Sigma 23mm f1.4 – The King of Street Lens from Sigma

23mm focal length (35mm in full frame equivalent) is one of my favorite prime lenses. If I can only bring one lens out, this is the focal length I will bring. No second thought. And now, Sigma has this amazing lens ready for the X-mount, L-mount, and E-mount.

Intro

Sigma 23mm f1.4 DC DN Contemporary was released officially in September 2023, but it was announced way back in April 2023.

If I remember correctly, this is Sigma’s 4th prime lens. It may not sound a lot, but Sigma did cover basically the most commonly used focal lengths for street photographers.

Before I proceed further, I would like to thank Mr Lawson from Sigma Marketing (Singapore) for loaning me this lens for review and Kai for making the arrangements. I appreciate their support in making this review a reality.

Design and Build Quality

From the first look, this lens shares many similarities with the other Contemporary series like the Sigma 18-55mm, Sigma 56mm, etc. The lens gives a very minimalistic look, nothing fancy, just a low-profile lens design. The lens is made of “Thermally Stable Composite” (TSC) polycarbonate material, which gives a very high quality, well-built lens body.

At 335 grams, this lens is very comfortable to hold, and it comes with a 52mm filter size (For your information, it is the same filter size as the Sigma 30mm f1.4). It also comes with a plastic lens hood.

In the same manner, this lens is also equipped with dust and splash-resistant sealing that helps to protect the lens from certain weather/environmental conditions. Last but not least, it does not come with an aperture ring.

Oh yes, it is made in Japan.

Image Quality

I think this is probably the better image quality as compared to the other Sigma prime lenses. At wide open, the image is great, sharp, and contrasting. If I set XF23mm f1.4 WR as the benchmark, this Sigma lens is just one tier lower. This is very impressive in my opinion.

The blur transition between the focused and non-focused object is not the best I have since but it is decent too. Not harsh or distracting.

Vignetting is there at wide-open. But again, not a critical concern to me. Chromatic aberration is nowhere to be found or at least I did not spot one during my course of testing.

If anyone is concerned about the sun star result, it is okay, not the best but also the worst.

Focusing

With the help of the stepping motor, the lens performs very well. In most situations, the focus is quick (not the fastest) and accurate. So far, I have not experienced any miss-focused shots which I think is another great experience to have.

But under challenging situations like a dim environment, it does pose a bit of a challenge to focus. This is pretty much the same behavior as most lenses in the market.

The focus ring is smooth as expected. Nothing to complain about. Also, Sigma did a good job at controlling the lens breathing. Not too much of a concern for photographers, but if you intend to use this lens for videography, I think it might be a good option.

Minimum Focus Distance (MFD)

While 25cm MFD is not the shortest for this focal length, it is pretty usable. It is still allowing photographers to take close-up subject if he/she wants to. The image quality might seem to be a little softer at wide-open. Unless you do pixel peeping, it is barely noticeable.

Price Point

It is priced at 549 USD. For comparison, XF23mm f.14 WR is priced at 899 USD, Viltrox 23mm f1.4 is priced at 325 USD, Voigtlander Nokton 23mm f1.2 is priced at 599 USD (not quite a fair one but I just throw it in for price sensing purpose).

What do you think? Is it a fair price?

Others

The “metallic” surface of the lens is prone to fingerprint smudge but this is the same across all contemporary prime lenses thus far. But not too much of a worry as it can be removed easily with a cloth.

Who is this for?

If you are new to photography or want to own the first decent-quality prime lens but are on a budget, I will always recommend a 23mm prime lens as a start. Because as a prime lens, it is versatile for the street, cityscape/landscape, documentary, environmental portrait, astrophotography, editorial, and the list goes on.

Hence, this Sigma 23mm f1.4 can be one of your considerations. There is not much of a 23mm focal length competition just yet. I know there is a brand or 2 that have the intention to enter this 23mm segment but I am totally not sure how good their lens and the image quality will be. But Sigma has been around since 1961 and has been accompanying many photographers in their photography lives. So the image quality is at a certain standard.

Conclusion

As a third-party lens, Sigma 23mm f1.4 set a benchmark for many others to follow. Fantastic image quality, decent focus speed, and comfortable lens handling. As for the lens build, it may not be as good as what metal built quality is but it is definitely a premium polycarbonate build quality. Trust me, I experienced the not-so-good one.

Sigma may not seem to release lenses aggressively for Fujifilm. But if we look back, it is otherwise. In fact, Sigma had released lenses for Fujifilm at a good momentum throughout the years. Today, Sigma has released a good range of prime lenses for street photographers.

Finally, I have to say this is by far one of my favorite Sigma lenses and I hope Sigma will continue to support the Fujifilm X-mount and also probably the G-mount soon?

Thank you for reading.

Disclaimer:
1. All the shots taken here are shot by me.
2. Most of the shots are straight out of the camera with some shots edited via In-Camera Raw Processing and Capture One.
3. The opinions are based on my experience. If there is any mistake, please kindly drop me a message and I will gladly make the amendment.
4. I reserve ownership of these images, if you wish to use my images, please notify me.

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