The type of photography that you are planning to use is an important decision factor. Here we have evaluated the Sony 50mm F1.4 and the Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC OS HSM for their suitability to various photography scenarios:
Size and Weight Comparison
The size of a lens is a crucial factor to consider when comparing two lenses. Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC OS HSM is the longer of the two lenses at 89mm. The Sony 50mm F1.4 with a length of 43mm, is 46mm shorter. Besides being longer, the Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC OS HSM also has a larger diameter of 79mm compared to the Sony 50mm F1.4's 66mm diameter.
The weight of a lens is equally significant as its external dimensions, particularly if you intend to handhold your camera and lens combination for extended periods. Sony 50mm F1.4 weighs 222g, which means it is 298g (57%) lighter than the Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC OS HSM which has a weight of 520g.
Filter Threads
The Sony 50mm F1.4 has a filter size of 55mm whereas the Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC OS HSM has a 72mm diameter. Larger filters are generally more expensive than the smaller ones given all the other features are equal.
Below are links to the 55mm filters that we recommend you to consider for the Sony 50mm F1.4:
And these are the 72mm filters that we recommend for the Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC OS HSM:
Lens Mounts
Both the Sony 50mm F1.4 and the Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC OS HSM has the same Sony Alpha lens mount. Some of the latest released cameras that are compatible with the Sony Alpha lenses are Sony A99 II, Sony A68 and Sony A77 II.
Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC OS HSM is also available in Canon EF , Pentax KAF3, Sigma SA and Nikon F (DX) mounts.
Focal Range
Sony 50mm F1.4 is a prime lens with fixed focal lenght of 50mm. When it is mounted on an APS-C sensor camera with 1.5x crop, it provides a 35mm (FF) equivalent of
75mm.
On the other hand, the Sigma 17-70mm F2.8-4 DC OS HSM has a focal range of 17-70mm and 4.1X zoom ratio which has an effective (full-frame 35mm equivalent) focal range of 25.5-105mm when used on a APS-C / DX format camera.
