Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN | C review

The Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN | C prime lens is great for sharpness and even better for blur

5 Star Rating
Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN | C review
(Image: © Matthew Richards)

Digital Camera World Verdict

Portraiture and still life can be a struggle with a crop-sensor camera, especially if you want nice creamy bokeh, giving a sumptuous smoothness to defocused areas. With an ‘effective’ focal length of 85mm, 90mm and 112mm on Sony E, Canon M and Micro Four Thirds bodies respectively, the f/1.4 aperture rating of this Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN | C lens gives you full control over depth of field, at a very competitive price.

Pros

  • +

    Premium build quality but compact and lightweight

  • +

    Fast f/1.4 aperture rating

  • +

    Impressive image quality in all respects

Cons

  • -

    Lacks image stabilization

  • -

    Not weather-sealed

Why you can trust Digital Camera World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out how we test.

Think ‘portrait lens’ and you might be thinking of a brooding hulk like Sigma’s 85mm f/1.4 Art optic for full-frame SLRs. That lens weighs in at over a kilogram and has a similarly hefty price tag. By contrast, the Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN | C lens is less than half the physical length, a quarter of the weight and about a third of the price. Nevertheless it has exactly the same aperture rating and gives a similar effective focal length.

Read more: Best lens for portraits

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Matthew Richards

Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners! 

His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia  when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related. 

In an earlier life he was a broadcast engineer at the BBC, as well as a former editor of PC Guide.