Sigma has recently announced the world's first 14mm f/1.4, which is a dream for astro, real estate, landscape, and architectural photographers around the world. The images so far shown have been incredible, and in this video, Christopher Frost puts the lens through its paces.
The Sigma 14mm f/1.4 is currently available on Sony FE Mount and Leica L Mount for $1,599, which is a great price when compared to the f/1.8 versions at similar price points.
Frost, straight off the bat, was very impressed with the build quality of the lens, with it feeling very tough and durable. The drawback is that, due to the bulbous front element, the lens is unable to take front filters. However, there is a filter space in the rear of the lens.
The lens is also dust- and splash-resistant, with a weather-sealing gasket. The lens comes with a tripod bracket, which is a first for a wide angle lens. However, this makes sense with its size and weight.
When testing the lens, we can see in the video that this lens does carry some focus breathing in the form of warping from the corners. However, this is unlikely to be an issue with most astrophotographers. The autofocus, however, is very fast and responsive in continuous mode.
Frost confirms the lens does not have stabilization, which again I feel is unlikely to be an issue due to the main uses and how wide it is.
On to the image quality, and Frost is very impressed. In the center of the image at f/1.4, it is razor-sharp with excellent contrast, and the corners are just as good for this very wide aperture. There is some vignetting and distortion, which is to be expected with a lens this wide, though this resolves itself by f/2.8. At close distances, subjects can suffer from color fringing and a drop in sharpness. However, this is resolved by f/2.8 as well.
When testing for lens flaring, this lens performs outstandingly. The coma control is also very well handled in the corners, with minor wings, but stopping the lens down improves this performance again.
Check out the video above for Frost's full thoughts.
