When I ventured into blogging in 2007, I knew very little about the choices of the public and their level of involvement .Also I was unaware of the wide range of opportunities and possibilities it could unwrap before me. Later on, with the onset of social media explosion, I found myself indulged in travel and food blogging which helped me to soak in the different flavours of social blogging and cater to the wide spectrum of readers. All my opinions and comments were made keeping my readers in mind. Photography, which I began as a hobby, soon developed into a passion where I could see myself becoming a hardcore photographer spending hours thinking about the right frame which would become unique. Of course, in the process I started using many professional photography gears from different brands.

When I joined hands with SIGMA, I got an opportunity to accentuate my level with their excellent range of quality ART & Sports lenses. When I began with 35mm ART lens and wrote a test review about it, I never thought I would be exposed to an awesome range of lenses in the future. The exhilarating experience still continues whenever I am given a new lens to shoot with, from SIGMA.

The recent new comer SIGMA 40mm f/1.4 Art is one of the showstoppers for me. Many photography enthusiasts wonder why SIGMA has brought in mid focal length lenses. I have a definite and convinced answer… Every photographer has a comfort level of focal distances and this lens is especially for those photographers who really want a prime lens in between 35mm and 50 mm. Yes, one step away from 35mm and two steps closer to 50mm with assured maximum quality and performance.

When I got the message from AAB world Kuwait, the authorized reseller for sigma lenses in Kuwait, I could hardly wait for my office hours to end, and I headed to the service center to get the newly released showstopper. Took a canon mount along so that I could test with all the new EOS R and Sony a7RIII & A9 with an MC11 on it.

Regarding the specifications of the lens, it’s a heavy one. The size is almost the same but few millimeters bigger than the SIGMA 85mm lens released earlier. The filter diameter is 82mm, same as all the hi-resolution SIGMA ART series.

The new era is for the Mirrorless so I planned to shoot with Canon EOS R. People were eager to know about the performance of the lens with the mirrorless cameras. Even when the lens was heavy, the performance could compensate for the weight factor. Yes, the lens was performing well with the RF adaptor on EOS R. Focusing was normal, catching the focus points as all the canon lenses do with the cam. Face tracking and focusing were great with canon's full screen of focus points.

On the move, I got a chance to visit the zoo, with a photo walk team, and decided to shoot some animals. Alas! I could get only some birds' heads rather than animals as they were so far from my focal plane… Luckily for me in any location, I’ll get some subjects to test the factual usage of the lens. Here I was, with two beautiful vibrant little girls who took over as my models for the day. With the permission of their parents, took few shots, played with highlight and shadows, in the available natural light. Yes, the lens focuses great in direct and indirect sunlight. Even when I mounted the lens with RF adaptor; the EOS R gave me great frames, with proper focusing speed.

Being a full-fledged landscape photographer, the feedbacks about EOS R, that it has only one card slot and no IBIS and so on and so forth don't bother me. The available f/1.4 gives great pleasure while shooting in the low light. The beautiful bokeh and color rendering from the ART line, is more than enough to get the hi-resolution image which the camera manufacturer had offered and assured.

That weekend I took my models out to the garden and did some action shoots. It was a nice day out with them and got few good frames with proper focus and lights.

Later I went back to my photo studio, IRIS Studio International, which I recently opened in Kuwait to have some in-studio shoots with this EOS R + 40mm combo. Bravo!! the first shot was really impressive and was an emphatic answer to my friends' query ….. Is mirrorless ok for studio shoots?? Yes, I can show up the sure shot result of this amazing duo. A single sharp crispy frame was more than enough for the answer. Thanks to my friend's kids for posing for the frame.

As I said earlier, this lens is great for someone who really looks into specific focal distances. Indoor portraits, outdoor portraits, weddings, candid’s….. This lens will work great. A great addition for prime lens lovers, with a selective focal distance. And its working great with the new mirrorless cameras such as Canon EOS R, Sony A7RIII & Sony A9.

After I attached the lens with my A7RIII with mc 11, I went haywire … ohh boy..!! My aperture had gone wild … it was running out from f/16.. To above.. Reached till f/90.. What??... Suddenly I realized.. that I had forgotten to update the firmwares for the MC11 & Cam…

Headed back to my home studio, and updated the MC11 and the lens respectively. Also did an update for my body firmware.. Wow... it works great… now my aperture worked great…. Yes the lens has an aperture range of f/1.4 to f/16..

Walked in the beach behind a cat to shoot the golden hour sun to get this frame with golden color tone. And also a few landscape silhouettes.

Drive along the coastal road and reached opposite to the city and made a frame the city is under fog. the 40mm focal length worked great to fit all the city skyline it to a single image, with less cropping. the tide was very low so i could get the black rocky sea bed in the frame.

Started the second journey with A7RIII and framed many shots… and had multiple rides for this combo too.. Got great lowlight and morning frames with it, also took few frames with the all new Godox ad400 wistro pro, single unit fired at 1/32th power opposite to the sun. See the awesome result direct from raw conversion.

Later I tried this lens on SONY a9 to get some frame.. The result left me spellbound …… simply amazing… I think there is no camera like this so far for portraits.. The quality and details of frame, is simply amazing.

To sum up, the overall test with this lens on EOS R, Sony A7RIII & SONY A9 mirrorless cameras, gave me an impressive experience with 40 mm focal length.

Finally let me add some technical specs about this lens, which I read from SIGMA Global vision, it is constructed with 16 elements in 12 groups Angle of view 56.8° on 35mm format, Number of diaphragm blades are 9 (Rounded diaphragm) and Minimum aperture F16 Minimum focusing distance 40cm with a Maximum magnification ratio1:6.5Filter size φ 82mm.

And it is available on SIGMA / NIKON / CANON / Sony E-mount . Yes it will work with all the available mirror less cameras as announced by sigma global vision. I’m not mentioning the local price for this, but always feel free to visit AAB world to have a hands on and for purchase. about the distortion and chromatic aberration, there is not much to talk about, its great in its range, i dint feel anything wrong in my frames.  

Thanks to my team FQ8 for the unconditional support rendered to my photography journey and AAB world for playing a pivotal role by giving me the opportunity to try the latest gears, also IRIS studio International for the shooting space to unleash my creativity also Mr. Manoj Alex for proof read this review. Technology being on the move …

Another time... Another gear...