The Sigma 35mm f/1.2 Mark II is improved in every single way over the original, and in this review I want to walk through why this lens is such a big deal for wedding and commercial filmmakers. I’ll cover the obvious upgrades, but I’ll also point out a few important improvements that I rarely see mentioned and that actually matter a lot when you are filming real jobs.
A quick look back at the original Sigma 35mm f/1.2
When the original Sigma 35mm f/1.2 came out back in 2019, I filmed an entire wedding with it from start to finish. I loved the low light performance and the bokeh, but at the same time, the lens felt a bit ahead of its time.
It was impressive, but it also had some rough edges that made it feel like a first-generation product.
The biggest issue by far was the size and weight. That lens was an absolute chonker. It weighed nearly two and a half pounds, was thick, long, and packed with glass. It felt like Sigma saying, “Yes, this is one of the first f/1.2 lenses, and yes, it has compromises.”
After filming a full wedding day handheld, my arms definitely felt it. The image quality was there, but the physical toll was real.
The Mark II size and weight improvements are massive
This is where the Sigma 35mm f/1.2 Mark II immediately shines.
Sigma managed to make the lens about 20 percent smaller, coming in at 113mm instead of 136mm, and roughly 30 percent lighter at 744 grams instead of 1090 grams. That is a huge difference in real-world use.
For some context, the Sony 50mm f/1.2 GM weighs 778 grams, which means this Sigma 35mm f/1.2 is actually lighter than Sony’s 50mm f/1.2. That’s wild.
Even more impressive, the Mark II is roughly the same length as Sigma’s 35mm f/1.4, while still letting in significantly more light. Sigma clearly did some serious optical and mechanical wizardry here.
At this point, I have zero hesitation recommending this lens for all-day handheld filmmaking or for use on a gimbal. Even smaller DJI gimbals handle it without issue.
Smaller filters and familiar controls
Another welcome improvement is the filter thread size. The Mark II uses 72mm filters instead of the massive 82mm filters on the original. That alone saves money and makes life easier if you already own a set of ND filters.
As far as buttons and controls go, Sigma stuck with what works, and that’s a good thing. You get a programmable button, an aperture ring that can be clicked or de-clicked and locked, and an AF/MF switch.
Sigma standardized this layout across their lenses a while ago, and it continues to be one of the best third-party control designs out there.
Autofocus issues from the original are gone
This is one of the most important improvements for filmmakers.
With the original Sigma 35mm f/1.2, I ran into a frustrating autofocus issue while filming weddings. If focus was racked too far toward minimum focus distance and then I tried to focus on something far away, autofocus would sometimes just give up.
It happened most often on dark dance floors, which is already one of the hardest environments for autofocus. The workaround was to manually nudge focus back toward the middle so autofocus could re-engage, but that is not something you want to deal with during a live event.
Thankfully, this issue is completely gone on the Mark II.
I tested autofocus in bright light, low light, and across a wide range of distances, and it consistently locked on and stayed locked. The updated magnetic autofocus motors clearly make a difference, and performance was fast, accurate, and reliable.
Focus breathing and manual focus behavior
For filmmakers, focus breathing matters, and I’m happy to report that while the Sigma 35mm f/1.2 Mark II does have a small amount of breathing, it is minimal.
This is especially impressive considering this lens does not have access to Sony’s focus breathing compensation since it is a third-party lens. Sigma told me they prioritized minimizing breathing, and it really shows.
If you are using the L-mount version, you also get the option to switch between linear and non-linear manual focus in-camera, which is a great feature. On Sony E-mount, the lens is always linear, which I personally prefer for video work.
Image quality and that f/1.2 look
Even without doing a direct side-by-side comparison, image quality on this lens is outstanding.
Sigma has been absolutely crushing it lately when it comes to bokeh, and this lens fits right in alongside lenses like the 135mm f/1.8 and the 200mm f/2. The background separation is beautiful, smooth, and cinematic.
There is something special about having f/1.2 depth of field on a 35mm lens. It gives you shallow depth while still maintaining a wide enough field of view to be incredibly versatile.
There’s a reason I filmed nearly an entire wedding day with the original 35mm f/1.2. It works on a gimbal, works handheld, and lets you get close when you need to. A 35mm focal length can truly do almost everything.
Should filmmakers buy the Sigma 35mm f/1.2 Mark II?
If you want incredible bokeh, excellent low light performance, reliable autofocus, and a lens that is now actually reasonable to use all day, this lens is an easy recommendation.
The Mark II fixes the biggest issues of the original while keeping everything that made it special in the first place. For wedding and commercial filmmakers, this is one of the most versatile and visually impressive lenses you can buy.
I highly recommend it!