Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM

Sigma 85mm 1.4 Box-1

Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM. If you’re looking to purchase this lens you can buy it from Adorama for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax,Sigma, and Ebay for good deals. It helps me if you purchase it through one of these links here in this review. When you purchase through these links it financially enables me to devote time to develop this site further. Thanks for the help! -Todd

Barrel
Plastic.

Weight
25.4 oz (719g)

Focus Ring
Rubber on Plastic.

Close Focus
2.8 feet (0.85 meters).

Filter Threads
77mm, Plastic.

Lens Hood
Bayonet with a DX Extender for extra coverage on Cropped Sensors! Brilliant!

Aperture Ring
None.

Diaphragm
9 blades stopping down to f/16.

Mount
Metal.

Made in
Japan.

Soft Carrying Pouch also Included.

Sigma 85mm f-1.4 EX DG HSM Canon EOS Mount Review-1

 

 

100% Crop

 

Side @ f/1.4

Side @ f/1.4

 

 

100% Crop

 

100% Crop

 

Flare

Flare

Sharpness
f/1.4:
Fairly sharp with good contrast and a fair bit of chromatic aberration.
f/1.8:
Sharpens up with better contrast and a lot less chromatic aberration.
f/2.2: Very sharp and contrasty with a lot less chromatic aberration.
f/2.8: Just gets better.
f/3.5: Super sharp with almost no chromatic aberration.
f/4.5: Just gets better with no CA.
f/11: You will start to see a little diffraction and continue onto f/16.

Vignetting


A fair bit of vignetting at f/1.4 and quickly begins to clear even at f/1.8 and by f/2.5 it is not that noticeable and basically gone by f/3.5.

Bokeh

Bokeh is really great and smooth and only a very tiny bit distracting.


Distortion
There is very little pincushion distortion.

Recommendations
Optics:          ★ ★ ★ ★
Mechanics:   ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Ergonomics: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Usefulness:   ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Availability:    ★ ★ ★
Overall:          ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Out of 5

Sigma has stepped it up and beyond in the last few years and this Sigma 85mm f/1.4 is an incredible example of the amazing lenses they are putting out! Mechanically and ergonomically this thing just works perfectly like a lens should! Auto Focus is pretty fast considering the size of the focus through and leaps and bounds faster then the Canon 85mm f/1.2 L ii.
Sigma also provides a soft caring case which I leave in the box. Also they provide a really great bayonet lens hood that also comes with a extension piece for cropped sensor cameras! This is brilliant because your cropped anyhow so the extension snaps onto the main hood and gives extra coverage.
Optically this lens is very impressive with very nice bokeh and very sharp stopped down a bit. The lens has very little distortion and not too much vignette which clears quickly stepping it down.
The main drawback with this lens is that it has quite a bit of chromatic aberration and takes quite a while to peel off. I like to open the aperture up when doing portrait work but I have to stop this lens down to f/2.5-2.8 to get rid of the CA but I tend to just deal with the CA and open it up a bit more even though its not the best idea.
My second beef with the lens is that I find sigma lenses to have a warm cast which I find takes a beating on some colors more then just a WB issue. Canon’s 85mm L ii seems to maintain those colors better which I prefer.I have owned tons of Sigma lenses over the years and either they are optically or mechanically junk but this lens is amazing in both areas. Between my friend and I we have owned 4 copies of this lens swapping from Nikon to Canon and all 4 copies were equivalent in mechanics and optics!
This lens is hands down one of the best 85mm prime lenses out there right now. If you want an amazing portrait lens, this thing is worth every penny they charge. Personally I prefer the Canon 85mm f/1.2 L ii. because I find for what I shoot I find it to be sharper, less chromatic aberration, amazing bokeh, and better color. However the Canon has many ergonomic problems and is very expensive. The Sigma 85mm is by far better in that area. Both lenses are great but pro’s will just spend the extra $1000 on the Canon 85mm L ii and deal with the very slow auto focus. For $800 though this Sigma is a bargain!

 

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My hopes are to take the time to continue developing this website with more test photo based reviews. If you are ever interested in purchasing this lens or other photography equipment please do so through these links here in this review. You can buy it from Adorama for Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax, Sigma, and Ebay for good deals. This helps support my family and allows me to take more time for the site. The best part is this site is free for you and I link good deals I find!

Sometimes these links will actually give you better deals then typical retail prices! I personally buy from the links I have listed whether looking for new gear or fun old stuff. I can personally attest to their good & safe service from years of experience. Thanks again to you, our readers, for supporting us! -Todd