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Hi Philip, thanks! I didn't formally test or compare focus breathing - it's not something I normally test for, but as you know I do record some focus-pulling tests so there will be some casual indication of how much the lens breathes in those clips. I have seen other people mentioning and demonstrating it on the 35 GM, so it's definitely a weakness, but I can't say if it's much worse than other models in this regard. I should add it to my list of tests for future reviews.
@@cameralabs Gerald Undone's review of this lens documented quite a bit of focus breathing as well. As I shoot mostly stills, this lens looks like the perfect 35mm for me.
Hi again Philip, I just realised I had the FE 35mm f1.4 GM back for another test, so I took the opportunity to film a focus breathing demo for you! (plus separate ones on the 135 GM and 16-35 GM all on my Vimeo account). Here's the 35: vimeo.com/518597763
I guess any lenses have not resolve both focus breathing and slower focusing issue in modern tech. so, Sigma gave up faster focus to get bad focus breathing off, on the other hand, Sony chose much faster focus speed while disregarding focus breathing.
What an excellent review, Gordon. I like the history of these lenses which include the Sony/Zeiss offerings which I’ve also used and the many comparisons to the Sigma 35 f1.2, which I own and consider a great lens. I appreciate how you uncovered the subtle differences that swing the pendulum in favour of the new Sony 35 GM lens. You are very detailed in comparisons of corner sharpness, vignetting auto focus and coma issues, which are rarely shown in reviews. I appreciate your detailed effort in making this review.
Great review. Something that struck me in your photos, also in other reviews of this lens just posted, is that this lens really gets the colors right, straight out of the camera. The photos with the Sony just pop and look better in all the subtle ways than the Sigma. Really impressive.
Comparing the 3 lenses shows exactly why f1.4 is the sweet spot. For the sake of a third of a stop, which is not significantly noticeable, the size and weight savings of the 1.4 is definitely worth it compared to the 1.2.
I had the Mitakon 85 1.2 years ago when I started to get "enthusiastic" about gear and there was really no difference to mention at all. I have the Samyang 35 1.4 and I am very happy about it. Though I have the Sigma 105 1.4 which I wouldn't give away either.
There's more to the Sigma than the extra speed, a lot more, like the smoother rendering. Some might say 1.8 is the sweet spot, much lighter, smaller and cheaper with next to no dramatic light loss.
I wish Sony release a 50mm 1.4 at the same size as the 24mm 1.4 and this 35mm 1.4 and at the same price. What would be equally great is if they release a new 85mm prime.
Great comparison Gordon, the Sigma is a brilliant lens but the GM looks even sharper in direct comparison. The GM is a very refined lens in terms of focusing, chromatic aberrations and geometric distortion correction. Still love the Sigma 1.2 but think the GM bested its performance.
Absolutely love your camera reviews Gordon. So clear and so precise. Some of the other guys out there I got to hit myself in the head with a cast iron skillet before it sinks in what they're trying to say. LOL. Take care be safe and I will be watching all your camera reviews. Especially the ones on the Cannons. I'm kind of a Canon snob.
sold me on the sony 35 1.4, ive owned the 24 1.4 for a while, but i really dont use it much and i love 35mm, so i think im gonna sell my 24 1.4 and pickup the 35. cheers gordon
11:26 the sony has a little more resolution but i like sigma for having the extra option of f1.2 that opens more possibilities such as astro photography, night scenes or high shutter speeds in lower light such as indoors or maybe sports without sunlight im ok with the weight question because actually if i ask for the weight i would take a smartphone with no tripod and such while smartphone claims to have replaced all cameras not having a heavy camera, lens, tripod or equipment and can do everything hand-held
Exciting! I love my Sony 35/2.8 and newer 35/1.8 but they just don’t physically pair well with a second body and 135/1.8 GM. This will keep things much more balanced and keep buttons (aperture ring, eye AF button on lens) in the same spot.
I like these series of test. Specially these are great ways to demonstrate sharpness difference in between two lenses across the frame and bokeh rendering difference while shooting portrait .
Sony always applies in camera correction when an Sony Lense is attached, even when everything is disabled. Several tests an reviews shown this behaviour. Sony Lense + Sony Body is always corrected.. For some lenses like the 16-55 G it's even impossible to deactivate it at all, the option is just greyed out. For some lenses you can deactivate it but it's does either nothing, or just use less correction, but it's not disabled. To do that, you have to load the RAW file and manually disable everything there And taking into consideration that the Sony is Made in Thailand its still pretty expensive. Sure the SIGMA costs roughly the same but for an much higher production price. Sony could have sold this lense easily at 999
@@cameralabs Sorry i look at a lot of different RUclipsrs but someone did it I think it was Art of Photography or Northrups one of them did it with the sony 35 1.8 and the Ziess 35 1.4 didn't do well at all next to the GM.
Gordon what a great job. I was just thinking of selling my Sigma 35 1.2 over the GM 35 because of the weight but was waiting to see the reviews on the GM. I already Pre Ordered the GM lol but I wasn't sure if of the outcome but now i'm going to sell my Sigma for sure. I just needed the GM to be close IQ wise but it looks great. The weight is a bit much on the Sigma although i've been dealing with it for weddings. Again thank you so much for this review it was very timely and informative.
@@cameralabs My biggest issue is that i'm trying to use this for video. What do you think in that situation. Is the focus breathing really bad and would that be a deal breaker for you with video? had to ask lol
@@town3 I didn't make a formal test on focus breathing for this review, sorry! Have a look at my focus pulling tests and see if the breathing bothers you or not! It wouldn't bother me for what i do, but might bother you.
Another great and detailed review. I got the 24/1.4GM and the 50/1.4 Sony/Zeiss. It's tempting to also get the 35/1.4GM. I really like the 24 and think I would also love the 35GM.
6:45 is the video censured there..? Certainly missing 11:34 when I alternate covering with my hand... I clearly sense more pleasant pop or even realness conveyed from the Sigma.
@@AR-vf7vg oh, I see, no, it wasn't censored, I just forgot to film that test before the lens went back. I thought about not including the Sony result, but felt it was still useful.
Hi Gordon, many thanks for another great review. Hadn’t realised that the minimum focusing distance could change between manual and autofocus, do you know if this affects any other Sony E mount lenses? Don’t know why you don’t have more subscribers, perhaps you might expand your audience with some videos on basics? For example newbies wanting to get into video won’t really get why you want an apart urge ring and what difference the clickable nature means, focus breathing is bad but what does it really mean and how might you get round it? You used to have some videos where you chatted with colleagues, would like to see some more of those. 😀 Hope you’ll get the new Tamron 2.8 wide angle zoom for crop centre bodies to review.
Thanks! Many lenses can focus closer in manual than AF, it's like you're squeezing a few extra drops of performance out of them! So it's not unusual, but rarely talked about. Yeah, I don't know about subs either, and when I try and do anything different, it often fails or performs really badly compared to my other videos. The chatty podcasts rarely did well for me either, it's weird. I think I need to start a new channel as the age of this one may be holding it back versus newer channels.
Best review again, first review to explain the discrepancy in minimum focus differences, MF is closer than AF, good to know. That LED light issue is interesting isn't it, quite confusing when you're looking through the EVF and they're OFF, but to the eye they're ON.
Yeah, that's the operating frequency of some LEDs for you! And why on photos they are sometimes captured on or off. It's even worse when filming video and they're flickering. Anyway, glad you enjoyed my review!
@@chrisgibbsphoto it certainly is, although most bigger productions are used to getting lights and even special TV / monitor props to work with their frame rates. Tricky when you're filming a product which has lights though. You'll see the flickering in all the car reviews.
Great review Gordon, I have the GM 24 f1.4 and love it, whilst using the Samyang 35 f2.8 for it’s compact size where I like to go really light. I would love to see a GM 85 f1.8, but with the GM 85 f1.4 I suspect that’s unlikely or at the very least a long way off.
Such a great in depth review! I am looking forward to see more lens reviews! I have the old sigma 35mm f1.4 for sony and the auto focus misses way to many times, i think it's going to be replaced by the sony 35mm gm soon!
Really great review! Might be time to swap from my sigma 35 1.2 to this new sony! My biggest gripe with the sigma 35 1.2 is the flare issues even shooting indoors.
@@cameralabs oh I see. With A7s3 it’s working pretty well after the firmware update. Before that update autofocus had some issues, since the update it’s pretty good
@@cameralabs I see. Before the update, lens used to jump but now its focus shift is smooth. I compared sigma with my Sony 20 1.8 G lens today, both gave almost identical results. Sony was negligibly better but hardly noticeable. That lens is one of the better performer in Sony lineup when it comes to autofocus
I have a question about the aperture rings on the GM and the Art lens. When you put the Sigma art lens to Clickless aperture and more the ring, does the aperture still jump with 1/3 stops? Or is the adjustment gradual? Same question for Sony GM at clickless aperture. Is the aperture change "1/3 jumpy" or is is much more gradual?
That's a great question. Sadly the Sony lens has been returned now and I don't have a GM model to try BUT I do still have the Sigma and when it is set to clickless, it appears to still jump in 1/3 stop increments. There may be an option on some bodies to drive this differently or more finely, I'll try to investigate. In the meantime, Canon supports finer 1/8 stop increments on aperture for movie shooting as an option on some bodies and lenses, and you can see it in my recent RF 50mm f1.8 review.
Fortunately for/to me, 'my' DN (selected copy) remains more attractive to me for "Portraiture", because in this video, even both at f1.4 (and 2.8), I do prefer the feel of "reality" AND 'poetry', of the DN. It's far fetched (but real) because to find that out, however, I really have to funnel my eye-view with my hands and hoover posed left and right (paused @ 11:15 ) to "feel" it. Otherwise comparing side by side (as is convenient and is often still missing in reviews) I wouldn't "think" so (nor necessarily just by only comparing the plain background parts, but observing the area just around the head). The better micro-contrast on the GM could be due to a "bad" copy-sample of the f1.2, looking softer, (should I say "less clinical ? haha lol), I would say that the gm pop, here, looks almost cut out (but reversed feeling when I look at that (@11:15) not full-screen anymore but at very reduced size!). But later on the night scenery sample this GM is clearly to favor - but I'm much relieved to see that at f4 they become equal again, then when I'd use it at f4 or 5.6 for such seances anyway (anytime I want the DN's micro-contrast-sweetspot and even spread out esthetic. But boy would I prefer the size and weight of the GM. But humans being clearly my subjects to favor, I will carry the burden. Thank You so much for this sharing !
When I hear people say "the feel of "reality" AND 'poetry'" or "that Leica look", I hear "placebo" or "expectation bias". So much can be influenced simply by the basic Lightroom settings, that it's kind of ridiculous to make meaningful conclusions about the poetry capabilities of two super similar lenses based on a few boring photographs. I may be wrong of course, but you sound like the typical case of "I own the Sigma lens, so thank god it's better in the funky department that I need the most".
@@PeterKoperdan If I am in the typical case scenario of the Sigma owner (that says"thank God its better.."): then I'm once more relieved ! And happy to be. That means Ican't be that wrong ;-) How come that dit not strike You? (Yeahs; I DO know mass psychoses syndrome, I DO know the majority has, by definition, only average QI except if they are all the cream of the cream ina a specific field...lol etc) . I actually agree with your other statments. Who couldn't? - I even agree on your "I could be wrong of course". ;-) Hey, Im actually not "happy".. I would have loved to find the same or "better", to me more pleasing wide open results on the smaller and lighter GM. I'm ONLY happy that I do not have to shell out additional hundreds of dollars. But it was not the determinatingv factor. I could also feel unhappy actually: I still dont find a smaller and lighter (and better) wide open rendering than the one I have and that is so damn big.. It's the BURDEN I am ready to carry for my taste, even if others can't define it. If You listen to a really serious violinist, just one performance, who would dare (well, why not actually, lol) pretend this exact performance would have been better would he love another violin ? (Worse with a worse instrument:: Yes) Good for You if You dont see the difference. (Also good if You doubt and keep Your priorities sane) Lol: You sound like the typical case of "I dont own Laica , thank God I dont see the difference.." (I dont care about "Laica")
@@AR-vf7vg I can't 100% understand what you wrote, but you do seem to be aware of cognitive biases and that's great ;-) It's just that your comment made me comment on the idea that I have been carrying in my head for a while. That idea is that our expectations (and other related cognitive based 'processes') influence our experiences to a much greater extent than many would expect. This means that by giving a person a certain information, it can influence their experience. Such information could be "this is a Leica lens" or "this is a Samyang lens". Expecting a great performance from a Leica lens can make us feel that a neutral photo has better rendering and expecting mediocre performance from a Samyang lens can make us feel that a neutral photo has worse rendering. The same applies to vine tasting or high-end cables for speakers. It may be impossible to notice this cognitive bias for a person that is suffering from it.
@@PeterKoperdan Yes, fully agree. But it "extends of course to the RUclips as is, driven by many intertwined commercial strategies and by many concious and uncontcious egocentric motives. We both seem to be aware of those but still want to preserve the sight and hope to science and altruisme :-) ( BTW : Many YT influencers are often ashamed to witch extend they are (corrupt or) feeling crave to satisfy their follower's unconcious short term craves for consumption, to cover insecurities. I often miss the lack of healthy "self-irony" missed opportunities. the binary jugements, or hiding behind false (unsientific) objectivity, sometimes even vehemently- like when You want to free a dog from chains)
I love the review, ordering the Sony 35mm f1.4 G Master and bought you a nice cup of coffee, where in the world did you get that sweater with the moose/ET parody?
Thanks for the coffee Doug! I bought that Christmassy jumper from a shop in Brighton called JuJu: www.jujubrighton.co.uk/ - they always have some fun ones in the festive season!
I've reviewed both lenses but not at the same time BUT I have a lot of images taken from the same locations, and similar portrait and bokeh tests too, so just look at both reviews to see how they compare. There's more info at cameralabs.com too.
Hopefully, this will help strengthen Sigma's resolve to introduce DG DN versions of a 35/1.4, 135/1.8 and a 50/1.4........along the lines of their 85/1.4 DG DN.
The TWO Sigma DN 35mm could be considered à complementing pare. The 1.2 for it's mood in matters of people, and the DN f2 for street photography, smaller, still stellar also in built, handling and crisp and mood. I get it that the GM is a stellar in its own right. Just a suggestion for some who, like me, don't like depart from the mood of the DN version f1.2.
I truly love your work. If only using it for video, and the subject is tracked by autofocus only about 6-8 feet away from the camera, is the lens breathing severe enough to call it a deal breaker? I'm between this and the 24, although I prefer this focal length.
There is definitely some breathing visible, but it depends on what's acceptable to you - have a look at my face tracking section as those distances are similar and look ok to me.
@@cameralabs I honestly don't' notice much but people seem to think it's fairly severe. I'm so torn between the 2 focal lengths. Thanks for the reply Gordon.
Great review Gordon. We’re you using the new V3 firmware on the Sigma f1.2? I hear they have improved the smoothness of the AF on the lens, but if you are using V3, then it’s a bit of a worry.
Good question - I can confirm I was running v03 firmware on the Sigma which is the latest. Maybe there's another issue though with the A7r IV I tested it on.
Great review! What i find interesting is that this is now considered to be a compact lens. Yes,i know that when compared against other 35/1.4 lenses it is compact. But it still looks big next to a compact mirorless buddy.
Also, i owned and returned the sigma 35/1.2. It had an af hunting problem that may have been fixed by the firmware that was just released. But when i had it, it was awful for af.
Hi gordon, next time you have a one of the canon R cameras, RP or R5 etc can you try auto focusing on something that only has horizontal lines in the frame, nothing else at all, just want to see if those models can catch focus
Sure! On DSLR viewfinder AF systems, there are multiple variations of AF points that are sensitive to H, V and diagonal lines, but for embedded AF systems on sensors used in live view (all the time on mirrorless), it's less clear how the companies 'build' AF points and what types they are equivalent to. So you get a lot more of them, but maybe each becomes less sensitive to certain patterns. Are you experiencing any problems already, or planning ahead?
You probably won't see this but I have a question about this lens. Would this lens be too close of a shot for around 70cm away from the subject (arms length) ?
Thankyou! I'm not the biggest in subs, but I was one of the first on RUclips - over 14yrs ago now - but annoyingly my subs don't increase like other channels. Glad you enjoy my reviews though - I wish more people would find them.
Sony has an impressive lineup of four full frame prime 35mm lenses for e-mount. For the very small 35mm f/2.8 to latest 35mm f/1.8 GM. The same with four 50mm lenses including the 55mm f/1.8. Canon and Nikon are far behind with their lineup of native RF mount and Z mount lenses.
To be fair, Sony has had a mirrorless system much longer than Canon RF and Nikon Z, but yes, that's the benefit of a more established system - more choice.
Great review mate, with this and the 24 1.4 GM, Sony is really bringing their A game with their primes. As you said, something like a 16/18mm at f2 or faster would be amazing! What would your ideal focal length be for a potential GM wide prime?
Is anyone obsessed with the hair hanging off Gordon’s nose in the portrait test? My Lightroom heal finger is twitching. And amazed by the lens sharpness.
Yeah, sorry about that. It's not actually coming out my nose though, it's the top of my moustache after a bad shave. I need to be more careful when I'm posing for portraits, especially with these razor sharp lenses!
@@cameralabs These two lenses didn't cut it thoug. Still needs even sharper contenders. You owed have replied that this is Your secret testing criteria :-) Best greetings!
I have since retested both lenses and if you can manually focus the Sigma 1.2 very carefully, it's possible to match the sharpness and contrast of the Sony. BUT if you want that quality with thr ease of AF, go with the Sony, plus it's smaller, lighter and a bit cheaper.
I re-watch your focus breathing tests a few times and even at 0.5x speed. I feel that the 35 GM breathing isn't really a deal breaker for talking head!
Thanks Gordon - highly informative review. I like that you aimed at to the real rival lens and pointed out that Sigma's only remaining superiority is just being f1.2 at a cost of heavy weight, giant size, optical distorsions, AF performance and some degree of sharpness. I wonder if it was still worth carrying (dragging) around for still photographers on outdoor photo shoots. Colors? Any other signatures?
Great review, thanks. I had just gotten my Sigma 35 1.2 and I am going to return it for the Sony. I cant see any advantages anymore for the Sigma and being over 1kg, its really heavy, esp. for an everyday focal length.
I still like the Sigma and remember some of my issues may have been down to a particular combo with the A7r IV BUT there's also no denying it is a lot bigger and heavier.
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Find out why the f1.4 G Master is Sony's best 35mm lens yet!
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L
Great review! Thanks a lot. I have just ordered the G master. I am really looking forward to it after your and several other reviews I have watched.
Love your reviews and the simple, yet effective, every-day use style. Keep the good work.
Thanks!
Got lucky at my local camera store the other day and picked up the 35 GM. What a beast. Cheers!!
Thanks for the review Gordon. In the video samples there’s definitely much more focus breathing on the GM than the Sigma. Did you find this?
Hi Philip, thanks! I didn't formally test or compare focus breathing - it's not something I normally test for, but as you know I do record some focus-pulling tests so there will be some casual indication of how much the lens breathes in those clips. I have seen other people mentioning and demonstrating it on the 35 GM, so it's definitely a weakness, but I can't say if it's much worse than other models in this regard. I should add it to my list of tests for future reviews.
@@cameralabs Gerald Undone's review of this lens documented quite a bit of focus breathing as well. As I shoot mostly stills, this lens looks like the perfect 35mm for me.
Hi again Philip, I just realised I had the FE 35mm f1.4 GM back for another test, so I took the opportunity to film a focus breathing demo for you! (plus separate ones on the 135 GM and 16-35 GM all on my Vimeo account). Here's the 35: vimeo.com/518597763
@@cameralabs deal breaker for your video use? That's pretty bad.
I guess any lenses have not resolve both focus breathing and slower focusing issue in modern tech. so, Sigma gave up faster focus to get bad focus breathing off, on the other hand, Sony chose much faster focus speed while disregarding focus breathing.
I was hoping someone made this comparison. Thank you for putting it together.
What an excellent review, Gordon. I like the history of these lenses which include the Sony/Zeiss offerings which I’ve also used and the many comparisons to the Sigma 35 f1.2, which I own and consider a great lens. I appreciate how you uncovered the subtle differences that swing the pendulum in favour of the new Sony 35 GM lens. You are very detailed in comparisons of corner sharpness, vignetting auto focus and coma issues, which are rarely shown in reviews. I appreciate your detailed effort in making this review.
You're very welcome!
Thank you Gordon, another very detailed and a well researched review that we're accustomed to seeing from you. Grand!
You're welcome!
Great review. Something that struck me in your photos, also in other reviews of this lens just posted, is that this lens really gets the colors right, straight out of the camera. The photos with the Sony just pop and look better in all the subtle ways than the Sigma. Really impressive.
Exactly the information I was looking for. Thank you Gordon! Wishing you a million subscribers soon mate!
Thanks Ben, I fear that could be some time off yet! Older channels like mine grow at a glacial pace compared to new ones!
I was starting to get lured by the Sigma 1.2, until I saw this review. Thank you for creating it!
You're welcome!
This is the exact comparison I've been looking for since the 35 1.4 gm came out because I own the 35 1.2 Sigma.
Comparing the 3 lenses shows exactly why f1.4 is the sweet spot. For the sake of a third of a stop, which is not significantly noticeable, the size and weight savings of the 1.4 is definitely worth it compared to the 1.2.
Indeed!
I had the Mitakon 85 1.2 years ago when I started to get "enthusiastic" about gear and there was really no difference to mention at all. I have the Samyang 35 1.4 and I am very happy about it. Though I have the Sigma 105 1.4 which I wouldn't give away either.
There's more to the Sigma than the extra speed, a lot more, like the smoother rendering.
Some might say 1.8 is the sweet spot, much lighter, smaller and cheaper with next to no dramatic light loss.
I wish Sony release a 50mm 1.4 at the same size as the 24mm 1.4 and this 35mm 1.4 and at the same price. What would be equally great is if they release a new 85mm prime.
Great comparison Gordon, the Sigma is a brilliant lens but the GM looks even sharper in direct comparison. The GM is a very refined lens in terms of focusing, chromatic aberrations and geometric distortion correction. Still love the Sigma 1.2 but think the GM bested its performance.
I completely agree!
Excellent review as usual. My shoulder feels better already just looking at that GM. Man they make some fantastic glass. Thanks for all you do Gordon!
You're very welcome!
Absolutely love your camera reviews Gordon. So clear and so precise. Some of the other guys out there I got to hit myself in the head with a cast iron skillet before it sinks in what they're trying to say. LOL. Take care be safe and I will be watching all your camera reviews. Especially the ones on the Cannons. I'm kind of a Canon snob.
Thanks Danny, I've done lots of Canon lens reviews recently.
Another optical masterpiece after 24GM.
It is very good
and 135GM
sold me on the sony 35 1.4, ive owned the 24 1.4 for a while, but i really dont use it much and i love 35mm, so i think im gonna sell my 24 1.4 and pickup the 35. cheers gordon
Still one of my all time favourite lenses for the system.
11:26
the sony has a little more resolution but i like sigma for having the extra option of f1.2 that opens more possibilities such as astro photography, night scenes or high shutter speeds in lower light such as indoors or maybe sports without sunlight
im ok with the weight question because actually if i ask for the weight i would take a smartphone with no tripod and such
while smartphone claims to have replaced all cameras not having a heavy camera, lens, tripod or equipment and can do everything hand-held
Half a stop of light is gonna make all the difference in the world.
Exciting! I love my Sony 35/2.8 and newer 35/1.8 but they just don’t physically pair well with a second body and 135/1.8 GM. This will keep things much more balanced and keep buttons (aperture ring, eye AF button on lens) in the same spot.
What a stunning lens. this and the 24 GM really have set the bar for compact wide aperture primes. I have the 24, I think the 35 is next.
Amazing review and well put together! Very informative’
You're very welcome!
I like these series of test. Specially these are great ways to demonstrate sharpness difference in between two lenses across the frame and bokeh rendering difference while shooting portrait .
Thanks, it's a lot of work, which is why you don't see many people doing it.
Sony always applies in camera correction when an Sony Lense is attached, even when everything is disabled.
Several tests an reviews shown this behaviour. Sony Lense + Sony Body is always corrected..
For some lenses like the 16-55 G it's even impossible to deactivate it at all, the option is just greyed out. For some lenses you can deactivate it but it's does either nothing, or just use less correction, but it's not disabled. To do that, you have to load the RAW file and manually disable everything there
And taking into consideration that the Sony is Made in Thailand its still pretty expensive. Sure the SIGMA costs roughly the same but for an much higher production price.
Sony could have sold this lense easily at 999
Great review, very pleasantly surprised to see the GM beating the Art and even coming in slightly cheaper.
I would love to get a hands on this baby! Thanks for the video.
Thank you for the great review! Now i hope someone will show compassion between GM and Zeiss 35/1.4
I'd like to see that too
I have seen that comparison. The Sony is much better than the Zeiss.
@@cameralabs Sorry i look at a lot of different RUclipsrs but someone did it I think it was Art of Photography or Northrups one of them did it with the sony 35 1.8 and the Ziess 35 1.4 didn't do well at all next to the GM.
Thanks for the best review of this lens. Very thorough 👌👌
Thanks David!
Very good comparison! Thank you for that!
Gordon what a great job. I was just thinking of selling my Sigma 35 1.2 over the GM 35 because of the weight but was waiting to see the reviews on the GM. I already Pre Ordered the GM lol but I wasn't sure if of the outcome but now i'm going to sell my Sigma for sure. I just needed the GM to be close IQ wise but it looks great. The weight is a bit much on the Sigma although i've been dealing with it for weddings. Again thank you so much for this review it was very timely and informative.
You're very welcome, I still like the Sigma, but in most of my tests the Sony did out-perform it and was lighter too.
@@cameralabs My biggest issue is that i'm trying to use this for video. What do you think in that situation. Is the focus breathing really bad and would that be a deal breaker for you with video? had to ask lol
@@town3 I didn't make a formal test on focus breathing for this review, sorry! Have a look at my focus pulling tests and see if the breathing bothers you or not! It wouldn't bother me for what i do, but might bother you.
@@cameralabs Ok Thanks again Gordon keep up the hard but great work.
Another great and detailed review. I got the 24/1.4GM and the 50/1.4 Sony/Zeiss. It's tempting to also get the 35/1.4GM. I really like the 24 and think I would also love the 35GM.
It looks and feels similar, I think you'll like it!
Thank you Gordon! Great review
6:45 is the video censured there..? Certainly missing
11:34 when I alternate covering with my hand... I clearly sense more pleasant pop or even realness conveyed from the Sigma.
Censored how?
@@cameralabs Interrupted before getting face to close-up as the equivalent test videoing with the GM.
@@AR-vf7vg oh, I see, no, it wasn't censored, I just forgot to film that test before the lens went back. I thought about not including the Sony result, but felt it was still useful.
This is a really good and detailed review Gordon. I use Sony A7iii for my channel and this would be a dope lens to have for my reviews.
It would be great! But the 35 1.8 is also a great option.
Fantastic comparison between the 35 f1.4 GM and the Sigma 35 f1.2!
Very impressive lens.
Thanks!
Great review. Heard some complaints on focus breathing?
Yep, the breathing is pretty bad. I showed it vs the Sigma 35 1.4 in my review of the latter, see: ruclips.net/video/pvmbJzcGaqU/видео.html
This is great. Top review. Considering the Sony shift from canon this year...helpful.
Thanks!
Hi Gordon, many thanks for another great review. Hadn’t realised that the minimum focusing distance could change between manual and autofocus, do you know if this affects any other Sony E mount lenses? Don’t know why you don’t have more subscribers, perhaps you might expand your audience with some videos on basics? For example newbies wanting to get into video won’t really get why you want an apart urge ring and what difference the clickable nature means, focus breathing is bad but what does it really mean and how might you get round it? You used to have some videos where you chatted with colleagues, would like to see some more of those. 😀 Hope you’ll get the new Tamron 2.8 wide angle zoom for crop centre bodies to review.
Thanks! Many lenses can focus closer in manual than AF, it's like you're squeezing a few extra drops of performance out of them! So it's not unusual, but rarely talked about. Yeah, I don't know about subs either, and when I try and do anything different, it often fails or performs really badly compared to my other videos. The chatty podcasts rarely did well for me either, it's weird. I think I need to start a new channel as the age of this one may be holding it back versus newer channels.
The 85GM does the same.
Thanks so much for this wonderful review! It helped me so much! Blessings!
You're welcome!
Great review! I was hoping somebody would compare it to that big Sigma and I’m happy to see it does very well against it.
Glad to be of service!
Best review again, first review to explain the discrepancy in minimum focus differences, MF is closer than AF, good to know. That LED light issue is interesting isn't it, quite confusing when you're looking through the EVF and they're OFF, but to the eye they're ON.
Yeah, that's the operating frequency of some LEDs for you! And why on photos they are sometimes captured on or off. It's even worse when filming video and they're flickering. Anyway, glad you enjoyed my review!
@@cameralabs I noticed that on an Audi's LED lights the other day, I'd imagine that could be a major PITA for cinematographers.
@@chrisgibbsphoto it certainly is, although most bigger productions are used to getting lights and even special TV / monitor props to work with their frame rates. Tricky when you're filming a product which has lights though. You'll see the flickering in all the car reviews.
Great review. Was thinking about getting the Sigma, but now convinced to get the new Sony instead.
Very great review. Thank you for that!
You're welcome!
Great review Gordon, I have the GM 24 f1.4 and love it, whilst using the Samyang 35 f2.8 for it’s compact size where I like to go really light. I would love to see a GM 85 f1.8, but with the GM 85 f1.4 I suspect that’s unlikely or at the very least a long way off.
Such a great in depth review! I am looking forward to see more lens reviews! I have the old sigma 35mm f1.4 for sony and the auto focus misses way to many times, i think it's going to be replaced by the sony 35mm gm soon!
The native Sony lenses do focus very accurately and consistently
I do have a question, why do these lenses not offer the closest focus range in auto focus setting compared to manual focus? Thanks
Nice review as always Gordon. Looks a great option.
I presume they are still selling the non gm? Or will it be discontinued?
It will continue at a lower price TBC
Another fantastic video Gordon. Man...I just bought the SONY 35mm 1.8 two months ago... :(
Still a great lens, and half the price of this one
How did you take those self portraits at 10:15? Did someone else operate the camera?
Yes
mostly filming in my 30 sqm living room, 24MM GM or 35MM GM?
Really great review! Might be time to swap from my sigma 35 1.2 to this new sony! My biggest gripe with the sigma 35 1.2 is the flare issues even shooting indoors.
I still like the 35 1.2 so not sure I'd swap if I already had it...
Did update sigma 35 1.2, since that update sigma autofocus became almost perfect
My Sigma lens was running the latest 03 firmware. There may be an additional issue with the A7r IV body.
@@cameralabs oh I see. With A7s3 it’s working pretty well after the firmware update. Before that update autofocus had some issues, since the update it’s pretty good
@@shinzychan5117 yeah, I think it may be an issue with the A7r IV, although someone else commented they noticed a similar effect on the FX6.
@@cameralabs I see. Before the update, lens used to jump but now its focus shift is smooth. I compared sigma with my Sony 20 1.8 G lens today, both gave almost identical results. Sony was negligibly better but hardly noticeable. That lens is one of the better performer in Sony lineup when it comes to autofocus
Thinking to switch Sigma 1.2 to Sony 1.4 gm, the weight is absolutely insane…
Wow, the focus breathing on that GM, though. Is it it prime or a zoom!?! Very noticeable during the focusing section.
It's a prime, but looks like it's zooming when focusing!
@@cameralabs Yeah, it's crazy. Doesn't put me off, I'm on the verge of buying it...But I could imagine for some, it might be a deal breaker.
Gordon, did you manage to compare the focus breathing on the 35GM to the Sigma 35 f1.2 Art? Apparently it's pretty noticeable on the GM.
Not a formal test, but you can see breathing in my focus-pulling tests
I have a question about the aperture rings on the GM and the Art lens.
When you put the Sigma art lens to Clickless aperture and more the ring, does the aperture still jump with 1/3 stops? Or is the adjustment gradual?
Same question for Sony GM at clickless aperture. Is the aperture change "1/3 jumpy" or is is much more gradual?
That's a great question. Sadly the Sony lens has been returned now and I don't have a GM model to try BUT I do still have the Sigma and when it is set to clickless, it appears to still jump in 1/3 stop increments. There may be an option on some bodies to drive this differently or more finely, I'll try to investigate. In the meantime, Canon supports finer 1/8 stop increments on aperture for movie shooting as an option on some bodies and lenses, and you can see it in my recent RF 50mm f1.8 review.
Fortunately for/to me, 'my' DN (selected copy) remains more attractive to me for "Portraiture", because in this video, even both at f1.4 (and 2.8), I do prefer the feel of "reality" AND 'poetry', of the DN. It's far fetched (but real) because to find that out, however, I really have to funnel my eye-view with my hands and hoover posed left and right (paused @ 11:15 ) to "feel" it. Otherwise comparing side by side (as is convenient and is often still missing in reviews) I wouldn't "think" so (nor necessarily just by only comparing the plain background parts, but observing the area just around the head). The better micro-contrast on the GM could be due to a "bad" copy-sample of the f1.2, looking softer, (should I say "less clinical ? haha lol), I would say that the gm pop, here, looks almost cut out (but reversed feeling when I look at that (@11:15) not full-screen anymore but at very reduced size!).
But later on the night scenery sample this GM is clearly to favor - but I'm much relieved to see that at f4 they become equal again, then when I'd use it at f4 or 5.6 for such seances anyway (anytime I want the DN's micro-contrast-sweetspot and even spread out esthetic. But boy would I prefer the size and weight of the GM. But humans being clearly my subjects to favor, I will carry the burden. Thank You so much for this sharing !
Thanks for your detailed comment! I agree, there's a really nice look to the Sigma 1.2
When I hear people say "the feel of "reality" AND 'poetry'" or "that Leica look", I hear "placebo" or "expectation bias". So much can be influenced simply by the basic Lightroom settings, that it's kind of ridiculous to make meaningful conclusions about the poetry capabilities of two super similar lenses based on a few boring photographs. I may be wrong of course, but you sound like the typical case of "I own the Sigma lens, so thank god it's better in the funky department that I need the most".
@@PeterKoperdan If I am in the typical case scenario of the Sigma owner (that says"thank God its better.."): then I'm once more relieved ! And happy to be. That means Ican't be that wrong ;-)
How come that dit not strike You?
(Yeahs; I DO know mass psychoses syndrome, I DO know the majority has, by definition, only average QI except if they are all the cream of the cream ina a specific field...lol etc) .
I actually agree with your other statments. Who couldn't? - I even agree on your "I could be wrong of course". ;-)
Hey, Im actually not "happy".. I would have loved to find the same or "better", to me more pleasing wide open results on the smaller and lighter GM. I'm ONLY happy that I do not have to shell out additional hundreds of dollars. But it was not the determinatingv factor. I could also feel unhappy actually: I still dont find a smaller and lighter (and better) wide open rendering than the one I have and that is so damn big.. It's the BURDEN I am ready to carry for my taste, even if others can't define it.
If You listen to a really serious violinist, just one performance, who would dare (well, why not actually, lol) pretend this exact performance would have been better would he love another violin ? (Worse with a worse instrument:: Yes)
Good for You if You dont see the difference. (Also good if You doubt and keep Your priorities sane)
Lol: You sound like the typical case of "I dont own Laica , thank God I dont see the difference.."
(I dont care about "Laica")
@@AR-vf7vg I can't 100% understand what you wrote, but you do seem to be aware of cognitive biases and that's great ;-) It's just that your comment made me comment on the idea that I have been carrying in my head for a while. That idea is that our expectations (and other related cognitive based 'processes') influence our experiences to a much greater extent than many would expect. This means that by giving a person a certain information, it can influence their experience. Such information could be "this is a Leica lens" or "this is a Samyang lens". Expecting a great performance from a Leica lens can make us feel that a neutral photo has better rendering and expecting mediocre performance from a Samyang lens can make us feel that a neutral photo has worse rendering. The same applies to vine tasting or high-end cables for speakers. It may be impossible to notice this cognitive bias for a person that is suffering from it.
@@PeterKoperdan Yes, fully agree. But it "extends of course to the RUclips as is, driven by many intertwined commercial strategies and by many concious and uncontcious egocentric motives. We both seem to be aware of those but still want to preserve the sight and hope to science and altruisme :-)
( BTW : Many YT influencers are often ashamed to witch extend they are (corrupt or) feeling crave to satisfy their follower's unconcious short term craves for consumption, to cover insecurities. I often miss the lack of healthy "self-irony" missed opportunities. the binary jugements, or hiding behind false (unsientific) objectivity, sometimes even vehemently- like when You want to free a dog from chains)
I love the review, ordering the Sony 35mm f1.4 G Master and bought you a nice cup of coffee, where in the world did you get that sweater with the moose/ET parody?
Thanks for the coffee Doug! I bought that Christmassy jumper from a shop in Brighton called JuJu: www.jujubrighton.co.uk/ - they always have some fun ones in the festive season!
Is the 35 GM sharper than the 24mm GM?
thxalot for sharing! liked and subscribed.
Thanks!
Hi Gordon, great video! Could you say how big the difference is between this GM and the recent Sigma 35mm f2 (besides the f)? Happy to hear.
I've reviewed both lenses but not at the same time BUT I have a lot of images taken from the same locations, and similar portrait and bokeh tests too, so just look at both reviews to see how they compare. There's more info at cameralabs.com too.
Hopefully, this will help strengthen Sigma's resolve to introduce DG DN versions of a 35/1.4, 135/1.8 and a 50/1.4........along the lines of their 85/1.4 DG DN.
The TWO Sigma DN 35mm could be considered à complementing pare. The 1.2 for it's mood in matters of people, and the DN f2 for street photography, smaller, still stellar also in built, handling and crisp and mood. I get it that the GM is a stellar in its own right. Just a suggestion for some who, like me, don't like depart from the mood of the DN version f1.2.
Enjoying my month old 35 f/1.8....not sure I’ll ante up for the GM yet
I truly love your work. If only using it for video, and the subject is tracked by autofocus only about 6-8 feet away from the camera, is the lens breathing severe enough to call it a deal breaker? I'm between this and the 24, although I prefer this focal length.
There is definitely some breathing visible, but it depends on what's acceptable to you - have a look at my face tracking section as those distances are similar and look ok to me.
@@cameralabs I honestly don't' notice much but people seem to think it's fairly severe. I'm so torn between the 2 focal lengths. Thanks for the reply Gordon.
Thanks for the update sir
You're welcome!
Great review Gordon. We’re you using the new V3 firmware on the Sigma f1.2? I hear they have improved the smoothness of the AF on the lens, but if you are using V3, then it’s a bit of a worry.
Good question - I can confirm I was running v03 firmware on the Sigma which is the latest. Maybe there's another issue though with the A7r IV I tested it on.
@@cameralabs Just tested V03 on an FX6. Same deal. It's only really an issue with video pull focusing, but still annoying.
@@PowerhouseProductions thanks for checking. I'll ask Sigma the next time I see them,
perfect comparison, thank u!
Thanks!
i hope the next one will be the 16mm f1.8 gm :)
awesome video btw.!
How's the coma? I didn't see it covered in your review, and I think this would be a great astro option if coma is well controlled.
I didn't have a chance to test for coma for this review, but I'll follow up with a more detailed version at cameralabs.com in the future
I have the Sony FE 35mm 1.8. I like the fast autofocus, light weight, and no focus breathing. The 1.4 has some focus breathing.
The 1.8 is a great lens.
Great review! What i find interesting is that this is now considered to be a compact lens. Yes,i know that when compared against other 35/1.4 lenses it is compact. But it still looks big next to a compact mirorless buddy.
Also, i owned and returned the sigma 35/1.2. It had an af hunting problem that may have been fixed by the firmware that was just released. But when i had it, it was awful for af.
@@simonp8088 so it was awful af? 🤣🤣
Nice review. How does the GM compare with the Sigma FE 40 ART?
www.cameralabs.com/sigma-40mm-f1-4-art-review/
Hi gordon, next time you have a one of the canon R cameras, RP or R5 etc can you try auto focusing on something that only has horizontal lines in the frame, nothing else at all, just want to see if those models can catch focus
Sure! On DSLR viewfinder AF systems, there are multiple variations of AF points that are sensitive to H, V and diagonal lines, but for embedded AF systems on sensors used in live view (all the time on mirrorless), it's less clear how the companies 'build' AF points and what types they are equivalent to. So you get a lot more of them, but maybe each becomes less sensitive to certain patterns. Are you experiencing any problems already, or planning ahead?
thanks for the great sharing comparison
I can’t wait for this lens!!!
Excellent review , thanks for the same. I want to know that which budget Sony camera will be best for this lens. Love and respect from India
How about an A7 III or A7r II?
You probably won't see this but I have a question about this lens.
Would this lens be too close of a shot for around 70cm away from the subject (arms length) ?
Yes, it would be a bit too tight. For arm's length, I'd recommend 24mm or 20mm.
@@cameralabs Ae you using this on a full frame camera or apsc ?
@@LimaEchoEchoZz full frame, have you watched the video, i show you the camera!
i want the sony 35mm... i need it!!!!
Not the biggest reviewer, but hands down the best review out there.
Thankyou! I'm not the biggest in subs, but I was one of the first on RUclips - over 14yrs ago now - but annoyingly my subs don't increase like other channels. Glad you enjoy my reviews though - I wish more people would find them.
@@cameralabs 14 years, that’s dedication, hope 2021 is good for you.
@@CharlieVN thanks! Be nice if the channel grew a bit faster this year! Hope you have a good year too!
Please versus with Samyang 35mm f1.4
Sony has an impressive lineup of four full frame prime 35mm lenses for e-mount. For the very small 35mm f/2.8 to latest 35mm f/1.8 GM. The same with four 50mm lenses including the 55mm f/1.8.
Canon and Nikon are far behind with their lineup of native RF mount and Z mount lenses.
To be fair, Sony has had a mirrorless system much longer than Canon RF and Nikon Z, but yes, that's the benefit of a more established system - more choice.
Man that Sony is a beast of a lens.
Great review mate, with this and the 24 1.4 GM, Sony is really bringing their A game with their primes. As you said, something like a 16/18mm at f2 or faster would be amazing! What would your ideal focal length be for a potential GM wide prime?
I'm really hoping for a 14 or 16mm f1.4 GM... But of course Sigma has a really good ultra-wide fast prime too.
@@cameralabs a 14mm f1.4 would look insane wide open! 🤞🏻
Hope you can compare it to the cheaper Samyang AF 35mm f1.4 in the future.
www.cameralabs.com/samyang-af-35mm-f1-4-fe-review/
Great review
Is anyone obsessed with the hair hanging off Gordon’s nose in the portrait test? My Lightroom heal finger is twitching. And amazed by the lens sharpness.
Yeah, sorry about that. It's not actually coming out my nose though, it's the top of my moustache after a bad shave. I need to be more careful when I'm posing for portraits, especially with these razor sharp lenses!
@@cameralabs These two lenses didn't cut it thoug. Still needs even sharper contenders.
You owed have replied that this is Your secret testing criteria :-)
Best greetings!
This review makes the Sigma look like it's well out of its depth. A great case for getting native glass.
I have since retested both lenses and if you can manually focus the Sigma 1.2 very carefully, it's possible to match the sharpness and contrast of the Sony. BUT if you want that quality with thr ease of AF, go with the Sony, plus it's smaller, lighter and a bit cheaper.
great comparison
Thanks!
thanks
I re-watch your focus breathing tests a few times and even at 0.5x speed. I feel that the 35 GM breathing isn't really a deal breaker for talking head!
It's an amazing lens otherwise, so if it doesn't affect or bother you, go for it!
Genial.. 💥💯🇨🇴👍
the changing of focusing in Sony is way better than Sigma;s
Thanks Gordon - highly informative review. I like that you aimed at to the real rival lens and pointed out that Sigma's only remaining superiority is just being f1.2 at a cost of heavy weight, giant size, optical distorsions, AF performance and some degree of sharpness. I wonder if it was still worth carrying (dragging) around for still photographers on outdoor photo shoots. Colors? Any other signatures?
Same price and the Sigma being a better lens...so Sigma all the way and Gordon...you know it :)) the Sigma is a masterpiece!!
I like the Sigma!
I like this one, thanks for the review
Great review, thanks.
I had just gotten my Sigma 35 1.2 and I am going to return it for the Sony. I cant see any advantages anymore for the Sigma and being over 1kg, its really heavy, esp. for an everyday focal length.
I still like the Sigma and remember some of my issues may have been down to a particular combo with the A7r IV BUT there's also no denying it is a lot bigger and heavier.
Sony's brief, it would seem, was to eat the Sigma for breakfast. Thanks for another gem of a vid.
How the heck am I going to sell my Sigma 35mm 1.2! Love the unique, and beautiful images the Sigma produces for me. Such a chore to lug around though.
It's still a great lens, i'd keep it!
This gave me the confirmation to sell my sigma 1.2
Could you say something about the recently published DXO Marks' numbers on Sony A7S III ? They are strikingly bad. Thanx
I don't comment on other people's tests. I have already published my review of the A7S III if you want to know my findings.