The Sigma 35/1.4 DG HSM is a very exciting lens. You can produce shots with image quality you might think were impossible at a wide open aperture of f1.4. Plus the build-quality and the new design support Sigma’s claim to have developed and manufactured a lens to professional standards. I was quite shocked to see this lens surpass the optical performance of the venerable Nikon AF-S 35mm f/1.4G with respect to sharpness.

But in other respects it slightly lags Nikon’s flagship: rendering of out-of-focus subjects in the background is a bit more nervous than from the Nikkor which also shows a higher resistance against flare and glare. There’s also no weather-sealing which seems a bit out of place for a lens targeted at professionals. But mind you even in these aspects of lens-performance the Sigma plays on a very high level – and it does deliver this impressive performance at a price that is much lower than the 35mm f1.4 models from Nikon, Canon or Sony. This clearly earns the new Sigma lens our Highly Recommended rating.

Below I have listed the good and bad points of the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM for you.

Summary Good points Outstanding performance in the corners of a high-resolution full-frame sensor even wide open. Good build quality. Quiet and fast AF operation. Relatively low price compared to the big names. Bad points Performance at the borders/corners of the DX/APS-C image circle could be better. No weather sealing.

If you have any question, comment or suggestion regarding the review head over to our forum here. A selection of my shots with this lens in full resolution can be found here.