The lens exhibits pincushion distortion but it
was removed from this image using manual
distortion correction in Adobe Camera Raw
Sony A7 III, Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art, 1/125sec at f/4, ISO 100
I’VE TESTED some phenomenally
impressive primes in the past few
years, but the Sigma 85mm F1.4
DG DN Art really stands out as
one of, if not the best, I’ve used.
Though the optical quality of its
predecessor remains excellent,
its bulk and colossal weight isn’t
complementary to many full-frame
mirrorless cameras, which is
where other manufacturers’
examples have provided an
advantage until now. By designing
the lens from scratch and
tailoring it for mirrorless users
who desire smaller, lighter lenses,
Sigma has created a gem of a
lens that delivers astonishing
image quality, fantastic lens-
based aperture control and
excellent handling all-in-one.
Better still, it provides all the
desirable features you’ll nd on
its Sony FE 85mm F1.4 GM rival
for £500 less. Take all that it
offers for the money into account
and there’s no disputing that it’s
currently the best value for money
85mm f/1.4 lens you can buy
under £1,000. It’s a must-have
for E-mount or L-mount users who
shoot portraiture, weddings or
like to take a documentary style
approach to their work. All that’s
left to say is that it does set a
new gold standard in portrait
lenses for mirrorless cameras,
and I’m hopeful it won’t be too
long before we see Sigma
release versions in Canon RF
mount and Nikon Z-mount.choose to receive feedback of
the aperture changing every
1/3EV stop by leaving the click
switch set to on, or if you’d
prefer to adjust the aperture ring
smoothly and silently, such as
when recording video, it can be
switched to off. To prevent
accidentally engaging the auto
(A) aperture setting, which allows
you to adjust the aperture from
the camera rather than the lens,
Sigma has added an aperture
lock switch. It can also be
engaged when auto (A) is
selected, preventing the aperture
being accidentally changed by
knocking the aperture ring.
Having excellent weather
resistance is crucial on a lens
that’s likely to see plenty of
use outdoors. The dust- and
splash-proof structure features
seals at strategic points in its
construction, including a rubber
seal around the perimeter of the
metal mount that compresses
against the mount on the
camera. The autofocus lock
(AFL) button is also weather
sealed and exhibits a subtle
click when it’s pressed.
Autofocus
As we’ve witnessed on other
Sigma DG DN lenses, users get
a focus-lock (AFL) button just
below the AF/MF switch that
can be set up from compatible
cameras’ menus to perform
various different functions.
Manual focusing is y-by-wire
rather than being mechanically
coupled, but as already brie y
mentioned, users get precise
focusing adjustment when the
focus ring is rotated slowly.
The autofocus performance is
good, with signs of mild hunting
only observed when it was asked
to focus from near to far and
vice versa in challenging low-light
scenes. In brighter conditions,
the lens locked onto subjects’
eyes with little fuss, aided by
the effective real-time Eye-AF
on the Sony A7 III. I managed
to achieve a consistently high
number of sharp shots wide-
open at f/1.4 during testing.
The faint whirring it makes as it
focuses didn’t disturb audio in
outdoor recordings and was only
picked up by the camera’s
internal mic in a silent room.Image quality
To gauge how the lens performs
optically, I requested that it be
supplied with the older Sigma
85mm F1.4 DG HSM Art in
E-mount so I could compare
identical shots taken across the
aperture range before I began
to meticulously examine my
real-world sample images.
Comparing images revealed it’s
ever so slightly sharper than its
predecessor in the centre at
f/1.4. Sharpness at the edge ofthe frame is remarkably
impressive wide open, though
you can expect corners to be
even sharper when it’s stopped
down. Studying shots taken
between f/1.4 and f/16 tells us
the sweet spot of edge-to-edge
sharpness is located between
f/4-5.6, with a high level of
sharpness also being recorded
at f/8. The introduction of
diffraction takes the edge off
sharpness a little when it’s used
beyond f/11 and at its minimum
aperture of f/16.
The built-in lens pro le
that’s applied to raw les
automatically does a ne job of
correcting chromatic aberration
to the point I didn’t witness any
sign of nasty colour fringing, not
even along any high-contrast
edges of shots taken at the
maximum aperture. Users will
want to ensure their in-camera
lens compensation is turned on,
though vignetting does remain
prominent when the lens is used
at wider apertures. I’d describe
corner shading as tasteful rather
than garish. It diminishes as it’s
stopped down to f/2.8 and is
barely traceable by f/4.
Interestingly, my comparisons
revealed the lens displays
greater pincushion distortion
than Sigma’s 85mm f1.4 DG
HSM Art, so users may want to
apply manual distortion
correction in post.Price £999
Filter diameter
77mm
Lens elements 15
Lens groups 11
Aperture blades
11
Aperture
f/1.4-f/16Minimum focus
85cm
Length 94.1mm
Diameter 82.8mm
Weight 630g
Lens mount Sony
E, Leica L
Included
accessories
LH828-02 lens
hood, padded
case, lens capsData file
LENS TEST Testbench
Ve r d i c t
GOLD