Travelers like us often utilize our camera gear in a way that pushes it to the limit due to the variety of circumstances and situations we often find ourselves in.

That is why I often recommend travelers who are on the Sony APS-C format to get a zoom lens such as the Sony 16-55mm F2.8 or the Sony Zeiss 16-70mm F4 lenses to allow us the flexibility to accommodate all of these situations.

But what if you have been using the zoom lens for a while now and are looking for something new? Maybe a second lens to go with the main all-in-one zoom lens to capture our travels?

That was exactly where I found myself when the pandemic hit in early 2020, which gave me the time to contemplate how I could improve my travel photography game.

Plus, it got a little too depressing after 2 months of lockdown, and I needed something to cheer myself up 🤣. So, I bought myself a new lens to hopefully improve the quality of the photos you will be seeing on this blog in the future.

The Sigma 56mm F1.4 lens is a prime lens for Sony APS-C cameras, and as Thailand started to open its tourist attractions, I took the lens out for a spin the other day and captured what Bangkok tourist attractions look like after COVID-19. Here is my review of the Sigma 56mm F1.4 lens:

Looking for other great travel lenses to buy for your Sony APS-C Camera? Here areThe Best Travel Lenses For The Sony APS-C Cameras

Table of Contents

Summary of the Sigma 56mm F1.4 Lens
What to look for in a travel street photography lens?
Why Sigma 56mm F1.4 Is the Perfect Travel Photography Lens
What I love Most About the Sigma 56mm F1.4 Lens
The Drawbacks of the Sigma 56mm F1.4 Lens
- The Autofocus is not as fast as Sony Lenses
Overall, the Best Travel Street/Portrait Photography Lens For the Sony APS-C Camera
Further Reading for Resources

Summary of the Sigma 56mm F1.4 Lens

If you are short on time, here is a quick summary of the pros and cons of the Sigma 56mm F1.4 lens and a link to see the lens's recent price.

Pros

The Sharpest Lens Out There
Excellent Subject Separation.
Small and Lightweight
Affordable, at around $400 USD.
Great in Low-light

Cons

Autofocus is not as fast as Sony lenses.

Check Price on Amazon

What to look for in a travel street photography lens?

Street photography is a run-and-gun shooting style where you roam the streets of a city you are currently visiting, capturing the candid moments you see around you.

It is a way for us, travel photographers, to show what life in the city we are visiting is really like, without overly romanticizing it like many of the photos you see on Instagram these days.

This requires the lens you have to be able to take photos spontaneously, so autofocus is essential here. Also, sometimes the light might not be ideal, and a lens with a fast aperture will allow us to capture spontaneous moments in whatever lighting condition we are in.

Another thing to consider is the subject separation the lens provides. Going around a city and capturing the little details you see in a busy environment is difficult without a lens that will allow you to control the depth of field.

With a fast aperture lens, say at F1.4, this will allow us to capture any moments in low light as well as create a clear subject separation by giving us the ability to control the depth of field. This way, we can focus more on the subject while keeping the busy environment blurred out.

One last important factor to consider is the focal length. Most of the time in travel street photography, you will often prefer to capture candid moments. With a long enough focal length, you will be able to capture these moments easily without the subject realizing. Or at least, you will be far enough that they won't have time to pose for the camera, which helps us capture the natural feel of a city better.

With all these factors, let's look at why the Sigma 56mm F1.4 lens is the perfect travel street lens for this.

Want to know what I carry in my camera bag?What's In My Camera Bag in 2025?

Why Sigma 56mm F1.4 Is the Perfect Travel Photography Lens

Great Subject Separation

With a fast aperture of F1.4, which is one of the fastest apertures an APS-C lens can achieve, the Sigma 56mm lens can create smooth subject separation and allows us to focus more on the subject while blurring out the background to the point where you almost cannot tell where the subject is.

This allows us to focus more on the interesting subject at hand, which in turn helps highlight some of the little details that not many may have noticed. It often helps travel photographers to capture the rare moments that will allow us to tell a unique story through our photography in a way that no other aperture range can.

The Sigma 56mm F1.4 lens is great at doing this. With the lens wide open at F1.4, it is able to capture and produce stunning photos with great subject separation even in low-light situations without the loss of sharpness, unlike other slower lenses.

With an APS-C camera, which does not handle low light as well as its Full-Frame counterpart, this lens is a total game-changer for low-light photography on the Sony a6XXX series.

Produce Extremely Sharp Images

Sigma lenses are known to produce extremely sharp images, even more so than some of the Sony or Zeiss-made lenses that cost more than double the price of the Sigma lens. The Sigma 56mm F1.4 lens is no exception.

The Sigma 56mm F1.4 lens is hands down one of the sharpest lenses you can get for Sony APS-C cameras. The photos produced with this lens are sharp from corner to corner, which other lenses often struggle with. So, if you are looking for a sharp lens for travel street photography, this is the one to get.

Compact Size

I was quite surprised to see how compact the lens is when I took it out of the box. The lens dimensions are 59.5mm x 66.5mm / 2.3 in. x 2.6 in and it weighs 280g, which makes it a great travel lens as it doesn't take up space or weigh you down like other lenses.

The compact size also allows you to be quite discreet when you go around the street trying to take photos of the locals compared to having a zoom lens on. People will barely bat an eye when you have this lens on your camera, which makes for more natural and authentic photos.

More Affordable For the Quality You Get

At 400 USD brand new, the Sigma 56mm F1.4 lens is a great bargain, especially when considering the quality you receive. The images produced are tack sharp, and the Bokeh is as dreamy as it can get.

Comparing this to other lenses by Sony or Zeiss, the Sigma 56mm is either the same price or cheaper, and none of these lenses come close to the F1.4 fast aperture and the sharpness you get from this lens. In the $400 USD price range, this is the best deal you can get for an autofocus travel street/portrait photography lens.

What I love Most About the Sigma 56mm F1.4 Lens

The Focal Length Allows For Candid Moments

With a focal length of 56mm and how small and discrete it is when I mounted the Sigma 56mm F1.4 lens on my a6500 body, I was able to keep distance from my subject, allowing me to capture many natural candid photos that make street photography so mesmerizing to see.

I went around the crowded Chinatown in Bangkok with this lens, and I was able to blend in with the crowds while pointing my camera at a subject without them noticing that I was there. Even if they do, it won't seem as obvious as having a larger lens on my camera.

This allows me to capture a brief moment of eye contact that truly enables viewers to feel a connection with the subject and helps elevate the stories I am trying to tell. I don't know why; I just love it when the subject looks at the camera in wonder 😉.

The Lens is Compact

As some of you may know, I am a light traveler, and with all this new gear I have acquired over the years from the DJI Mavic Mini to all the other essential filmmaking gear, it is getting a little out of hand when it comes to the payload I have to carry on every trip I take.

The size of this lens is almost equal to another compact lens that I used to carry for street photography, the Sony 35mm F1.8, which has since been replaced by the Sigma 56mm F1.4 lens, and the switch has not affected the weight I carry at all, which is great.

If you are a light traveler and looking to add another portrait/street photography lens to your arsenal without having to carry more weight, this is the one to get.

2 Words, Bokeh King

The thing that I love the most, and probably the sole reason why I got this lens in the first place, is the bokeh effect it can produce when the lens is wide open at F1.4. None of the lenses I have were able to produce as creamy of a bokeh effect as this lens.

The subject separation created from the blurred background is phenomenal. It really gives the look and feel that I have yet been able to capture with either my zoom lens or other prime lens I have.

With the fast aperture speed, the lens also allows me to capture incredible photos even in low-light, which my F4 zoom lens often struggles with. Additionally, you can't deny the beauty of the beautiful bokeh balls this lens can produce when shooting around lights at night 😅.

Excellent in Low Light

As you may know, due to the smaller sensor of the APS-C format, the cameras do not perform as well in low-light as their full-frame counterparts. However, with the fast aperture of the Sigma 56mm F1.4 lens, the gap between APS-C and full-frame when it comes to low-light performance is bridging closer than ever.

With the aperture wide open, I was able to capture the streets of Bangkok Chinatown after sunset, with the ISO speed at 100, making the image tack sharp without too much noise. If it were with my F4 zoom lens, the noise would make the image almost unusable. This makes the Sigma 56mm the ideal lens for when you want to shoot outside in low-light.

The Drawbacks of the Sigma 56mm F1.4 Lens

The Autofocus is not as fast as Sony Lenses

There is one downside to this lens, though, which I noticed right away, and you might too, especially if you have been using Sony lenses before buying this lens. The autofocus of the Sigma 56mm F1.4 lens is fast but not as fast as the Sony lenses that I have gotten used to.

There were times when I had to shoot fast as the subject moved a lot, and the lens struggled to keep the subject in focus, which is a shame. However, this only happens around 15% of the time, while 85% of the time, the lens has no problem autofocusing on a subject.

Looking for camera accessories to help improve your travel photography game? Check out:14 BEST Sony Camera Accessories You Should Buy

Overall, the Best Travel Street/Portrait Photography Lens For the Sony APS-C Camera

After spending some time with it, I have to say that I am impressed with this lens. The photos this lens can produce are something that I have always wanted to be able to do. However, with the 16-70mm F4 Zeiss lens, the aperture was not fast enough to capture the beautiful bokeh that the Sigma 56mm lens can capture.

I also like the focal length at 56mm more than the 35mm I used to use for street photography because I can be further from the subject than with the 35mm lens. The additional F1.4 instead of F1.8 that comes with my 35mm lens also makes quite a difference, so it will probably be replaced with the Sigma 56mm on my upcoming backpacking trip.

Although, I would not recommend you getting the Sigma 56mm F1.4 as your only lens for your trip, as the focal length of 56mm is quite limiting. You will need a lot of space to be able to align your subject within the frame, and the lens will be rendered useless when you are in a tight indoor space.

What I would recommend is for you to get the Sigma 56mm F1.4 in addition to the zoom lens you already have. That way, you will have access to almost all of the focal lengths you need while you travel with the zoom lens and have the ability to capture portraits, street, and low-light photography with the Sigma 56mm lens.

So if you are a traveler who is looking for an additional lens for street or portrait photography to add to your arsenal or is simply on the lookout for a lens that can produce the best bokeh, sharp in low-light, and excellent subject separation images, I highly recommend you get the Sigma 56mm F1.4 lens lens.

I bought my Sigma 56mm F1.4 lens for 400 USD brand new. To see the recent price of this lens, make sure to check the link below:

Check Price for Sigma 56mm F1.4 Lens

Looking for the best Sony camera to buy for your travel? Check out:The Best Sony Travel Cameras to Buy

Want to take your photography game to the next level? Here are some resources to help you upgrade your work and photography gear:

Lightroom Presets: If you are looking for a quick way to make your travel photos look like mine, you should check out my newly released Lightroom Preset Collections.

Camera: Sony a7R V, the highest resolution full-frame camera out there, is my go-to camera when I travel. All of my recent photos and videos are all from this beast.

All-Around Travel Lens: Sony 24-70mm f2.8 GM II lens is the lens I mounted on my camera the most. The lens covers most of the ranges I need for travel from wide to telephoto. If I have to take only one lens with me on my travel, it would be this lens.

Ultra-Wide Lens: Sony 16-35mm F2.8 GM II Lnes: An ultra-wide lens I often use to shoot expansive landscapes and capture massive architecture I stumble upon while traveling.

Telephoto Lens: Sony 70-200mm F2.8 GM II lens is one of the most versatile lenses to have. It is great for picking out details in landscapes and capturing wildlife when combined with the Sony FE 2x teleconverter.

Portrait Lens: Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Lens is the most compact and lightweight 85mm F1.4 lens out there. It's sharp and produces stunning bokeh for subject separation, perfect for portraits and street photography.

Drone: DJI Mavic Mini 2, a perfect drone for those who travel light. It weighs less than 250g and smaller than an iPhone when folded and can capture 4K video as well as 12 megapixels RAW photos. More than enough for its size.

Bag: Langly Alpha Globetrotter is a camera bag I use to carry all these lenses as well as other essentials when I'm traveling.

A Traveler's Review: Sigma 56mm F1.4 Lens