Photographer Jacki Bruniquel tried out Sigma’s Art Lenses at a recent wedding, this is what she thought…
Written by Jacki Bruniquel, a professional wedding and portrait photographer based near Durban.
If you had to ask a wedding photographer what their favourite lens is, chances are they will answer a 50mm prime. The 35mm prime is also becoming increasingly popular with wedding photographers and has long been loved by photo-journalists. I am a little different! If you have a look at what is usually on my cameras you will find my 24-70mm 2.8 Nikon and the 70-200mm 2.8 Nikon. I choose lenses based on how quickly they focus, how sharp they are and what kind of result, and or effect, they give me. Lenses are, at the end of the day, a tool! I love my Nikon zooms, I have gotten pretty used to operating with them and trust them both implicitly!
I have never really gelled with the 50mm prime, and have never tried a 35mm prime, but an old dog needs to learn new tricks and I am always open to learning new ways of doing things so when Michael from Sigma got hold of me to ask if I would like to test out the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 and 35mm f/1.4 Art Lenses, I jumped at the chance!
I have been blown away by these! They focus incredibly fast, they are sharp as a tack, the bokeh that they create is just so pretty and they are both very reasonably priced, which is a great advantage for us South Africans. If you were in the market to buy a prime lens I couldn’t recommend these enough!
I took these pictures below at a recent wedding during the bridal prep and pre wedding shoot. Thanks to Bhav and Yash for allowing me to experiment on you!
The image below was taken with my Nikon D700 and the Sigma 50mm F4 1/200sec ISO 400 The effect on the sides of the bride was created with a couple of crystals I found in the hotel.
The image below was taken with my Nikon D4 Sigma 35mm F2.5 1/200sec ISO 1200.
The image below was taken with my Nikon D700 Sigma 50mm F7.1 1/200sec ISO 1200.
The image below was taken with my Nikon D4 Sigma 35mm F1.4 1/125sec ISO 3200.
The image below was taken with my Nikon D700 Sigma 50mm F2.8 1/125sec ISO 800.
The image below was taken with my Nikon D700 Sigma 50mm F4.5 1/200sec ISO 1200.
The image below was taken with my Nikon D700 Sigma 50mm F2 1/320sec ISO 400.
The image below was taken with my Nikon D700 Sigma 50mm F1.8 1/1000 ISO 100.
The image below on the right was taken with my Nikon D700 Sigma 50mm F3.5 1/200sec ISO 800 and on the left Nikon D700 Sigma 50mm F3.5 1/125sec ISO 1600.
Shared with permission from Sigma and Tudortech (Distributors for Sigma South Africa).
I have a serious want for the 35 1.4, and now that I read this, I am sold.
For a professional, it makes sense, however. As an enthusiast, the cost of these lenses are prohibitive.
Great photos nevertheless, especially the second (02). It screams of great perspective and color.
Thank you for your comment Marlon, yeah Jacki got some fantastic shots 🙂 If you are in the Cape Town area feel free to pop in at the store, come have a look at the lens. The guys here are always happy to answer whatever questions you might have, also grab a coffee while you look around! Have a great day, Michelle