The Sigma 85mm F1. 4 Art hasn't been on the market long, but it has already begun to make some serious waves. Lenstip and DxO have rated it the sharpest 85mm lens ever created, beating out even the legendary 85mm F1.
4 Zeiss Otus, which isn't something that we take lightly. We were lucky enough to get our hands on the lens back in mid-November and we were very impressed to say the least, so much so that it took top honors for the 'Best Prime Lens of 2016' as chosen by our staff.
It has, without a doubt, been a pretty big topic of discussion not only amongst our staff members, but also amongst portrait photographers around the world. With that said we just had to get our hands on it to see how it really performs and to see how it holds up next to some very stiff competition at 85mm. The Sony FE 85mm F1. 4 GM is a very formidable competitor and arguably the best modern 85mm F1. 4 on the market (behind the manual focus Zeiss Otus, of course). With that in mind, the question is; can the Sigma hold its own? Our review will answer that question and more.
APS-C
With an equivalent focal length of 136mm and an equivalent aperture of F2. 2, this lens can be used on an APS-C camera. Even with its slightly longer focal length, it does still fit into the focal range that's often used by portrait photographers and the fast aperture does allow for it to be used in low-light situations as well. However, its size, weight and price makes it worth considering 85mm F1. 8 lenses instead.
Sigma 85mm F1. 4 DG HSM Art headline features
F1. 4 maximum aperture
85mm max fixed focal range
2 SLD glass elements
1 aspherical element
Canon EF, Nikon (FX) and Sigma SA Bayonet mounts
Specifications Compared
Sony FE 85mm F1. 4 GM
Sigma 85mm F1. 4 DG HSM Art
MSRP
$1800. 00
$1199. 00
Lens Type
Prime
Prime
Focal Length
85mm
85mm
Filter Thread
77mm
86mm
Image Stabilization
No
No
Lens Mount
Sony FE
Canon EF, Nikon (FX), Sigma SA Bayonet
Aperture Ring
Yes (w/ d-click feature)
No
Maximum Aperture
F1. 4
F1. 4
Minimum Aperture
F16
F16
Minimum Focus
0. 80 m (31. 5
0. 85 m (33. 46
Diaphragm Blades
11
9
Elements
11
14
Groups
8
12
Special Elements/Coatings
1 'Extreme Aspherical' element, 3 ED elements and 'Nano AR' coating
2 SLD glass elements and 1 Aspherical element
Autofocus
Yes
Yes
Motor Type
Ring-type Supersonic Wave
Ring-type Hypersonic
Full Time Manual
Yes
Yes
Focus Method
Internal
Internal
Distance Scale
No
Yes
DoF Scale
No
Yes
Full Weather Sealing
Yes
No (dust and splash proof)
Weight
820g (1. 81 lb)
1131g (2. 49 lb)
Dimensions
108 mm (4. 23
126mm (5. 0") x 95mm (3. 7")
Hood
Yes ( ALC-SH142)
Yes
As you can see the lenses are fairly different in terms of build and design. The Sony 85mm has a manual aperture ring that can not only function on its own, but the aperture can also be adjusted with the camera by switching the ring to 'A'. This ring also features a special de-click feature for smooth, silent aperture changes while shooting video. The Sigma 85mm lacks the weather sealing that the Sony has and there's also a fairly substantial difference in size and weight as the Sony 85mm is a fair bit smaller and lighter. The price point is one area of the where the Sigma really prevails over the Sony, on paper, at least.
Specifications are fun to look at, but the real question is how do these lenses perform? Read on, to find out.
. dpreview.com2017-2-9 18:00