Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens Review

A 24mm f/1.4 lens has long been an important model within a lens lineup, and the Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens is the first to fill that slot in Sigma's mirrorless DN series.

This is not Sigma's first 24mm f/1.4 lens, and the recently introduced DG DN Art series lenses have preformed impressively, raising optimism for this review.

As this lens and the Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens were announced and delivered simultaneously, the two reviews were also created at the same time. With the lenses sharing many similarities, the reviews will also.

Focal Length

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The focal length (or the focal length range for a zoom lens) is the first attribute to consider for lens selection. Focal length drives subject distance choices, which determine perspective.

The 24mm focal length, just breaking into the ultra-wide class, is extremely popular.

Landscape photography is a perfect use for a 24mm lens. This focal length is quite wide and can allow an entire scene to remain in focus. Still, 24mm is not so wide that it complicates composition and not so wide that it makes distant details (such as mountains) tiny. A solid percentage of my landscape images are captured at 24mm.

This focal length is optimal for nightscapes, and especially with the ultra-wide aperture, this lens is a good choice for such. Soon after their arrival, the Sigma 20mm and 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lenses and I took a field trip to Cherry Springs State Park, an international dark sky park in northern Pennsylvania.

Hanging out under the stars is great fun, and the photographic results from these times take the fun far into the future.

Architectural photography, large product photography, interior photography, and birthday parties are just a few uses for 24mm. This is a convenient focal length to leave mounted on the camera, ready to document life.

Wedding and event photography often utilize a wide-angle lens for capturing the large scene, for environmental-type portraits, and for group portraits, including in tight spaces. Even groups of your largest subjects will fit in the frame.

Photojournalists' needs are often similar to those of a wedding photographer and regularly include 24mm. Videographers frequently find the 24mm focal length to be just right for their needs.

While telephoto lenses are more frequently used for sports, a 24mm angle of view allows a different perspective at these events. This focal length can be used to capture the big picture of the venue, overhead shots of the athletes and their coaches being interviewed after the game, and, when access permits, full-body environmental action sports photos showing a large amount of venue in the background. Note that when used for action sports with a close and rapidly approaching subject, the subject rapidly changes size in the frame, making it challenging to capture the perfect pose at the perfect framing distance in the 24mm angle of view.

Here are two comparisons showing the 24mm angle of view as it fits into a larger range.

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APS-C sensor format cameras utilize a smaller portion of the image circle, and that means a scene is framed more tightly, with 1.5x being the angle of view multiplier for Sony's lineup. This lens's APS-C angle of view (36mm full-frame equivalent) shifts the uses of this lens toward portraiture, product photography, and documentary use.

Max Aperture

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It doesn't get wider than this at 24mm (and most other focal lengths).

The f/1.4 refers to the maximum aperture, the ratio of the focal length to the entrance pupil diameter, available in this lens. The lower the aperture number, the wider the opening, and the more light the lens can deliver to the imaging sensor. Each "stop" in aperture change (full stop examples: f/1.4, f/2.0, f/2.8, f/4.0) increases or decreases the amount of light by a factor of 2x (a substantial amount).

The additional light provided by wider aperture lenses permits sharp images of subjects in motion and with the camera handheld in lower light levels and with lower (less noisy) ISO settings. In addition, increasing the aperture opening provides a shallower DOF (Depth of Field) that creates a stronger, better subject-isolating background blur (at equivalent focal lengths). Often critical is the improved low light AF performance availed by a wide-aperture lens.

A narrow aperture's advantages are related to (often significantly) reduced lens element size, including smaller overall size, lighter weight, and lower cost. Everyone loves those factors, and despite having an ultra-wide aperture, this lens has a reasonable size, weight, and price.

Wide apertures are not always needed, especially in ultra-wide-angle focal lengths.

Motion blur is caused by subject details crossing over imaging sensor pixels during the exposure. Although this lens can be used with a close subject rendered large in the frame, lenses such as this one are often used at normal (or even long) subject distances. The low magnification means those subjects' details more readily stay in their pixels, enabling the longer exposures required to compensate for the narrower aperture to still deliver sharp results, free of subject or camera motion blur.

Many of the uses for this lens mandate a narrower aperture, such as f/8 or f/11, to keep everything in the frame sharp, and photographers concentrating on landscape, architecture, real estate, etc. may seldom use the f/1.4 option.

Still, the f/1.4 aperture is an extremely valuable feature of this lens. Those photographing moving subjects, such as at sports events or under the night sky where light levels are so low that the earth's rotation becomes a source of camera motion, will appreciate this lens's capabilities.

It is hard to diffusely blur the background with the low magnification provided by an ultra-wide-angle lens. Such lenses render the background details small in size, keeping the background subjects more recognizable (and potentially distracting). Still, this lens's ultra-wide aperture can make a strong happen, adding artistic advantages to this lens's list of highly-desired features.

These examples illustrate the maximum blur this lens can create at the referenced aperture:

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What background blur advantage does f/1.4 provide over your widest 24mm lens's max aperture? Also, consider the ISO difference. If your widest 24mm lens opens to f/2.8, a bright Milky Way exposure may require ISO 12800 instead of ISO 3200 at f/1.4.

When recording video, only a 1/60 second shutter speed (twice the framerate) is needed for 30 fps capture, and wide apertures are not often required to get 1/60 in normally encountered ambient lighting.

If shooting in direct sunlight at f/1.4, expect to need a 1/8000 sec or faster shutter speed at ISO 100 to avoid over-exposure. Positive is that there is little action that a 1/8000 sec shutter speed cannot stop, but if the subject has bright or reflective colors, even 1/8000 might not be fast enough to avoid blown highlights. Some cameras have an extended ISO setting as low as 50 that can optionally be used in this situation (though the dynamic range may be impacted). Optimal is to use a camera offering shutter speeds faster than 1/8000. Using a neutral density filter is another good solution to retaining use of f/1.4 under direct sunlight when the shutter limitation is exceeded. Stopping down (narrowing) the aperture is always an option for preventing over-exposure, though stopping down negates the value of the wide f/1.4 aperture and loses the subject-isolating shallow depth of field.

This lens features an aperture ring, permitting a manually selected aperture. The camera controls the aperture setting with the ring in the A (Auto) position. All other settings electronically force the aperture to the chosen opening. A 2-position switch on the lower left side of the lens toggles the aperture ring between 1/3 stop clicks and smooth, quiet, non-clicked adjustments, ideal for video recording.

Aside from a slightly more complicated design, I find inadvertent aperture changes the primary disadvantage of an aperture ring (especially when photographing in the dark). In previous reviews, I mentioned that a lock for the ring would eliminate that issue, and this lens gets an iris lock switch that prevents switching between A and the manual selection range while allowing changes within the manual range. Perfect.

Image Stabilization

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The shorter the focal length, the smaller subject details (captured at the same distance) are rendered, and the less still the camera must be held to avoid subject details crossing imaging sensor pixels, the source of motion blur. Still, image stabilization remains a valuable feature in any lens. Sigma has omitted included image stabilization in their recent wide-aperture prime lenses, and not surprising is that the Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens also lacks this feature.

Sony addresses that omission with Steady Shot IBIS (In-Body Image Stabilization) in their mirrorless cameras. In addition to reducing camera shake, the stabilized imaging sensor provides a still viewfinder image, enabling careful composition. Furthermore, sensor-based AF takes advantage of the stabilized view for improved accuracy.

With no IS switch on the lens, the camera menu must be used to enable or disable IBIS or check the current settings. This extra step is a slight impediment to working quickly, going from tripod mounted to handholding, for example.

Image Quality

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When a lens offers an f/1.4 aperture, you want to use that aperture. However, experience has taught us that sharp f/1.4 image quality at 24mm cannot be assumed. Thus, this lens's wide-open image quality had my utmost attention.

With a wide-open aperture, the Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens produces decent center-of-the-frame contrast and resolution — sharpness. In general, lenses become sharper as they are stopped down one or two stops from their wide-open apertures. At f/2, the center of the frame details become sharp, and a slight improvement is seen at f/2.8, where this lens delivers impressive sharpness.

Often, it is helpful to assess a new lens by comparing it to the previous one. In this case, the new lens is a significant upgrade from the old one. The Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens also performs better than most other 24mm f/1.4 lenses.

Often, subjects are not placed in the center of a composition. In the periphery of the image circle, light rays are refracted to a stronger angle than in the center, and lenses typically show decreasing sharpness. This one shows gradually decreasing image quality into the corners, with peripheral shading and lateral CA adding to the decline.

Stopping down the aperture brings a noticeable improvement through f/5.6, where this lens produces outstanding sharpness into the corner of the frame.

The resolution chart is brutal/merciless on image quality, so let's take the testing outdoors with a series of center-of-the-frame 100% resolution crop examples. These images were captured in RAW format using a Sony Alpha 1 and processed in Capture One using the Natural Clarity method. The sharpening amount was set to only "30" on a 0-1000 scale. Note that images from most cameras require some level of sharpening, but too-high sharpness settings are destructive to image details and hide the deficiencies of a lens.

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Be sure to find details in the plane of sharp focus for your evaluations. The increased sharpness at f/2 is a primary takeaway in this comparison.

Next, we'll look at a comparison showing 100% resolution extreme top right corner crops captured and processed identically to the above center-of-the-frame images. The lens was manually focused in the corner of the frame to capture these images.

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Samples taken from the outer extreme of the image circle, full-frame corners, can be counted on to show a lens's weakest performance. In this case, the f/1.4 results are somewhat soft, but they improve to excellent by f/4 or f/5.6.

Does corner sharpness matter? Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't.

Landscape and architecture photography are two photographic disciplines that have frequent scenarios requiring sharp corners. However, those scenarios usually require apertures narrower than f/5.6. When shooting at the widest apertures, depth of field is often shallow, and the plane of sharp focus less frequently includes details showing in a corner, making corner sharpness less important.

When shooting nightscapes, wide apertures and tack-sharp corners are a requisite.

This lens does not exhibit focus shift, the plane of sharp focus moving forward or backward as the aperture is narrowed (residual spherical aberration or RSA).

A lens is expected to show peripheral shading at the widest aperture settings when used on a camera that utilizes its entire image circle. Wide-angle, ultra-wide aperture lenses tend to show strong peripheral shading wide open, and this lens's just over 3 stops of f/1.4 corner shading are noticeable, including in the above sample images. However, this amount is not strong from a comparative perspective.

Stopping down to f/2 drops about a stop of shading to just over 2 stops, and f/2.8 takes that number down to just under 2 stops. A slight improvement to just over 1.5 stops at f/4 ends the decline, with this amount of shading still present at f/16.

APS-C format cameras using lenses projecting a full-frame-sized image circle avoid most vignetting problems. In this case, the about 1.4 stops of corner shading showing at f/1.4 may be visible in select images, primarily those with a solid color (such as a blue sky) in the corners.

One-stop of shading is often used as the visibility number, though subject details provide a widely varying amount of vignetting discernibility. Vignetting is correctable during post-processing with increased noise in the brightened areas the penalty, or it can be embraced, using the effect to draw the viewer's eye to the center of the frame. Study the pattern shown in our vignetting test tool to determine how your images will be affected.

Lateral (or transverse) CA (Chromatic Aberration) refers to the unequal magnification of all colors in the spectrum. Lateral CA shows as color fringing along lines of strong contrast running tangential (meridional, right angles to radii), with the mid and especially the periphery of the image circle showing the most significant amount as this is where the most significant difference in the magnification of wavelengths typically exists.

With the right lens profile and software, lateral CA is often easily correctable (often in the camera) by radially shifting the colors to coincide. However, it is always better to avoid this aberration in the first place.

Color misalignment can be seen in the site's image quality tool, but let's also look at a worst-case example. The image below is a 100% crop from the extreme top left corner of a Sony a1 frame showing diagonal black and white lines.

Only black and white colors should be present in these images, with the additional colors indicating a modest presence of lateral CA.

A relatively common lens aberration is axial (longitudinal, bokeh) CA, which causes non-coinciding focal planes of the various wavelengths of light. More simply, different colors of light are focused to different depths. Spherical aberration, along with spherochromatism, or a change in the amount of spherical aberration with respect to color (looks quite similar to axial chromatic aberration but is hazier) are other common lens aberrations to observe. Axial CA remains somewhat persistent when stopping down, with the color misalignment effect increasing with defocusing. The spherical aberration color halo shows little size change as the lens is defocused, and stopping down one to two stops generally removes this aberration.

In the real world, lens defects do not exist in isolation, with spherical aberration and spherochromatism generally found, at least to some degree, along with axial CA. These combine to create a less sharp, hazy-appearing image quality at the widest apertures.

The examples below look at the defocused specular highlights' fringing colors in the foreground vs. the background. The lens has introduced any fringing color differences from the neutrally-colored subjects.

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The color blur is rather strong (though not unusual) at f/1.4 and slowly improves as the aperture is narrowed.

Bright light reflecting off lens elements' surfaces may cause flare and ghosting, resulting in reduced contrast and sometimes interesting, usually destructive visual artifacts. The shape, intensity, and position of the flare and ghosting effects in an image are variable, dependent on the position and nature of the light source (or sources), selected aperture, shape of the aperture blades, and quantity and quality of the lens elements and their coatings. Additionally, flare and ghosting can impact AF performance.

This lens gets Sigma's Super Multi-Layer and Nano Porous Coatings, though the modestly high 17-element count increases the challenge in this regard. Fortunately, this lens produced only minimal flare effects even at narrow apertures in our standard sun in the corner of the frame flare test, showing excellent performance.

Flare effects can be embraced or avoided, or removal can be attempted. Unfortunately, removal is sometimes challenging, and in some cases, flare effects can destroy image quality. Thus, high flare resistance is a welcomed trait of this lens.

Two lens aberrations are particularly evident in images of stars, mainly because bright points of light against a dark background make them easier to see. Coma occurs when light rays from a point of light spread out from that point instead of being refocused as a point on the sensor. Coma is absent in the center of the frame, gets worse toward the edges/corners, and generally appears as a comet-like or triangular tail of light which can be oriented either away from the center of the frame (external coma) or toward the center of the frame (internal coma). Coma clears as the aperture is narrowed. Astigmatism is seen as points of light spreading into a line, either sagittal (radiating from the center of the image) or meridional (tangential, perpendicular to sagittal). This aberration can produce stars appearing to have wings. Remember that Lateral CA is another aberration apparent in the corners.

The image below is a 100% crop taken from the top-left corner of a Sony a1 image captured at f/1.4.

Those stars are not rendered as little round dots. By focusing the lens in the extreme corner, the results can be significantly improved upon.

However, focusing in the corner creates blurry stars in the majority of the frame, as seen below.

While I hoped for better corner star performance from this lens, these results are not unusual for a lens in this class.

This lens has a slight amount of barrel distortion. The amount is low enough that few subjects will make it apparent.

Most modern lenses have correction profiles available (including in-camera), and distortion can easily be removed using these. Still, geometric distortion correction requires stretching which is detrimental to image quality.

As seen earlier in the review, it is easy to illustrate the strongest blur a lens can create, and wide-angle lenses are inherently disadvantaged in this regard. Here are some f/8 (for diaphragm blade interaction) examples.

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The first example, a 100% resolution crop, shows rather smoothly filled defocused highlights, with the 11 aperture blades keeping the shape circular. The second set of examples shows a full image reduced in size and looking nice.

Except for a small number of specialty lenses, the wide aperture bokeh in the frame's corner does not produce round defocused highlights, with these effects taking on a cat's eye shape due to a form of mechanical vignetting. If you look through a tube at an angle, similar to the light reaching the frame's corner, the shape is not round. That is the shape we're looking at here.

Shown below are upper-left quadrant crops reduced in size.

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The deep-corner shapes at f/1.4 are somewhat unique. As the aperture narrows, the entrance pupil size is reduced, and the mechanical vignetting absolves, making the shapes rounder.

An 11-blade count diaphragm will create 22-point sunstars (diffraction spikes) from point light sources captured with a narrow aperture. In general, the more a lens diaphragm is stopped down, the larger and better-shaped the sunstars tend to be. Wide aperture lenses tend to have an advantage in this regard, and this lens is capable of producing beautiful stars, as illustrated below.

This example was captured at f/16.

The Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens design includes two FLD elements and one SLD element to correct for chromatic aberrations and ensure overall high image quality. Additionally, four aspherical elements eliminate distortion and reduce coma.

Let's summarize the Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens's image quality. From a sharpness perspective, the bar was set high (in my mind, at least), and I hoped for slightly better performance at f/1.4, especially in the extreme corners. Still, this lens improves significantly upon its predecessor in this regard, and f/1.4 images look nice, at least until you compare them with the impressive results at f/2.8.

The wide aperture color blur is strong, and the Lateral CA is modestly strong for a prime lens. Wide aperture peripheral shading is also moderately strong but normal. The geometric distortion profile looks good, flare is well controlled, and this lens's diffraction spikes are superb.

Focusing

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Like many of its siblings, the Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Lens utilizes a stepping motor for AF. This lens quietly internally focuses with good speed.

Keep in mind that while the focus speed is relatively fast, Sony cameras' normal defocusing before focusing increases lock time significantly in AF-S (single shot) mode.

FTM (Full Time Manual) focusing is supported in Sony's DMF (Direct Manual Focus) mode with the shutter release half-pressed or the AF-ON button pressed.

Sigma provides a customizable AF hold button on this lens. While in continuous focus mode, this button can be pressed to lock focus at the currently selected focus distance, facilitating a focus and recompose technique. This button also acts as a custom button and can be programmed to another function using the camera's menu.

Normal is for the scene to change size in the frame (sometimes significantly) as the focus is pulled from one extent to the other. This effect is focus breathing, a change in focal length resulting from a change in focus distance. Focus breathing impacts photographers intending to use focus stacking techniques, videographers pulling focus (without movement to camouflage the effect), and anyone critically framing while adjusting focus.

This lens produces a significant change in subject size through a full extent focus distance adjustment.

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The rubber-coated, sharp-ribbed focus ring is large and, being raised slightly from the lens barrel behind it, is easy to find. This ring rotates smoothly, has an optimal amount of resistance, imparts change with good smoothness, and the long 840° of slow rotation MF adjusts focusing at a rate that facilitates precise manual focusing even at close distances. Turn the ring fast to go the full extent range in about 180° of rotation. I'd prefer the speed change to occur at a faster rotation to facilitate faster MF fine-tuning.

This lens has an AF/MF switch, a feature that has gone missing on many modern lenses and one that I appreciate greatly.

In addition, this lens has a unique Manual Focus Lock (MFL) switch. Sometimes, such as when photographing the night sky, you want to ensure that the focus ring does not move. No longer is gaffer tape needed for this function. Via a switch, this lens provides the focus distance lock function when in MF mode.

With a minimum focus distance of 9.8" (250mm), this lens has a relatively low 0.14x maximum magnification spec.

Model	Min Focus Distance "(mm)		Max Magnification
Canon RF 24mm F1.8 Macro IS STM Lens	5.5	(140)	0.50x
Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens	9.1	(230)	0.16x
Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens	10.9	(277)	0.14x
Sigma 20mm F2 DG DN Contemporary Lens	8.7	(220)	0.15x
Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens	9.8	(250)	0.14x
Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens	9.8	(250)	0.19x
Sigma 24mm F2 DG DN Contemporary Lens	9.6	(245)	0.15x
Sigma 24mm F3.5 DG DN Contemporary Lens	4.3	(108)	0.50x
Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G Lens	7.1	(180)	0.20x
Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM Lens	9.4	(240)	0.17x
Sony FE 24mm F2.8 G Lens	7.1	(180)	0.19x
Sony FE 28mm F2 Lens	11.4	(290)	0.13x
Tamron 20mm f/2.8 Di III OSD Lens	4.3	(109)	0.50x
Tamron 24mm f/2.8 Di III OSD Lens	4.7	(119)	0.50x

A subject measuring approximately 9.5 x 6.3" (241 x 160mm) fills a full-frame imaging sensor at this lens's minimum MF distance.

While this lens produces sharp center of the frame details at minimum focus distance at f/1.4, expect the image periphery to be soft due to field curvature. F/11 brings on increased depth of field that provides significant improvement in corner image quality.

With the lens and possibly hood lengths taking a bite out of the minimum focus distance, there is not much working distance remaining. With the hood removed, about 3.7" (94mm) of working distance is available, still making shadows a concern for lighting.

The USPS love stamps shared above have an image area that measures 1.05 x 0.77" (26.67 x 19.558mm), and the overall individual stamp size is 1.19 x 0.91" (30.226 x 23.114mm).

Need a shorter minimum focus distance and higher magnification? Mount an extension tube behind this lens to significantly decrease and increase those respective numbers (expect only short tubes to be usable). Extension tubes are hollow lens barrels that shift a lens farther from the camera, allowing shorter focusing distances at the expense of long-distance focusing. Electronic connections in extension tubes permit the lens and camera to communicate and function normally. As of review time, Sigma does not publish extension tube specs or manufacture these items, but third-party Sony-compatible extension tubes are available.

This lens is not compatible with Sigma teleconverters.

Build Quality & Features

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Sigma's premium grade Art lenses all feature great build quality, physical performance, and aesthetics.

The Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens features metal and TSC (Thermally Stable Composite) construction. "TSC is a state-of-the-art polycarbonate that is designed to be both lightweight and extremely durable, and its chemical makeup means it doesn't shrink or expand with changing temperatures. This material is so high-quality that we're also incorporating it into our Art and Sports lenses to provide lightness and thermal consistency." [Sigma]

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This is a fixed-size lens with a consistent diameter enhancing comfort during use. About 1/3 of the space between the focus ring and the aperture ring is ribbed for improved grip. 3/4 of the aperture ring is ribbed, and when this ring is locked, these grooves also increase grip, useful especially for mounting and unmounting the lens.

All four switches are 2-position types that firmly click into their positions, with a white background displayed when the enabled position is selected. Two of the switches, along with the focus lock button, are mounted on a low-profile switch bank.

This lens has weather sealing, including a rear mount gasket.

Water- and oil-repellent coating is applied to the front element to repel dust and water and facilitate cleaning.

For a lens having an f/1.4 aperture, this one is relatively compact and lightweight.

Model	Weight oz(g)		Dimensions w/o Hood "(mm)		Filter	Year
Canon RF 24mm F1.8 Macro IS STM Lens	9.5	(270)	2.9 x 2.5	(74.4 x 63.1)	52	2022
Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens	22.2	(630)	3.5 x 4.5	(87.8 x 113.2)	82	2022
Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens	33.5	(950)	3.6 x 5.1	(90.7 x 129.8)		2015
Sigma 20mm F2 DG DN Contemporary Lens	13.1	(370)	2.8 x 2.9	(70.0 x 72.4)	62	2022
Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens	18.0	(510)	3.0 x 3.8	(75.7 x 97.5)	72	2022
Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens	23.5	(665)	3.3 x 3.6	(85.0 x 90.2)	77	2015
Sigma 24mm F2 DG DN Contemporary Lens	12.9	(365)	2.8 x 2.8	(70.0 x 72.0)	62	2021
Sigma 24mm F3.5 DG DN Contemporary Lens	7.9	(225)	2.5 x 2.0	(64.0 x 50.8)	55	2020
Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G Lens	13.2	(373)	2.9 x 3.3	(73.5 x 84.7)	67	2020
Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM Lens	15.7	(445)	3.0 x 3.6	(75.4 x 92.4)	67	2018
Sony FE 24mm F2.8 G Lens	5.7	(162)	2.7 x 1.8	(68.0 x 45.0)	49	2021
Sony FE 28mm F2 Lens	7.1	(200)	2.5 x 2.4	(64.0 x 59.9)	49	2015
Tamron 20mm f/2.8 Di III OSD Lens	7.8	(221)	2.9 x 2.5	(73.0 x 63.5)	67	2019
Tamron 24mm f/2.8 Di III OSD Lens	7.6	(215)	2.9 x 2.5	(73.0 x 63.5)	67	2019

For many more comparisons, review the complete Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens Specifications using the site's lens specifications tool.

The joints of my fingers lightly impact the barrel of this lens when tightly gripping the Sony a1.

Here is a visual comparison featuring four of Sigma's f/1.4 Art lenses:

Positioned above from left to right are the following lenses:

Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens
Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens
Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Lens
Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Lens

The same lenses are shown below with their hoods in place.

Let's put a pair of focal length matching Sony lenses next to the Sigma Art lenses.

Positioned above from left to right are the following lenses:

Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens
Sony FE 20mm F1.8 G Lens
Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens
Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM Lens

The same lenses are shown below with their hoods in place.

Use the site's product image comparison tool to visually compare the Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens to other lenses.

The lens size is usually reflected in the filter thread diameter, and this lens has common, mid-sized 72mm threads. Additionally, a rear drop-in filter holder is provided (see the lens mount product image above).

A GP-21 plastic stencil is provided to aid in cutting gel filters.

Often a standard-thickness circular polarizer filter will increase peripheral shading from a wide-aperture wide-angle lens, but I see little difference in this case. Still, purchasing a slim model such as the Breakthrough Photography X4 is recommended.

Sigma includes the substantially constructed LH878-04 lens hood in the box. This is a rather solid petal-shaped plastic hood with a ribbed interior designed to avoid reflections. An advantage of this hood shape is easier alignment (simply learn the small petal to the top installation orientation), though a round-shaped hood better enables the lens to stand on its hood. This hood offers substantial protection from impact and bright light. A release button makes installation and removal easy with the rubberized rear portion of the hood and a thin ribbed section in front of it enhancing grip.

Sigma provides my favorite lens packing material in the box — a nice zippered padded nylon case. This case does not feature a neckstrap or attachments for such, but a belt loop is provided.

Price, Value, Compatibility

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As usual for Sigma Art lenses and priced considerably lower than Sony's similarly specced lens, the Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Lens is a strong value.

The "DG" refers to full-frame camera compatibility, and the "DN" indicates that this lens was designed for short-flange mirrorless cameras. The Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens is compatible with all Sony E-mount cameras, including APS-C sensor format models, and it is also available in the L mount (Sigma, Panasonic, Leica).

Made in Japan, each Art lens is tested with Sigma's proprietary MTF measuring system, ensuring a quality product. In regards to the Sony E-mount version of this lens, Sigma develops, manufactures, and sells lenses based on the specifications of E-mount, disclosed by Sony Corporation under license agreement. Sigma provides a 1-year limited warranty, and Sigma USA provides a limited 3-year warranty extension.

The reviewed Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens was on loan from Sigma Corporation of America.

Alternatives

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The first lens I wanted to compare the Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens to is the Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM Lens. At review time, I regard this Sony lens as the best performing 24mm f/1.4 lens to date. Thus, it was interesting to put the substantially less expensive Sigma lens up against the best available option.

The image quality comparison shows the Sony lens earning its higher price, producing sharper f/1.4 image quality. While neither lens has strong geometric distortion, the Sigma lens's slight barrel distortion appears different than the Sony lens's slight pincushion distortion.

The Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens vs. Sony FE 24mm F1.4 GM Lens comparison shows the Sigma lens is slightly larger and slightly heavier. The Sony lens uses 67mm filters vs. 72mm and has a slightly higher maximum magnification, 0.17x vs. 0.14x. The Sigma lens has an MF lock switch and an aperture ring lock switch. Again, the Sigma lens is considerably less expensive. That factor vs. the Sony lens's f/1.4 sharpness advantage will tip the scales for most.

The Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens was released at the same time as the 24, and with only a modestly wider angle of view, this lens is worthy of comparison.

The image quality comparison shows the 20mm lens noticeably sharper throughout the frame at f/1.4 and still sharper at f/2.8. The 20mm lens has slightly stronger barrel distortion and less lateral CA.

The Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens vs. Sigma 20mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens comparison shows the 20mm lens measuring larger and weighing 4.2 oz (120g) more. Along with the larger size comes 82mm filter threads vs. 72mm. The 20mm lens has a slightly higher maximum magnification, 0.16x vs. 0.14x, and is priced $100.00 higher at review time.

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Summary

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The Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG DN Art Lens is a good choice for those looking for the 24mm angle of view and an ultra-wide aperture at a reasonable price.

Art lens build quality, physical performance, and aesthetics are strong attractions to this lens. The 24mm DG DN Art lens's optical performance is good — especially for the price.