With over 200 weddings under my belt, I know my wedding photography routine inside and out. I use a dual holster that holds both of my Canon R6 camera bodies, usually with my SIGMA 35mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art, and my 50mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art or 85mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art depending on how large the ceremony and “getting ready” spaces are. I use my SIGMA lenses with my RF mount bodies using the OEM mount adapter, and they work beautifully.
However, toward the end of 2021, I purchased the 24-70mm F2.8 DG OS HSM | Art, which is extremely versatile. While this lens is incredibly convenient, I noticed myself getting a little too comfortable shooting the majority of the time with just one camera and never switching lenses to really change up my composition. To challenge myself, I made the decision to go back to shooting with primes. To really shake things up, this time I decided to compliment my other Art lenses with the SIGMA 28mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art and SIGMA 40mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art, two focal lengths that may be a bit overlooked in the Art lineup.
Putting the 28mm & 40mm F1.4 Art lenses to the test
While unboxing these lenses, I naturally compared them to my tried and true lenses I’ve used for years. Unlike my older 20mm, 35mm, 50mm and 85mm lenses, the 28mm and 40mm are both newer designs, and are dust-and-splash resistant throughout the entire body! Just holding them in your hand will give you an idea of their outstanding quality. I couldn’t wait to try them at my next wedding!
As I first picked up the 40mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art, I was a bit stunned by the size since it is larger than both my 50mm and 28mm, but after shooting with it for a few minutes, the size didn’t matter anymore. The quick focusing ability of my mirrorless cameras paired with the incredible HSM motor made these new additions the absolute sharpest lenses in my arsenal! During the reception of my first wedding with these lenses, I had my second photographer use them on her Canon DSLR, and the outcome was beautifully sharp as well!
Now let’s dive into the details of the 28mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art. In my wedding day portraits, I tend to shoot horizontally more than vertically, and I love to feature plenty of the surrounding landscape. This lens helped me to do so with little to no distortion whatsoever! I was super impressed because I do have that issue every once in a while with wide-angle shots, so this made my editing process even quicker!
One of my highly-requested wedding day portraits are “under the veil” shots. I typically use my 35mm F1.4 for these, but I found that the 28mm made the bokeh in these shots more dreamy than ever before! The wide angle view made room for more of the veil to be in the foreground, while still allowing me to shoot sharply at F2. Having shot with this lens for several weddings now, I can recommend using this lens for getting ready, family portraits, wide couple portraits, and exits.
My go-to lens during ceremonies for shooting the bride coming down the aisle, then turning to get the groom’s reaction, was my 50mm F1.4. That was until the 40mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art changed the game for me! I found that the 40mm was not only amazingly sharp — sharper than my 50mm, in fact — but it also gives me a little more room to work with. The 40mm has the perfect angle of view to capture a wide shot of the bride coming down the aisle, and just enough length to capture the groom’s reaction without cropping him too much. The 40mm focuses extremely fast, so it’s perfect in this fast paced situation. I recommend using this lens for ceremonies, couple portraits and reception dancing photos.
Should you consider SIGMA’s 28mm & 40mm Art lenses?
To put it simply, I am totally hooked after trying out these lenses! The sharpness of the images while using the 28mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art and 40mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art is unbeatable! You rarely find any other lenses on my camera these days because these two lenses provide such exceptional results. Make sure you give one or both of these a shot at your next wedding, and you’ll be hooked too!
