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SIGMA Announces 14mm F1.4 DG DN Art lens

Brian Hallett

SIGMA announced the SIGMA 14mm F1.4 DG DN | Art lens. This is the world’s widest F1.4 single focal length lens*, born from our engineers’ passion for capturing the widest, brightest, highest-resolution, and most captivating starry sky images possible.

Designed specifically for astrophotography, the 14mm F1.4 DG DN | Art lens is a full-frame, ultra wide-angle prime designed exclusively for mirrorless camera systems, and is available in Sony E-mount and Leica L-Mount.

This lens offers a full set of features designed for astrophotography including a removable tripod socket, MFL switch (Manual Focus Lock function), lens heater retainer, rear filter holder, and a specially-designed front cap including a NEW locking mechanism and NEW filter storage slots. All this, plus thorough aberration correction make this possibly the best lens ever made for astrophotography. Its ultra-wide 14mm angle of view that captures wide starry skies and bright F1.4 aperture that minimizes exposure time are ideal specifications for astrophotography. Incredibly sharp from corner to corner with splash and dust-resistant construction, this lens retains the same high performance and quality standards found within the SIGMA F1.4 Art lens lineup.

The astrophotography-focused feature set and total optical performance make this an excellent lens for high-end architecture, real estate, and landscape photography as well.

The lens will retail for $1,599 through authorized US retailers and will be available in late June 2023

Ultra wide-angle 14mm with a maximum aperture of F1.4

This world-first performance was achieved by applying the best of SIGMA’s optical technologies, from the design to the lens manufacturing process. 19 elements in 15 groups, including 1 SLD glass element, 3 FLD glass elements, and 4 aspherical lens elements, make up a luxurious lens configuration. This allows for advanced aberration correction and a high degree of precision in the lens construction. This allows both advanced aberration correction and F1.4 brightness. In particular, sagittal coma flare, which distorts the shape of stars, has been carefully corrected, and even at the widest aperture, the lens delivers high image reproducibility right to the periphery of the image. Ghosting and flare are also thoroughly addressed through both optical design and coatings. This allows for clear, crisp shooting of starry sky and night scenes. Optimized for starscapes requiring extremely high performance, this lens delivers images that exceed expectations in any scene, including landscapes, architecture snapshots, portraits, and indoor photography.

Abundant functions and accessories to support starscape photography

The 14mm F1.4 DG DN | Art is equipped with a wealth of features to support starscape photography. This fully backs up the fun of starscape photography.

Includes a detachable tripod mount compatible with Arca-Swiss type. The 14mm F1.4 DG DN | Art can be mounted on a tripod in a more stable condition, as it is heavier on the front side. The shape is designed to prevent interference even when using the lens heater.

A switch to lock the manual focus at a desired position. Prevents focus shift caused by unintentional operation of the focus ring. This is useful for long time exposure photography, etc., where the focus is fixed.

Steps around the front and lens heater retainers prevent the lens heater* from protruding into the front of the lens and causing vignetting on the periphery of the screen.

 * A belt-shaped heater that is wrapped around the lens to prevent condensation from forming inside the lens when the temperature drops.

A rear filter holder is provided as standard equipment at the lens mount for attaching a sheet-type rear filter. A lock mechanism is also provided to prevent the filter from falling out.

Includes a cover-type front cap with locking mechanism. It also has a newly developed filter slot that can hold two rear filters depending on the application. The cap is specially designed for the 14mm F1.4 DG DN | Art to protect the sheet filters from scratches and dirt while ensuring that they are not mistakenly taken out or forgotten.

Signature Art line features and high build quality

In addition to functions specifically designed for shooting starscapes, the lens is equipped with various functions to assist in shooting, including an AFL button to which any function can be assigned and an aperture ring. The body is dust and splash resistant, and the frontmost surface of the lens is coated with a water- and stain-repellent coating, so you can shoot outdoors in harsh environments with peace of mind. The HLA (High-response Linear Actuator) enables high-speed, quiet, and highly accurate autofocusing.

In order to maintain performance while supporting a lens with a large aperture, the lens has a robust internal structure and uses lightweight materials such as polycarbonate TSC (Thermally Stable Composite), which has a thermal shrinkage rate equivalent to that of aluminum, and magnesium in appropriate locations to reduce weight while ensuring robustness. The lens body is built with the high build quality of the Art line specifications, allowing the user to fully enjoy the unique performance of the lens in any environment, including shooting starscapes.

Here is a great example of the FOV from the SIGMA 14mm | Shot by SIGMA

Sigma 14mm Additional Features

 

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