An especially sleek portrait-length prime, the 56mm f/1.4 DC DN is part of Sigma's Contemporary series of lenses, and is designed for use with Nikon Z-mount mirrorless cameras. The lens is characterized by its bright f/1.4 maximum aperture, which suits working in difficult lighting conditions and also offers improved control over depth of field for isolating subjects and working with selective focus techniques.

The optical design utilizes two aspherical elements and one SLD element, which help to reduce both spherical and chromatic aberrations for greater sharpness and clarity. A super multilayer coating has also been applied to suppress flare and ghosting in order to achieve more contrast and color accuracy when working in strong lighting conditions. Complementing the optics is a stepping AF motor, which suits both photo and video applications due to its quick, precise, and near-silent performance.