograpy? Thanx for another great review!
While far from perfect the Tokina 11-16 f2.8 is a good place to start, as you can use it for much else. If you don't already have it the Sigma 18-35 f1.8 which is made for crops is stunning, makes for a good astro lens that you can also use as a walking around lens. Hope that helps.
Tony & Chelsea Northrup can u review new Tokina 24-70 i cant find any good reviews for it. also can u compare it with tamron 24-70. btw i saw ur comparison 24-70 but without tokina
It's a fairly new lens, so give them some time.
how is the continual auto focus in video mode with Nikons? is it fast and quiet or does it make a noise picked up by the mic? wondering if this can be used for vlogging? thanks
I hate tripods and I prefer handheld shooting of the cities landscape during the blue hour.
For good dynamic range and colors o have to use the Sony a7S II with the sigma 20mm f/1.4 e-mount.
_The sensor of Sony a7S II offers the some quality of photos of two stops lower ISO of similar current cameras. _The sensor stabilization of a7S II allows 1 stop slower shutter speed which permits 1 stop lower ISO with handheld shooting.
_The f/1.4 of the sigma 20mm instead of the typical f/2.8 of similar lenses allows more light and lowers the ISO two stops.
For example with the Canon 1 DX II and the Canon 24mm f/2.8 L USM I will need five stop more ISO to achieve the some quality of photos of the Sony a7S II and Sigma 20mm f/1.4.
Do you think they will ever make this lens native with a Sony E-mount? Or should I not bother waiting and get the Sigma MC-11 adapter?
HI sir, i hope you shall be fine, i am reading your marvelous book SDP. it is a great help. sir i am from pakistan, i want to setup a weeding photography service here. but wedding shoots here are bit different from you area. i want to ask you which 85mm lense is best in sharpness as well as budget. also which dslr would you suggest for video shooting in wedding apsc or fx? here 4k video is not known to people most of the shooting is done from contemporary video tape camera or a few times from DSLR in hd. also suggest any other second lense to compliment 85mm
thanks in advance
why compare a zoom lens to a prime lens?
I hope you're next lens review is for the sigma 50-100mm f1.8
Would you recommend this lens for video? I'm using the Nikon d750? Thank you..🤓
why wouldn't you want to put this on an aps-c?
Hi Tony - does Sigma make wide primes for Sony E-mount (A9)? It's a little confusing when I search online. I'm looking for the best Sony e-mount lens for astrphophotography that is of course, below 2.0 aperture.
Hi guys, great job that you're doing, love you channel and videos. Keep doing what you're doing, you're great! One little thing that keeps bugging me, why don't you hide the cable that's coming out of the TV?
I want this lens for apsc!
? Thank you Tony, If you Compare it with Canon 24-70 F2.8 LII USM which one is sharper
I'm sure the manual focus beats the Nikon version. How did you not get star trails at 1:1 with a 30 second exposure? Anything longer than 13 seconds on the D750 and I notice them with the 20mm 1.8g.
I saw star trails in his 30 sec exposure. I'd shoot this lens for no longer than 20 seconds because of my own personal taste in how the stars come out.
Depends where you are on the globe. Closer to poles and you are not travelling as much as you are near the equator =)
+juuonse good point
Are you comparing to the canon 16-35 mark ii or mark iii? Thanks!
Why did you not test it wide open with a shorter exposure time for astro?
Thinking about buying this lens for Sony for me A7R3. Looking for tight/small spaces for boudoir in low light. Do you think this is the lens or what would you suggest? Thank you
How does the Sigma 20mm 1.4 Art compare to the Nikon 20mm 1.8G (the closest competition)?
You say you wouldn't use on a Aps-c , why not ? I have a Canon 80D , just bought the Canon 24-70 F2.8 and would like to add the sigma 20mm Art to my collection as i do wedding photography and thought it would be a good lens to add.
Check sdp.io/ffcrop.
Never shot weddings but the 24-70 seems like a bad choice if you have an 80D. Why didn't you go for something like the sigma 18-35 f1.8, a lens actually made for aps-c cameras, and get a lot more light with a similar full frame range equivalent (28-56mm)? For half the price none the less.
Please make a Pentax one Sigma thanks
Great review! Good to see this art lens is a winner since the art lenses have been kinda a mixed bag. I have to say the comparison of the rokinon interested me the most though. Its literally half the price of the sigma which just confirms its incredible value and why ill probably buy it over the sigma.
Which the better lens between sigma 20mm art or 18-35mm art? Anyway I've 70d but sometimes I'm using full frame camera. So what camera lens can do the best?
Please make a comparison video about Budget telephoto lens (70-300,55-200). your channel is great!!
which one should i choose for wide angle on wedding photography? 20mm or 24mm?is this 20 lens is to extreme for wide angle?should i choose 24mm ?
I'm so disappointed with this lens , I just bought it and firt i had to tune the autofocuswith my 6D because there was too much backfocus. Then I went to my favorite Bar too shoot some rock band : iso 200 125, F1.4 ; and nearly 50% of my shots were out of focus again; behind the subject. Sometimes the person is at 5meters , and the autofocus locks at 6-7 meter... Thinking of getting another lens or going to canon