First announced at Photokina 2018, Sigma’s new 56mm f/1.4 prime lens offers an effective 84mm focal length on mirrorless Sony APS-C cameras including the A6000, A6300 and Sony A6500, while on Olympus mirrorless cameras like the OM-D E-M1 II it’s effectively a 112mm f/1.4. It's an interesting development for Sony APS-C mirrorless fans, who are still waiting for more news on the rumored new high-end Sony A7000.
In both cases it makes a perfect wide aperture ‘portrait’ lens for low-light shooting and attractive background blur. The best news is the price, which has just been announced: in the UK the Sigma 56mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary will go on sale at £399.99 and will be available from November 2018. In the US it’s on pre-sale at $479.
That’s pretty good value for a premium-quality f/1.4 prime, and although it’s part of Sigma’s ‘Contemporary’ range, the company says its “remarkable” optical quality rivals that of its premium ‘Art’ lenses. It comes with a 9-bladed rounded diaphragm, a dust- and splash-proof design and a smooth AF system well suited to video.
Good news for Sony fans
Sony and Olympus were pretty quiet at Photokina. Sony is saying nothing about its plans for its APS-C camera system, which seems like it’s in the doldrums, while Olympus is sticking with the Micro Four Thirds format despite its long-time technology partner Panasonic stepping into the full frame market.
But Olympus is defiant about the relevance and importance of its sensor format and we’re hearing rumours about a new high-end Sony APS-C camera that could see this format revived.
Sigma certainly has some faith in Sony APS-C E-mount, as the 56mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary is the company’s third fast-aperture prime lens for this format, following on from the original 30mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary and later 16mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary. Sigma has now completed its line-up of portable wide-angle, standard, and telephoto lenses for the Sony APS-C E-mount system.
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