Sigma 321954 85 mm F1.4 DG HSM Art Canon Mount Lens - Black

Product Information

I've appreciated this lens together with the Nikon D700, and I think it's a very good choice to spare money (in comparison with the double costly Nikkor), keeping an high quality. It's not a hazard if more than one professional photographer prefer this lense (same thing with the Canon 85mm f1.2L, Contax 85mm f1.4 and Nikon 85mmf1.4) about other all !! Canon's offering in this category is the fastest you can get, with a maximum ƒ/1.2 aperture, but you'll pay for the privilege. Performance wide-open is slightly soft, but overall, the Sigma seems to match it - though the Canon is just slightly sharper at smaller apertures such as f/5.6. CA tolerance is excellent, there's slightly more corner shading, and the Canon distorts slightly more on full-frame. It's L-series, glass though, and you do get what you pay for: weather sealing and overall build quality, specifically.

Weight & Size– This is definitely a huge factor to pose against its opponents, and in more ways than one. The overall weight and size of the Sigma 85 Art proved to be a hindrance/ cumbersome aspect of the lens. What sold me beyond it’s bulk? Its outstanding image quality and performance on all fronts. There is only build quality compromise (the lens mount side exposes electronics within when focused at MFD), but am not sure how many of us really thrash our equipments. Both lenses are pretty equal in terms of sharpness. I think the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art has nicer bokeh though. It also is much better corrected for LoCA and purple fringing than the Sony 85mm f/1.8 FE which suffers from serious purple fringing. Furthermore the bokeh of the Sony 1.8/85 shows a lot of bokeh fringing as well which is totally absent with the Sigma. Not only great for portraiture, this is a hugely versatile prime lens that delivers superb image quality, even when shooting handheld under very low lighting conditions. For the money, it makes the Canon 85mm f/1.2L pretty much redundant. Outright image quality is no better than from the competing Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Art lens, which is actually slightly sharper, but the addition of stabilization makes the Canon more versatile. However, there are significant savings to be made if you’re willing to sacrifice two-thirds of an f/stop, in which case the Tamron 85mm f/1.8 is a top-value buy.I own the first iteration of this lens and have shortly used the second version. The first version was plagued by serious AF issues which seemed to be less of an issue with the second version. Bokeh is very good though as is sharpness. A serious option in case your budget is tight.

You can use an integrated LED to display select Sigma lens compatibility with the adapted camera body. The adapter supports in-camera image stabilization. Image Quality I haven’t used this lens myself but many seem to like the bokeh of this lens. You might want have a look at t his thread at Fredmiranda. The Samyang is even a little bit lighter than this Sigma. In the field the flare resistance barely bothered me though, with the sun more in the center ghosting is less of an issue. Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art | f/11 Sunstars Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art | f/11Autofocus is both very fast and extremely accurate, making the lens equally viable as a short telephoto for action photography, rather than just being a ’portrait lens’. Ghosting and flare are very well controlled, living up to Canon’s claims. In our test, the image stabilizer enabled us to get consistently sharp handheld shots at around 1/10 sec, matching the benefit of the Tamron’s VC system. Verdict The 85mm F1.4 DG DN | Art is SIGMA’s new “ultimate portrait lens” for the mirrorless age. And with it, SIGMA proposes a whole new world of possibilities provided by this “85mm F1.4 lens for everyday use,” thanks to the unprecedented level of portability, free from size- or weight-related limitations.