As a current user of this lens (2023), let me tell you a few facts about this glass. It was made way ahead of it time for the camera bodies at the time it came out. These older bodies back then where not powerful enough in terms of auto focus and sensor resolution to handle the 50-100mm sigma. It was made for the sigma SD Quattro APS-C sensor which is a foveon sensor. The camera bodies that came out in 2019 to 2023 are able to handle it now. I use it with my canon 90D (32.5MP APS-C) high resolution sensor and the images are ridiculously sharp. It's like you can touch your subject through the images this lens produces. If you are thinking about, you can jump on it. It is heavy but the quality of the pictures is worth it.
Excellent review!!! Received my 50-100 f1.8 Saturday. I was really hoping and praying this lens performed well after reading/watching a couple of reviews giving it a mediocre score. I shot with this lens Sunday (with the Nikon D7100 and D3300) and it performed extremely well!!! I was pleasantly surprised. Shot a church function held in a recreation center gymnasium (not well lit) and the focus was crisp and relatively consistent, even at f1.8 (relative to my primes). While reviewing the images in lightroom I noticed the misses attributed to camera shake more than miss autofocus. I started using a monopod about 1/2 way through the shoot and from that point forward I rarely missed a shot. Image stabilization would have been great, but I don't have it with my primes either. Not sure whether there are inconsistencies with production lots as the source of some of the negative reviews I've read but I'm glad I took the chance... it worked out for me!
I have the exact same setup (D500 + Sigma 50-100). It is perfect for indoor sports where my typical range is between 70-100mm. The focus is reasonably quick and accurate. I usually leave it wide open and shutter speed of around 640 for freezing the action.
BEST, most DETAILED and EASILY the most HELPFUL review I've seen of this lens. WELL WORTH THE WAIT! I am FINALLY able to make my decision about this lens. THANK you, Darren Miles.
I thought a lot about buying this lens, but when I calculated the price, and the shutter speed to compensate the lack of stabilization in low light, while it also has inconsistent focus and is heavy to carry, I realized that I might have used it less than I would like if I had bought.
Thanks for your excellent review. I appreciate hearing about the experience of folk who know what they are talking about. I’ve been using this lens with a Sony a6000 + MC-11 adapter since June 10 and I’ve been really impressed with its performance. The focus using the Sony is completely accurate but close up shots take a bit more time to focus. I found that off-putting at first but for me familiarity has bred contentment and not contempt! Most of the time I shoot at F2 and only stop down when I need to consider the DOF or bright light. I live in the UK where lighting might not be generally as good as South West Florida so the large apertures are not just a bonus! I find it’s fast apertures really helpful to produce images at F2 supported by fast shutter speeds. I use it for action, portraiture, social events and street scenes where things are happening. Never been disappointed with it. Yes, it’s a heavy beast but the upside to that is additional weight helps me maintain a steady grip and helps avoid camera shake. Recently I tried it with the Canon EOS 7D Mark ii. The focus was fast but there was a poor level of accuracy - as much as 4 out of 5 not focused sharply. So, I’m sticking with the Sony. I’ve just added the 18-35 F1.8 lens to my arsenal and find that when clapped to the Sony the focus is fast and consistently accurate. In summary I would not be parted from either of these two fantastic lenses with my favourite being the 50-100.
Bruh I thought this lens was cute until 4:54 - DAMN THIS THING IS LONG! Still deciding between this and Sigma's 70-200 though, specifically for macro, portraits and night photography
Darren Miles my lens came in with auto focus issues. I was able to use the dock and the sigma software and am pretty close to ~90% sharpness now. I'll be taking the lens out tomorrow morning and hope to get some good shots with it.
I hesitate to move to the full frame with this optical! I have the 700D canon with two lens : the sigma art 18-35mm f1.8 and sigma art 50-100mm f1.8. But I realize that for almost the same price I can have the 6D canon with two lens: Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 VC USD and tamron 70-200mm sp 2.8 di vc usd . For me what is important is the image quality, I want to have the best rendered. Do you think that the final tamron would be better on a full frame than the sigma on an APSC?
The focal range of this lens doesn't make much sense to me - I can't really imagine using it for anything other than portraits, and there are other lenses much better suited to that, not to mention the weight.
Could be the best lens if the range was 50-150 but obviously to be f/1.8 the front glass element should be HUGE...Its a nice lens,i test it in germany,bit big but nice.Personally i prefer the full frame 70-200 in crop cameras.Seems more like a magic lens
Keith Brown it's is more sharp than the 18-35mm, he must have had a bad copy, I have both lenses . only thing I don't like is that it's minimum focus distance is poor compared to the 18-35mm
The problem I have with zoom lenses is that I find I rarely use most of the range. Looking at the metadata I have in lightroom, between 12k photos I've hardly used 56-100mm focal range, but I have about 3k images at 50-55. I already have my Canon 50mm 1.8 STM which does a great job (except in low light), so if I were to put up £750-850 to buy a new lens in this range - I'd rather put that into a Samyang Premium 85mm f/1.2 prime. Or otherwise, upgrade my 50mm 1.8 to a 1.4 or 1.2.
That's entirely possible, there has been some production variance at Sigma in the past. And it's not like it's bad, you just notice some softness when you pixel peep... Splitting hairs really...
I want to make video perfectly. so, you can give me a suggestion about Sigma Art 18-35mm F1.8 DC and sigma Art 50-100mm F1.8 DC. which is best for me? plz reply fast..
Great Video! I have an APS-C Body (Nikon D5300) and I'm struggling between the Tamron 70-200 f2.8 G2 which performs well even on a Crop sensor Body even though they're built for FF or the Sigma 50-100 f1.8 Art which is built for Crop Sensor Bodies :( It's like Decent Sharpness+Longer Reach(Crop Factor:1.5x)+Beastly IS (Tamron) vs. Extremely Sharp+Shorter but Decent Reach+No IS+Faster Opening Aperture(Sigma). Probably will not upgrade my APS-C Body in 2-3 Years. Would appreciate any advice in my situation :) Thank you very much for your time!
how is it funny, Canon was making a lot of money on those little camera like toys no one is buying any more since their phones are doing a better job than those little things were. it takes a while to find new markets and change production to fit this new reality. Sigma on the other hand is a relatively small family owned company that made poor lenses no one in their right mind would recommend up until a few years ago.
There's definitely something wrong with your copy, most likely some minor back/front focus issues that only show up at wide apertures. My experience with the lens is more like the review from TCS, where it is ridiculously sharp from F1.8 and stopping down has little impact on IQ as it is already nearly perfect. I am pretty sure it is even sharper than the 18-35mm f/1.8 which I also own. As soon as I got this lens I know I am not switching to full frame anytime soon because this lens can produce equal if not better results than the 70-200mm f/2.8 which is 4 times as costly for body and lens. However it seemed that sigma yet again messed up the focus system. My copy is ridiculously front focus at infinity, and it is under repair now. Others also report focus issues and it seemed that calibration is needed for most copies. Your review made me sad as the lens you are describing is not the lens I am having right now.. Please consider a re-review if you have the chance.
One can nitpick any lens on the market but I will say I have been very pleased with the performance of the 50-100 1.8 on my D7200, D7100, and D500 cameras. So well in fact the Nikon 50mm 1.4, 60mm 2.8, 85mm 1.8 are collecting dust in my camera bag. Also the 70-200 2.8 - unless I need the added range it offers.. There is a weight difference, but everything is a trade off. I find it easier to deal the weight than carrying and changing lens all the time with primes, which also has things that could be made better...
Great point! The simple fact of the matter is lens optics are in general very good across the board today and the fact that we have to zoom into 100% to determine the differences between lenses sorta tells us how great we have it - or how spoiled we are :-) As mentioned in the review, having a lens like this is a lot more practical than carrying 3 or 4 primes around.
Darren Miles Mr. Miles we appreciate your dedication to this channel . Your .... MILES away from your competition :P ! Im 17 just started photography I have a - Nikon D5500 - Tamron 17- 50 2.8 That I bought from working as a lifeguard at wetnwild in orlando Current learning to shoot light . One day at a time sir !
As a current user of this lens (2023), let me tell you a few facts about this glass. It was made way ahead of it time for the camera bodies at the time it came out. These older bodies back then where not powerful enough in terms of auto focus and sensor resolution to handle the 50-100mm sigma. It was made for the sigma SD Quattro APS-C sensor which is a foveon sensor. The camera bodies that came out in 2019 to 2023 are able to handle it now. I use it with my canon 90D (32.5MP APS-C) high resolution sensor and the images are ridiculously sharp. It's like you can touch your subject through the images this lens produces. If you are thinking about, you can jump on it. It is heavy but the quality of the pictures is worth it.
BEST, most DETAILED and EASILY the most HELPFUL review I've seen of this lens. WELL WORTH THE WAIT! THANK you, Darren Miles.
Excellent review!!!
Received my 50-100 f1.8 Saturday. I was really hoping and praying this lens performed well after reading/watching a couple of reviews giving it a mediocre score. I shot with this lens Sunday (with the Nikon D7100 and D3300) and it performed extremely well!!! I was pleasantly surprised. Shot a church function held in a recreation center gymnasium (not well lit) and the focus was crisp and relatively consistent, even at f1.8 (relative to my primes).
While reviewing the images in lightroom I noticed the misses attributed to camera shake more than miss autofocus. I started using a monopod about 1/2 way through the shoot and from that point forward I rarely missed a shot. Image stabilization would have been great, but I don't have it with my primes either.
Not sure whether there are inconsistencies with production lots as the source of some of the negative reviews I've read but I'm glad I took the chance... it worked out for me!
I have the exact same setup (D500 + Sigma 50-100). It is perfect for indoor sports where my typical range is between 70-100mm. The focus is reasonably quick and accurate. I usually leave it wide open and shutter speed of around 640 for freezing the action.
BEST, most DETAILED and EASILY the most HELPFUL review I've seen of this lens. WELL WORTH THE WAIT! I am FINALLY able to make my decision about this lens. THANK you, Darren Miles.
I thought a lot about buying this lens, but when I calculated the price, and the shutter speed to compensate the lack of stabilization in low light, while it also has inconsistent focus and is heavy to carry, I realized that I might have used it less than I would like if I had bought.
Hi Darren, thank you for the info. For small table top product reviews [toys, etc] which camera and lens do you suggest?
Thanks for your excellent review. I appreciate hearing about the experience of folk who know what they are talking about.
I’ve been using this lens with a Sony a6000 + MC-11 adapter since June 10 and I’ve been really impressed with its performance. The focus using the Sony is completely accurate but close up shots take a bit more time to focus. I found that off-putting at first but for me familiarity has bred contentment and not contempt! Most of the time I shoot at F2 and only stop down when I need to consider the DOF or bright light. I live in the UK where lighting might not be generally as good as South West Florida so the large apertures are not just a bonus! I find it’s fast apertures really helpful to produce images at F2 supported by fast shutter speeds. I use it for action, portraiture, social events and street scenes where things are happening. Never been disappointed with it. Yes, it’s a heavy beast but the upside to that is additional weight helps me maintain a steady grip and helps avoid camera shake.
Recently I tried it with the Canon EOS 7D Mark ii. The focus was fast but there was a poor level of accuracy - as much as 4 out of 5 not focused sharply. So, I’m sticking with the Sony.
I’ve just added the 18-35 F1.8 lens to my arsenal and find that when clapped to the Sony the focus is fast and consistently accurate. In summary I would not be parted from either of these two fantastic lenses with my favourite being the 50-100.
The images don't "pop" and aren't super sharp. Not a bad lens but not one that I'm blown away by. Great review.
I just got this lens for my 90d and the resolution is amazing wide open. You can zoom in 400% and it’s still tack sharp
Bruh I thought this lens was cute until 4:54 - DAMN THIS THING IS LONG!
Still deciding between this and Sigma's 70-200 though, specifically for macro, portraits and night photography
Good......a very to the point review. That's the kind of information I was looking for. Thanks Darren.
You're welcome! So glad I could help!
Darren Miles my lens came in with auto focus issues. I was able to use the dock and the sigma software and am pretty close to ~90% sharpness now.
I'll be taking the lens out tomorrow morning and hope to get some good shots with it.
Thanks, Damien, Nice report. What happens with focus when on an a6300 or a6500?
I hesitate to move to the full frame with this optical! I have the 700D canon with two lens : the sigma art 18-35mm f1.8 and sigma art 50-100mm f1.8. But I realize that for almost the same price I can have the 6D canon with two lens: Tamron 24-70 f/2.8 VC USD and tamron 70-200mm sp 2.8 di vc usd .
For me what is important is the image quality, I want to have the best rendered. Do you think that the final tamron would be better on a full frame than the sigma on an APSC?
Hey Darren if you ever get the time can you do a review on the dock, and see if it fixes the focusing issues with these lenses?
The focal range of this lens doesn't make much sense to me - I can't really imagine using it for anything other than portraits, and there are other lenses much better suited to that, not to mention the weight.
Great review, might consider it in the future.
Background @ 8:53 is just WOW!
Could be the best lens if the range was 50-150 but obviously to be f/1.8 the front glass element should be HUGE...Its a nice lens,i test it in germany,bit big but nice.Personally i prefer the full frame 70-200 in crop cameras.Seems more like a magic lens
Ha! I found your review on the Sigma 50-100mm. I had a feeling it wouldn't be as tack sharp as the Sigma 18-35mm f1.8. Another great video.
Thank you very much!
Keith Brown it's is more sharp than the 18-35mm, he must have had a bad copy, I have both lenses . only thing I don't like is that it's minimum focus distance is poor compared to the 18-35mm
airjaff Thanks for that comment. I'm thinking of getting one of them.
The problem I have with zoom lenses is that I find I rarely use most of the range. Looking at the metadata I have in lightroom, between 12k photos I've hardly used 56-100mm focal range, but I have about 3k images at 50-55. I already have my Canon 50mm 1.8 STM which does a great job (except in low light), so if I were to put up £750-850 to buy a new lens in this range - I'd rather put that into a Samyang Premium 85mm f/1.2 prime. Or otherwise, upgrade my 50mm 1.8 to a 1.4 or 1.2.
It's a nice lens, and based on the feedback, it's possible I had some focus issues...
I think you might have a soft copy. Other reviews indicate and my own copy is as sharp as the 18-35 1.8.
That's entirely possible, there has been some production variance at Sigma in the past. And it's not like it's bad, you just notice some softness when you pixel peep... Splitting hairs really...
Excellent review and awesome stills to underlight your statements, gotta love this one.
firegardn77 yeah and most reviews I've seen say it's sharper at 1.8 then stopped down.
Great review. Thanks!
Hey Darren , what lens would you rec. for shooting wrestling ? i have a canon 7d mark 2
How far from the matches will you be? Ringside or in the stands?
I want to make video perfectly. so, you can give me a suggestion about Sigma Art 18-35mm F1.8 DC and sigma Art 50-100mm F1.8 DC. which is best for me? plz reply fast..
Can't wait for 85mm art
have it...you will love it. This is the best ART lens they have made so far. Just get the USB dock along with the lens.
Great Video! I have an APS-C Body (Nikon D5300) and I'm struggling between the Tamron 70-200 f2.8 G2 which performs well even on a Crop sensor Body even though they're built for FF or the Sigma 50-100 f1.8 Art which is built for Crop Sensor Bodies :( It's like Decent Sharpness+Longer Reach(Crop Factor:1.5x)+Beastly IS (Tamron) vs. Extremely Sharp+Shorter but Decent Reach+No IS+Faster Opening Aperture(Sigma). Probably will not upgrade my APS-C Body in 2-3 Years. Would appreciate any advice in my situation :) Thank you very much for your time!
What did you buy?
Kinda funny how Canon and Nikon profits keep shrinking year after year but Sigma just keeps growing.
how is it funny, Canon was making a lot of money on those little camera like toys no one is buying any more since their phones are doing a better job than those little things were.
it takes a while to find new markets and change production to fit this new reality.
Sigma on the other hand is a relatively small family owned company that made poor lenses no one in their right mind would recommend up until a few years ago.
So how would this compare optically to the Nikon 85mm 1.8G? I'm considering Sigma for portraits but I've heard great things about the Nikon 85mm1.8g
Wayne Enright yea I went with the 85mm and I love it!
There's definitely something wrong with your copy, most likely some minor back/front focus issues that only show up at wide apertures. My experience with the lens is more like the review from TCS, where it is ridiculously sharp from F1.8 and stopping down has little impact on IQ as it is already nearly perfect. I am pretty sure it is even sharper than the 18-35mm f/1.8 which I also own. As soon as I got this lens I know I am not switching to full frame anytime soon because this lens can produce equal if not better results than the 70-200mm f/2.8 which is 4 times as costly for body and lens.
However it seemed that sigma yet again messed up the focus system. My copy is ridiculously front focus at infinity, and it is under repair now. Others also report focus issues and it seemed that calibration is needed for most copies. Your review made me sad as the lens you are describing is not the lens I am having right now.. Please consider a re-review if you have the chance.
1:42 Dying over here
I have been "dreaming" about getting this lens.
One can nitpick any lens on the market but I will say I have been very pleased with the performance of the 50-100 1.8 on my D7200, D7100, and D500 cameras. So well in fact the Nikon 50mm 1.4, 60mm 2.8, 85mm 1.8 are collecting dust in my camera bag. Also the 70-200 2.8 - unless I need the added range it offers..
There is a weight difference, but everything is a trade off. I find it easier to deal the weight than carrying and changing lens all the time with primes, which also has things that could be made better...
Great point! The simple fact of the matter is lens optics are in general very good across the board today and the fact that we have to zoom into 100% to determine the differences between lenses sorta tells us how great we have it - or how spoiled we are :-) As mentioned in the review, having a lens like this is a lot more practical than carrying 3 or 4 primes around.
It seems to be great for sports
i don't think most people would use such a short reach for sports. A 70-200 seems much better for most sporting events you would shoot.
Reeks of quality 😂 yeah they do
lol, that looked heavy! lol. I'll stick with my 50 and 100 Canon.
weakling
Hah! It's surprisingly heavy and I need to get to the gym!
Darren Miles Mr. Miles we appreciate your dedication to this channel . Your .... MILES away from your competition :P !
Im 17 just started photography I have a
- Nikon D5500
- Tamron 17- 50 2.8
That I bought from working as a lifeguard at wetnwild in orlando
Current learning to shoot light . One day at a time sir !
This guy is the whitest white man I've ever seen
AD T it’s true, I’m very melanin challenged :-)
Darren Miles lol. That Florida sun is hot bro. Stay inside or roast.
Sounds like a paid review to me...
a paid review that does not recommend the lens haha
I would not buy