Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens Review (by OpticalLimits)

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OpticalLimits published the Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens for Sony E-mount review (tested on the 24.2MP Sony A6300): “The Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary is an excellent example for how mirrorless lenses should be.”.

Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens Key Features:

  • Focal length: 56mm
  • Aperture range: f/1.4-16
  • Sony E-mount lens
  • APS-C image sensor format
  • Smallest mid-tele lens in class
  • Smooth AF ideal for video shooting
  • SLD glass element corrects axial color aberration
  • Stepping motor enables smooth and quiet autofocus
  • 9-blade rounded diaphragm
  • Dust- and splash-proof design with rubber sealing

Conclusion from OpticalLimits:

The Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary is an excellent example for how mirrorless lenses should be. It’s small and well built with a focus on the optical characteristics where it counts the most while compromising on secondary aspects that can be corrected without too many headaches. Namely the sharpness is very good at f/1.4 and downright superb between f/2 and f/8. The laternal CAs are very low. This can’t be said about the original distortion which is on the high side for a prime lens. Vignetting is also very pronounced at f/1.4. However, these two aspects are mostly corrected with image auto-correction either in-camera (with JPGs) or in RAW converters. A strength of the lens is the quality of the bokeh with nicely rendered out-of-focus highlights and a smooth blur in the focus transition zones. Bokeh fringing is present at large aperture but that’s rather normal for such a lens.

The overall build quality is very good. The lens body is made of metal and the big, rubberized focus ring is both smooth as well as very grippy. It also has basic sealing of some kind. On the downside, manual focusing is way too coarse to be useful at shorter focus distances. The AF is about average for a modern mirrorless lens – thus it’s quite fast, noiseless and accurate. You won’t use it for action photography though.

The sum of its qualities combined with the very reasonable price tag make the Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary an obvious choice in its class. Therefore – highly recommended!

You can read the full review at OpticalLimits.

$50 off on Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens for Sony E: $429 at Amazon, B&H, Adorama.

Read more: Best Lenses for Sony a7 III and Best Lenses for Sony a6400.