Features Features
Build &
handlingBuild &
handling
Performance Performance
Value Value5
Overall
4.5OverallFY
rankly enormous for an
85mm f/1.4 lens, this
Sigma weighs in at 1130g!
Typical of Sigma’s Art
series, the design is firmly focused on
image quality without any concessions
to reducing size and weight. Despite
not having an optical image stabilizer,
the optical path is long and complex,
based on 14 elements. These include
an aspherical element at the rear and
two SLD (Special Low Dispersion)
elements, placed at the centre and
towards the front.
Autofocus is based on a ring-type
ultrasonic autofocus system. Sigma’s
Art lenses are immaculately well built
but, unlike some, this one adds the
bonus of weather-seals.
Performance
Autofocus is both fast and accurate.
Sharpness across the entire image
frame is impressive even when
shooting wide open, where it eases
ahead of all the other f/1.4 lenses on
test. We’ve noticed a little ‘onion ring’
effect in the bokeh of some Sigma Art
lenses, but it’s negligible in the 85mm,
and bokeh remains silky-smooth when
stopping down.
ou might think that Sigma’s
85mm lens is large (it is)
but this one is colossal.
Nicknamed the ‘bokeh
master’ it goes long on focal length
and extra-large in construction. Telltale
signs include an oversized 105mm
filter thread, due to the large diameter
of the forward optical elements, and an
included tripod mounting ring to evenly
balance the 1645g weight of the lens.
Imposing from the outside, the lens
has premium components on the
inside, including three FLD (Fluorite-
grade Low Dispersion) elements, two
SLD (Special Low Dispersion)
elements, and one aspherical element.
As with the Sigma 85mm lens on test,
fine-tuning and firmware updates are
available via Sigma’s optional USB
dock, but this lens lacks weather-seals.Performance
Living up to its claims, axial and lateral
chromatic aberrations are very well
controlled, while bokeh is immensely
soft and smooth. There’s no shortage
of sharpness on tap either, although
the competing Nikon 105mm is
marginally sharper at the centre of
the image’s frame.Sigma
85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art
£899/$1199
A heavyweight contender in every way
Sigma
105mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art
£1299/$1599
Sigma’s super-sized lens is a real handful
Sharpness
Lenses with an f/1.4 aperture
rating are often soft wide
open, but this Sigma retains
sharpness and contrast.Sharpness
Impressive sharpness
combines with beautiful
bokeh, both wide open and
when stopping down a little.Fringing
The very minimal amount of
colour fringing is almost as
negligible as from the Nikon
Z 85mm lens.Fringing
As claimed, both axial and
lateral fringing are very
minimal, but they’re not as
negligible as the Sigma 85mm.Distortion
Again, like the Nikon Z lens,
the Sigma is essentially
distortion-free, with a
practically perfect lab score.Distortion
Whereas the Sigma 85mm is
effectively distortion-free, the
105mm has a tiny hint of
pincushion.N-Photo verdict N-Photo verdict
With similar quality to
the Nikon Z 85mm, and
a faster aperture, this
is the best portrait lens
for Nikon DSLRs.
There’s no beating this
lens for bokeh, but the
thin DoF can be rough
to work with and the
size is a bit much.PORTRAIT LENSES