Sigma’s stellar 35mm F1.4 DG HSM prime lens of the “Art” series set a new 35mm standard for a lens below the $1k price point. Now the Japanese camera and lens maker announces the all-new 50mm F1.4 DG HSM “Art” lens, a prime that’s well built and rather large with a strong resemblance to the excellent 35mm F1.4 DG HSM that’s already a classic today.

To be fair, the Zeiss Otus 55mm F1.4 for Canon and Nikon mounts probably costs four times as much and weighs half, there must be a reason for the price difference. Or, if you shoot Nikon, is the new 58mm F1.4G a fairer competitor?

I guess this completely redesigned Sigma is good enough for more than 99% of us. Without doubt it will offer the best price/performance option available today. Only reviews will tell, but given Sigma’s 35mm F1.4 DG HSM performance I’d bet my money on its 50mm equivalent.

Says Sigma about its new 50mm standard prime that works perfectly well with pro level full-frame as well as APS-C crop sensors:

The staple Sigma 50mm 1.4 DG HSM has been redesigned and reengineered to set a new standard for the Art line. With a large 1.4 aperture, the Sigma 50mm 1.4 prime lens is pro level performer for shooting everything including portrait photography, landscape photography, studio photography and street photography. A Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) ensures quiet, smooth and accurate autofocusing and paired with Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass and Super Multi-Layer coating, the 50mm 1.4 is a high performance lens for modern DSLR sensors. 13 elements in 8 groups allow for unsurpassed performance even at wide apertures and close-up photography is easily managed with a minimum focusing distance of 40cm.