Sigma 322965 85mm F1.4 DG DN | A For Sony E, Black

Product Information

In the past, f/1.4 primes weren’t as popular for low-light sports as a simple 70-200mm f/2.8, partly because a zoom lens is more useful for telephoto action, of course, but also partly because big primes with a lot of glass just weren’t that “snappy” to focus on high-speed subjects. OPTICAL CONSTRUCTION: 15 elements in 11 groups, 5 Special Low Dispersion, 1 Aspherical, Super Multi-Layer Coating Sunstars have never been high on Sigma’s priority list and the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 is no exception. The eleven not perfectly aligned aperture blades result in rather fuzzy sunstars with 22 rays. This is a portrait lens though, so complaining about sunstars is a bit unfair. Coma The beauty of third-party manufacturers is that they can provide lenses for all the different brands. The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art was specifically designed for full frame DSLRs. As a result, it is compatible with a variety of mounts like the Canon EF models (like the EOS 6D, EOS 90D, and EOS 5D), Nikon F models (like the D750, D6, and D850), the Sony E, and Leica L.

As we normally do, we tested the sharpness of both lenses using our special large professional Imatest high-end chart. The Sigma seems to have very significant breathing in our testing. The Sony might be a little better but both are far from ideal in this respect and light-years from the Sony 35mm f/1.8 which we recently tested and has practically zero breathing. Chromatic Aberrations Sharpness is outstanding everywhere in the frame from wide open, a very impressive performance! Bokeh We published a side-by-side comparison of the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 versus the Rokinon/Samyang 85mm f/1.4 HERE, in case you’re interested. Colors & Contrast

Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art: Features

Both lenses come in Sony E mount (Full Frame coverage) with the Sigma having an L-mount version as well. We tested the E-mount on our Sony A7R IV and our A6500 cameras. Hood

In other words, if you’re REALLY a 35mm f/1.4 or 50mm f/1.2 kind of portrait photographer, for example, then to cover 85mm you might only need a compact, affordable f/1.8 option.) The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art is designed with professional and intermediate photographers in mind. The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art gives minimal chromatic aberration at f/1.4 and shows minimal (invisible to the naked eye) barrel distortion. In my experience, the lens reaches its ultimate sharpness between f/2 and f/5.6. If you buy a product through one of our referral links we will earn a commission (without costing you anything). You might not need f/1.4 all the time, in fact, you might spend most of your time at f/8 or f/11. However, if you’re a landscape photographer who also shoots nightscapes or any type of creative nature work with shallow depth and selective focus, then you’ll be happy to know that the Sigma 85 1.4 DN isn’t just a wide-open top-performer, it’s also truly flawless when stopped down to f/8-11. The lighter weight and more compact size also mean you might prefer it over any other 85mm prime, for its rugged durability that you can trust in inclement weather. Nightscape & Astrophotography

All that’s left to say is that it sets a new gold standard in portrait lenses for mirrorless cameras and I’m hopeful it won’t be too long before we see Sigma release versions in Canon RF and Nikon Z-mount. The Nikon mount version of this lens includes an electromagnetic diaphragm mechanism. Functionality may be limited on some camera bodies. *For Nikon F mount cameras, please see Nikon camera compatibility The performance at infinity is very good from wide open, so I would not hesitate to use the lens wide open when needed. At f/4 the lens peaks and the performance is outstanding all the way into the corners. Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art | f/4 (panorama) Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art | f/4 Portrait distance With the lens set to its maximum aperture of f/1.4, there is significant light fall-off in the corners. Stopping-down to f/4 virtually eliminates this. The Sigma is quite a bit heavier than the Sony 85mm f/1.8 weighing in at almost 750 grams / 26.4 oz (with caps and hood) compared to only 450 grams / 15.9 oz for the Sony (mind you the Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM is even heavier than the Sigma at about 820 grams / 29 oz).

We took some images with the Sigma over the past couple of months with our A7R IV outdoors and it was a lot of fun and you can see some of our results here (no retouching of any sorts, just cropping). The official minimum focusing distance of the Sigma is 85cm although we were able to focus as close as 78cm. The Sony’s official close-up distance is 80cm and that is exactly what we got in our test. The macro magnification of the Sigma is only 1:8.4 compared to 1:7.6 of the Sony – both considered low but quite common for this type of lens.The corners tell a very different story which really surprised us. Both lenses are fairly soft wide open but even when closed down to f/2.8 the image is still pretty soft. The Sigma f/4 starts to show promise but honestly if you want true corner sharpness, especially on a 60MP+ body like the A7R IV, you need to go to f/8 (especially on the Sony) – not exactly what we were expecting to find.