While Olympus and Panasonic are the big players in the Micro Four-Thirds space, Sigma has recently released a few lenses that are on par with their full-frame counterparts. I had the chance to try out the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN, and there’s nothing “third party” about this lens — it stands its own in the increasingly competitive Micro Four-Thirds world.
With a quick look at the Sigma 30mm f/1.4, you’ll see a very familiar style to Sigma’s DSLR art lenses. Providing a 60mm frame of view, the image quality is superb, providing a creative and artistic view of the world surrounding.
Performance and Specs
I used the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 on a few different assignments, and it is definitely a great portrait lens. The autofocus was fast and near-silent in my testing, and at $339, you can’t go wrong. While not as sharp as the costlier Olympus 45mm f/1.2 Pro or Panasonic Leica 42.5mm f/1.2, the Sigma provided more than satisfactory in terms of sharpness, perfect for everyday shooting.
The depth of field was superb, providing a very blurred background wide open with a f/1.4 aperture. I did see a little distortion of the corners, but nothing that couldn’t be easily adjusted during post-processing. With vignetting and chromatic aberration, there was absolutely no issue that I could see.
In terms of specs, the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 does not provide image stabilization (standard for these types of lenses). It features a high number of diaphragm blades (9), which lead to some pretty impressive bokeh results. It features a minimum aperture of f/16 and has no weather sealing.
Build Quality
Build QualityAs I mentioned above, the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 feels very much like the “Art” lenses that Sigma has quickly become known for on DSLR bodies. The styling is very similar — a black lens casing with small, white text elements. I appreciated the white dot for mounting the lens — perfect for low-light situations where it’s tougher to see the standard red color (camera companies take note!).
The lens was pretty light (0.58 pounds); certainly much lighter than the Olympus 45mm and Panasonic 42.5mm I mentioned above. The size is towards the larger size in terms of micro four-thirds primes, but not uncomfortably so.
Results
Overall I was very satisfied with the results. I took the lens out for a photowalk with fellow Photofocus author Cathy Seaver, and I snapped a few portraits and everyday objects in both the high sun and shade. In these photos, with no editing, you’ll see a very deep depth of field and great results overall. The sharpness of Cathy’s eyes was a tad soft, but again, those could be sharpened very easily through post-processing. I’d feel very comfortable using this lens for my portraiture or everyday field work.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a great portrait lens for micro four-thirds on a tight budget, you can’t get much better than this Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN, which retails for $339.
I bought the 30mm f/1.4 on a whim, its that inexpensive that it can be an impulse buy, particularly since I had a $40 coupon. Overall, with the exception of the hood, I’ve been pleased with the lens. My hope is that if more people buy these lenses that Sigma will continue to provide MFT mounts. Many of their lenses are designed so that the mount is a bolt on, I’d love to see them release some of their long glass with MFT mounts. Could you imagine something like the Sigma 150-600 on a E-M1ii, that’s an effective focal length… Read more »
I bought the 30mm f/1.4 on a whim, its that inexpensive that it can be an impulse buy, particularly since I had a $40 coupon. Overall, with the exception of the hood, I’ve been pleased with the lens. My hope is that if more people buy these lenses that Sigma will continue to provide MFT mounts. Many of their lenses are designed so that the mount is a bolt on, I’d love to see them release some of their long glass with MFT mounts. Could you imagine something like the Sigma 150-600 on a E-M1ii, that’s an effective focal length… Read more »