Sigma Art 35 1.4 DG DN or APO SL 35 2.0?

[Nelina]

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Hello! I have an SL3 with APO 50mm and 90mm lenses, which I use most of the time for portrait photography. Sometimes I need something wider, especially for events, although it's not my favorite type of photography 🙂

In that case, would the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 be good enough, or is it better to go with the APO 35mm? Or maybe there’s another lens you would recommend?

I use the SL3 exclusively for work.

[LocalHero1953]

Welcome to the forum!

I have the APO 35SL but don't have the Sigma, and I occasionally do events (and it is also not my favourite type of photography). I suggest that events do not need the best IQ; IQ is likely to be already compromised by uncontrolled and mixed colour lighting, indoors and out; you may be shooting at higher ISO where noise becomes more intrusive (though correctable with AI noise reduction). I would rather have a lens that focused fast and allowed me to shoot with a narrow DoF to isolate a person in a crowded environment - of the two lenses you list, I would choose the wider, cheaper Sigma, superb though the Leica is.

But I mainly use the 24-90SL zoom for events to minimise lens changing, and to respond to different opportunities; it is backed up by the 90-280SL if there's activity at a distance (speakers on a stage, speaker at a dinner - sometimes being at a distance gives a better angle, or foreshortening). I don't use primes for events - I keep them for portraits.

[Nelina]

Thank you very much 🙂 My reasons for choosing the Sigma were the same.

At first, I was considering the 24-90, but it’s too big and heavy — although I've seen very beautiful and high-quality images taken with it. Knowing myself, I’d use a prime more than a zoom, which is why I decided to go with a 35mm.

 

[jplomley]

Maybe wait for the Sigma 35/1.2 v2 coming this year. I have the 50/1.2 Sigma and I can tell you it is epic (I have 21-35-75 APO's as comparisons and the Sigma holds its own with this class of optics)

[Nelina]

What about microcontrast? The APO has incredible microcontrast. And how are the colors? Is the Sigma more "sterile"?

I'm coming from the Sony A1, which I mostly used with the 50mm f/1.2 GM. But I much prefer the images from the SL3 with the APO SL 50 — they're more beautiful and have so much more character. I really love the way they look. I'm just afraid that with the Sigma, the images might go back to that typical Sony look.

[Babylonia]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb Nelina:

 I'm just afraid that with the Sigma, the images might go back to that typical Sony look.

All camera's and lenses by brand, do have their own "imaging" character.
You will feel the need to tweak the image to your liking by "some" post processing.
(Maybe making a special profile for one or the other lens, as to match you normally used "Leica" lenses).

By today’s digital possibilities, the output of your images greatly depends to your own skills by choosing the right -in camera- profiles,
and just some tweaking at post processing.

E.g. Mat Osborne - "Mr. Leica". Dedicated to Leica camera's.
Also do test several other brand camera's and lenses. And in spite of these brand differences, he always ended up by more or less "the same" output.
 

Mat Osborne also has his own "Leica presets"
https://mrleica.com/shop/
 

Mat Osborne YouTube channel, where you can find many resources, using lenses / camera's.
https://www.youtube.com/@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom

By choosing a 35mm lens, I should definitely wait till the new Sigma 35/1.2 v2 lens shall arrive.
I guess it shall be at the same league as the now already "legendary" Sigma 50/1.2 lens, that many owners praise.

Edited June 29 by Babylonia

[jplomley]

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2 hours ago, Nelina said:

What about microcontrast? The APO has incredible microcontrast. And how are the colors? Is the Sigma more "sterile"?

I'm coming from the Sony A1, which I mostly used with the 50mm f/1.2 GM. But I much prefer the images from the SL3 with the APO SL 50 — they're more beautiful and have so much more character. I really love the way they look. I'm just afraid that with the Sigma, the images might go back to that typical Sony look.

Microcontrast is as good at the Leica's. The Sigma at 1.2 and 1.4 has a wonderful signature with creamy bokeh. Cannot get that out of the 50 APO at f/2, despite Leica's claims that it emulates 1.4; I've shot the 50 APO and the bokeh is nervous in comparison to the Sigma. 

[Nelina]

24 minutes ago, jplomley said:

Microcontrast is as good at the Leica's. The Sigma at 1.2 and 1.4 has a wonderful signature with creamy bokeh. Cannot get that out of the 50 APO at f/2, despite Leica's claims that it emulates 1.4; I've shot the 50 APO and the bokeh is nervous in comparison to the Sigma. 

Thanks 🙂 That sounds wonderfull. I'll try Sigma next week.

[Jeff S]

4 hours ago, Nelina said:

At first, I was considering the 24-90, but it’s too big and heavy — although I've seen very beautiful and high-quality images taken with it. 

 

The new Leica, or current Sigma, 28-70 would provide greater flexibility for event shooting, still in a compact package.

[LD_50]

Reidreviews has tests of the various Sigmas and a comparison of the 35 f/1.2 at f/2 against the 35 APO. 

I chose the 35 APO. 

[jplomley]

1 hour ago, LD_50 said:

Reidreviews has tests of the various Sigmas and a comparison of the 35 f/1.2 at f/2 against the 35 APO. 

I chose the 35 APO. 

Wait for the v2 of the 35/1.2 that will be launched this year. If it is anything like the 50/1.2, and I expect it will be, then I will be selling my 35 APO. While the APO has lovely resolution, the bokeh at f/2.0 is nervous AF.....drives me crazy and IMHO a design flaw. I expect the Sigma will be smooth as butter.

Edited June 29 by jplomley

[Nelina]

1 hour ago, LD_50 said:

Reidreviews has tests of the various Sigmas and a comparison of the 35 f/1.2 at f/2 against the 35 APO. 

I chose the 35 APO. 

I love the 50 APO and 90 — the image quality is amazing and I'm sure that 35 will be also superb.
Unfortunately, for a lens that I’ll only use from time to time, I don’t want to spend so much money. That’s why my question was whether the Sigma is good enough, or if it’s significantly worse than the APO.
Thank you — I’ll check the site you mentioned.

[Nelina]

4 minutes ago, jplomley said:

Wait for the v2 of the 35/1.2 that will be launched this year. If it is anything like the 50/1.2, and I expect it will be, then I will be selling my 35 APO. While the APO has lovely resolution, the bokeh at f/2.0 is nervous AF.....drives me crazy and IMHO a design flaw. I expect the Sigma will be smooth as butter.

Yes, I was also wondering what kind of bokeh the 35 APO has. I’ll test it on Thursday — or maybe even earlier — at the Leica store. The 35mm f/1.2 is quite heavy and big — I’m curious if the new version will be smaller. 

[jplomley]

4 minutes ago, Nelina said:

Yes, I was also wondering what kind of bokeh the 35 APO has. I’ll test it on Thursday — or maybe even earlier — at the Leica store. The 35mm f/1.2 is quite heavy and big — I’m curious if the new version will be smaller. 

Expect faster AF and reduced weight! The 50/1.2 easily surpasses the AF speed of my Leica APO lenses. 

[Doc_P]

Color cast behaviour might be a challenge when mixing sigma art lenses with ApoCrons … Thats why i sold my Sigmas… 

[jplomley]

???? Never had a color cast with the 50/1.2 or 105 Macro. Were these the most recent DG DN Art lenses that you observed this?

 

[Stuart Richardson]

1 hour ago, jplomley said:

Wait for the v2 of the 35/1.2 that will be launched this year. If it is anything like the 50/1.2, and I expect it will be, then I will be selling my 35 APO. While the APO has lovely resolution, the bokeh at f/2.0 is nervous AF.....drives me crazy and IMHO a design flaw. I expect the Sigma will be smooth as butter.

Personally, I have not found the bokeh to be nervous at all, let alone especially so. But I guess tastes vary. Based on my experience with Sigma lenses, which are excellent, I think the biggest difference will be the purity of the color and the lack of chromatic aberrations, particularly in longitudinal chromatic aberration. Leica APO Summicrons seem to be very very free of it, while fast Sigma primes are not. Don't get me wrong, they are superb lenses and I think if that is not a particularly important consideration for you, then you will likely be quite happy. I think that if you like the 50mm APO, the 35mm APO will be very much the same flavor, just a bit wider. That is what is so nice about those lenses -- same size, same weight, same filters, same caps and same performance. But that does not mean you need to have one at an uncommonly used focal length. 

Here are a few photos that I took wide open or close to it and one at a more normal aperture. The dogs and the tree are mostly to show the bokeh when the backgrounds are busy. 

 

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[Doc_P]

vor 2 Stunden schrieb jplomley:

???? Never had a color cast with the 50/1.2 or 105 Macro. Were these the most recent DG DN Art lenses that you observed this?

 

At least for the city- and landscapes my images from sigma lenses had a distinctive color shift compared to ApoCrons, difficult to correct. In series they jumped out…   

[Nelina]

8 hours ago, Stuart Richardson said:

Personally, I have not found the bokeh to be nervous at all, let alone especially so. But I guess tastes vary. Based on my experience with Sigma lenses, which are excellent, I think the biggest difference will be the purity of the color and the lack of chromatic aberrations, particularly in longitudinal chromatic aberration. Leica APO Summicrons seem to be very very free of it, while fast Sigma primes are not. Don't get me wrong, they are superb lenses and I think if that is not a particularly important consideration for you, then you will likely be quite happy. I think that if you like the 50mm APO, the 35mm APO will be very much the same flavor, just a bit wider. That is what is so nice about those lenses -- same size, same weight, same filters, same caps and same performance. But that does not mean you need to have one at an uncommonly used focal length. 

Here are a few photos that I took wide open or close to it and one at a more normal aperture. The dogs and the tree are mostly to show the bokeh when the backgrounds are busy. 

 

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Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and the photos!

At f/2 the bokeh naturally won’t look like what you get at f/1.2 or f/1.4, but in your examples I don’t see any signs of nervousness at all.

For me, the bigger question is about color rendering. I find Sigma lenses often have a cooler, slightly more clinical look, while Leica APO lenses produce amazing skin tones and a more natural, rich feel.

Of course, you can adjust colors in post, but if the difference is too noticeable, it just takes more time and effort — especially when combining shots from different lenses.

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[Nelina]

7 hours ago, Doc_P said:

At least for the city- and landscapes my images from sigma lenses had a distinctive color shift compared to ApoCrons, difficult to correct. In series they jumped out…   

Did you actually find Sigma to have cooler colors?