Episode 392: Sigma Goes Immersive and Long

Show Notes

Greetings, you’re listening to the Liam Photography Podcast, I’m your host Liam Douglas and this is Episode 392 for Thursday February 29, 2024. First of all I wanted to say Happy Leap Year everybody! Yes today is February 29th incase you missed it a moment ago. Every four years we have a leap year where February gets an extra day and my old friend Matt Fleury only has a birthday every 4 years.

Sigma has just announced two new lenses that are all the buzz right now with the first being their brand new, first in the industry 15mm F/1.4 Fisheye DG DN ART lens and the second one being their new 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports Lens. These two new lenses are currently only available in Sony E and Leica L mounts but I imagine more mounts will be coming in the near future. First let’s take a look at the 15mm F/1.4 Fisheye.

Sigma 15mm f/1.4 Fisheye DG DN Art Lens

If you didn’t already know, there are two primary types of fisheye lenses, the rectilinear and circular. The difference between the two is that the rectilinear models give you a crazy wide, but normal field of view and the circular ones of course give you the wicked bubble or circle shaped field of view with this new Sigma lens being the former of the two.

Key Features

• Full-Frame f/1.4 to f/16
• Bright, Fast Diagonal Fisheye Lens
• Optimized for Astrophotography
• High-Response Linear Actuator AF System
• FLD, SLD & Aspherical Elements
• Rounded 11-Blade Diaphragm
• Removable, Rotating Tripod Foot
• Dust- and Splash-Resistant Construction

Boasting an expansive 180° angle of view and an ultra-fast f/1.4 maximum aperture, the Sony E-mount Sigma 15mm f/1.4 Fisheye DG DN Art Lens is a diagonal fisheye that brings epic scope and sweeping clarity to astrophotography, architecture, and landscape photography. With a minimum focusing distance of 15.2" and high-speed autofocus, the lens also yields dramatic yet intimate images when used in action and sports applications.

Body and Optical Design

With 21 lens elements in total arranged in 15 groups, including four FLD elements, three SLD elements, and two aspherical elements, the lens construction optimizes the reproduction of bright points of light. It also means the lens is sharp across the entirety of its viewing angle. The two rear sheet filter slots and the included Arca-Swiss compatible tripod collar benefit the long exposures necessary for astrophotography. The lens is also designed to handle all conditions of incident light, including high backlight resistance, to consistently promote clarity, sharpness, and overall image quality. Additionally, its dust- and splash-proof body and the water- and oil-repellent lens coating mean the lens can withstand exposure to the elements.

HLA Autofocus System

The HLA (High-response Linear Actuator) focusing motor introduces unprecedented speed, precision, and silence into the Sigma autofocus system. For videographers, focus breathing is minimized through the optical design. The HLA also offers improved focus following performance for sports photography and other subjects in motion such as cars, planes, or birds in flight, ensuring that the decisive moment is not missed.

Additional Benefits

Specially designed front lens cap with locking mechanism

Tripod socket to distribute weight evenly

Custom buttons and switches: manual focus lock switch, lens heater retainer, rear filter holders. 

As an FYI this lens weighs in at 3 pounds so you will certainly want to use the tripod collar when shooting with this beefy lens. Now if this lens is something you are interested in you can pre-order it now from B&H Photo and elsewhere for $1,999 US.

This lens is scheduled to be release in late March of 2024 so you can order it now but you will have to wait a few weeks before you actually receive it.

Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports Lens

Key Features

• Full-Frame | f/5.6 to f/32
• Light and Compact Ultra-Telephoto Prime
• Optimized for Handheld Action Capture
• High-Response Linear Actuator AF System
• Optical Stabilizer with OS2 Algorithm
• Extra-Low Dispersion Glass Elements
• Removable, Rotating Tripod Foot
• Dust- and Splash-Resistant Construction

Handheld Action, Rugged Performance

A compact and lightweight ultra-telephoto prime, the Sony E-mount Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports Lens leverages a robust construction and advances in optical design and optical stabilization to deliver professional-grade performance when used handheld and in the most challenging environments. The lens' quiet and precise high-speed autofocus complements its optical performance, allowing shooters to freeze action and produce compelling images in sports, wildlife, and aviation applications.

Body and Optical Design

Sigma's improved optical design situates exclusive low-dispersion convex elements at the front of the lens to achieve both a compact and lightweight lens construction and high optical performance with excellent aberration correction. With 20 lens elements in total arranged in 14 groups, including three FLD elements and two SLD elements, the lens effectively prevents flare and ghosting and promotes image clarity. The lens body is built from Thermally Stable Composite and magnesium for a robust, dust- and splash-resistant construction. The front element also sports a water- and oil-repellent coating to protect the lens from debris.

OS2 Optical Stabilizer Algorithm

Sigma's OS2 optical stabilization algorithm provides up to 5 stops of image stabilization. Combined with the compact form factor, the OS makes the lens well-suited for handheld usage and gives users the luxury of shooting at slower shutter speeds without sacrificing image sharpness. Two stabilization modes are available, Mode 1 for general shooting and Mode 2, which features Sigma's Intelligent OS algorithm. Ideal for panning shots and sports capturing, the Intelligent OS provides effective image stabilization even when the camera is moved vertically or diagonally irrespective of the horizontal and vertical orientation.

HLA Autofocus System

The HLA (High-response Linear Actuator) focusing motor introduces unprecedented speed, precision, and silence into the Sigma autofocus system. The HLA also offers improved focus following performance for sports photography and other subjects in motion such as cars, planes, or birds in flight, ensuring that the decisive moment is not missed.

Additional Benefits

Aperture ring with click and lock switches

Tripod socket to distribute weight evenly

Carbon fiber-reinforced plastic lens hood

Custom buttons and switches: three AFL buttons, focus mode switch, focus limiter switch, OS switch, custom mode switch, aperture ring click switch.

If this new Sigma telephoto prime is something you’d be interested in you can pre-order one now at B&H Photo and elsewhere for $2,999 US in either Sony E or Leica L mount and they will start shipping the end of March of 2024.

Now, before I wrap up today’s episode I wanted to let you all know that I am going to be doing more GFX content on my Youtube channel as I have had people reach out and ask for that kind of content as there are very few Youtube channels doing GFX content. I mean there are quite a few that do reviews of the bodies and lenses and nothing else and more people want to see content about going out and shooting with the GFX system. My GFX videos have by far the most views and my new video that will release this Sunday is The BEST Accessories for the GFX 50R and once that releases I will come back and add a link to the video in today’s show notes.

I also recently reached out to my contact Daniel at Fujifilm US and asked him to send me the GF 45mm F/2.8 lens to test out for three weeks on my GFX 50R. I wanted this lens to try out as it is the full frame equivalent to the 35mm focal length which makes it perfect for shooting Street Photography. 

I have been out shooting with it a little bit so far and will be doing lots of Street Photography with it this coming weekend down in Raleigh, NC. So far I must say I am very impressed with the performance of this lens and the image quality I get with it. So much so that I am trading in my GF 50mm F/3.5 lens and my Zeiss Touit 12mm F/2.8 for the Fujifilm X Mount so I can get one of the GF 45mm lenses for myself.

As you already know if you listen to this show weekly and watch my Youtube videos my primary Street Photography camera is my excellent Fujifilm X100V, but there are times when I want the higher resolution, higher detail and Dynamic Range of the GFX 50R so with the GF 45mm I can also shoot Street anytime I want with my Medium Format Mirrorless system.

I know a lot of people complain about the GFX system being too slow, but if you are looking at or buying a GFX camera for sports or fast action you are missing the boat! Medium Format has NEVER been made for those types of shooting, and it doesn’t matter if you are talking Fujifilm GFX, Pentax 645, Hasselblad or PhaseOne, none of these cameras are speed demons. They are made for landscapes, portraits and other types of studio work where the subject is not moving and you want to capture maxim details and Dynamic Range. Think shooting Supermodels for the cover of a magazine or making product shots for a new Apple iPhone, something like that is what these Medium Format imaging machines are made for.

If you want speed and super fast frames per second then you want a Fujifilm X Mount, Sony, Canon, or Nikon camera for that kind of shooting, so if you are looking for super fast Medium Format, move on, there’s no such Animal. However, if you want stunning images with massive amounts of detail and tons of Dynamic Range, then that is when you reach for one of the Medium Format options I mentioned a moment and if you want the BEST Medium Format that won’t break the bank, you reach for Fujifilm GFX and call it a day!

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You can find my work @ https://www.liamphotography.net and follow me on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter @liamphotoatl. If you like abandoned buildings and history, you can find my project @ http://www.forgottenpiecesofgeorgia.com. and http://www.forgottenpiecesofpennsylvania.com.

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