Need to decide between Nikon 50mm 1.4g and Sigma 50 1.4 soon

jdong217 · Nov 2, 2011

I've been putting off this decision for a while now and need to make it soon. I have an 85 and 24/1.4g that I always carry around with me, and was hoping to even it out with a fast 50.

The 85 and 24 are a bit heavy, so the main draw of the Nikon was it's light weight. The Sigma is heavier and seems to have a more professional build to me with the 77mm filters, and supposedly has smoother and silkier bokeh and better color rendition. On the other hand, I've heard bad things about Sigma quality issues. Are the kinks with this lens worked out yet?

Both are about the same price right now in the country I'm in. So which do you guys recommend?

KmH · Nov 2, 2011

It has been demonstrated in several scientific studies that online recommendations are essentially useless. It's known as 'confirmation bias'.

The decision is yours to make.

Markw · Nov 2, 2011

The optics of the two are more or less the same in real life. The Sigma is better with CA and bokeh. Some say it's sharper, but I don't really see much of a difference. The Sigma is said to be built better, and has an aspherical element. I like this comparison. It compares the Nikon 50mm 1.8, 1.4G, and the Sigma 50/1.4.

Mark

Big Mike · Nov 2, 2011

The 85 and 24 are a bit heavy, so the main draw of the Nikon was it's light weight

The Sigma 50mm F1.4 is huge....at least compared to most other 50mm F1.4 lenses. So if size/weight is an issue to you...the Nikon seems like the right choice.

Nikon_Josh · Nov 3, 2011

I asked this question myself at one point, I wasn't even considering the Sigma as I generally prefer to buy Nikon. The recommendation was that the Sigma had superior 'Bokeh', so I chose the Sigma and have not looked back since. In my mind the Sigma has superior Bokeh and colour rendition, I just love the images it produces. Really feels like using a luxury lens at a low price!

As for the idea about all Sigma 50 1.4's having problems, its a bit of a myth! You want proof? I just shot a low light party at the weekend with the Sigma 50 1.4, the autofocus was bang on every time, I couldn't believe how well it performed under awful lighting conditions. It was also focussing alot faster than my Nikon 35 1.8G which was impressive.

The weight thing is very subjective aswell, the extra weight made it easier for me to handhold at slower shutter speeds and get sharp images. I was shooting at 1/50 and 1/30 of a second when I should have been shooting at 1/90 of a second in theory. The weight made life easier for me!

The Nikon 50 1.4G is a fantastic lens but as has been stated in many reviews, Nikon have stayed with the same formula for there updated 1.4G version. The only REAL change was 9 rounded aperture blades.

Check out Ryan Brenizer's review of the Sigma for more clarification.

djacobox372 · Nov 3, 2011

The newer nikon f1.8g is an updated design which is sharper with better contrast then the f1.4g at f2 and below, not to mention cheaper.

Id buy one of these and wait for them to update the 1.4