World's first* 20mm F1.4 lens—thanks to advanced large-diameter aspherical lens manufacturing technologies
To offer an ultra-wide-angle 20mm focal length and F1.4 brightness at wide-open aperture, this lens incorporates a large double aspherical lens 59mm in diameter. Lenses of this type had been considered extremely difficult to manufacture, but SIGMA took on the challenge to realize an F1.4 ultra-wide-angle lens that fulfills the strict performance requirements of the SIGMA Art line.
What made this breakthrough possible were SIGMA’s advanced manufacturing technologies, which the company has developed over time by producing a wide range of ultra-wide-angle and large-aperture lenses. For example, milestone lenses such as SIGMA 12-24mm F4.5-5.6 EX DG ASPHERICAL HSM, SIGMA 8-16mm F4.5-5.6 DC HSM, and SIGMA 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM | Art were completely original products that helped SIGMA develop outstanding design and production know-how and its current high-precision, high-efficiency production system. In turn, these advances made possible the new SIGMA 20mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art. Moreover, SIGMA’s advanced optical design minimizes distortion, transverse chromatic aberration, sagittal coma flare, and the reduction of brightness toward the edges of the image. Delivering top performance even at wide-open aperture, this lens can be considered the culmination of SIGMA’s Art line.
*Among interchangeable lenses for digital cameras with 35mm full-frame image sensors (SIGMA research as of October 2015)
Minimized distortion
Distortion is a common issue in wide-angle lenses, and it is not possible to correct it simply by changing the aperture value. For this reason, SIGMA designs lenses from the start to minimize this issue. By adjusting the incidence angle of light starting with the first lens element and incorporating optimally positioned aspherical glass elements, the SIGMA 20mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art lens minimizes distortion throughout the entire image.
The ideal high-speed lens for snapshots and much more
Top-level performance for the ultra-high-megapixel era
At the dawn of the film camera, there was very little high-sensitivity film, and bright lenses that worked well in low-light conditions came to be known as “high-speed lenses.” These lenses are ideal for shooting indoors, in the evening, under cloudy skies, or in any low-light situation. Since the SIGMA 20mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art provides the benefits of an ultra-wide angle lens with minimal distortion, it is ideal for photographing landscapes, starry skies, and architecture. In addition to capturing wide-angle shots with the whole scene in focus, the photographer can leverage wide-open aperture to take snapshots with the subject in focus and the background blurred with an attractive bokeh effect. Designed for ultra-high-megapixel digital cameras, this high-performance lens delivers outstanding resolution and high-clarity image quality even at wide-open aperture.
