Left
85mm f/2
Reduce the aperture by an
f-stop to f/2 and sharpness
becomes even better, while
the small amounts of coma
and bokeh fringing die awayFar left
85mm f/1.4
The Sigma delivers
stunning sharpness and
contrast even at f/1.4,
along with smooth bokehRight
Big and
beautiful
Despite its relatively
large, heavyweight
build, handling
is excellent and
the lens feels
beautifully craftedPRICE: £899 / $1,199
Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM
This lens is a real heavyweight, in both physical construction and all-round performance
Bigger isn’t always better, especially if you
like to travel light. But sometimes a larger,
heavier construction pays dividends in its
performance. Going all-out for image quality,
with no concession to keeping the size and
weight down, this Sigma lens has 14 optical
elements, in which none are given over to
stabilisation. These include one aspherical
element, two SLD (special low dispersion)
elements and one high refractive index
element. The aim is to deliver optimum
sharpness and contrast, along with
super-smooth bokeh and the minimum of
chromatic aberrations, distortion and coma.Not just imposing in sheer size, the
Sigma is beautifully built with a really high-
precision feel to its controls. The coated
brass mounting plate has a weather-seal
ring, and the front and rear elements have
a fluorine coating. An electromagnetically
controlled diaphragm ensures consistent
exposures even in high-speed continuous
shooting, although this makes aperture
control unavailable in some older Nikon
cameras, with which you’d only be able
to shoot at f/1.4. Although there’s some
seriously wide-diameter glass in the design,
the ring-type ultrasonic autofocus systemis super-fast, and in our tests it proved
consistently accurate.
Levels of sharpness and contrast
when shooting wide open are the best of
any lens in this test group, while bokeh
is wonderfully smooth. We’ve seen a
noticeable ‘onion ring’ effect in defocussed
areas with some Sigma Art lenses, but it’s
very minimal with this one. Bokeh fringing
and coma are well controlled at f/1.4 and
negligible at f/1.8 and smaller apertures.
All in all, the Sigma delivers the best image
quality of any lens in the group. It’s also
very good value at the price.REVIEWSREVIEWS
Left
85mm f/2
Reduce the aperture by an
f-stop to f/2 and sharpness
becomes even better, while
the small amounts of coma
and bokeh fringing die awayFar left
85mm f/1.4
The Sigma delivers
stunning sharpness and
contrast even at f/1.4,
along with smooth bokehRight
Big and
beautiful
Despite its relatively
large, heavyweight
build, handling
is excellent and
the lens feels
beautifully craftedPRICE: £899 / $1,199
Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM
This lens is a real heavyweight, in both physical construction and all-round performance
Bigger isn’t always better, especially if you
like to travel light. But sometimes a larger,
heavier construction pays dividends in its
performance. Going all-out for image quality,
with no concession to keeping the size and
weight down, this Sigma lens has 14 optical
elements, in which none are given over to
stabilisation. These include one aspherical
element, two SLD (special low dispersion)
elements and one high refractive index
element. The aim is to deliver optimum
sharpness and contrast, along with
super-smooth bokeh and the minimum of
chromatic aberrations, distortion and coma.Not just imposing in sheer size, the
Sigma is beautifully built with a really high-
precision feel to its controls. The coated
brass mounting plate has a weather-seal
ring, and the front and rear elements have
a fluorine coating. An electromagnetically
controlled diaphragm ensures consistent
exposures even in high-speed continuous
shooting, although this makes aperture
control unavailable in some older Nikon
cameras, with which you’d only be able
to shoot at f/1.4. Although there’s some
seriously wide-diameter glass in the design,
the ring-type ultrasonic autofocus systemis super-fast, and in our tests it proved
consistently accurate.
Levels of sharpness and contrast
when shooting wide open are the best of
any lens in this test group, while bokeh
is wonderfully smooth. We’ve seen a
noticeable ‘onion ring’ effect in defocussed
areas with some Sigma Art lenses, but it’s
very minimal with this one. Bokeh fringing
and coma are well controlled at f/1.4 and
negligible at f/1.8 and smaller apertures.
All in all, the Sigma delivers the best image
quality of any lens in the group. It’s also
very good value at the price.REVIEWSREVIEWS