Sigma 85mm f1.4 EX review

Sigma 85mm f1.4 Old-hat recap

10th July 2012

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Intro

The Sigma AF 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM is a short telephoto lens with a bright f1.4 focal ratio. Announced February 2010, it's the only 85mm large aperture secondary to Nikon or Canon's own primes that offers auto-focus. The short telephotograph lenses from Samyang and Zeiss are manual focalise only. IT is available for Canon, Nikon, Sigma, Sony, and Pentax mounts.

Sigma has priced its 85mm f1.4 lens in-between the budget and high-closing 85mm options from some Canon and Nikon. So IT's more expensive than the Canon and Nikon f1.8 models, but well cheaper than the Canon f1.2 and Nikon f1.4 versions. As such anyone considering buying either of the big-brand options will naturally Be wondering how the Sigma compares.

On both cropped and full-frame bodies the 85mm focal length is well-advised a preferred candidate for portrait-photography as it gives you some distance from your subject which leads to a ingratiatory perspective. This, combined with the capability to render indistinct backgrounds with a repand bokeh, makes large aperture 85mm lenses very sought after. Another use-case for 85mm primes is street-photography where you need approximately reach and a fast shutter speed. But 85mm lenses may also be misused for nature photography and capturing landscapes.

In this review I've taken a detailed look at Sigma's 85mm f1.4 prime to find unconscious whether it can deliver the goods. To really energy it to the limits I proved the Nikon F-mount rendering with a 36 Megapixel chock-full-frame Nikon D800, although my results and conclusions are equally applicable to other mounts and systems.

Facts from the catalog

Here's the usual deal the technical data first with some comparison to its heyday competitor for Nikon DSLRs, the Nikon AF-S 85mm f1.4G. I've rated the features with a [+] (or [++]), when it's better than average or even state of the art, a [0] if it's standard Oregon just average, and [-] if there's a disadvantage.

Size (diam. x length): 85 x 88 mm (3.3 x 3.5 in.). This is not a soft lens, but of similar size to the Nikon eq. Information technology still fits harmoniously on a large APS-C or FF-/FX-trunk. [0]

Weight: 719 g (25.4 oz) = 124 grams heavier than Nikon's. [0]

Optics: 11 elements in 8 groups vs. 10 elements in 9 groups on Nikon's 85/1.4G. This is unruffled a miniature amount of chalk compared to zooms that tend to have something like 21/16. That bodes cured for contrast and flare-resistance. Sigma used two special glass-elements therein construction. [0]

Nighest focus distance/max. magnification: 0.85 m (2.8 ft.) / 1:8.6. This does non get thick to what I often need in nature (1:3-1:5). So no honorable mention for this carrying out, but new 85mm lenses don't nidus closer either. When using a 2 diopter close-up filter (like the very good Canon 500D) you could reach a magnification about and beyond 1:5.8. [0]

Filter-thread: 77mm = standard with large pro-lenses [+]

IS: No = a pity! Many zooms covering 85mm likewise as the Sigma 105/2.8 macro electron lens have OS. You tush simply hope that with a 2 stops larger aperture you could crank up the shutter speed to where shake is less likely. And shake you see: Just look through the viewfinder! [–]

AF: AF with HSM (hyper sonic motor), so it does work on D60/3×00/5×00-bodies or Canon bodies w/o AF-motorial, manual-focus on override by turning the focus ring [+]

Covers full frame/FX or small = very good [+]

Comes with a nice soft-case that protects the lens break against banging around than the flimsy pouches that Nikon supplies. [+]

Price: around 860 EUR new (incl. 19% VAT) = much cheaper than Nikon's 85/1.4G at around 1400 EUR. Canon's EF 85mm 1.2 Cardinal L USM is around 1900 EUR but offers 1/3 of a stop larger aperture. [0]

The genus Lens-caps are almost the like standard Nikon's but the rear chapiter still can only be screwed on in exactly same position – not three ilk with Nikon's. [0] Electron lens-shadow enclosed and reversible for shipping plus at that place is a APS-C/DX hoodlum-extender that adds 3.5 cm to the hood for extra protection against light. [+]

Distance information is relayed to the camera, so the Nikon organic structure can do all the advanced exposure-related stuff with this lens. But this is true for every the alternatives also. [+]

Aperture closed chain = atomic number 102, just the likes of all innovative lenses. [0]

Sealing: no. [0]

So the score in the "features-department" is 2[-]/8[0]/6[+].

Motivation

Large aperture 85mm lenses are for analytic your topic from some distance and/or getting faster shutter speeds when your subjects are wriggly. Simply I can use this as a nature shooter too because I love non having everything in equal sharpness.

Alternatives

For getting at least f1.4 at 85mm there are genuinely only four alternatives for Nikon users (and 3 for Canon users). But only 2 (resp. 1) offer AF:
– The old Nikkor AF 85/1.4D, can still live had, just a teensy-weensy more expensive, but supplanted by…
– The new Nikkor AF-S 85/1.4G which is much more expensive but provides excellent performance (see my Nikon AF-S 85/1.4G brush up)
– The Zeiss ZF.2 Planar T* 85mm 1.4 (manual focus only)
– The Samyang AE 85mm 1.4 Asph IF (non-automatic focus only)
– The Canon EF 85mm 1.2 II L USM, which offers 1/3 of a stop larger aperture at to a higher degree double the price.
Or you go for the cheaper f1.8 lenses from Nikon (see my review of the first-class Nikon AF-S 85/1.8G) or Canon.

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