not ALL the writings I found about this lens required AF fine-tuning.

I had to return the first lens that I got because changing the AF fine tuning value fixed the issue for f1.4, but made it worse for f2.8 and above

The (free) software that uses the dock allows you to make auto-focus fine-tuning changes at - on a prime lens - four different distances

better.==============Final Update 9/5/2015==============A word about the auto-focus fine-tuning on this lens.

Having said that... if you're not up for doing AF fine-tuning yourself, you can buy one and have Sigma do it for you.

For people with a strong, steady hand, the weight is not a big deal and can help keep things steady if no stand or steadicam equipment on hand

I own the 18-35 as well and I can't say enough good things about it.

While the depth of field is very narrow at f/1.4, you can easily stop it down and not have to worry about the out of focus areas getting jagged since the 9 aperture blades keep things smooth.

Not good, but if you get the hang of where the bokeh works best, it's not a terrible thing.-The lens

Sigma has done some amazing things recently for the market

The colors are rich with a lot of depth, and the whole impression is one of lovely portraiture

Stunning image quality, incredible bokeh, fantastic depth of field control, beautiful color and sharp edges.

The bokeh is 2nd to none and the sharpness blows my 24-70mm L out of the water.

•The images are beautiful from this lens, significantly less distortion then most and the color is fantastic

The colors are absolutely gorgeous and the photo quality is stunning

Sigma is really scary with their lens designs, because they're really pushing the envelope

We all want our pics to be as sharp as possible and Sigma, by margins, is sharper

But in this case, my older glass outperformed the Sigma

AND my Nikon 55 f1.2Sure, Sigma has had problems in the past

Sigma has another winner on it's hand that can go toe to toe with the best of Canon.

I've used it on two family portrait sessions over the last couple of weeks and the results were brilliant

I don't think I can add anything else that hasn't been said here: the lens is super sharp, produces very nice results, but requires a lot of trial and error before getting used to it.

I purchased the 35mm that day, and I've had nothing but awesome results.

I used Canon 6D and also had great results using my Canon 7D.

The bokeh is 2nd to none and the sharpness blows my 24-70mm L out of the water.

The bokeh is 2nd to none and the sharpness blows my 24-70mm L out of the water.

In many cases I find their competing products better and most certainly a better value

The Nifty Fifty is an awesome value lens, especially if shot

I had to return the first lens that I got because changing the AF fine tuning value fixed the issue for f1.4, but made it worse for f2.8 and above

So the Art lens gets left behind; a lens not in the bag is a lens not being used; a lens not being used, for the common person, has questionable value

The images my 6D can produce with this lens have blown me away

Sure, this probably would blow away the standard in an optical test but as far as real world use, the difference won't be enough to make or break an image or any image I can think of anyway

Although inconsistent at times, the excellent images that it does produce more than make up for the 5% fail rate of the blurred photos.

The last photo shows the weakness of this lens...at f16 a good part the image is still blurry, because I was in too close, even though I was a good 2-3 feet away

Stunning image quality, incredible bokeh, fantastic depth of field control, beautiful color and sharp edges.

1.4 A is an inferior product to our Canon 50mm 1.2 in every way, shape, amd form

For those of you who are looking for a sharp 1.4 50mm lens, this is probably it for you

It is hands down the best 50mm lens I have used (I have owned the 50L, the Canon 50mm 1.4, Canon 50mm 1.8, and the old Sigma 50mm

This 50mm nifty fifty is the sharpest lens that I have in my entire lens collection.

On the meantime we accidentally broke our Canon 50mm 1.2, sent it in to Canon, had it rebuilt and shipped back

I've had this lens for a week now and it is very good quality

If I have a lens that's as good as quality as my Canon 70-200 2.8 II, this is it :)

But this lens is worth it....fantastic image quality for the price.

For almost $1000 it shouldn’t be having such a poor quality.

Also, the Sigma 50's bokeh while much smoother than the Sigma 35, lacks the silky quality of the Canon's primes...particularly the Canon 85 1.2 and 50 1.2 (which I owned for a while).

The bokeh is very disappointing and just not pleasing in my opinion

The only negative is the bokeh can be a little harsh in some lighting conditions

This is a sharp enough lens only if you stop it down from wide open, the autofocus hunts badly in low light, and the bokeh is very clunky-ugly even

This lens is incredibly sharp and has beautiful bokeh when it's wide open

The images that do come out sharp are very very nice and the bokeh is wonderful, however the calibration dock is a must if you want to have a usable lens

I have kept the 1 star rating because I believe this product is overly hyped with many bad lenses sold, proving poor quality control from the manufacturer

Sure, you can't expect zooms to be as sharp as primes, but these lenses are so good that I actually carry them along with my zooms because if I am shooting any focal length close to 50 or 35, I will switch out the zooms for the Sigma ARTs

If more people knew how sharp Sigma lenses are, more people would use them and forget about the whole weather sealing argument

Hopefully Sigma can improve it's quality control and double check for poor lenses leaving the factory

I have several fast lenses of various brands but this is the only one that is actually sharp wide open.

The only issue with this lens is the inconsistent focus I have at around 1 meter.

Excellent and incredible lens, very clear and very sharp, the focus is very fast, I would recommend to any photographer who likes quality.

Initial on hand testing showed that the focus is very fast and accurate.

Whether it was front focusing, back focusing, or inconsistent focus, it simply isn't a reliable lens

It's noisy when focusing, and the minimum focus distance isn't great

The weight was both impressive and at the same time, a little annoying - but there's a lot of glass in this lens, and for a 50mm, it's HUGE.

If weight is a concern, just buy the Canon 50mm f/1.4.Compared with the Canon f/1.2, the Sigma is sharper, no doubt

Better lens overall than pricier CZ.CONS:1) Weight and size.

Everything on imaging in very good, but the only one disadvantage is its weight

The weight was both impressive and at the same time, a little annoying - but there's a lot of glass in this lens, and for a 50mm, it's HUGE.