Hands-On With The Sigma 30mm F/1.4 Lens

Fast prime lenses have held a special place in photographers’ gear bags for a long time. With the introduction of Sigma’s 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary lens, Sony E-Mount and Micro Four Thirds (MFT) shooters have another option in a fairly meager selection of fast primes. The lens is not only faster and wider than the direct competition (Sony’s 35mm f/1.8 and Zeiss Planar Touit 32mm f/1.8) but, at $339, it’s less expensive than the $450 and $499 previously mentioned models. 

I tested the lens with the Sony a6300, a 24-megapixel APS-C camera with a 1.5x crop factor, delivering an effective focal length of 45mm. Minimum focusing distance is 11.8 inches, so don’t expect to get super close to your subject (I tried), but it’s certainly a respectable distance for a 30mm (45mm-equivalent) focal length lens.

Image Quality
Overall, the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 exceeded expectations. Center sharpness is impressive with generally very good corner-to-corner sharpness when paired with the Sony a6300. Small details were well rendered, even at higher ISOs (granted, that’s partly attributable to the a6300, but the lens is, of course, a critical partner to the camera). There is little-to-no lens flare and the bokeh produced at wide apertures is very smooth. 

While having the option to shoot at f/1.4 is appealing, there are a few issues when the lens is wide open. Upon close examination of test shots on the computer screen, we noticed occasional chromatic aberration along high contrast edges, a bit of barrel distortion and, from time to time, minor vignetting. The good news is that, when stopped down to about f/2.8 or f/4, these problems seem to disappear or are much less noticeable.

Design
The lens is sturdily built of metal and high-quality plastic, measures 2.6 x 2.9 inches and weighs 9.3 ounces. It’s relatively compact and the combo feels well balanced in the hand, with and without the bundled lens hood attached. 

There’s no aperture ring, but the focus ring is large and textured for a secure grip. The lens lacks focus distance markings, too, though that’s not uncommon for lenses in this class.

What We Liked
There’s definitely a lot to like about this lens, especially since it expands the options for Sony E-Mount and MFT users. Besides the price, the Sigma 30mm f/1.4’s sharpness is outstanding. And, of course, the ability to shoot wide open at f/1.4 is always a bonus. Starting at f/1.4 provides wider latitude throughout the aperture range on this lens, with a minimum aperture of f/16.

What We Didn’t Like
Manual focusing with this lens proved frustrating and, in some cases, ineffective. The ring turns freely with little effect on focus. The only way to make the distance gauge on the a6300 jump, for example, is to forcefully and quickly move the focus ring at least half a turn. But even then, it’s easy to overshoot focus and difficult to fine-tune it, making it difficult—if not impossible—to pull or push focus manually when shooting video. Autofocus is generally responsive but tends to hunt a little in low light. Of course, if you rarely use manual focus, this won’t be an issue.

How It Compares
The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 is the fastest APS-C prime E-Mount lens on the market today and sells for $339 (direct), giving it extra value especially compared to the 32mm f/1.8 Carl Zeiss Planar Touit ($499) and the Sony 35mm f/1.8 OSS ($450). It’s wider than both competitors, although it doesn’t have the image stabilization of the Sony. MFT users have more options at affordable prices, but given the 2x crop factor of the MFT platform, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a prime lens that’s as wide and fast. One of the closest models is the Panasonic Lumix G 20mm f/1.7 ASPH for under $300.

Bottom Line
While the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 may be a little too wide for standard portraits, it’s a great—and affordable—option for Sony E-Mount and MFT wedding photographers. It’s close to a “nifty fifty” lens for everyday shooting, and we think that street photographers will make good use of the Sigma 30mm as well. DxO Mark scored this lens, tested on a Sony a6000, as “the highest-ranked Sony E-mount lens we’ve tested,” so if techy lab results are important to you as well as hands-on experience, this one’s a winner.

Theano Nikitas has been covering photography for over 20 years. Although she loves digital, she still has a darkroom and a fridge filled with film.

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