My name is Lindsey Ruth and I’m a portrait photographer in Los Angeles with over a decade of experience. I’m primarily a studio photographer but throughout my photographic career, no matter what kind of job I’m doing there’s always one lens I’ve gravitated back towards – the 50mm.
No matter what other focal lengths I try out, I always find myself once again grabbing my 50mm. So I could not wait to finally get my hands on the Sigma 50mm F1.2 DG DN | Art and let me tell you – it did not disappoint. As a studio photographer, it is extremely important to me to have reliable, high quality gear. The 50mm F1.2 DG DN | Art exceeds all of my expectations, easily making it my new go-to lens.
Putting the 50mm F1.2 to work in the studio
First things first – the color rendition of this lens is just gorgeous. The 50mm F1.2 DG DN | Art outputs such richness in its color, with flattering skin tones and maximum detail in the highlights and shadows. It also provides a noticeable depth in its contrast and tonal range, outputting gorgeous, rich portraits.
Sony A7 IV
1/125s, F1.4, ISO 125
Sony A7 IV
1/125s, F1.4, ISO 125
When it comes to choosing which focal length to get as a prime lens, I have found that 50mm is the perfect sweet spot. You’re still able to achieve flattering compression without getting much distortion. And while I do love using an 85mm or higher in the studio, I often find myself having to yell to my models, or I begin to run out of space since I need to back up so much to get everything in frame. With its minimum focusing distance of 15.8 inches and just the right amount of compression, I find the 50mm F1.2 DG DN | Art to be the perfect lens for the studio.
Sony A7 IV
1/125s, F1.4, ISO 320
Sony A7 IV
1/125s, F1.8, ISO 640
One issue I encounter with many lenses is the weight – I’m often on set shooting all day long and cannot use certain lenses without wrist pain by the end of the day. With this lens even I, a chronic arm-day-skipper at the gym, can easily use this lens all day without having to worry about any pain. This lens handles very nicely, making it my go-to lens for long set days.
Another thing I love about this lens is its laser sharp focus. The focus is highly responsive and reliable using a Dual HLA focusing system, utilizing two motors to achieve high-speed AF. I found that no time was being wasted during my shoots getting my focus right on the first try, and I could be extremely intentional about just how much detail I wanted in focus in my frame.
Sony A7 IV
1/200s, F1.2, ISO 64
Sony A7 IV
1/200s, F1.2, ISO 64
I enjoy shooting 1920’s inspired vintage style photography in the studio, in which I like to open up as wide as I can go to emulate old-fashioned large format film cameras. Having a lens with the ability to open up to F1.2 combined with the reliable AF has truly made this style of photography much more achievable than it previously was for me. I can still achieve the intentional soft blur on parts of my model without having to sacrifice any overall sharpness, and don’t have to throw out any RAWs due to my focus missing while using a wide open aperture. It also makes isolating your subject easy, while turning your background into a painterly bokeh.
Sony A7 IV
1/160s, F1.2, ISO 64
Sony A7 IV
1/160s, F1.2, ISO 64
Sony A7 IV
1/160s, F1.2, ISO 64
Recently, I’ve been experimenting with shooting a much darker style of studio photography. I have fully switched from strobes to continuous LED lights which as fun as they are to use pose certain issues, one of the main ones being the lower overall light output. While I used to struggle shooting in low-light situations while still retaining quality, my mirrorless camera body combined with the 50mm F1.2 DG DN | Art seamlessly provide a solution to this issue – shooting in low light is no longer a problem at all! This lens makes shooting in indoor low light locations so simple, and would look beautiful outdoors during blue hour or at night.
Sony A7 IV
1/200s, F1.4, ISO 50
Sony A7 IV
1/100s, F1.2, ISO 64
Final thoughts
Overall, the Sigma 50mm F1.2 DG DN | Art has exceeded my expectations and easily made its way as my go-to lens. With its richness in color and lightweight handleability, this versatile focal length will work in almost any situation and proves itself as a dependable lens that I can always rely on to capture my subjects beautifully. It’s wide aperture provides me so much flexibility in low light, and speedy sharp focus allows me to approach my portraiture with intentionality to the highest degree.
It is truly just such a fabulous lens, and makes me look forward to getting out and shooting.
Discover the magic of the 50mm F1.2
