Photo Plus - UK (2019-12)

112 http://www.digitalcameraworld.com

SUPERTEST

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Centre Middle Edge

Sharpness

f/1.2f/1.4 f/1.8 f/2 f/2.8 f/4 f/5.6 f/8 f/11 f/16 f/22

SIGMA 85mm f/1.4 DG

HSM ART £899/$1199

In the portraiture arena, this Sigma is a heavyweight

contender in every way

onger and heavier even

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f/1.2 lens, this Sigma

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and tips the scales at 1130g.

It’s enormous for an 85mm

f/1.4 but, typical of Sigma’s

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focused on quality without

any concessions to size and

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girth is that the Sigma has an

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optical image stabilizer, the

path is long and complex,

based on 14 elements. These

include an aspherical element

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elements, placed at the centre

and towards the front. We’ve

been impressed by the build

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lenses, but this one has the

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manual override. The focus

ring is mechanically rather

than electronically coupled,

but works smoothly and with

precision. Like most of Sigma’s

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Sports and Contemporary

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are available for the likes of

lateral chromatic aberration,

peripheral illumination and

distortion, on recent and

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Performance

Autofocus is fast and accurate.

Sharpness across the image

frame is impressive for an

f/1.4, even when shooting

wide. It’s the best lens in the

group for this. We’ve noticed

an ‘onion ring’ effect in the

bokeh of some Sigma Arts, but

is negligible in the 85mm.

FEATURES

VERDICT

01

Big all over, the

Sigma has a 86mm

filter thread.

02

The mechanically-

linked focus ring

operates smoothly.

03

High-end optics

include one

aspherical element

and two SLD

elements.

04

In-camera

corrections are

generally available,

but are unnecessary.

05

Build quality feels

solid and the

construction has

weather-seals.

FEATURES

BUILD & HANDLING

PERFORMANCE

VALUE

OVERALL

01

02

03

04

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PORTRAIT ZOOM

And now for something completely different... Tamron’s new portrait zoom lens

ost standard zoom lenses for full-frame

cameras typically have a range of around

24-70mm, or 24-105mm. Tamron has

moved the goalposts with the aim of producing a

game changer, in its new 35-150mm f/2.8-4 Di

VC OSD. Marketed as a ‘portrait zoom’, it’s

designed to deliver a convenient focal length for

full-length portraits or group shots at its shortest

zoom setting, classic half-length or head-and-

shoulders focal lengths at mid-zoom settings,

and it stretches all the way to 150mm for

those tight headshots.

You could argue that it’s four lenses in one.

But compared with all of the prime lenses in our

group, the widest apertures are narrow. They kick

off at f/2.8 at the short end of the zoom range,

shrink to f/3.2 at 50mm, f/3.5 at 85mm and f/4

from 105mm onwards. Even so, sharpness and

contrast are good, and bokeh can be smooth,

especially towards the long end of the zoom.

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