Sigma actually saved the Canon EOS M series by releasing the Contemporary line for EF-M Mount. And today, we’re going to talk about these three great Sigma lenses for Canon M50, their qualities, and how they compare to their Canon counterparts.
Sigma Contemporary lenses for Canon EOS M50:
- Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary
- Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary
- Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary
1. Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary
For me, there is no reason to use older adapted Sigma lenses for your Canon EOS M50 because these new Sigma Contemporary line is not just affordable but also offer better image quality and better performance.
The Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary is the best standard lens for Canon EOS M50, it’s also one of my favorite lenses and I like it for low light shooting.
This lens is perfect for beginners who want to upgrade from their Canon kit lens.
It has a really fast aperture that opens up to f/1.4 and allows you to take pictures in low light conditions without losing details and overall image quality. The lens has a shallow depth of field, so you can create bokeh effects easily with this prime lens. It is also a great choice as your first lens or as an upgrade to your kit lens.
Image quality
The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary has a great image quality, especially for the price. It produces sharp, crisp images with good contrast. I also like the way it renders skin tones, which look natural and not too warm or cold.
For portraits, the bokeh is creamy when shooting at f/1.4. It is not distracting and is great for creating a background blur. The center sharpness is really sharp but the corners can be a bit soft, which is something that I expect when shooting wide open.
Stop it down to f/2.8 and the corners will be as sharp as the center.
Also, I noticed that there are some noticeable chromatic aberrations when shooting at f/1.4. Barrel distortion is also present when shooting wide open. These two issues can be corrected in post-production.
Nevertheless, the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary is a great lens for everyday use because of its wide field of view and fast aperture. It’s a great lens for street photography and portraits.
I think that this is a lens that every photographer should have in their camera bag.
Autofocus
Its autofocus performance is actually super fast and pretty accurate. I don’t have any trouble using the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary when capturing moving subjects.
Even in poorly lit areas, the AF system is rather quick and easy to gain focus providing that there’s some ample light on my subject.
Compared to the Canon EF-M 32mm f/1.4
The Canon EF-M 32mm f/1.4 STM is one hell of a lens. It’s really hard to top this lens when it comes to EF-M mount. But it is also more expensive than the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary. The Sigma is close to Canon’s performance, but it’s not quite there yet.
The Canon is sharper, has more microcontrast (3D pop), and has better colors. If you have the budget, then I would definitely recommend the Canon EF-M 32mm f/1.4 STM over this one.
However, if the price is a concern for you and you already have some EF-M lenses, then the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Contemporary is the one you should get. It’s not bad at all and will help fill in any gaps in your lens lineup.
Takeaway
The Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary is a well-built and sharp lens. It’s not as good as the Canon EF-M 32mm f/1.4 STM, but it’s also much cheaper and it’s the perfect alternative. If you’re looking for an affordable prime lens that can help fill in your kit, then this one is worth considering.
Pros
- Great colors
- Pleasing bokeh
- Durable
Cons
- CA and barrel distortion when shooting wide open
2. Sigma 16 mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary
The Sigma 16mm f/1.4 is a great performer for landscape photographers and works well for wedding photography. It features an aperture range of f/1.4-16, nine circular diaphragm blades that help create a pleasing bokeh effect (out-of-focus background), as well as autofocus that’s fast, accurate, and quiet when filming on your Canon EOS M50.
It’s a great lens if you’re into shooting wide angles, landscapes and astrophotography. Also, the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 Contemporary is an ideal travel companion because of its wide-angle angle of view, as well as its ability to capture beautiful images.
When it comes to portraiture, you can get great portraits with this lens even if it has an equivalent of 24mm in full frame. This focal length is considered to be too wide for general portraiture. But in my case, I have no issues using it.
Yes, it can distort the subject’s appearance when shooting really close, the key here is where to position yourself and your subject. Don’t shoot really close and avoid placing your subjects in the extreme corners of the frame.
However, if you’re like me who likes to be creative and introduce some distortions to your compositions, this lens is perfect for you.
Image quality
Like the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 Contemporary, the 16mm f/1.4 is a sharp lens. It’s my go-to lens for landscapes because it can capture plenty of details. The lens has excellent contrast and color rendition.
With a fast aperture of f/1.4 combined with great image quality, this lens is really hard to beat in its price range.
I also like to use this when shooting environmental portraits. When paired with a Canon EOS M50, I have a light kit to bring with me anywhere.
If you’re looking for a shallow depth of field, will not get that creamy bokeh since this is a wide lens. Even if you shoot at f/1.4, the bokeh will never be the same as shooting with a longer lens.
Fortunately, it can still blur the background and can give a nice separation between your subject and the background. Its microcontrast is decent and produces more than enough detail for most people’s needs.
Autofocus
When it comes to Sigma 16mm f/1.4 Contemporary’s AF performance, it’s well darn good! The autofocus works extremely well in most situations. Even when shooting in low light, it can still autofocus without any problems.
It rarely hunts and I was able to achieve focus in less than a second.
Compared to the Canon EF-M 22mm f/2
Canon doesn’t offer a 24mm (in 35mm format) wide-angle prime lens so the closes thing to Sigma 16mm f/1.4 Contemporary is the Canon EF-M 22mm f/2.
The Canon EF-M 22mm f/2 is an excellent lens for everyday use. It’s an effective all-purpose lens that can be used for any type of shooting. The lens is lightweight and compact so it’s easy to carry around. It is also great for shooting videos.
The Sigma 16mm f/1.4 Contemporary is heavier and longer than the Canon EF-M 22mm f/2. But the Sigma lens is one stop faster and can create less DOF than the Canon lens.
The autofocus on both lenses is incredibly fast and accurate. I see no substantial differences between the two lenses.
Bokeh is pretty subjective but I can say that Sigma is quite good at producing defocused background and bokeh because it has that f/1.4 advantage over the other one. Both lenses produce sharp images but they have certain characteristics that make them different.
The Sigma’s color tends to be warmer while the Canon’s is cooler. Microcontast and saturation are also very different between the two lenses.
However, I think that the Canon lens is a little bit better at producing sharp images and has less CA than the Sigma 16mm f/1.4. But this is subjective and depends on your own preferences.
All in all, I can say that Sigma 16mm f/1.4 Contemporary doesn’t have a “real” competition in the 16mm category. It’s a unique lens for Canon M50 and it’s a great lens for wide-angle photography.
The f/1.4 aperture is extremely useful in low light situations, which allows you to shoot without using a high ISO.
However, if you want a smaller and lighter setup that can do almost everything, then get the Canon EF-M 22mm f/2 STM lens. It’s sharp, affordable, and really silent.
Pros
- The only EF-M mount lens with a 16mm fixed focal length and wide aperture
- Great image quality
- Plenty of details and has a good microcontrast
Cons
- Heavier and longer than most EF-M mount lenses
- No image stabilization
3. Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary
This is a beast of a portrait lens for Canon M50. It’s my favorite dedicated portrait lens for EF-M mount and it never fails to amaze me every time I use it. It’s sharp, easy to use, and it produces pleasing skin tones.
It has no Canon counterpart, which makes it a perfect choice for people who want to shoot portraits.
Image Quality
This lens is really, really good! It can defocus the background easily to create beautiful bokeh. It gives my images more “pop” by providing a great amount of microcontrast and sharpness. I have no problem using it at weddings because it gives me the results that I wanted.
The Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary is a fantastic tool for capturing the emotions of the couple and their guests. I also like using it for shooting candids.
I almost exclusively use it wide open, which is one of the reasons why I love it. Its center sharpness is great at f/1.4, the corners will be soft of course, but that’s my intention.
The bokeh it produces is creamy and not distracting, which is something that I look for when choosing a portrait lens. Its compression is also great for my style of photography.
What I mean by that is, shooting with a focal length like this (85mm in full-frame format), the background feels closer to the subject and isolates the subject from it.
One issue that I dislike about this lens is its CA. When shooting against the sun, you can see that there are some parts of the image that is purple-hued. Although, this can be corrected in post-processing with little effort.
Build Quality
Its mostly made from plastic but the lens feels sturdy and durable. I’ve taken this lens with me on several trips and have not had any issues with it. Yes, it’s a tiny lens, but it feels solid in my hands and looks like it can take a beating.
The rubber found on the focusing ring is a nice touch and makes it easier to grip when doing manual focusing.
Although, the lens does not have any weather-sealing so you will need to be careful when using this lens in harsh environments.
Takeaway
For me, the Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary is a perfect portrait lens for EF-M mount cameras like the EOS M50. It’s compact, affordable, and has amazing image quality.
It’s a great addition to my camera bag and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fast portrait lens.
Pros
- Creamy bokeh
- Great build quality
- Ideal focal length for portraits
Cons
- No weather sealing
- No image stabilization
Emma Lucy is the Founder & CEO of Emma Lucy Photography. She has over a decade of experience shooting weddings and other intimate events. She also tests the latest digital camera bodies, lenses, analog cameras, and other gear from Canon, Nikon, Sony, and other camera brands. She is From London and currently lives in the United States of America, where she spends most of her time as a self-employed professional photographer and writer.