Sigma puts a pricetag on its new 35mm f/1.4 prime lens

During the biennial Photokina tradeshow held in Cologne, Germany, earlier this year, Japanese optics company Sigma announced three new lenses. The two zooms and one prime shared a common attribute: at the time, no information was provided on their pricing and availability.

Today the company's U.S. division has revealed that information for the prime lens, and in the process made it the first to reach market. The new Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM lens is available immediately, with a pricetag of US$899.

This prime is doubly interesting because it's the company's first shipping product to be slotted into Sigma's newly-defined Contemporary, Art and Sports categories. These have replaced the earlier EX- and non-EX branding found on earlier Sigma's lenses, a change that's been made in recognition of the fact that newer lenses that lacked EX branding sometimes outperform older lenses carrying the premium EX badge. The Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM lens is the company's first Art-series lens, a fact denoted by the silver "A" badge on its barrel.

 

Sigma's 35mm F1.4 DG HSM lens is its first model in the new Art series.

As well as its bright f/1.4 aperture, the Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM lens has a nine-bladed, rounded diaphragm for smooth bokeh, and an HSM motor for quiet and responsive autofocus. Its optical formula includes 13 elements in 11 groups, including two aspherics, four Super Low Dispersion elements, and one "F" Low Dispersion element. According to Sigma, these combine to reduce axial and lateral chromatic aberrations. 

More information can be found on the Sigma global website.