Sigma 14mm f/1.4

[Marximus]

Looks like a pretty sweet option for astro. A beast of a lens, though:

 

[Jeff_0000]

Looks like a pretty sweet option for astro. A beast of a lens, though:

Worse than Sony 14 GM and Viltrox 16 f1.8 in corner sharpness. The Sigma's corner only gets good at f5.6. Then, what's the point of using that lens @ f1.8 if the corner performance doesn't hold up?

I would choose either the Sony or Viltrox over this gigantic lens.

Sigma 14mm F1.4 DG DN | ART Review - DustinAbbott.net

Photographer Dustin Abbott shares a thorough, real world review of the Sigma 14mm F1.4 DG DN | ART - an extreme wide angle lens.

dustinabbott.net

 

[Impulses]

Looks like a pretty sweet option for astro. A beast of a lens, though:

Worse than Sony 14 GM and Viltrox 16 f1.8 in corner sharpness. The Sigma's corner only gets good at f5.6. Then, what's the point of using that lens @ f1.8 if the corner performance doesn't hold up?

I would choose either the Sony or Viltrox over this gigantic lens.

https://dustinabbott.net/2023/06/sigma-14mm-f1-4-dg-dn-art-review/

I haven't watched CF's review but don't people often care somewhat more about the vignetting and coma than ultimate sharpness for astro?

A slightly fuzzier star isn't as big a deal as a winged one or much more noise in the corners (and the inherent issues with stitching). I think the Sigma has to have lower vignetting at f1.8 (than the GM) and comparable coma if it's gonna justify it's bulk... If it's merely on par at the same apertures and worse wide open it's a tough sell, tho I imagine some won't care as long as it gets them f1.4 for the exposure.

It's definitely not for me, I admire their ambition tho. Heck with what little time I have for this and how often I'd swap to a prime this wide even the excellent GM isn't for me, I'd usually pay the premium for something smaller/lighter but it's hard to ignore how good that Viltrox is... I already had my eye on the Laowa 15/2 but I think that Viltrox is now in my future tbh.

 

[Jeff_0000]

Looks like a pretty sweet option for astro. A beast of a lens, though:

Worse than Sony 14 GM and Viltrox 16 f1.8 in corner sharpness. The Sigma's corner only gets good at f5.6. Then, what's the point of using that lens @ f1.8 if the corner performance doesn't hold up?

I would choose either the Sony or Viltrox over this gigantic lens.

https://dustinabbott.net/2023/06/sigma-14mm-f1-4-dg-dn-art-review/

I haven't watched CF's review but don't people often care somewhat more about the vignetting and coma than ultimate sharpness for astro?

A slightly fuzzier star isn't as big a deal as a winged one or much more noise in the corners (and the inherent issues with stitching). I think the Sigma has to have lower vignetting at f1.8 (than the GM) and comparable coma if it's gonna justify it's bulk... If it's merely on par at the same apertures and worse wide open it's a tough sell, tho I imagine some won't care as long as it gets them f1.4 for the exposure.

According to CF's test, Sigma's coma is nonexistent at f1.4, but so does Sony at f1.8 . Vignette of both lenses is heavy at their widest aperture. Although Sigma corrects the issue at f2.8, but then it somewhat defeats the purpose of using it at f1.4...

I don't know if Sigma has worse field curvature than Sony and Viltrox. I have seen a few reviews focusing on the test chart distance, and the sharpness is really not great. However, I haven't seen anyone test the sharpness at infinity (where the stars are at), so sharpness at infinity can be reserved for judgement in the future.

But right now, given the size and weight disadvantage, as well as the optical sharpness and price disadvantage, the Sigma is not a compelling option to me.

If I want a versatile lens that can do everything and at an affordable price, Viltrox is the way to go. But if I want the best of the best, Sony is the one.

It's definitely not for me, I admire their ambition tho. Heck with what little time I have for this and how often I'd swap to a prime this wide even the excellent GM isn't for me, I'd usually pay the premium for something smaller/lighter but it's hard to ignore how good that Viltrox is... I already had my eye on the Laowa 15/2 but I think that Viltrox is now in my future tbh.

I am waiting that lens for Z mount too. Hard to resist on the very cheap price.

 

[Jeff_0000]

Looks like a pretty sweet option for astro. A beast of a lens, though:

Worse than Sony 14 GM and Viltrox 16 f1.8 in corner sharpness. The Sigma's corner only gets good at f5.6. Then, what's the point of using that lens @ f1.8 if the corner performance doesn't hold up?

I would choose either the Sony or Viltrox over this gigantic lens.

https://dustinabbott.net/2023/06/sigma-14mm-f1-4-dg-dn-art-review/

I compared Gordon Laing's videos. Here are my findings:

Both 14 GM and 14 Art has very well-controlled coma

For sharpness at landscape distance, the Sony is sharper in the center and corner wide open up and f2.8 than Sigma

To me the clear winner is the Sony.

 

[Impulses]

Looks like a pretty sweet option for astro. A beast of a lens, though:

Worse than Sony 14 GM and Viltrox 16 f1.8 in corner sharpness. The Sigma's corner only gets good at f5.6. Then, what's the point of using that lens @ f1.8 if the corner performance doesn't hold up?

I would choose either the Sony or Viltrox over this gigantic lens.

https://dustinabbott.net/2023/06/sigma-14mm-f1-4-dg-dn-art-review/

I compared Gordon Laing's videos. Here are my findings:

Both 14 GM and 14 Art has very well-controlled coma

For sharpness at landscape distance, the Sony is sharper in the center and corner wide open up and f2.8 than Sigma

To me the clear winner is the Sony.

The Sony had like -1.7 EV of vignetting at f2.8 IIRC, and almost -3 EV wide open at f1.8 (-2.65 at f2)... Nothing that would ever bug me (f2.8 zooms have just as much wide open) but I think that's what many wide astro photogs will be looking to compare with the Sigma. If it's not closer to -2 EV by f1.8-2 then it's gonna be a much tougher sell to some regardless of that central f1.4.

For actual landscapes I dunno that I'd notice a difference between any of them and say, Sigma's own excellent 14-24/2.8 DN. I actually wish someone would make a lighter 14-xx, that Sigma looks stellar but it's a chonk. It's almost the same weight as Sony's 12-24 GM, Nikon's Z 14-24 is a couple hundred grams lighter. But I digress...

 

[Jeff_0000]

Looks like a pretty sweet option for astro. A beast of a lens, though:

Worse than Sony 14 GM and Viltrox 16 f1.8 in corner sharpness. The Sigma's corner only gets good at f5.6. Then, what's the point of using that lens @ f1.8 if the corner performance doesn't hold up?

I would choose either the Sony or Viltrox over this gigantic lens.

https://dustinabbott.net/2023/06/sigma-14mm-f1-4-dg-dn-art-review/

I compared Gordon Laing's videos. Here are my findings:

Both 14 GM and 14 Art has very well-controlled coma

For sharpness at landscape distance, the Sony is sharper in the center and corner wide open up and f2.8 than Sigma

To me the clear winner is the Sony.

The Sony had like -1.7 EV of vignetting at f2.8 IIRC, and almost -3 EV wide open at f1.8 (-2.65 at f2)... Nothing that would ever bug me (f2.8 zooms have just as much wide open) but I think that's what many wide astro photogs will be looking to compare with the Sigma. If it's not closer to -2 EV by f1.8-2 then it's gonna be a much tougher sell to some regardless of that central f1.4.

Dustin reports +55 to correct uncorrected raw files shot on 14 GM and +73 shot on 14 Art. But can wait for more references.

For actual landscapes I dunno that I'd notice a difference between any of them and say, Sigma's own excellent 14-24/2.8 DN. I actually wish someone would make a lighter 14-xx, that Sigma looks stellar but it's a chonk. It's almost the same weight as Sony's 12-24 GM, Nikon's Z 14-24 is a couple hundred grams lighter. But I digress...

For landscape, I actually prefer zoom than prime. I went with the 14-24 f2.8 instead of 14 f1.8 when I decided a lens for my DSLR. Zoom gives flexibility which prime cannot. Oddly though it seems the three zoom lenses you mention are probably the best (very comparable or even better than the prime lenses on their own systems).

 

[PWPhotography]

Looks like a pretty sweet option for astro. A beast of a lens, though:

No interest. I am very happy in 14 GM that complements 16-35 PZ or 20-70 G (going to own soon) very well.

 

[travelinbri_74]

Looks like a pretty sweet option for astro. A beast of a lens, though:

Worse than Sony 14 GM and Viltrox 16 f1.8 in corner sharpness. The Sigma's corner only gets good at f5.6. Then, what's the point of using that lens @ f1.8 if the corner performance doesn't hold up?

I would choose either the Sony or Viltrox over this gigantic lens.

https://dustinabbott.net/2023/06/sigma-14mm-f1-4-dg-dn-art-review/

Frost says the opposite, that the Sigma is sharper straight from 1.4:

 

[Jeff_0000]

Looks like a pretty sweet option for astro. A beast of a lens, though:

Worse than Sony 14 GM and Viltrox 16 f1.8 in corner sharpness. The Sigma's corner only gets good at f5.6. Then, what's the point of using that lens @ f1.8 if the corner performance doesn't hold up?

I would choose either the Sony or Viltrox over this gigantic lens.

https://dustinabbott.net/2023/06/sigma-14mm-f1-4-dg-dn-art-review/

Frost says the opposite, that the Sigma is sharper straight from 1.4:

I watched that video, but I have a different observation on the video:

The center sharpness of the GM actually looks a bit sharper than the Sigma to me. However, in the corners, I am not sure if one is better than the other.

Sony appears to show more smaller, finer details, but there is a kind of motion blur that deterioriates the corner image quality. The Sigma doesn't have that motion blur thing but doesn't show that extra finer details at f1.4 or f2.

Do you see the same thing here as well? I have noticed similar patterns on some of Chris's videos. Some lenses show the bite of the fine details (like Nikon Z 14-24 and 24-120), but some show that kind of "soft" look (like the Sigma 14 and 20 f1.4 DG DN). I want to figure out the reason of such differences.

 

[Marximus]

He did mention in his comparison of the Sigma and Sony that he had reprinted his test chart not too long ago, so that might have something to do with it.

 

[Dan_168]

Looks like a pretty sweet option for astro. A beast of a lens, though:

Have it on Pre-order, to me is a clear winner.

I am an Astro shooter and current owner of 14GM, Sigma 14 F1.8 Art, Laowa 15 F2, have been dreaming for a 14 1.4 for long time and thought no one will ever made one, so after I saw the announcement and few review from website I trust, I put in my Pre-Order, to me this new lens is a pretty clear winner for the following reason:

1. F1.4 vs F1.8, 2/3 of stop is not just bragging right, but a real advantage, it translates into 2/3 stop lower ISO or a 2/3 of stop faster shutter speed, meaning either less star trail and/or lower noise. for Milky way, you never have enough light, really need every little help from any area, and faster lens is ALWAYS better. Ian Norman from Lonely Speck has some untracked sample from this lens shot at ISO 640 6 second, F1.4 , looks very nice, all stars are pin sharp without trail, very clean overall, I can't wait to put that on my tracker and do a 10 image stack, would be SWEET.

2. Well control of coma, from multiple reviewer I trust, it looks like the new Sigma has about the same coma performance as the 14GM, which is a very good performer, day and night better than the old Sigma 14 1.8, that alone is enough for me to replace the old Sigma 14 1.8 Art, which just went on the local Craigslist and eBay today.

3. Manual Focus Lock button, ok, just a lock button so what's the big deal?? it's a huge deal for me, after used the 20 DG DN for few months in the field, I found that MFL is such nice feature, I can just take my time and carefully focus on the star once, then flip the switch, and done, the focus will be locked for all night, even I touch the focus ring, I can even put the camera back in the bag and hike another mile to new location and never have to refocus again, just pull it out and start shooting, I tested this multiple times with the 20 DGDN, and it works perfectly every single time, actually last week I pull the camera out of the bad and start shooting without any need to focus again, and the last time I use that combo was weeks ago, most likely I won't need to do any focus again this Friday when I head up to High Sierra to shoot again, and I even after I swapped battery few times, focus never change. crazy cool feature, no more gaffer tapes.

4. There is a step at the front of the lens Sigma calls it " Lens Heater Retainer', that little step prevents the lens heater from protruding into the front of the lens, a life saver for me, it was pain using lens heater with my 14GM and 20G. Since the Sony has no MFL, every time I touch the heater I am risking messing the focusing ring, really really painful operation in cold dark night in the field, just the #3 and #4 on this list alone makes the Sigma a day and night better choice for me when compare to the Sony GM in the field.

5. Built in AS compatible Tripod collar/ring, it makes it so much easier when mount it on the tracker, much better balance, no need to have counter weight any more, well, I have not tried it myself yet but Nebula Photos review shows how it works and I do trust his review so will take it as a real deal.

6. Built on rear filter holder. no more bulky clumsy front filter holder when I need to use ND ( which I do use a lot). and I don't even need a separate case to bring the filter, the lens cap has compartment there for filter storage.

All in all, this Sigma is pretty easy choice for me, one has to be a serious Astro guy use those gears out there in cold dark night regularly to appreciate all those " little features". and in my own case, the two new Sigma ( 14 1.4 DG DN and 20 1.4 DG DN) fixes a lot of annoyance that I have with the Sony 14GM and 20G, also I am totally used to the weight of the Sigma 14 1.8, so what's not to like?

 

[Jeff_0000]

Looks like a pretty sweet option for astro. A beast of a lens, though:

Have it on Pre-order, to me is a clear winner.

I am an Astro shooter and current owner of 14GM, Sigma 14 F1.8 Art, Laowa 15 F2, have been dreaming for a 14 1.4 for long time and thought no one will ever made one, so after I saw the announcement and few review from website I trust, I put in my Pre-Order, to me this new lens is a pretty clear winner for the following reason:

1. F1.4 vs F1.8, 2/3 of stop is not just bragging right, but a real advantage, it translates into 2/3 stop lower ISO or a 2/3 of stop faster shutter speed, meaning either less star trail and/or lower noise. for Milky way, you never have enough light, really need every little help from any area, and faster lens is ALWAYS better. Ian Norman from Lonely Speck has some untracked sample from this lens shot at ISO 640 6 second, F1.4 , looks very nice, all stars are pin sharp without trail, very clean overall, I can't wait to put that on my tracker and do a 10 image stack, would be SWEET.

2. Well control of coma, from multiple reviewer I trust, it looks like the new Sigma has about the same coma performance as the 14GM, which is a very good performer, day and night better than the old Sigma 14 1.8, that alone is enough for me to replace the old Sigma 14 1.8 Art, which just went on the local Craigslist and eBay today.

3. Manual Focus Lock button, ok, just a lock button so what's the big deal?? it's a huge deal for me, after used the 20 DG DN for few months in the field, I found that MFL is such nice feature, I can just take my time and carefully focus on the star once, then flip the switch, and done, the focus will be locked for all night, even I touch the focus ring, I can even put the camera back in the bag and hike another mile to new location and never have to refocus again, just pull it out and start shooting, I tested this multiple times with the 20 DGDN, and it works perfectly every single time, actually last week I pull the camera out of the bad and start shooting without any need to focus again, and the last time I use that combo was weeks ago, most likely I won't need to do any focus again this Friday when I head up to High Sierra to shoot again, and I even after I swapped battery few times, focus never change. crazy cool feature, no more gaffer tapes.

Does the manual focus lock function work on your Z9 with the ETZ21?

4. There is a step at the front of the lens Sigma calls it " Lens Heater Retainer', that little step prevents the lens heater from protruding into the front of the lens, a life saver for me, it was pain using lens heater with my 14GM and 20G. Since the Sony has no MFL, every time I touch the heater I am risking messing the focusing ring, really really painful operation in cold dark night in the field, just the #3 and #4 on this list alone makes the Sigma a day and night better choice for me when compare to the Sony GM in the field.

5. Built in AS compatible Tripod collar/ring, it makes it so much easier when mount it on the tracker, much better balance, no need to have counter weight any more, well, I have not tried it myself yet but Nebula Photos review shows how it works and I do trust his review so will take it as a real deal.

6. Built on rear filter holder. no more bulky clumsy front filter holder when I need to use ND ( which I do use a lot). and I don't even need a separate case to bring the filter, the lens cap has compartment there for filter storage.

All in all, this Sigma is pretty easy choice for me, one has to be a serious Astro guy use those gears out there in cold dark night regularly to appreciate all those " little features". and in my own case, the two new Sigma ( 14 1.4 DG DN and 20 1.4 DG DN) fixes a lot of annoyance that I have with the Sony 14GM and 20G, also I am totally used to the weight of the Sigma 14 1.8, so what's not to like?

Looking forward to your field report of the Sigma lens.

 

[Dan_168]

Looks like a pretty sweet option for astro. A beast of a lens, though:

3. Manual Focus Lock button, ok, just a lock button so what's the big deal?? it's a huge deal for me, after used the 20 DG DN for few months in the field, I found that MFL is such nice feature, I can just take my time and carefully focus on the star once, then flip the switch, and done, the focus will be locked for all night, even I touch the focus ring, I can even put the camera back in the bag and hike another mile to new location and never have to refocus again, just pull it out and start shooting, I tested this multiple times with the 20 DGDN, and it works perfectly every single time, actually last week I pull the camera out of the bad and start shooting without any need to focus again, and the last time I use that combo was weeks ago, most likely I won't need to do any focus again this Friday when I head up to High Sierra to shoot again, and I even after I swapped battery few times, focus never change. crazy cool feature, no more gaffer tapes.

Does the manual focus lock function work on your Z9 with the ETZ21?

This is a really good question, based on the 20 1.4 DN DG since I don't have the 14 1.4 yet, here is what I found:

With the Megadap ZTT21, If camera + lens both in MF mode, after I focused, flip the MFL to lock position, I can rotate the focus ring and the focus will never change, I can even turn off the camera and put it in the bag and walk a mile and the focus will never changed after i pull it out from the bag to shoot again. However, if I swap battery, then the focus resets by itself even both the lens and the camera is still in Manual Focus mode, so as long as I don't swap battery in between, everything works perfectly. luckily with the Z9, I can shoot for 2-3 days without changing battery, in fact, I never really change battery when doing Astro because i try not to to touch the camera so I normally use external power with my Sony, but with the EN EL 18D in the Z9 I don't even need that external power if I go out only for few nights.

With the Techart Pro adapter, even if I turn off the power on the camera it will reset the focus, yes, even the camera is still in the MF mode, so to me this is not really " useable" and kind of defeats the purpose of having the MFL.

One more interesting finding to report regarding my original post, only on my A7R IV the focus will remain when I pull the battery out when the MFL is on, on my Astro Modified A7 III, it behaves exactly same like the Megadap on Z9, I can power off but if I swap battery, focus will reset by itself . but again that has never been a problem since I always plug in external power when I am shooting with the Sony for Astro anyway so I never swap batteries in the middle of the night.

 

[Jeff_0000]

Looks like a pretty sweet option for astro. A beast of a lens, though:

3. Manual Focus Lock button, ok, just a lock button so what's the big deal?? it's a huge deal for me, after used the 20 DG DN for few months in the field, I found that MFL is such nice feature, I can just take my time and carefully focus on the star once, then flip the switch, and done, the focus will be locked for all night, even I touch the focus ring, I can even put the camera back in the bag and hike another mile to new location and never have to refocus again, just pull it out and start shooting, I tested this multiple times with the 20 DGDN, and it works perfectly every single time, actually last week I pull the camera out of the bad and start shooting without any need to focus again, and the last time I use that combo was weeks ago, most likely I won't need to do any focus again this Friday when I head up to High Sierra to shoot again, and I even after I swapped battery few times, focus never change. crazy cool feature, no more gaffer tapes.

Does the manual focus lock function work on your Z9 with the ETZ21?

This is a really good question, based on the 20 1.4 DN DG since I don't have the 14 1.4 yet, here is what I found:

With the Megadap ZTT21, If camera + lens both in MF mode, after I focused, flip the MFL to lock position, I can rotate the focus ring and the focus will never change, I can even turn off the camera and put it in the bag and walk a mile and the focus will never changed after i pull it out from the bag to shoot again. However, if I swap battery, then the focus resets by itself even both the lens and the camera is still in Manual Focus mode, so as long as I don't swap battery in between, everything works perfectly. luckily with the Z9, I can shoot for 2-3 days without changing battery, in fact, I never really change battery when doing Astro because i try not to to touch the camera so I normally use external power with my Sony, but with the EN EL 18D in the Z9 I don't even need that external power if I go out only for few nights.

With the Techart Pro adapter, even if I turn off the power on the camera it will reset the focus, yes, even the camera is still in the MF mode, so to me this is not really " useable" and kind of defeats the purpose of having the MFL.

One more interesting finding to report regarding my original post, only on my A7R IV the focus will remain when I pull the battery out when the MFL is on, on my Astro Modified A7 III, it behaves exactly same like the Megadap on Z9, I can power off but if I swap battery, focus will reset by itself . but again that has never been a problem since I always plug in external power when I am shooting with the Sony for Astro anyway so I never swap batteries in the middle of the night.

Very detailed and interesting - thank you!

 

[Dan_168]

Looks like a pretty sweet option for astro. A beast of a lens, though:

3. Manual Focus Lock button, ok, just a lock button so what's the big deal?? it's a huge deal for me, after used the 20 DG DN for few months in the field, I found that MFL is such nice feature, I can just take my time and carefully focus on the star once, then flip the switch, and done, the focus will be locked for all night, even I touch the focus ring, I can even put the camera back in the bag and hike another mile to new location and never have to refocus again, just pull it out and start shooting, I tested this multiple times with the 20 DGDN, and it works perfectly every single time, actually last week I pull the camera out of the bad and start shooting without any need to focus again, and the last time I use that combo was weeks ago, most likely I won't need to do any focus again this Friday when I head up to High Sierra to shoot again, and I even after I swapped battery few times, focus never change. crazy cool feature, no more gaffer tapes.

Does the manual focus lock function work on your Z9 with the ETZ21?

This is a really good question, based on the 20 1.4 DN DG since I don't have the 14 1.4 yet, here is what I found:

With the Megadap ZTT21, If camera + lens both in MF mode, after I focused, flip the MFL to lock position, I can rotate the focus ring and the focus will never change, I can even turn off the camera and put it in the bag and walk a mile and the focus will never changed after i pull it out from the bag to shoot again. However, if I swap battery, then the focus resets by itself even both the lens and the camera is still in Manual Focus mode, so as long as I don't swap battery in between, everything works perfectly. luckily with the Z9, I can shoot for 2-3 days without changing battery, in fact, I never really change battery when doing Astro because i try not to to touch the camera so I normally use external power with my Sony, but with the EN EL 18D in the Z9 I don't even need that external power if I go out only for few nights.

With the Techart Pro adapter, even if I turn off the power on the camera it will reset the focus, yes, even the camera is still in the MF mode, so to me this is not really " useable" and kind of defeats the purpose of having the MFL.

One more interesting finding to report regarding my original post, only on my A7R IV the focus will remain when I pull the battery out when the MFL is on, on my Astro Modified A7 III, it behaves exactly same like the Megadap on Z9, I can power off but if I swap battery, focus will reset by itself . but again that has never been a problem since I always plug in external power when I am shooting with the Sony for Astro anyway so I never swap batteries in the middle of the night.

Very detailed and interesting - thank you!

Welcome, oh, there is a new Firmware just came out, I have not installed it yet, will do and see how it goes and will report back if i find anything new.