Sigma 85 looks better in corners

[bereninga]

It's really a hard choice between these two lenses. Also, the Sigma deals right now make it hard to resist.

However, I think the IS for the Canon is useful, especially if you plan to use the lens for handheld video. Also, the 77mm filter thread is more common than Sigma's gargantuan 86mm. I'll be waiting for refurbs though as the price for the Canon seems sky high, esp since this is a hobby.

 

[e_honda]

I don't understand why anybody would be surprised or dispute that the Sigma 85 would be sharper than the Canon considering the Sigma is widely-known to be sharper than anything without 'Zeiss' in the name, while Canon has never competed in that world. Can has always taken 2nd place in measured performance for the sake of keeping production times low and getting general use features in sooner.

Well, the Canon 35L II is clearly better than the Sigma 35A and the 6 year old 24-70L II is still sharper than the new Sigma 24-70A (which has been somewhat of a disappointment).

Was obvious Canon clearly felt they needed to best the 35A when they later introduced the 35L II, so it stands to reason they wanted to do the same with the new 85L being released after its Sigma counterpart (again). But Sigma, with the size of the lens, obviously went for best possible sharpness while forgoing any concerns of size and weight.

The CA performance of the new Canon 85L is definitely a little disappointing, though.

 

[PavelR]

I don't understand why anybody would be surprised or dispute that the Sigma 85 would be sharper than the Canon considering the Sigma is widely-known to be sharper than anything without 'Zeiss' in the name, while Canon has never competed in that world. Can has always taken 2nd place in measured performance for the sake of keeping production times low and getting general use features in sooner.

Well, the Canon 35L II is clearly better than the Sigma 35A and the 6 year old 24-70L II is still sharper than the new Sigma 24-70A (which has been somewhat of a disappointment).

Was obvious Canon clearly felt they needed to best the 35A when they later introduced the 35L II, so it stands to reason they wanted to do the same with the new 85L being released after its Sigma counterpart (again). But Sigma, with the size of the lens, obviously went for best possible sharpness while forgoing any concerns of size and weight.

The CA performance of the new Canon 85L is definitely a little disappointing, though.

+1

The purple fringing is gone at F5.6 on new Canon 85 and at F4 on Sigma 85A according to review pictures on TDP.

 

[SRSW]

The price would be the deciding factor for me personally - does the price gap warrant that much of a image and build quality difference?

 

[Viggo]

The price would be the deciding factor for me personally - does the price gap warrant that much of a image and build quality difference?

If weather sealing and IS means nothing to you and you’re okay with potential AF/copy issues the Sigma will be a good choice. If you value size weight, IS and sealing then the 85 IS might be the right way to go.

I’m really happy with the 85 IS even though it’s a bit far from my 35 L II in image quality.