Sigma 56mm F/1.4 DC DN Contemporary

Specifications01

MountSONY E

Focal length56mm

Max aperturef/1.4

TypeCinema · Portrait · Prime

Weight380 g

Filter size55 mm

Physical length66.5 mm

Min focus distance0.5 m

Max magnification0.1351

Aperture blades9

Lens hoodbarrel-shaped (bayonet mount, supplied)

Sensor coverage30 mm

Additional Info02

Category["Sony","Sony E (APS-C)"]

Keywords["Prime","Sigma","Sony","Tele"]

Review AuthorKlaus

Review Rating8

Review VerdictThe 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!

Review Criteria{"Build Quality":7.5,"Optical Quality":8,"Price / Performance":10}

Review Published2020-06-17T05:00:00+00:00

Optical Construction10 Elemente in 6 Gruppen inc. 1x aspherical, 1x SLD elements

Summary02

Sigma 56mm F/1.4 DC DN Contemporary is a prime portrait lens for Sony E APS-C cameras, offering a wide f/1.4 maximum aperture for low-light and shallow depth of field. It does not have optical stabilization listed in the provided data.

AI-assisted summary — verify against linked sources

Specifications from opticallimits

Where can this lens be adapted?

The Sony E mount has a flange distance of 18 mm. A plain adapter fits a camera whose flange distance is at least 1.46 mm shorter. How lens adapters work

Sony lenses named "E" (not "FE") cover APS-C only.
Native lenses set the aperture, and often the focus, electronically. On a plain adapter they do not work. Use an electronic adapter made for this pair; for many pairs nobody makes one. Fully manual lenses are the exception.