I picked the Sigma 35 F1.4 DG HSM for Canon at Photoshop World earlier today.  I posted about it on Google+ and was asked how its autofocus performed in various situations.

Now, I plan on putting the lens through its paces in the next couple of days so I can’t yet give a definitive answer, but for now here are some first impressions with an album of some images I captured today.  Other than some cropping, and maybe a white balance adjustment, the images are not touched/edit in any way at all.

Overall the Sigma’s AF performs well.  It does focus slower than my canon Ls, but it is not so slow that I feel I’m waiting on the lens.  It’s just a bit slower.

In terms of hunting in low-light, I can’t say it hunts more than my canons do.  The lead image in the album is from the floor of Photoshop World.  As you can see, several of the images were from the expo floor at Photoshop World.  Light wasn’t great, but the lens had no issues focusing.

I also have an image later on in the album of my son sitting in a dark room.  I didn’t notice the lens hunting more than my other lenses.

As for build quality, it’s excellent.  The lens sports an all metal barrel and a matte finish.  It feels weighty but not heavy and the focus ring is smooth.  It’s a 3rd party lens that doesn’t feel 2nd rate in any way.

Finally, in terms of sharpness.  It is sharp, very sharp, and I love seeing the images it captures.

More to come soon.  I’m planning a head-to-head with the canon 35L in a few weeks.  I’ll write more in the next couple of days after I use the lens regularly for a good amount of time.

Checkout this lens at B&H or Amazon if you’re thinking of picking it up.