Sigma 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art is the lighest lens in its class

Sigma has announced a new Sigma 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art lens (buy here) for full-frame mirrorless cameras. Of course, that means just Leica L mount and Sony E mount cameras. At least for now.

The new lens offers a very bright f/1.2 aperture with a “standard” 50mm focal length. Despite its wide aperture, Sigma says it’s the lightest weight lens in its class, suitable for a wide range of applications.

Sigma 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art – Light and bright

The Sigma 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art lens weighs in at 745g, which is pretty lightweight for a lens with this wide an aperture. In comparison, Canon’s RF 50mm f/1.2 (buy here), for example, weighs a whopping 950g. Sony’s FE 50mm f/1.2 GM (buy here) weighs closest, at 778g.

This light weight will no doubt be a big draw for customers who might have been considering the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG DN Art (buy here). That lens weighs 660g, so users aren’t going to have to carry too much extra to go up to f/1.2.

Of course, older DSLR lenses were significantly lighter, oddly enough. The Canon EF 50mm f/1.2 L lens (buy here) for Canon EF mount DSLRs weighs only 580g. So much for mirrorless making things lighter, huh?

Although it’s a hair wider in diameter, the Sigma 50mm f/1.2 Art is actually a little shorter than the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art. The 50mm f/1.4 Art measures 78.2 x 111.5mm, while the 50mm f/1.2 Art measures 81.0 x 108.8mm.

Wide f/1.2 Aperture

The bright f/1.2 aperture offers a number of advantages. That it opens so wide and lets in so much light means that it’s excellent in low-light conditions, offering about a stop and a third more light than a 50mm f/1.8.

That means you can shoot at a lower ISO or with a faster shutter speed to help ensure a good, sharp, well-exposed photo. It also means you can get those super shallow depth-of-field shots when you want them. That’s the real point of an f/1.2 lens for most people.

The paper-thin depth-of-field never really attracted me to wide lenses like these, but the ability to shoot in lower light conditions can be invaluable. For things like street photography, especially as it’s still getting dark quite early for most of us, this lets us keep shooting for longer.

Minimised focus breathing and aberration

Sigma says that the lens has been optimised for minimal focus breathing. The company hasn’t said if the Sony E mount version of the lens is compatible with Sony’s focus breathing correction or if it will become available in the future, but it has it built into its very design.

It has a rounded 13-blade diaphragm, which Sigma says produces “rich and beautiful bokeh without colour bleeding”. They say that it eliminates double-line bokeh, which often presents as a bright outline around each bokeh ball. Overall, it should offer the smoothest of smooth bokeh.

Aspherical elements, along with various coatings, help to suppress the usual array of lens problems. Flare, ghosting, chromatic aberration, contrast, coma, spherical aberration and more have all been addressed.

Sigma 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art Specs

	50mm f/1.2 DG DN	50mm f/1.4 DG DN
Focal length	50mm	50mm
Max aperture	f/1.2	f/1.4
Min aperture	f/16	f/16
Lens mount	Sony E, Leica L	Sony E, Leica L
Format	Full-frame	Full-frame
Angle of view	46.8°	46.8°
Minimum Focus Distance	40cm	45cm
Optics	17 elements in 12 groups	14 elements in 11 groups
Aperture blades	13, rounded	11, rounded
Focus type	Autofocus	Autofocus
Stabilisation	None	None
Filter size	72mm (front)	72mm (front)
Dimensions	81.0 x 108.8mm	78.2 x 111.5mm
Weight	745g	670g
Launch Price	$1,399	$849

Price and Availability

The Sigma 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art lens is available to pre-order now for $1,399. The lens begins shipping in mid-April.