I have had this lens for a year now. I am always blown away by its sharpness every time I use it. Owned Canon EF 85 f1.8, 85 f1.2L, 85 f1.2L II, EF 85 f1.4L IS, Sony GM 85mm f1.4 and honestly this lens is the best I ever had. Small and sharp and f1.4! It is crazy!!!
Size of the now populated 85m 1.8 market but quality comparable to GM. Sigma has the secret sauce. Thanks for another great review, in time for the preorder 😊
Genuinely one of the best portrait lenses I've ever seen. The bokeh is creamy, the colours dazzling, toggleable click, minimal technical issues that would bother me even with the test cards. Excellent review Christopher. It's always a good day when you've got another lens review up, if only to dream about which lenses to buy and enjoy your always breathtaking photography.
Wow, ive been very impressed by pretty much all the Sigma Art lineup but this is above and beyond. Making it smaller and lighter but with equal or arguably greater image quality is no small feat. Im especially impressed by the lack of color fringing at 1.4. I love the choice to have an optional aperture ring too.
Great review Christopher, I think you are the number 1 in the world, reviewed this lens. I love Sigma 35mm and 85mm f1.4 for Sony E, I'll buy this lens.
The GM might be getting outdated, but the performance of the lens is impeccable. This sigma is great, but has many issue still that may make a bad option compared to the GM. 1) focus breathing 2) pretty bad pin cushion distortion 3) poor vingetting and fall off. Super sharp indeed.. but you gotta give it to sony for producing such quality glass like 5 yrs ago.
@@jaschana2220 other than the distortion, I don't think the GM outperforms this lens in any category. Not to trash on the GM - I know rendering is a pretty vapid comparison, but I preferred the GM in side by side testing from some website - still, it has to be admitted that the Sigma generally outperforms the GM on a technical level.
Hello Christopher! Im in dilemma - Please help me - If budget is not an issue, which would you choose- Sigma 85 .14 or Sony 85 GM - Which is better choice? Please tell me !
Well, other lens brands only love making lens for Sony because Sony is the only camera brand that opened source code for lens brand making products for them while Fuji, Canon, Nikon don't do that. This is why Sigma, Tokina, Viltrox and Tamron are making many very good lenses for Sony while it is too less for other camera brands.
Last year I was considering buying into the X mount ecosystem but eventually I chose E mount instead because I noticed that X mount suffered a bit from 3rd party lens support, especially when it comes to Sigma lenses
Wait, what? How the hell did they cut the size pretty much in half and made it even better? This is absolutely jawdropping. For me this is the best 85 period if you consider price and performance. The RF 85/1.2 is amazing but you can get three of those Sigmas at cost of minor light loss.
@@jeffluo9591 tell this to the people who buy Noct ;) also i guess they did it as power show. U till now if you wanted a 1.2 lens you HAD to go with a Canon L.
@@Eihei The visual difference between 1.2 and 1.4 is minimal. Same thing with 1.8 and 2.0. Many consider 1.8 and 2.0 to be the same spec. The 0.95 however is another story.
@@jeffluo9591 bullshit. The sigma 1.4 and any other 1.4 bokeh is nowhere near what the smooth 1.2 sigma can do. I see you love to spread nonsense crap Get some rest, grandpa...
@@shaolin95 well, to each their own. No one says it's a bad lens, actually the 1.2 is jawdropping. The thing is that only very few people actually need it. It simply wouldn't be worth it for me for example since I mainly do cosplay photoshoots and environmental portraits so I never felt my manual Samyang 35/1.4 was not enough. But I know people who need it and really love it.
Sigma clarified during the presentation that they were deliberately leaving vignetting and distortion for in-camera corrections as the optical elements required for handling these aberrations lead to a significant weight increase. I'm personally a big fan of this approach and hope more manufacturers do the same and make lenses lighter without really compromising more important aspects like sharpness, bokeh, CA, coma etc.
Hey do you know if turning on the Sony A7iii in camera correction will eliminate this distortion ? As there is no Lightroom profile correction available. Thanks.
Very impressive results! Thank you for your review. I really like the compactness of the DG DN version. Hope sigma will bring an uptated smaller DG DN version of their 35mm f1.4 too!
It looks like we're going to stage, when image quality testing on lenses becomes pretty much to no purpose, as most of newer optics while hugely expensive, knocks to perfection.
HELP: I bought this yesterday and the AF is on the loud side on my a7s III. I can also feel the vibration of the AF motor in my hand when holding the camera. I can’t imagine this is normal. I tried the display before I bought it and I don’t think it was like this. Did you find that it was like this?
I just bought the Sigma 85mm 1.4 hsm art for Canon. It is not as big as the Sony version and after taking a few photos with it, I am more than satisfied. Highly recomend it.
Hi Christopher, I’ve just purchased the Sony a7cmkll , the sigma 85mm lens is three years old now , SO would you still recommend it today , especially as the a7cmkll has AI auto focus , TIA .
Sigma has nailed it finally while still choosing to not fix aberrations that are easier to correct. This lens with the 35 1.2 would be an amazing combo. Currently I am running the 35 1.2 and 105 1.4 and totally loving it. If sigma jumps on the RF mount (highly doubt they will just like nikon Z mount), it would be incredible. They would need to redo their lenses possibly unless they release the adapted versions. Literally what makes sony mount so attractive to so many are the 3rd party lens options. Sigma is just killing it! I am sure I will end up getting me a copy of this awesome lens to carry around easier. Glad I waited and didn't buy the GM. This almost makes the GM obsolete now at this price point IMO.
Hello, from ur experience, I wanted to ask u about bokeh comparison in sigma 85mm f1.4 lens on both apsc and full frame, which camera will result in more bokeh? I know that full frame is better in bokeh but considering the compression we get from the crop factor on apsc in the 85mm distance will that result in more bokeh than using it in full frame body?
Very nice indeed :)) Been looking for this lens, really love that they added the aperture ring. This is really a mirrorless standard 85mm 1,4f that, not the bulky heavy outdated DSLR designed lenses they were selling before. The big and heavy 85mm ART was one of the reason I sold it and bought mitakon 50mm 0,95f, although different lenses with different purposes, but that 85mm was damn heavy, shooting weddings or other occasions, you could really feel its tool on your wrists and that awkward weight distribution when you mount it on Sony A7 series body... nah hat design was purely for DSLR shooters... And this one looks very appealing.
Thanks for the review - I got a little confused though - at f1.4 you initially showed it's pretty sharp , but then when you moved to the photos you showed it was pretty soft .... since I would mainly want to use this lens in portraits at 1.4 and have it tack sharp at it - would you not recommend this lens ? How does it compare to the 85 1.4 GM ?
This is quite a bit sharper than the GM wide open. Watch Manny Ortiz compare this with the GM. He admits and proves this lens is better and he loves the GM. The only 85 that can touch this is the RF 85 f/1.2 and that’s $2,800. I shoot portraits professionally and I’ve owned many 85s on multiple mounts and this is by far the best.
@@michaelbell75 I've bought this eventually and am finding the eye AF hit rate to be pretty low when shotting backlit for mildly moving subjects.. Have you had a similar experience ? Am pairing it with the A1. Thanks
I can answer that. I owned Samyang and I can tell you there is no comparison at f1. 4. After the corrections are applied Sigma runs circles around Samyang
Nelson Michael Vlogs sure but having a zoom (even for cropped) with that wide of an aperture was unheard of. Videographers loved the lens and amateur photographers enjoyed it too bc at $600, you can replace your kit lens with something waaaay better
@@jd3330 35 1.4 at $899 was also unheard of, and it came a year before. I still have it, and if anything ever happened to it, I would get another one day after. The true grand daddy of Art lenses. Even today, 8 years later I dont think anything comes close to it in price/performance ratio. 18-35 while stellar lens, is crop only and thats a huge downside to professional photographers.
Smaller and sharper. You can add loud to that list. I bought one on Friday and the AF was loud. Loud enough to be heard on the internal mic.I brought it back to B&H today here in NYC and tried another copy. It was the same, so I re-purchased the Sony 85mm 1.8. So frustrating.
@@kifley19 I felt like it would be if I were in a quiet situation and had a mic mounted to the camera, so I returned it. The Sony 85 1.8 is a great (and quiet) lens.
How does this lens compare to the Amazing canon ef 8fmm 1.2ii ...? I own both systems , and currently own this lens and love it ! However, I don’t have an 85 on the canon side and many photographers swear by the 1.2 ii .... your thoughts on experience would be appreciated, since you’ve used both ? Or perhaps a video comparing all 85s such as your macro vids ... thanks 🙏
Hi Christopher, thank you again for this great review. I received the lens two weeks ago and just love ist. Sharpness and overall quality are the best I have seen. However, one thing irritates me: When enabling lens corrections in Lightroom, there is a huge jump in how the image is presented. It suddenly pops out of the screen, almost like a wide angle effect. Is this normal? Thanks, Paul
I am about to swap to a Sony A7R III and this is a bucket list option for the product photos and portraits I will be doing. Thank you for yet another fantastic review.
Seems to be a great lens! If I were Sigma, I'd laugh this for L-mount only as a way to push that system and only later release for other mounts. Having E-mount at launch sends a weird message.
Sigma isn't too flush with money, even though they have the option of selling to several brands; that is why they need to claw back some money. The sales of L-mount cameras are dwindling in comparison with the E-mount and they badly need the revenue to continue to be in business like everybody else.
My EF 85mm f1.4 DG DN Art lens is an absolute beast. I love it. I hope Sigma and Canon work out their differences for the RF lenses etc. I know Canon kind of want to keep things in house, but I think thats a mistake. Sigma RF lenses would be an absolute boon to the RF line ups.
Are you going to be reviewing the newly designed 50mm 1.4 as well? Haven't seen any reviewers covering it but it is available on Park Cameras, not sure how long it's been on sale for
There is a now a new game changer when it comes to lens choices. lightrooms new upgrade for noise reduction. Why does it effect lens purchases. ? . Well for most photigraphers lightroom is a most have . I purchased the older sigma 35 DG art lens to use on my z 7.2 camera. I have the 24-120 z zoom but really i love prime .I was not impressed with the sigma 35 lens it does not perform well till you get over f 5 .6 and dies again after f 11. However the lightroom noise reduction when applied made a difference to some of the final picture quality.I Will be keeping the 35 for now and learn to work with its limitations. I know you only test lenses . However this new feature in light room does in a way a add on upgrade to picture quality, enough I would say to give some less expensive lens a step up. May be after or along side picture quality chat review a test via using the up graded noise reduction function , this would improve the lenses performance ..... I have personally seen some photos I would not normally have thought of using turned into nice photos ... After all it's the finished item in the end of a production line we are all after this new update is a means towards an end not a end in its self. Thanks for reading this.
I have this lens. And I’m considering returning it. When I shoot at a bright / clear sky above a 5.6 aperture, there is like a ring around the edges of the image.
Do you actually ever do that or are you just stress testing the lens for the sake of it? If it doesn't interfere with your actual photography, then go take some photos and be happy, it's a fantastic lens.
If this lens had been available when I purchased my Sony 85mm f/1.8; I would have selected it. The Sony G-master or older Sigma 85mm f/1.4 are too large or my tastes. However, since I own the 85mm Sony f/1.8, I think that I will remain with my present lens.
I recently picked up the Sigma 14-24 dg dn. And pre-ordered this 85 dg dn. Soon, the Sigma lenses will outnumber my 1st party Sony lenses. Sigma (and Tamron) are incredible. Best reason to go to the Sony ecosystem.
Hope this lens will come to Nikon Z mount ... Nikon will have a 1.8 and 1.2 versions so this lens will be a good addition specially considering the size and weight
The AF is jerking in & out, that’s not good, hopefully it’ll be fix when it ships. At any rate, the size & weight is a big plus for me, fit & finish is top notch, the manual AV setting with lock is okay.
Sigma must update or further refine their AF algorithms to match Sony, not the other way around IMO. I highly doubt, it’s the Sony phase detect problem, especially if it works fine with native glass. If that is fix, Sigma has a winner in its hands, hopefully RF mount gets it too.
It's nice to see you doing pre-release testing as other bigger reviewers: it means you're gaining reputation in this space. I believe it's well deserved. For what concerns the lens, I like it a lot, although being on APS-C I'm probably not the primary target of this lens. Anyway, distortion corrections may degrade corner sharpness, so that's a thing I would have liked to see better explored/clarified in this review. The optics look fantastic, and I like they reduced purple highlighting. I believe that this lens will be a great fit for a Sony a7R IV, but I'm wondering why they're not pushing out F/1.2 stuff (especially considering they are native on L-mount and need to compete with native RF glass). I believe they'll also redesign other full-frame lenses, but as an a6100 user, I mostly hope that they'll pay more attention to the APS-C market: their 16mm F/1.4, 30mm F/1.4 and 56mm F/1.4 for APS-C are great lenses, but we need more options, especially talking about zoom lenses. For example, they haven't revamped their 18-35mm F/1.8 on mirrorless mounts, and there are no 16-55mm F/2.8 or 55-200mm options. I'd also like something wider than 16mm and longer than 56mm (like 12mm-equivalent and 105mm-equivalent).
Christopher Frost Photography Thanks for the reply. ‘A lot sharper’ is really an accomplishment since you had commented that Samyang lens’s good image quality.
Yesterday I've tested Eye AF and focus speed on the SIGMA 85 1.4 DG DN ( Sony ). I have to admit I am quite disappointed. When the subject walks slowly towards me ... out of 10 photos, only 2-3 were in focus (all shoot on F 1.4). I've tried the lens on 3 different Sony bodies (a73, a74, and a7s3) and everywhere the same thing. I also tried it with different AF settings and speeds, good lighting conditions, backlight, etc. In comparison... the Sony 85 1.8 with the same settings ( shoot at F 1.8 ) and the same conditions missed only 1 photo of 10. Does any other Sigma owner have the same case?
Looks very promising! I hope they'll redo the 35mm f1.4 that one I used for weddings and it is a delight. But on the end of a long day the lens weight is becoming quite challenging
Impressive performance from Sigma again. It is so frustrating that the Fuji mount standard still isn't open to the lens manufacturers... Such a waste of hidden potential...
Holy cow! Now that is promising - let's hope they redesign their older 24, 35 and 50mm DG HSM Art lenses in a similar manner. Thank you as always for the review!
@@bentierney-morrison5881 I still hope they release a new 35mm 1.4 dg dn, because that 35mm 1.2 is a monster - it's closer in size to the old 85mm 1.4 dg hsm than this new one. That's even more imposing when you consider that in a given line of lenses (Sony 1.8 FE, Nikkor 1.8 S, Sigma 1.4 DG HSM Art), the 85mm tends to be considerably bigger than the 35mm. Other metrics like price aside, the sheer weight of that 35mm 1.2 is prohibitive in a way neither this 85mm 1.4 dg dn nor a potential 35mm 1.4 dg dn could ever be.
Thank you so much for another fantastic review. Looking forward to more reviews on Canon R5. I am going to save up more until Sigma releases more RF version of their amazing but affordable lenses.
Be aware that third party lenses are often limited by using only EF lense registry numbers that basically lead to those lenses behaving like old EF lenses. Depending on which number is used, they can even be limited in focus area and other things. Not to forget that features like high speed viewfinder, focus stacking, lense corrections or firmware update via camera won’t work. Inder this circumstances I would better wait for forthcoming cheaper native RF lenses like the new 85RF IS
They would need to reverse-engineer all the X-mount electronics. Wouldn't be easy. They've already figured out E-mount, and they are native on L-mount, therefore we see them releasing lenses on those mounts.
@@TerabitTech Wrong and 'figured out' isn't the correct term. E-mount has been open from early days. L-mount is sigma own alliance. X-mount recently has been opened again as well. Officially, open for other manufacturer which probably translate to licensing. The first proof is Viltrox/Tokina 85mm for x-mount and recently the 23/33 1.4 lens. Sigma doesn't need to do reverse engineering if they want to adopt their lenses to xmount
The AF performance is unacceptable. Hopefully it will work substantially better with final firmware and a newer camera otherwise that's a deal breaker. The focus breathing also looks really bad, and that is something that will not improve with firmware etc. I don't think focus breathing is a big deal for a lens like this but it's worth looking into further to see how bad it really is.
@@DennisKapatos I did state very, very clearly in the video that the lens will probably focus more confidently with a newer camera body and with the latest firmware. I did make that very clear for you...and you have a slightly extreme idea of 'unacceptable' IMO.
@@christopherfrost Yes I spoke too soon. I've owned every A7 base model since the original, and in my mind, I seem to remember the second generation having better AF performance then that. However, after using the A7III so long now, I think I've forgotten how far Sony has come, haha. Anyway, sorry the comment came across negatively. A better way to state it would have been to say that the AF didn't compare favorably to it's competition, but after seeing it perform on newer bodies, this is clearly not the case. Very exciting lens. Cheers.
@@DennisKapatos That's okay, no problem :-) I know that the a7R III and IV have faster autofocus but I can't afford to spend £1,000 to upgrade my camera just for that segment of the reviews.
I have had this lens for a year now. I am always blown away by its sharpness every time I use it. Owned Canon EF 85 f1.8, 85 f1.2L, 85 f1.2L II, EF 85 f1.4L IS, Sony GM 85mm f1.4 and honestly this lens is the best I ever had. Small and sharp and f1.4! It is crazy!!!
Size of the now populated 85m 1.8 market but quality comparable to GM. Sigma has the secret sauce. Thanks for another great review, in time for the preorder 😊
Genuinely one of the best portrait lenses I've ever seen. The bokeh is creamy, the colours dazzling, toggleable click, minimal technical issues that would bother me even with the test cards. Excellent review Christopher. It's always a good day when you've got another lens review up, if only to dream about which lenses to buy and enjoy your always breathtaking photography.
Wow, ive been very impressed by pretty much all the Sigma Art lineup but this is above and beyond. Making it smaller and lighter but with equal or arguably greater image quality is no small feat. Im especially impressed by the lack of color fringing at 1.4. I love the choice to have an optional aperture ring too.
Fantastic review, as always. Just brilliant how you complete such a detail review in so little time. Your review formula is a winning one.
+1
"an absolute behemoth of a giant of a monster"
im supposed to.... nevermind.. here's the time 0:37
Accurate
This is hilarious
Rock band BEHEMOTH ?🙃
Great review Christopher, I think you are the number 1 in the world, reviewed this lens.
I love Sigma 35mm and 85mm f1.4 for Sony E, I'll buy this lens.
85GM was getting too outdated...this is certainly going to be my option. Love how sony FE mount options are expanding more and more.
The GM might be getting outdated, but the performance of the lens is impeccable. This sigma is great, but has many issue still that may make a bad option compared to the GM. 1) focus breathing 2) pretty bad pin cushion distortion 3) poor vingetting and fall off.
Super sharp indeed.. but you gotta give it to sony for producing such quality glass like 5 yrs ago.
@@jaschana2220 other than the distortion, I don't think the GM outperforms this lens in any category. Not to trash on the GM - I know rendering is a pretty vapid comparison, but I preferred the GM in side by side testing from some website - still, it has to be admitted that the Sigma generally outperforms the GM on a technical level.
To be expected
Hello Christopher! Im in dilemma - Please help me - If budget is not an issue, which would you choose-
Sigma 85 .14 or Sony 85 GM - Which is better choice? Please tell me !
You get the same quality at a much cheaper price with the Sigma
I’m speechless 😶
Sigma is killing it big time.
I only wish they would make this for Fujifilm x mount.
Well, other lens brands only love making lens for Sony because Sony is the only camera brand that opened source code for lens brand making products for them while Fuji, Canon, Nikon don't do that. This is why Sigma, Tokina, Viltrox and Tamron are making many very good lenses for Sony while it is too less for other camera brands.
@@thenorth9159 Indeed. Tamron's trinity 17-28, 28-75, 70-180 are super performers.
@@thenorth9159 Well said
Last year I was considering buying into the X mount ecosystem but eventually I chose E mount instead because I noticed that X mount suffered a bit from 3rd party lens support, especially when it comes to Sigma lenses
Wait, what? How the hell did they cut the size pretty much in half and made it even better? This is absolutely jawdropping. For me this is the best 85 period if you consider price and performance. The RF 85/1.2 is amazing but you can get three of those Sigmas at cost of minor light loss.
The Sigma 35 1.2 was failure too, too big to make sense. I'm so glad Sigma did it right this time with the 85 1.4. I mean who need a 1.2?
@@jeffluo9591 tell this to the people who buy Noct ;) also i guess they did it as power show. U till now if you wanted a 1.2 lens you HAD to go with a Canon L.
@@Eihei The visual difference between 1.2 and 1.4 is minimal. Same thing with 1.8 and 2.0. Many consider 1.8 and 2.0 to be the same spec. The 0.95 however is another story.
@@jeffluo9591 bullshit. The sigma 1.4 and any other 1.4 bokeh is nowhere near what the smooth 1.2 sigma can do. I see you love to spread nonsense crap
Get some rest, grandpa...
@@shaolin95 well, to each their own. No one says it's a bad lens, actually the 1.2 is jawdropping. The thing is that only very few people actually need it. It simply wouldn't be worth it for me for example since I mainly do cosplay photoshoots and environmental portraits so I never felt my manual Samyang 35/1.4 was not enough. But I know people who need it and really love it.
Sigma clarified during the presentation that they were deliberately leaving vignetting and distortion for in-camera corrections as the optical elements required for handling these aberrations lead to a significant weight increase. I'm personally a big fan of this approach and hope more manufacturers do the same and make lenses lighter without really compromising more important aspects like sharpness, bokeh, CA, coma etc.
Hey do you know if turning on the Sony A7iii in camera correction will eliminate this distortion ? As there is no Lightroom profile correction available. Thanks.
Very impressive results! Thank you for your review. I really like the compactness of the DG DN version. Hope sigma will bring an uptated smaller DG DN version of their 35mm f1.4 too!
I always enjoy your reviews , a lot of my lenses I bought after I saw your review. thank you .
It looks like we're going to stage, when image quality testing on lenses becomes pretty much to no purpose, as most of newer optics while hugely expensive, knocks to perfection.
Yea, I'll feel like a winner when I buy the older version!
Short telephoto lenses seem pretty easy to get right. We aren't quite there with wide angles or some zooms.
HELP: I bought this yesterday and the AF is on the loud side on my a7s III. I can also feel the vibration of the AF motor in my hand when holding the camera. I can’t imagine this is normal. I tried the display before I bought it and I don’t think it was like this. Did you find that it was like this?
Wow... I hope they eventually make an RF version of this!
Same here 👍
Whether you watch this channel or Jared Polin, these new lenses coming out from Sigma and Tamron make you jealous of these Sony shooters.
Even though Samyang already makes a 85/1.4 for RF, I will hope Sigma eventually will make this for RF so we have more options.
This! Take my money already.!
Yes, please!
I just bought the Sigma 85mm 1.4 hsm art for Canon. It is not as big as the Sony version and after taking a few photos with it, I am more than satisfied. Highly recomend it.
Aleays enjoy your straight forward and credible reviews, thank you again, I have this lens in my shopping wish list
Hi Christopher, I’ve just purchased the Sony a7cmkll , the sigma 85mm lens is three years old now , SO would you still recommend it today , especially as the a7cmkll has AI auto focus , TIA .
Wow, that's pretty awesome value for the money. Hope they'll make a version for Canon RF mount too.
Sigma has nailed it finally while still choosing to not fix aberrations that are easier to correct. This lens with the 35 1.2 would be an amazing combo. Currently I am running the 35 1.2 and 105 1.4 and totally loving it. If sigma jumps on the RF mount (highly doubt they will just like nikon Z mount), it would be incredible. They would need to redo their lenses possibly unless they release the adapted versions. Literally what makes sony mount so attractive to so many are the 3rd party lens options. Sigma is just killing it! I am sure I will end up getting me a copy of this awesome lens to carry around easier. Glad I waited and didn't buy the GM. This almost makes the GM obsolete now at this price point IMO.
Hello, from ur experience, I wanted to ask u about bokeh comparison in sigma 85mm f1.4 lens on both apsc and full frame, which camera will result in more bokeh? I know that full frame is better in bokeh but considering the compression we get from the crop factor on apsc in the 85mm distance will that result in more bokeh than using it in full frame body?
Very nice indeed :)) Been looking for this lens, really love that they added the aperture ring. This is really a mirrorless standard 85mm 1,4f that, not the bulky heavy outdated DSLR designed lenses they were selling before. The big and heavy 85mm ART was one of the reason I sold it and bought mitakon 50mm 0,95f, although different lenses with different purposes, but that 85mm was damn heavy, shooting weddings or other occasions, you could really feel its tool on your wrists and that awkward weight distribution when you mount it on Sony A7 series body... nah hat design was purely for DSLR shooters... And this one looks very appealing.
hi christopher, would you compare this and sony gm one please?
Probably my most used lens on my Sony system is a Sigma 35mm f1.4. But it’s big and heavy, so hopefully we’ll see a new 35mm f1.4 in this same series
Word. I’d buy it in a heartbeat!
I hope they come up with a RF version too. But then I’d might get another headache trying to decide between the samyang and sigma.
Yep, waiting for Sigma and Samyang to start porting more stuff over. I still miss the Samyang 45 1.8; what a perfect standard prime.
@Gap Samsung has cracked the code with their 85mm... I think they just run it as an EF lens, which is enough IMO.
aceflibble it’s not going to happen
Been using this lens on a Sony Alpha IV and it’s my go to lens… absolutely stunning image quality
Fingers crossed for an updated 35mm 1.4
Thanks for the review - I got a little confused though - at f1.4 you initially showed it's pretty sharp , but then when you moved to the photos you showed it was pretty soft .... since I would mainly want to use this lens in portraits at 1.4 and have it tack sharp at it - would you not recommend this lens ? How does it compare to the 85 1.4 GM ?
This is quite a bit sharper than the GM wide open. Watch Manny Ortiz compare this with the GM. He admits and proves this lens is better and he loves the GM. The only 85 that can touch this is the RF 85 f/1.2 and that’s $2,800. I shoot portraits professionally and I’ve owned many 85s on multiple mounts and this is by far the best.
@@michaelbell75 I've bought this eventually and am finding the eye AF hit rate to be pretty low when shotting backlit for mildly moving subjects..
Have you had a similar experience ?
Am pairing it with the A1.
Thanks
Exciting new lens! How does this lens compare to the Samyang 85mm f/1.4, based on your memory of testing that lens?
I can answer that. I owned Samyang and I can tell you there is no comparison at f1. 4. After the corrections are applied Sigma runs circles around Samyang
Sigma has come a long way. I remember when they first came out with the 18-35 1.8. That lens put the Art lenses on the map.
actually that belongs to the 35mm 1.4 art
Nelson Michael Vlogs sure but having a zoom (even for cropped) with that wide of an aperture was unheard of. Videographers loved the lens and amateur photographers enjoyed it too bc at $600, you can replace your kit lens with something waaaay better
This lens has the same optical designer as the 18-35
@@jd3330 35 1.4 at $899 was also unheard of, and it came a year before. I still have it, and if anything ever happened to it, I would get another one day after. The true grand daddy of Art lenses. Even today, 8 years later I dont think anything comes close to it in price/performance ratio. 18-35 while stellar lens, is crop only and thats a huge downside to professional photographers.
35 1.4 ART 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽
So,,Can we say it's better than master bokeh 105mm F1.4??Regardless of weight& size and price?!!🤔cuz i just focus the better result... thanks
Perhaps a little sharper, but the 105mm lens will still get you slightly more dramatic images
Smaller and sharper. You can add loud to that list. I bought one on Friday and the AF was loud. Loud enough to be heard on the internal mic.I brought it back to B&H today here in NYC and tried another copy. It was the same, so I re-purchased the Sony 85mm 1.8. So frustrating.
Is it too loud for video?
@@kifley19 I felt like it would be if I were in a quiet situation and had a mic mounted to the camera, so I returned it. The Sony 85 1.8 is a great (and quiet) lens.
Ah man thanks for the heads up… that’s the biggest reason I ditched the GM, it’s pretty loud as well. The 1.8 is a ninja
Glad I saw this comment, wanted to get it for street but will keep my Sony 85 1.8
How's the focus breathing?
Please make a comparison between this and Samyang 85mm F1.4
what if compare to samyang af 85 f 1.4?
How does this lens compare to the Amazing canon ef 8fmm 1.2ii ...?
I own both systems , and currently own this lens and love it ! However, I don’t have an 85 on the canon side and many photographers swear by the 1.2 ii .... your thoughts on experience would be appreciated, since you’ve used both ? Or perhaps a video comparing all 85s such as your macro vids ... thanks 🙏
Hi Christopher, thank you again for this great review. I received the lens two weeks ago and just love ist. Sharpness and overall quality are the best I have seen.
However, one thing irritates me: When enabling lens corrections in Lightroom, there is a huge jump in how the image is presented. It suddenly pops out of the screen, almost like a wide angle effect. Is this normal? Thanks, Paul
I am about to swap to a Sony A7R III and this is a bucket list option for the product photos and portraits I will be doing. Thank you for yet another fantastic review.
Seems to be a great lens! If I were Sigma, I'd laugh this for L-mount only as a way to push that system and only later release for other mounts. Having E-mount at launch sends a weird message.
I completely agree.
Sigma isn't too flush with money, even though they have the option of selling to several brands; that is why they need to claw back some money.
The sales of L-mount cameras are dwindling in comparison with the E-mount and they badly need the revenue to continue to be in business like everybody else.
I know there's some pin cushion distortion on the sigma and this can re corrected in camera but does the same apply to video?
is sigma 85mm dg dn 1.4 compatible with cannon 5d mark 111 or i will need to used an ef - L adaptor with it?
What a fantastic lens! Optically superb, rather compact and mechanically feature packed! Bravo Sigma!
This is incredibly exciting to see that Sigma is now making lenses better AND smaller! It's going to be a wild decade :)
Great video! I keep reading that it produces sharpest images at f/4. Can you confirm that?
My EF 85mm f1.4 DG DN Art lens is an absolute beast. I love it. I hope Sigma and Canon work out their differences for the RF lenses etc. I know Canon kind of want to keep things in house, but I think thats a mistake. Sigma RF lenses would be an absolute boon to the RF line ups.
Are you going to be reviewing the newly designed 50mm 1.4 as well? Haven't seen any reviewers covering it but it is available on Park Cameras, not sure how long it's been on sale for
Which one the best for videography sigma 50mm f1.4 or sigma 85 mm f1.4?
Awesome Review as always, Christopher!
There is a now a new game changer when it comes to lens choices. lightrooms new upgrade for noise reduction. Why does it effect lens purchases. ? . Well for most photigraphers lightroom is a most have . I purchased the older sigma 35 DG art lens to use on my z 7.2 camera. I have the 24-120 z zoom but really i love prime .I was not impressed with the sigma 35 lens it does not perform well till you get over f 5 .6 and dies again after f 11. However the lightroom noise reduction when applied made a difference to some of the final picture quality.I Will be keeping the 35 for now and learn to work with its limitations. I know you only test lenses . However this new feature in light room does in a way a add on upgrade to picture quality, enough I would say to give some less expensive lens a step up. May be after or along side picture quality chat review a test via using the up graded noise reduction function , this would improve the lenses performance ..... I have personally seen some photos I would not normally have thought of using turned into nice photos ... After all it's the finished item in the end of a production line we are all after this new update is a means towards an end not a end in its self. Thanks for reading this.
What would be the best 85mm for bokeh on Sony do you think Chris?
This lens is in my roadmap! I was thinking about buying GM but now it will be SIMGA :)
With cheaper and great options from Sigma, Tamron, Samyang, etc, Sony's E mount is really attractive right now.
The Sony G 20mm f1.8 is a good value
Brother, which is the picture you taken in a5100 ?
Hi Chris. Could u please compare the image quality between this Sigma 85mm F1.4 with Canon RF 85mm f1.2?
I have this lens. And I’m considering returning it. When I shoot at a bright / clear sky above a 5.6 aperture, there is like a ring around the edges of the image.
Do you actually ever do that or are you just stress testing the lens for the sake of it? If it doesn't interfere with your actual photography, then go take some photos and be happy, it's a fantastic lens.
Will this lens be available for canon ?
If this lens had been available when I purchased my Sony 85mm f/1.8; I would have selected it. The Sony G-master or older Sigma 85mm f/1.4 are too large or my tastes. However, since I own the 85mm Sony f/1.8, I think that I will remain with my present lens.
Just bought this lens...took it out on a rainy night....ohh my ⚡👀
The pincussion distortion on this lens is pretty crazy. Sharpness is excellent though.
How do you like it compared to the Samyang 85mm that you reviewed?
Well, it would be nice if they could include it for all mirrorless mounts like the RF, Z, and X mount.
RF and Z eventually. FE and L mount are clearly the priorities.
If Canikon and Fuji would make their mounts open like Sony then it would be a no brainer.
I recently picked up the Sigma 14-24 dg dn. And pre-ordered this 85 dg dn. Soon, the Sigma lenses will outnumber my 1st party Sony lenses. Sigma (and Tamron) are incredible. Best reason to go to the Sony ecosystem.
Hope this lens will come to Nikon Z mount ... Nikon will have a 1.8 and 1.2 versions so this lens will be a good addition specially considering the size and weight
The AF is jerking in & out, that’s not good, hopefully it’ll be fix when it ships. At any rate, the size & weight is a big plus for me, fit & finish is top notch, the manual AV setting with lock is okay.
Isn't that just the phase detect system of the Sony a7r2?
Sigma must update or further refine their AF algorithms to match Sony, not the other way around IMO. I highly doubt, it’s the Sony phase detect problem, especially if it works fine with native glass. If that is fix, Sigma has a winner in its hands, hopefully RF mount gets it too.
Ive got the 24-70 2.8 Sigma Art and its such a good lens. This is my next lens though; I really want that big aperture.
Great job,Christopher!!! Great lens,too!!! I`m waiting for canon Rf version....
Hopefully in the near future , Sigma will develop this lens for other camera manufacturer ! Looks that good !
Are they making a version for canon RF?
It's nice to see you doing pre-release testing as other bigger reviewers: it means you're gaining reputation in this space. I believe it's well deserved.
For what concerns the lens, I like it a lot, although being on APS-C I'm probably not the primary target of this lens.
Anyway, distortion corrections may degrade corner sharpness, so that's a thing I would have liked to see better explored/clarified in this review.
The optics look fantastic, and I like they reduced purple highlighting. I believe that this lens will be a great fit for a Sony a7R IV, but I'm wondering why they're not pushing out F/1.2 stuff (especially considering they are native on L-mount and need to compete with native RF glass).
I believe they'll also redesign other full-frame lenses, but as an a6100 user, I mostly hope that they'll pay more attention to the APS-C market: their 16mm F/1.4, 30mm F/1.4 and 56mm F/1.4 for APS-C are great lenses, but we need more options, especially talking about zoom lenses.
For example, they haven't revamped their 18-35mm F/1.8 on mirrorless mounts, and there are no 16-55mm F/2.8 or 55-200mm options. I'd also like something wider than 16mm and longer than 56mm (like 12mm-equivalent and 105mm-equivalent).
Will they ever make it available for canon ef mount?
Thank you for the review.
Would you compare it with Samyang 85mm f1.4? After all, that’s only half the price...
Watch my review of it :-) the Samyang lens is nice but this lens is a lot sharper, with much better build quality
Christopher Frost Photography Thanks for the reply. ‘A lot sharper’ is really an accomplishment since you had commented that Samyang lens’s good image quality.
Now all i want is a redesigned 20mm 1.4 art
That is a real redesign
I trust your review, its simply the best
Yesterday I've tested Eye AF and focus speed on the SIGMA 85 1.4 DG DN ( Sony ). I have to admit I am quite disappointed. When the subject walks slowly towards me ... out of 10 photos, only 2-3 were in focus (all shoot on F 1.4). I've tried the lens on 3 different Sony bodies (a73, a74, and a7s3) and everywhere the same thing. I also tried it with different AF settings and speeds, good lighting conditions, backlight, etc. In comparison... the Sony 85 1.8 with the same settings ( shoot at F 1.8 ) and the same conditions missed only 1 photo of 10. Does any other Sigma owner have the same case?
I didn't have this problem on my Sony a7riii. I use it for indoor sports and its AF is great!
Looks very promising! I hope they'll redo the 35mm f1.4 that one I used for weddings and it is a delight. But on the end of a long day the lens weight is becoming quite challenging
Impressive performance from Sigma again. It is so frustrating that the Fuji mount standard still isn't open to the lens manufacturers... Such a waste of hidden potential...
Unbelievable Sigma. I just hope they’ll start making lenses for Nikon Z6 because I’m invested in that system
They are unlikely to do that because so much disparity in the mount size between FE/L and Nikon Z.
Holy cow! Now that is promising - let's hope they redesign their older 24, 35 and 50mm DG HSM Art lenses in a similar manner. Thank you as always for the review!
They have a newer 35mm 1.2 version that looks like this
They will because of L mount system.
@@bentierney-morrison5881 I still hope they release a new 35mm 1.4 dg dn, because that 35mm 1.2 is a monster - it's closer in size to the old 85mm 1.4 dg hsm than this new one. That's even more imposing when you consider that in a given line of lenses (Sony 1.8 FE, Nikkor 1.8 S, Sigma 1.4 DG HSM Art), the 85mm tends to be considerably bigger than the 35mm. Other metrics like price aside, the sheer weight of that 35mm 1.2 is prohibitive in a way neither this 85mm 1.4 dg dn nor a potential 35mm 1.4 dg dn could ever be.
Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN, Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM, or Zeiss 85mm f/1.8 Batis for my Sonyt A7R4, which one would you buy?
The Sigma - best value for money
Has Adobe or specifically in Lightroom updated the lens vignetting support for RAW files?
Not sure
Wow, that thing is almost apochromatic at F/1.4! Very impressive!
That Lens is worth the Marriage, a keeper.
Beautiful lens quality. Sigma makes fantastic glass
Can't wait for 3rd party lenses on RF
Thank you so much for another fantastic review. Looking forward to more reviews on Canon R5. I am going to save up more until Sigma releases more RF version of their amazing but affordable lenses.
Be aware that third party lenses are often limited by using only EF lense registry numbers that basically lead to those lenses behaving like old EF lenses. Depending on which number is used, they can even be limited in focus area and other things. Not to forget that features like high speed viewfinder, focus stacking, lense corrections or firmware update via camera won’t work.
Inder this circumstances I would better wait for forthcoming cheaper native RF lenses like the new 85RF IS
That extreme bottom right corner! Way to shake up the formula! :D
when this version to canon rf?
Is this a new lens for all brands? Aka should I sell my older 85 art for Nikon?
Looks fantastic. Thx for the review
So.. this vs sony fe 85 1.8? New sigma worth near 2x price than sonys 85 1.8?
nope
Sigma needs to show some love for fuji as well
Indeed
They would need to reverse-engineer all the X-mount electronics. Wouldn't be easy.
They've already figured out E-mount, and they are native on L-mount, therefore we see them releasing lenses on those mounts.
@@TerabitTech Wrong and 'figured out' isn't the correct term. E-mount has been open from early days. L-mount is sigma own alliance.
X-mount recently has been opened again as well. Officially, open for other manufacturer which probably translate to licensing. The first proof is Viltrox/Tokina 85mm for x-mount and recently the 23/33 1.4 lens. Sigma doesn't need to do reverse engineering if they want to adopt their lenses to xmount
@@trym2121 Yes, sorry for the mistake. But I believe they still need to do some R&D to get autofocus really right.
i hope sigma do the same thing with the 50 and 35 too
The AF performance is unacceptable. Hopefully it will work substantially better with final firmware and a newer camera otherwise that's a deal breaker. The focus breathing also looks really bad, and that is something that will not improve with firmware etc. I don't think focus breathing is a big deal for a lens like this but it's worth looking into further to see how bad it really is.
@@AIP404 Nevermind, I found a reviewer who used a newer body and it seems like the fault lies with the A7RII that he's using, not the lens.
@@DennisKapatos I did state very, very clearly in the video that the lens will probably focus more confidently with a newer camera body and with the latest firmware. I did make that very clear for you...and you have a slightly extreme idea of 'unacceptable' IMO.
@@christopherfrost Yes I spoke too soon. I've owned every A7 base model since the original, and in my mind, I seem to remember the second generation having better AF performance then that. However, after using the A7III so long now, I think I've forgotten how far Sony has come, haha. Anyway, sorry the comment came across negatively. A better way to state it would have been to say that the AF didn't compare favorably to it's competition, but after seeing it perform on newer bodies, this is clearly not the case. Very exciting lens. Cheers.
@@DennisKapatos That's okay, no problem :-) I know that the a7R III and IV have faster autofocus but I can't afford to spend £1,000 to upgrade my camera just for that segment of the reviews.
So this new art or zeizz batis 85?
So wait is this for the sony full frame ?
No, for apsc. It can cover fullframe if you give beer to the lens
Yes
How does this lens perform sunstar wise?