Sigma lenses have long been impressing me, since the 35mm film days of my youth. Everything shifted up a gear in 2012, with the advent of the company’s ‘Global Vision’ line-up of Art, Contemporary and Sports lenses. The new 50mm F1.2 prime is definitely of the Art variety, designed to maximize creative expression. It takes on all-comers in a bid to be one of the best lenses for Sony cameras and the best lenses for L-mount cameras on the market.
There’s actually no shortage of Sigma 50mm lenses available in E-mount and L-mount. I’ve already been won over by the slightly slower Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG DN Art and the relatively small, fun-sized Sigma 50mm F2 DG DN Contemporary primes. In the E-mount camp, the fully fast f/1.2 lens goes head-to-head with the Sony FE 50mm F1.2 G Master. Key benefits of the fast aperture include the availability of a really tight depth of field, and the ability to maintain fast shutter speeds for freezing motion, under very low lighting conditions.
