Sigma 14mm f1.4 Art Review: Massive, Yet Gorgeous

Many modern lenses are pulling out all the stops to stamp out lens flare, but a lot of photographers (myself included) go out of their way to create dramatic flare. The Sigma 14mm f1.4 Art attempts to balance great technical images and character. That’s a fine line to walk, with the pitfalls of barrel distortion, colored fringing, and soapy bokeh on one side and the potential of dramatic lens flare, fun perspectives, and bokeh on the other. Does the Sigma 14mm f1.4 Art manage to walk the line, or does it fall flat?

While many Sigma lenses feel like imitations of other popular lenses, the Sigma 14mm f1.4 Art is a refreshing, unique lens that delivers the impact of a wide perspective, an ultra-bright aperture, and even some beautiful streaky lens flare. However, there’s a cost to that greatness, and it starts with the lens’ weight class.

The Big Picture

The Sigma 14mm f1.4 Art is the brightest 14mm full frame autofocus lens, but it’s also one of the heaviest. Still, the Sigma 14mm f1.4 Art is a thing of beauty. In a market where everyone seems to be copying everyone else, this lens offers the widest aperture on a full-frame, autofocus 14mm. In a market where technical superiority is placed on a pedestal, this lens can still add some character with beautiful flare and perspective distortion. And then, of course, there’s the bokeh boost of that wider aperture, which is further bolstered by the ability to focus a foot from the front of the lens.

However, the cost of all the beauty that the Sigma 14mm f1.4 Art delivers is its hefty weight. At more than 2.5 pounds, it’s a big lens to use for long stretches. The edges of the images are also smudged, which limits where you can place the subject and can also impact astrophotography. Finally, the lens has more autofocus struggles than an ultra-wide should and isn’t the best choice for getting a unique perspective on fast action.

If the Sigma 14mm f1.4 Art was another copy of a widely available lens, I’d probably knock it down to three stars because of the slower autofocus and weight alone. But, there are very few options that can shoot both this wide and this bright, plus the lens has a ton of character. For that, I’m giving the Sigma 14mm f1.4 Art four out of five stars.

Pros

• Bright f1.4 aperture
• Lots of physical controls
• Aperture ring with click or de-click
• Focus lock for astrophotography
• Weather-sealed
• Beautiful, streaky lens flare
• Incredibly fun ultra-wide perspective
• Minimal barrel distortion and chromatic aberration
• Soft, round bokeh
• One foot minimum focus distance

Cons

• Very heavy
• Images have soft edges
• Autofocus has some struggles with action

Gear Used

I used the L-mount version of the Sigma 14mm f1.4 Art with the Panasonic S5 IIx. The lens was a complimentary loan from LensRentals, while the camera body was a loan from Panasonic.

Innovations

While there’s no shortage of 14mm lenses, few are as wide as the f1.4 on the Sigma 14mm f1.4 Art. At launch, it was the only autofocus, full-frame 14mm that shoots at f1.4, according to Sigma. The lens design also favors features for astrophotography — it’s designed not just for low light but to fight off things like sagittal coma flare.

Ergonomics 

The Sigma 14mm f1.4 Art is both a beauty and a beast. The lens weighs a whopping 2.6 pounds and measures about six inches long. That’s pretty hefty for an ultra-wide. Photographers are going to want a camera body with a great grip to help support that weight, and using this lens for long stretches is going to create some back and neck aches. Interestingly though, the lens is only slightly heavier than Sigma’s f1.8 variation of this focal length. While Sony’s comparable 14mm GM lens is an f1.8 and not an f1.4, Sony’s variation only weighs one pound.

While giant, the lens is rather stunning. The first clue to the capabilities of this lens is the lens front. There’s very little plastic here, just large, curving class and a built-in lens hood.

Moving from the front towards the mount, there’s the manual focus ring followed by a bank of control switches. One of those controls includes a lock so that the focus ring doesn’t get bumped out of place. That’s helpful for setting the lens at infinity to shoot astrophotography. This bank of controls also includes an auto-to-manual focus switch, an Fn button, and a de-click for the aperture ring. On the opposite side of the lens, there’s an unlabeled switch — this is for locking the aperture ring in the auto position or preventing the lens from turning to the auto position.

Next up is the nicely labeled aperture ring, with clicks that can be turned on or off. That’s followed by the tripod collar, which can also be removed.

Because the curved front doesn’t allow for filters, the mount supports snap-in sheet filters. The lens cap also has a spot to store up to two filters.

Build Quality

The Sigma 14mm f1.4 Art is weather-sealed at the mount as well as around the rings, buttons, and control switches. This is a nice feature, as some “weather-sealed” lenses are only sealed at the mount. I took the lens out in light rain without issues. I also didn’t detect any dust or debris on the camera sensor or inside the lens itself during the course of my review.

The lens has a plastic barrel. As much as I love metal lenses, it’s hard to imagine this lens even heavier, so I think the plastic exterior is an okay choice here. It still feels fairly nice in the hands, minus the weight.

Focusing

The Sigma 14mm f1.4 Art uses a stepping motor autofocus system capable of locking in on subjects as close as one foot away. When focusing in this close, the lens can produce some nice soft backgrounds despite the ultra-wide focal length. The autofocus motor also operates quietly.

Landscape photographers will have few problems working with this lens. But, when tasked with action, there are a few challenges. When directed at a child on a bike, the lens kept up fairly well, with motion moving parallel to the camera. 

Movement heading straight towards the camera, however, was a challenge. Shooting wide open at f1.4, the first four shots would be in focus, then the hit rate dropped off to 50 percent. While ultra-wides aren’t typically part of a sports kit, photographers who want to pick this lens up for a unique angle on action will need to step down the aperture to up the hit rate. That’s unusual, as ultra-wides have a wider depth of field that typically helps the hit rate.

The manual focus experience is worth talking about on a lens where the manufacturer boasts about astrophotography. Focusing is relatively easy if you enable the focus peaking and magnification on the camera body. It’s nice to be able to lock the focus ring once you get those stars pin sharp so you can move the tripod without re-focusing.

Ease of Use

The Sigma 14mm f1.4 can be challenging to use at times. First, the weight makes carrying the lens around more of a chore than with lighter lenses. Second, there are a lot of different switches on this lens. The first time I picked this lens up, I didn’t realize that the manual focus ring lock was activated. While this setting prevents the focus from moving, it doesn’t prevent the ring from moving. I had to troubleshoot to figure out why the lens wasn’t focusing with the manual focus ring.

While this lens is going to take a little more time to get fully acquainted with, once there, those added controls are advantageous. I’m forever double-checking the focus after moving the tripod while shooting astro. The ability to lock in the focus at infinity is a nice feature. I also love having the aperture ring.

While there are a lot of advanced controls, stabilization is not one of them. That’s not a deal breaker with a lens this wide and with many bodies offering their own stabilization systems.

Image Quality

The 14mm focal length is wider than human vision — which gives the Sigma 14mm f1.4 Art an incredibly fun perspective. The perspective distortion and ultra-wide view lead to some really unique images, especially when mixed with the ability to shoot at f1.4. Add in a penchant for lens flare and good colors and this lens leads to a lot of stunning shots. There’s little to complain about in the way of distortion and colored fringing, though the edges sadly look more smudged than the tack-sharp center.

Bokeh

Ultra-wides are tough to make dramatic bokeh with, so if you want creamy backgrounds with the Sigma 14mm f1.4 Art, get in close and shoot wide open. The bokeh coming from this lens is impressive, considering the focal length, however. The background quickly falls from sharp to soft when using that minimum one-foot focus distance.

Points of light become soft, round bokeh balls. I didn’t detect any of the usual complaints of pixel peepers, with no evidence of soap bubbling or onion ringing.

Color Rendition

The Sigma 14mm f1.4 lens didn’t skew the colors too far off from what I expected on the S5 IIx’s color profiles. Occasionally, I wanted to edit out a little green. Lens flare added some minor haze and lowered saturation slightly, but not as much as a lot of lenses.

Lens Character

I’m happy to report that Sigma didn’t squander away all the lens flare on this lens. Direct the Sigma 14mm f1.4 Art towards the sun, and you can get some nice streaky light that doesn’t totally haze out the colors. Wide open, you get streaks of sunshine. At narrow apertures, you can get some nice starbursts instead.

Ultra-wides are prone to barrel distortion, but this lens is capable of keeping the horizon straight. Perspective distortion is strong at 14mm, so you do need to be careful about the shooting angle in order to keep those lines straight. But, it is possible to keep lines mostly straight in the camera. The lens is also free of noticeable chromatic aberration.

Any subjects that you don’t want to be distorted from that perspective distortion, however, should be kept away from the edges of the frame. Objects placed here look a bit stretched. 

Sharpness

The Sigma 14mm f1.4 Art is tack sharp at the center. Stars are nice pinpricks of light. Subjects are nicely detailed and sometimes even look a little too sharp.

The corners of the image, however, look a bit smudged. Stars on the edge of the frame are elongated rather than sharp pricks of light.

Extra Image Samples

From day one, The Phoblographer has been huge on transparency with our audience. Nothing from this review is sponsored. Further, lots of folks will post reviews and show lots of editing in the photos. The problem then becomes that anyone and everyone can do the same thing. They’re not showing what the lens can do. So we have a section in our Extra Image Samples area to show edited and unedited photos. From this, you can make a decision for yourself.

Unedited

Edited

Who Should Buy It? 

If you need a 14mm to carry around all day, keep shopping. The Sigma 14mm f1.4 is too heavy for really long shoots. Photographers wanting tack-sharp centers or the ability to create ultra-wides of fast action should probably also skip this lens.

But, if you want a unique ultra-wide perspective that still has lens flare and a ton of character, you shouldn’t shy away from the Sigma 14mm f1.4 Art. The lens delivers great bokeh, minimal barrel distortion, undetectable colored fringing, and tack-sharp centers. Mix that in with the ultra-wide view, and I know the lens could create a lot of great images in the hands of the right photographer.

Tech Specs

LensRentals lists the following tech specs for the Sigma 14mm f1.4 DG DN Art (L-Mount):

• Angle of View: 114.2°
• Aperture Blades: 11, Rounded
• Autofocus: Autofocus
• Brand: Sigma
• Focal Length: 14.0-14.0
• Dimensions (ø x L) – lens only: 4.0 × 5.9″ / 101.4 × 149.9mm
• Weight: 2.6 lb. / 1170 g
• Hood Included: Yes, built-in
• Image Stabilization: No
• Item Type: Lens
• Lens Type: Wide Angle
• Macro Reproduction Ratio: 1:11.9
• Max Aperture: 1.4
• Maximum Magnification: 0.1x
• Mfr. Model Number: 451969
• Minimum Aperture: 16.0
• Minimum Focusing Distance: 1.0’
• Mount: L Mount
• Optical Design
• Groups/Elements: 15/19
• Aspherical Elements: 3
• Special Low-Dispersion Elements: 1
• “F” Low-Dispersion Elements: 3
• Tripod Collar: Removable and Rotating

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