New lens - Sigma 85mm F1.4

[Hodders]

My Sigma 85mm F1.5 turned up yesterday and so far I am loving it.

It's sharper than my 24-70 (both lenses at f2.8) and my 70-200 (both lenses at f4)

Here are some more shots using centre focus point over the right eye on a 5D2 (shot in raw and exported with a slight sharpen, I did not focus and recompose, I just cropped the full size images slightly before resize/export):

F1.4

100% crop:

F4

100% crop:

 

[D.P.]

Thanks for the pics.

A lens I will definitely buy. I was going to get the Nikon 1.8 because I could never justify the Nikon 1.4, but this Sigma is almost the same league as the Nikon and half the price.
After reading a lot of reviews and personal testimonials I am positive the Nikon is slightly better than the Sigma, but there is not much in it, not with sharpness or contrast anyway.


Apparently it gives the Canon 85 1.2 L a run for its money, perhaps being even sharper, and definitely focuses faster.

 

[dannyjo22]

I really fancy a 85mm on my 50D. I like the 50mm but would like a bit more range so I'm not so in the face of my son when taking half body/head shoulders shots.

What made you choose the sigma over the canon 85mm?

I've read nothing but superb stuff on the canon version and it's half the price.

 

[Raymond Lin]

This lens does certainly throw a spanner into the works for the 85mm range.

I have the 1.8 and it is a bargain of a lens. It is sharp, fast AF, fast aperture, relatively cheap, I much prefer it over the 50/1.4.

The reason to upgrade to the 85L is not the AF, sure the extra stop will be useful and it certinaly will come in handy for me in weddings, but the main reason for the 85L is the bokeh. The 85L is a Bokeh machine, it makes ordinary everyday objects look good. It makes an good photo great, it makes a great photo amazing. The Sigma has to produce photos with that "hook" or it fails to drag me in. As I will always have the niggling feeling of "there is something better" out there.

 

[Hodders]

The extra aperture (1.4 vs 1.8) and the better bokeh. Less chromatic abberation as well. Have a look here for more details.

I looked at it as a 85mm f1.2L for half the price with better focusing speed.

 

[Raymond Lin]

I know 1.4 gives nicer bokeh, but 1.2 is ever nicer, and I will always know that.

I also know the 1.2 is slow to focus, with all the glass inside it is to be slow no matter what.

What is difficult to put my finger on is that the 1.2 produces photos like no other, like the 35L before it, and the 135L above it, it produces photos like they are sprinkled with fairy dust.

Price is not as big a concern for me as I just reinvest my earnings back into it this year to write off some taxes, so it being twice as much is not really a problem. The problem or the aim is to get the best lens for the job.

Is the 85L still the best lens in it's class? That is the question.

I am keeping the 1.8 anyway so that really doesn't matter much for the 1.2 being slow(er).

P.s. I think my 1.8 looks sharper than the 100% you posted, at 1.8.

 

[Shadowness]

Great lens - I have it also.

Certainly a thorn in the side of Nikon and Canon with their much more expensive, and not much better (or worse in some cases) 85mm lenses.

 

[Hodders]

I know 1.4 gives nicer bokeh, but 1.2 is ever nicer, and I will always know that.

I also know the 1.2 is slow to focus, with all the glass inside it is to be slow no matter what.

What is difficult to put my finger on is that the 1.2 produces photos like no other, like the 35L before it, and the 135L above it, it produces photos like they are sprinkled with fairy dust.

Price is not as big a concern for me as I just reinvest my earnings back into it this year to write off some taxes, so it being twice as much is not really a problem. The problem or the aim is to get the best lens for the job.

Is the 85L still the best lens in it's class? That is the question.

I am keeping the 1.8 anyway so that really doesn't matter much for the 1.2 being slow(er).

P.s. I think my 1.8 looks sharper than the 100% you posted, at 1.8.

The one big advantage that the sigma has is a lovely 9 blade diaphragm to give a very circular aperture and lovely bokeh. At the end of the day I could afford £600 of fairy dust not £1200 for the 1.2. Plus it does focus so much faster than the 1.2 I had a play with.

You are right though - there is a bit of our brains that just love oof backgrounds !

 

[Rojin]

Nice purchase, this is on my wanted list. It'll be a fair while before one comes my way though!

 

[Raymond Lin]

The one big advantage that the sigma has is a lovely 9 blade diaphragm to give a very circular aperture and lovely bokeh. At the end of the day I could afford £600 of fairy dust not £1200 for the 1.2. Plus it does focus so much faster than the 1.2 I had a play with.

You are right though - there is a bit of our brains that just love oof backgrounds !

I got to confess that i DO want to want it.

qualities of both the 1.8 AND 1.2 for the half the price of the 1.2 ?

I live with the 1.8 so I can live with 1.4, easily. The question is that if the Sigma can capture the magic of the 1.2. I look through the lens archive thread on PoTN a lot to see samples, I ignore the bad ones and concentrate on what the best people can do with it. (I can see your pics on there )

And at the moment, the results posted on the 1.2 thread still wow me more.

This MIGHT be to do with the 1.2 are used by more Pros, as it is more expensive, more out of reach of amateurs due to the cost, where as a amateur you would incline to go for the 1.4. So more pros using the 1.2 vs amateur with 1.4 might skew the result somewhat.

 

[mcc49]

This MIGHT be to do with the 1.2 are used by more Pros, as it is more expensive, more out of reach of amateurs due to the cost, where as a amateur you would incline to go for the 1.4. So more pros using the 1.2 vs amateur with 1.4 might skew the result somewhat.

Nail and Head I think. Also the the Sigma has only recently reached the market despite being announced the 2nd half of last year where as the 85Lii has been around for quite abit longer so there is going to be a larger user base.

I was going to get the 85/1.8 last year until Sigma announced the 1.4, I am still unsure of which to get.