We rate the Sony 50mm f/1.2 as one of the best Sony lenses ever made and, much like its f/1.4 sibling, it could the only lens you ever need, especially if portrait photography is your thing. The buzz surrounding Sigma's recent March 26 event teaser comes as no surprise then, given that it’s expected the lens maker will announce a rival 50mm for pros that could be much more affordable.
According to Sony Alpha Rumors, the new 50mm lens will also have an extremely large f/1.2 aperture – perfect for bright portraits with an extremely shallow depth of field – and will come in both Sony E-Mount and L-Mount (for Sigma and Panasonic full-frame mirrorless cameras); there's no mention of a Nikon Z-Mount version.
There’s also word that Sigma’s latest lens, which looks strikingly similar to its own 50mm f/1.4 in leaked images (which have since been taken down), will be smaller and lighter than the Sony rival, though not by much.
The real carrot dangled in front of aspiring and pro portrait photographers looking for a new Sony-mount lens is the potential money saved – Sigma's lenses are almost always around half the price of Sony's, and with the aforementioned Sony 50mm f/1.2 costing north of $2,000 / £2,000, we could be looking at something nearer $1,000 / £1,000.
Is Sigma's latest portrait lens really needed?
If the image quality of Sigma’s soon-to-be-announced lens holds up – which is practically a given based on the third-party lens maker’s decorated history – then it will be a compelling alternative to Sony’s pricier 50mm f/1.2 lens. The only concern I have – which is based on the leaked images, which show the Sigma lens diameter as much narrower than the Sony version – is that cat's eye bokeh could be more pronounced, although this is mere speculation until the lens is made official and we can test it.
Given that Sigma already makes a 50mm f/1.4 lens, is this f/1.2 version what photographers really need? Well, while on paper there are fine margins between f/1.2, f/1.4, and f/1.8 prime lenses, these details matter to pro. The larger the maximum aperture, the easier a lens is to use in low light, plus the creamier and potentially rounder the bokeh when shooting with the aperture wide open – and the Sigma lens is rumored to pack a generous 13 aperture blades, which would enhance bokeh still further.
A potential 50mm f/1.2 would be larger, heavier and pricier than Sigma's existing 50mm f/1.4, although most pros will fork out the extra to gain that larger aperture, and will put up with the bulk. For everyone else, a 50mm f/1.4 or even f/1.8 will probably do just fine. In any case, it looks like Sigma is set to deliver another impressive lens for pros who shoot Sony especially, or Panasonic – we only have to wait just over a week, until March 26 (4am PT / 7am EST / 12pm GMT / 11pm AEDT) to find out more.
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