Sigma340306 35mm F1.4 DG HSM Lens for Nikon - Black

First off, a warning: Sigma still have terrible QC issues!The first copy of this lens I received was back focusing horrifically. I did all the usual tests, after initially noticing it wasn't sharp where I was pointing focus. And no, it wasn't user error just because it's a 1.4, like Sigma will try to make you believe! It was off, by a significant margin, so I sent it back to the supplier. They contacted Sigma, who told them, to tell me, the customer, to wait for them to check it out. Well, I wasn't having that and requested a new copy or a refund. fair play to the store for seeing it my way and sending on a new copy, they will deal with Sigma on the other.Anyway, now that I have a decent, proper focusing version, I can say that all the reviews around the net are bang on! It really is a gem of a lens. It's nice and weighty, being a 1.4, without being over-sized. It balances really well on the D800E, and looks the part too. Sigma have got their new look right, with lovely sleek lines, smooth polished steel, discreet markings, and the hood snaps into place definitively - the hood also has a rubber seal, which is a nice touch. Though the lens itself does not have sealing near the mount, shame ... but considering the price difference between this and the Nikon 35 1.4, we'll let that slide.So how does it perform? Admirably. It's sharp on focus point at 1.4, and stopped down to f/2 and beyond is as sharp as you'd like. there is strong vignetting wide open, but where the vignetting is, is going to be OOF/bokeh anyhow, and it's easily corrected in LR. There is no profile for this model in LR4 currently, but I found that sigma 24-70 is close enough, with minor manual adjusting. Vignetting has mostly gone by f/2.8 and the lens continues to sharpen right through to f/8. The perfect portrait/street/general purpose lens IMO, and even good for landscape.If you could only have one lens in your bag at all times, you could do a hell of a lot worse than choosing this.Just test when you get yours, and make sure it's a good copy.

Optical performance is excellent, sharp all over, even wide open, bokeh is very good and it focuses fast and quietly. It's currently the best value 35mm prime lens for full-frame users.The weight is listed, so I haven't marked it down for this reason, but beware this is a very heavy lens thanks to its build quality and because it's f/1.4. One of the attractions of prime lenses is often their exceptional performance in a small and lightweight package, so be aware that this lens, coupled with a full-frame camera, is not a light combination.If weight is a concern for you, I would ask yourself if you really need f/1.4. For your consideration, the Nikon 28mm f/1.8, although not quite the same field of view as 35mm (although close enough, in my opinion) performs equally well optically, is half the weight (330g vs 665g) and approximately 30% cheaper at the time of writing.

After using a Nikon 50mm 1.4 for around a year, I wanted to get a lens that was more usable indoors, as the 50mm tends to be too long for small places, like dinner parties, meetings, etc.After a lot of research, this 35mm was the best option I could find and I'm very glad I got to this conclusion and I found an great deal here in Amazon that couldn't resist. This lens is superb.With the 50mm I got used to shoot at 2.8 because of the softness when fully open, but I don't have that problem with this one, it is very sharp at its maximum aperture. Image quality is excellent in any condition I've used it so far. This includes sharpness, colour, contrast and even the blurred backgrounds (or bokeh, hate that word), which I read people finding it to be a bit nervous.Also, the build quality is very good, It is a rather large unit, but feels really sturdy and well put together, focus ring is firm but smooth and it has a shiny black ring near the mount that gives it a nice touch and feel.

The Sigma 35mm 1.4 marks a significant step up in build and optical quality from previous Sigma efforts, they are really onto something with their Art range and this lens is certainly worth a look even if you've had issues with Sigma quality control in the past. I use this lens on a Nikon D750 and that combination really is a low light monster, if you can just about make something out in the dark this combo will lock onto it near instantly. Image quality is excellent, as you would expect you do get vignetting wide open but this is easily correctable in post (Lightroom has a preset for it), AF is silent and basically instant. Build quality is fantastic and although this lens isn't weather sealed, it is beautifully constructed. There really is very little reason to own the far more expensive Nikon or Canon L equivalent over this. Sharpness tests etc may suggest the 35mm 1.8 FX is up there with this lens, but what charts don't show you is how well this lens renders scenes, there is a lovely 3D pop to images that you simply will not see with the cheaper 1.8 options.