Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens For Sigma Digital SLR Cameras

Half the price of the Nikon equivalent, but this optic proves that it can still hold its own

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  Two-part lens hood

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  f/16 performance

The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens hit the streets with great anticipation and generated many requests for a full review. Reasons for the interest? First, the 85mm focal length is very useful - especially for portraits.

Can this wide aperture short telephoto still produce the goods, despite being almost half the price of similar camera manufacturer's lenses? Gary Wolstenholme investigates.

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  Excellent optical performance, Great build quality, Responsive autofocus, Supplied hood with extender for APS-C cameras

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  Hyperfocal markings are too close together to be useful, Sigma want the review sample of this lens back!

Sigma has finally delivered an important lens which has been missing from the Pentax lineup for almost a decade: the new 85mm F1.4 EX HSM. Before its release, Pentax owners had to rely on the legacy FA* 85mm F1.4 , or its slightly slower and shorter cousin, the FA 77mm F1.8 Limited .

Sigma has produced an excellent lens here: as sharp as any of its contemporaries, even wide open at Æ’/1.4. As well, the lens offers remarkable tolerance to chromatic aberration, marred only by the presence of longitudinal chromatic aberration that seems to be common with fast glass.

It took Sigma quite a while but the Sigma AF 85mm f/1.4 HSM EX DG is finally here - their first ultra-large aperture tele prime lens. It shows a performance characteristic that is typical for many lenses in this class, but it does so on a very high level.

It took Sigma quite a while but the Sigma AF 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM is finally here - their first ultra-large aperture tele prime lens. It was about time to get some serious competition (with AF) for the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 USM L II.

The Sigma AF 85mm f/1.4 EX HSM DG delivers a convincing performance on APS-C DSLRs although it stays somewhat short of the Canon EF 85mm f/1.2 USM L II here. The lens is impressively sharp in the image center - even at f/1.4 - but it's comparatively softer towards the borders/corners here.

A wide aperture short telephoto lens with silent focusing, which should be perfect for portraiture.

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  Excellent optical performance, Great build quality, Responsive autofocus, Supplied hood with extender for APS-C cameras

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  Hyperfocal markings are too close together to be useful, Sigma want the review sample of this lens back!

Sigma's new 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM lens is designed for use with full frame digital cameras but can also be suitable for cameras with smaller APS-C sized sensors. On the Nikon D7000 body we used for our tests, it provided the 35mm focal length equivalent of 127.5mm.

I am a very happy owner of Sigma 50mm f/1.4 HSM. So I am very excited to purchase a Sigma 85mm for portrait photography. I must say that I am very please with the results in term of sharpness and bokeh, of subjects within about 5 meters.

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  Sharpness, f/1.4, silent and fast focus

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  weird auto focus, PF

I bought this lens for indoor use mainly on my Nikon D700. Before this lens, I had a Nikkor 85/1.4D which I loved to use on my previous camera (Nikon D300). But when changing to full frame camera (D700) the Nikkor 85/1.4D was not often used because I needed to step down to F2.8 to get it sharp and...

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  Compared to Nikkor 85/1.4D, the Sigma 85/1.4 is much sharper on all areas outside center on F1.4-F5.6. For F>5.6 I have not bothered to test but expect both are equal., Filterhood is superior to Nikkor 85/1.4D since it can be detached more easily and protects front lens better.

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  Build quality is not in class with Nikkor professional lenses. Compared to Nikkor 85/1.4D, the difference is obvious even for people with no photo interest. I would say that build quaity is basically on par with Nikkor mid-class lenses.

good one between canon 85/1.8 and 85/1.2