Christopher J Osborne

Shot on the Sigma SD Quattro H: f/1.4 - 1/64z - ISO 100. If you just want to see more images, jump straight to the Sigma 24mm F/1.4 DG HSM Art 015 gallery.

Introduction

This lens was my second ever Sigma SA lens bought specifically for my Sigma SQ Quattro H camera. Like all Sigma's fast "Global Vision Art" DSLR lenses this lens is a hefty chunk of glass! But at 665 grams it is usefully smaller than the gargantuan 815 gram 50mm lens from the same series. But when I put both these lenses in my camera bag there really isn't much room for anything else!

Fortunately, like all my other Sigma "Global Vision Art" lenses, it is beautifully design and very well made. The "DG" letters in the lens name tell you that this lens is optimised for full-frame sensors and so of course also work perfectly on cameras with smaller APS-H and APS-C sized sensors. The "HSM" letter in the lens name tells you this lens has Sigma's equivalent of Canon's USM ultra-sonic focussing motor for pretty much silent focussing.

I remember many years ago trying my first ever ultra-fast wide-angle lens, the FUJINON XF 23mmF1.4 R WR for Fujifilm's X series of mirrorless cameras. I had such a huge amount of fun with that lens (even though it was just borrowed and had to go back to Fujifilm after just a few days) that some sort of fast moderate wide-angle lens is something I always look for in whatever camera system I'm currently using. On the Sigma SQ Quattro H and Sigma SD14 this lens fulfils that role perfectly. On my Sony A7R III this lens fulfils its original purpose of a fast ultra-wide-angle lens, which is just as much fun.

Using the Sigma 24mm F/1.4 Art on the Sigma Sigma SD Quattro H

On the SDQH, with its APS-H sensor, Sigma 24mm F/1.4 Art has a field of view similar to a 32mm lens on a full-frame camera. The SDQH is one of the most eccentric cameras I have ever used, with focussing issues and plenty of, let's say interesting!, Foveon image quality issue. But with certain settings and habits (I generally use the the largest possible focussing point, try to keep to f/2.0 or smaller apertures, and when I go to f/1.4 I make sure to take plenty of time with focussing), focussing is acceptable most of the time.

I found I actually really like the wide-but-not-too-wide field of view with this lens on the SDQH, and combining shallow depth-of-field with this semi-wide field of view is seriously enjoyable. And no complaints about this lenses image quality either. I also found this lens could produce very nice sun-stars.

f/1.4 - 1/4000 - ISO100

f/2.0 - 1/250 - ISO100

f/16 - 1/8 - ISO 100

f/16 - 1/13 - ISO100

f/16 - 1/50 - ISO100
My Sigma DP2 Merrill camera produces really ugly bright green flares when ever you have a light source in (or anywhere near!) the frame. Sigma seem to have tames this tendency to a fairly large extent in their Quattro generation cameras, but weird (this time multi-) coloured flare-like patterns with a light source in the frame are still a problem. But this is a problem with the SDQH camera and not this lens. This image also demonstrates the rather nice sun-stars this lens is capable of producing.

f/1.4 - 1/640 - ISO100

f/1.4 - 1/800 - ISO100

f/3.5 - 1/200 - ISO100

Using the Sigma 24mm F/1.4 Art on the Sigma SD14

On the Sigma SD-14 with its slightly smaller than average ASP-C sensor, the Sigma 24mm Art has a field of view similar to a 40mm lens on a full-frame camera. As far as I am concerned this is pretty much the ideal field-of-view for a walk-around prime lens. Focussing isn't the SD14's strong suit with any lens, but with the Sigma 24mm Art lens focussing was slow but adequate, so long as you take your time and focus several times before taking the cameras word that it is properly acquired focus!

With that near perfect field of view this lens has proved to be something of a favourite on my SD14. It just turned out that I felt the urge to turn most of my SD14 shots with the Sigma 24mm Art lens to black and white, not least because I took this combination to a cemetery, and b&w just seems to work well in a graveyard!

f/5.0 - 1/400 - ISO100

f/5.0 - 1/400 - ISO100

f/1.8 - 1/2500 - ISO100

f/1.8 - 1/4000 - ISO100

Using the Sigma 24mm F/1.4 Art on the Sony A7R III

As previously discussed, I've run into several problems using my Sigma SA mount lenses on my SDQH, in particular focussing problems, weirdly exaggerated longitudinal chromatic aberrations (i.e. strange colours in out-of-focus areas) and ugly flare when the sun is in or near the frame. Many of these chromatic aberrations are usually attributed to lenses rather than cameras, but I found them to be of strange enough nature to suspect that the Foveon sensor was at least partly to blame.

When I finally got a Sigma MC-11 adapter to allow me to use my Sigma SA lenses on my Sony A7R III I am now able to test the validity of this idea. And I can confirm that I am seeing none of these focussing and colour problems on my Sony, so yes, I am now happy to place the blame on the Sigma cameras and their Foveon sensors. All the Sigma Foveon equipped cameras I have used are still capable of generating gorgeous results, and I still love using them. I have just learned to avoid the situations that can produce problems.

All the photograph below were created when I took my Sony A7R III and a couple of Sigma SA mount lenses to Ravelston Woods in Edinburgh, a place well known for its beautiful bluebell displays in May. On my Sony A7R III the Sigma 24mm Art lens is finally giving its full ultra wide-angle field-of-view, and experiments with shallow depth-of-field ultra wide-angle photography have been a huge amount of fun! The fact the it is surprisingly capable for close-up photography just adds to the fun.

f/1.4 - 1/640 - ISO100

f/1.4 - 1/250 - ISO100

f/1.4 - 1/320 - ISO100

f/1.4 - 1/2500 - ISO3200

f/16 - 1/30 - ISO100

f/16 - 1/30 - ISO100

f/1.4 - 1/250 - ISO100