Sigma A 28 mm f/1.4 DG HSM review - Chromatic and spherical aberration

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Sigma A 28 mm f/1.4 DG HSM

21 January 2019

Arkadiusz Olech

5. Chromatic and spherical aberration

Chromatic aberration

The following photographs show that the longitudinal chromatic aberration is corrected well. Only at the maximum relative aperture in out-of-focus areas positioned further in the frame you can notice some colouring but it won’t be especially disturbing in real life photos.

In this category the Sigma and the Otus fared distinctly better than the Nikkor AF-S 28 mm f/1.4E ED, which experienced noticeable problems.

Sigma A 28 mm f/1.4 DG HSM - Chromatic and spherical aberration

Let’s glance at the performance in the category of lateral chromatic aberration, depending on the aperture and the size of the detector.

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The majority of values stay near 0.06–0.07% so their level is low; it means the tested Sigma doesn’t have any problems with this aberration. However its rivals fared similarly well: the Otus had sensational results of about 0.03% and the Nikkor performed equally well, with lateral aberration included in the 0.05–0.06% range.

Canon 5D III, RAW, f/1.4	Canon 5D III, RAW, f/5.6

Spherical aberration

First photos of this chapter don’t feature even the slightest influence of ‘focus shift’ so the level of spherical aberration can’t be high or very high. Still, defocused circles of light show that its correction is far from perfect. The circle before the focus features a distinct, light rim and the edges of the one after the focus are soft. These are classic symptoms of the aberration, and such a performance proves that the optics doesn’t correct it well. It’s hard to say whether you see a result of a deliberate strategy, aimed at improving a better appearance of out-of-focus areas, or it is a price you have to pay for a better correction of another optical aberration.