Spiderx1 Loc: Atlanta, Ga USA

Well I stand corrected! Still won't work on the A-1 and yes there are Sony lenses that do not work on A1 at 30FPS. Sorry I got in this conversation. Bottom line I really liked my Sigma and quality of photo was awesome and the only reason I got rid of it was it would not shoot as fast as I wanted on my A1. I was told by the Sony Tech that it was to do with the motors, same as older Sony. But since you obviously have the authoritative knowledge on the subject. I will say I am sorry for making such an horrible error. People come here for help and share information. Not to be berated by people whom may or may not know it all. Or have grammar corrected.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

In professional press photography, UPI photographers would rather take any beat to heck Nikon lens to using a brand new Sigma lens. And I would know, as I was a UPI photographer.
PS, I can do this all day long, can you?

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Geeze....I didn't know UPI was still around! 1 of 5 photogs are you. Hey there, I am not a UPI photog, but am still a pro and, generally, a fan of Nikon as it is the system that I own. You may not appreciate Sigma ART lenses, but I surely do, and some of them, such as the Sigma 50 1.4 ART are just way better than the Nikon equivalent. YMMV for sure! OPINIONS, all! Best of luck.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

I understand what you're saying but it doesn't really address my previous post. I'm trying to educate myself regarding the manufacturing of Sigma lenses. Can you provide any links to resources which review the serious issues you brought to our attention?

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

FACT, Sigma ART lenses have an issue with Nikon camera's and Nikon flash units.
If you care to read it you may learn something. And if you want more FACTS about the short comings of Sigma ART lenses, just add another uninformed comment like the one you just made.
Best of luck.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTh8ZNCiNd0

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

FACT, Sigma ART lenses have an issue with Nikon camera's and Nikon flash units.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTh8ZNCiNd0

gwilliams6

Good answer and I agree.

I have the latest Sony GM top lenses and also have the latest Sigma Art DG DN lenses and optically and performance-wise they are equal. And in fact some of these newer, and less costly Sigma Art and Tamron , and Samyang/Rokinon lenses are sharper, faster focusing, weigh less, and cost less than some older Sony GM top lenses.

That is why Sony is fast at work to come out with newer version II of several of its current GM lenses to make them up to the latest in new optical design, with better sharpness and adding newer faster linear focusing motors.

I sold my current Sony 24-70mm f2.8 GM and current Sony 85mm f1.4 GM lenses (both five-year old optical designs with older focusing motors) and bought the sharper and faster focusing Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 DG DN and Sigma 85mm f1.4 DG DN lenses. I have used both and concur what all reviews have said and all independent test results have shown, that the Sigma Art DG DN lenses surpass many current top GM lenses. Just check out the latest written and youtube reviews from top shooters and top reviewers and know the new reality.

Also feel free to look at one of my sites and see many of my shots taken with Sigma Art lenses, along with my Sony and Tamron lenses. https://www.facebook.com/GSWilliamsPhotography

Of course there are other criteria besides sharpness , focus speed and accuracy when you are considering buying any lens. Factors like bokeh, chromatic aberrations, vignetting, weather sealing, contrast, color, flare, build quality, size, weight, and price all should be considered.

Fortunately the latest top mirrorless designed lenses from Sigma Art and others also score well in these other categories. It is good that this strong competition is coming from less expensive brands as it will inspire the OEM makers to up their game and keep improving their OEM lenses to compete..

Cheers

gwilliams6

Sigma sells far more Sigma Art lenses to Sony, Canon ,Panasonic, Fuji and Leica users where there is no issue with these makers' camera bodies and flashes.

If it is an issue with Nikon, it is Nikon's issue.

FYI, Nikon lenses and bodies are designed totally different in how they work electronically with transmitting focusing info and aperture control between lens and body . Everyone else's lenses work similarly. It is a well-known fact that Canon and other lenses work very well with adaptors on Sony cameras, but Nikon lenses do not work well on Sony bodies, even with adaptors.

Research this Bill and learn the facts about Nikon cameras and lenses not playing nice with others. lol

Cheers

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

FACT: My OPINION is just as important as yours! FACT: I have NO ISSUES using my Sigma ART lens for what I do., on the cameras I use them on! FACT: You are entitled to YOUR opinion and I respect that, so please respect mine. FACT: Not everything you see on the internet is true. FACT: YOU are NOT the ultimate judge, but you seem to be very judgmental in this, and many other, post(s). Have a Blessed day!

gwilliams6

Sadly Billnikon believes that he knows all beyond Nikon stuff. Yet he hasn't used the latest Sigma Art DG DN lenses at all because they dont make them for Nikon. Yet he makes pronouncements for all of the current photo world about older Sigma lenses made for Nikon DSLRs years ago. .

His opinion about OLDER Sigma lenses is the only one that matters, he thinks. And for him, no one else's knowledge or opinion matters, even those with more direct experience and greater knowledge on the thread subject matter who have ACTUALLY used the latest Sigma Art lenses, which are NOT made for Nikon.

The Latest Sigma Art lenses sell extremely well and are excellently reviewed and tested, and Panasonic, Leica, Canon, Sony, Fuji users happily use native E-Mount or L-mount or EF-Mount Sigma Art lenses and get great performance. BillNikon thinks the world revolves around Nikon DSLRs and older Sigma lenses. He refuses to accept the new reality of the latest Sigma Art Lenses, which again are NOT made for NIKON DSLRs .

Sigma is in negotiations to make some of these same new superior Sigma Art lenses for mirrorless Nikon Z-mount . But until then BillNikon is barking up the wrong tree with his old news, and old reality for Nikon users.

Cheers

ScottWardwell Loc: Maine

I bought my first Nikon manual focus SLR in 1988 along with a couple of A/F mid-zooms from Quantenary. I wanted to buy Nikon MF glass at the time, but the salesman talked me out of it. Okey-dokey and out the door I went. Within 5 years, both lenses stopped functioning properly and literally went into the trash can. Before that happened I acquired a push-pull 70-210 Sigma as well as my first Nikon glass; the 18-35 3.5 AF ED.

The Sigma went out of focus calibration when an internal piece of mylar tape bonding a couple of elementubes together lost it's adhesion. I took the thing apart several times to reset the focus. Worked a little bit then went south again. Looking back though, I was always disappointed by the image quality I was getting from my third-party glass and seriously doubted my photography chops. Was film really that over-rated and just sucked? That Sigma sits in a box somewhere never to see the light of day again.

Fast forward to today; I have a stable of Nikon AF-D primes and zooms, the 24mm Tilt-Shift, 2 earlier AF-S 2.8 mid-zooms, the Tamron 150-600 zoom and a 40mm and 58mm Voigtlander MF lenses.

Now you may think I was going to trash 3rd party lens; but the Voigtlanders are the sharpest pieces of glass I own. On my D700 and D850, the results are stunning when shooting on a tripod. Solid construction and wonderful tactile feel when focusing. Just the right amount of resistance to the touch. Low element count and they feel like they are carved out of billet steel.

Current Sigma's I think have improved design and QC. The real test is if Sigma's will have the same longevity you see with Nikon glass on the secondary markets. Some of my Nikon glass is between 20 and 30 years old. Sigma cannot say the same for their lenses of the same vintage.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

Gee, I did not realize I was so popular.
Why doesn't Canon, Sony, and Nikon have docking stations? I wonder why only Sigma needs docking stations to fix there lenses so they will focus properly on camera's that Sigma does not even make.
Maybe it's because Nikon, Sony, and Canon lenses are made to better, have longer lasting material, have better glass and therefore do not need docking stations to bring their lenses into alignment.
But don't just believe me about the short comings of Sigma lenses to focus properly.
And I quote him here.
Worst experience ever
ByAndrey
Verified Buyer
Mount:Nikon F
This is the most controversial product I've ever dealt with. It's said to be super sharp. And it really is. Except when it's not) The first copy I got was terribly inconsistent in focusing. It had severe front focus for some distances, and also severe front focus for others! In-camera AF fine tuning was just helpless. Note: as expected, the contrast-detection focusing (LiveView) worked okay. Had to return it and exchange for another copy. Guess what? The same story! After searching on the net, I decided to give the USB Dock a try (gosh, almost a $1k lens requiring you to buy an additional device and 2+ hour fiddling trying to do what is supposed to be done on the factory!) So, after receiving my USB dock I spent 2+ hours doing what is asked in the manual (thankfully I already got 2 tripods, LensAlign, remote shutter release). The AF offsets I came up with were: +7, +9, +9, +9. The result was quite pleasing. Now with phase AF I was able to get the sharpness I got with LiveView! End of story? You wish! Taking the lens for a ride showed a nasty flaw. It does focus perfectly under a good light when there is enough contrast in the scene. But when I, for instance, tried to focus it on a foliage, it just failed! None of the 10+ attempts! Then, taken indoors, under dim/artificial light the lens just can't seem to acquire more or less reliable focus at all!!! the keeper rate is close to 0. My question to Sigma: is this the kind of experience a $1k lens is supposed to deliver??? So, I'm giving up and sending the lens back. P.S. It's really surprising to see mostly good comments on that lens. Could it be that the two I got were from a buggy batch?

And that is not the end of the story, Sigma Art lenses do not work properly on Nikon's in conjunction with the Nikon Speedlights.
Look at the following video on the short comings of Sigma Art lenses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTh8ZNCiNd0

Wow, could it be that these lenses are not produced to the standards of OEM glass. I just can't figure out why all the problems.

flip1948 Loc: Hamden, CT

A wide variety of Sigma Art lenses are available in Nikon mounts. It's just the DG DN Art and Contemporary lenses for mirrorless cameras that are only available in L and Sony mounts.

graybeard

You have totally destroyed my illusions. I thought that if you had an "art" lens on your camera, and took a picture of a bunch of garbage cans, it would come out with the "Mona Lisa". So you're telling me that isn't going to happen??

NickGee Loc: Pacific Northwest

I encourage you to read a wide range of reviews of these Sigma lenses before making such sweeping generalizations. The fact is, these Sigma "A" lenses are of very high quality and match (and in some cases exceed) the quality metrics of their Sony, Nikon, and Canon equivalents. While using the term "Art" is clearly part of the marketing strategy, this does not in any way diminish their quality and value. I encourage you to follow up and look into this.

FYI, here are a couple of independent reviews of the Sigma 35mm and the awesome 24-70 DG DN Art:

https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sigma-35mm-f1-4-dg-dn-art-field-review
https://photographylife.com/reviews/sigma-35mm-f1-4
https://www.digitalcameraworld.com/reviews/sigma-24-70mm-f28-af-dg-dn-art-review