With Sigma introducing its widest DG DN Art lens to date, I was very excited to try out the 20mm f/1.4 Art lens. Throughout my tests, I was blown away with the optical quality of this lens, not to mention how fun it is to use.

This morning, the company introduced two additions, specifically at the wide side of things — the 20mm and 24mm Art lenses. These lenses replace the previous DSLR-oriented HSM versions that were adapted for L and E mounts.

Throughout my time with both lenses, I was impressed with what I was able to capture, and it further solidified my view of Sigma’s Art series as being one of the best for professionals out there.

With the 20mm f/1.4 Art lens, I found superior sharpness and beautiful depth of field. All in all, this is a lens that’s made to impress. Read on for my full thoughts.

All technical specifications for the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art lens have been provided by Sigma:

If you’ve ever used a Sigma Art lens, you’ll immediately feel right at home with the 20mim f/1.4 Art. It’s a similar size to the 35mm and 85mm Art lenses, and it features a clickable and lockable aperture ring.

The lens is equipped with a petal-shaped hood. The side of the lens includes an AFL button, a manual focus lock (MFL) switch and a focus mode switch. The rear of the lens is also compatible with rear filters, and Sigma includes a template right in the box.

The focus ring is large and smooth. Overall, the lens feels very nice in the hands, and was well-balanced on the Sigma fp L camera.

The 20mm f/1.4 Art is also dust and splash resistant, but it does not include image stabilization, instead relying on the camera body for stabilization.

Despite its larger size, the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art was a fantastic lens to use. With amazing subject definition, you’ll be hard to find a lens that produces more gorgeous results — especially on the wide end of things. I’d put it up against any wide-angle prime I’ve tried.

With no image stabilization, the lens relies on your camera’s in-body stabilization technologies. While that’s no problem for more modern cameras like the Sigma fp L, Sony a1 and a7 IV, and the Lumix S1 or S5, it’s something to consider … especially if you’re a Sony APS-C user with older stabilization (and less effective) technology. Still, Sigma is going after the pro user base with this camera, and it’s easy to see why in the results I experienced.

Autofocus performed great with the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art lens — even with a grown man on a playground dinosaur unable to keep his balance. Autofocus was fast and accurate.

If there’s one lens I’ve tried recently that blew me away, it’s this Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art lens. The image quality simply blew me away. The fact that there are really no flaws to speak about was a breath of fresh air, especially given what I’ve experienced with some other primes in the past. Sharpness, distortion control, lack of ghosting … these are all huge wins in my book.

Distortion is well-controlled with the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art. You might see some slight distortion in the corners, but that’s to be expected given its wide field of view.

There’s some very minor vignetting in the corners, but again, it’s not a distractor, and is very controlled. All in all, this lens is truly a showcase of what Sigma can do.

Unlike its 24mm counterpart, ghosting was very well-controlled with the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art, as was flaring. Chromatic aberration was also not an issue.

Sharpness was wonderful with the 20mm, whether that be architectural details or portraits.

The 20mm has a nice depth of field, making your subjects really pop. Bokeh certainly present, but given it’s a wide-angle lens, I doubt most photographers would buy this for its bokeh qualities.

Colors were a tad on the warm side, but were very pleasing and looked natural to the eye. I used the Sigma fp L Camera Natural profile in the shots above.

Simply put, the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art lens for L and E mounts is flawless. Featuring wonderful optics with amazing subject separation, this lens has virtually no points of failure. Chromatic aberration, ghosting, vignetting, flaring … they’re all well-controlled. Colors are gorgeous and warm. Autofocus and sharpness is great. For anyone wanting a wide-angle prime, you have to take a look at this. The Sigma 20mm f/1.4 Art lens simply cannot be beat.

Tell your story with the second annual Visual Storytelling Conference!

Experience four days of interactive, online training sessions featuring a range of educational content with experienced photographers and content creators. This free event kicks off with a series of technical boot camps to build essential skills, followed by live, online sessions on photography, video, business and social media. Join live from March 10-13, 2022!

By shopping with our partners and affiliates, you help keep content on Photofocus free. Click here to learn more.

Bryan is a photographer specializing in capturing corporate events, food/drink and advertising imagery. Based in Grand Rapids, MI, he has worked with clients such as CNBC, Michigan State University, ArtPrize, Grand Rapids Magazine and more. His work has also been featured by Delta Airlines, NBC, Microsoft and Pure Michigan. He also serves as a Fotopro tripod ambassador.

Tamron – Need lightweight, compact mirrorless lenses? Tamron has you covered, with superior optics perfect for any situation. With weather sealing and advanced image stabilization, you’ll open up your creative possibilities.

AfterShoot – AfterShoot helps photographers cull their photos faster, leaving them more time to spend on creative tasks. Save $10 with the code PHOTOFOCUS10.

Capture One – Capture One creates powerful photo editing software for all kinds of photographers. Its authentic true-to-life color processing, seamless editing experience, and fastest tethering in the industry gives you total creative control.

Mylio – Access your photos from anywhere, without the cloud! Easily showcase your photos on-the-go, resolve duplicates, find faces and look for those stunning locations.

Skylum – Your photos, more beautiful in minutes. Makers of Luminar and Aurora HDR, Skylum adapts to your style and skill level. Check out Luminar Neo’s unique sky replacement and portrait editing tools, now available.

B&H – B&H is a world renowned supplier of all the gear photographers, videographers, and cinematographers need and want to create their very best work.

Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest from Photofocus delivered each week.

Copyright 2022, ThinkTAP. All rights reserved.

Photofocus.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.  Photofocus.com is also a participant in the B&H Photo and KEH Camera affiliate programs.