Preorder: Sigma 135mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art

[Canon Rumors]

<p class="size-16" lang="x-size-16"><span class="font-cabin">Tonight the Sigma 135mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art series lens is available for preorder and will begin shipping in early April.</span></p>
<ul>
<li class="size-16" lang="x-size-16"><span class="font-cabin"><strong>Sigma 135mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art: </strong><a href="https://bhpho.to/2n4o9bQ" target="_blank">B&H Photo</a> | <a href="https://www.adorama.com/sg13518eos.html?kbid=64393" target="_blank">Adorama</a></span></li>
</ul>
<p class="size-16" lang="x-size-16"><span class="font-cabin">The three remaining Sigma lenses are still not available for preorder, but we will update you as soon as we know when they will be.</span></p>
<p class="size-14" lang="x-size-14"><span class="font-cabin"><em>*Note: Not all preorder links may be live right away.</em></span></p>
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[AJ]

1399 USD

Canon 135/2 lists for 999 USD. I suppose the refurbs are even less than that.

 

[grainier]

It will have to be very special to be competitive on Canon side.

 

[CanonGuy]

I'm an avid sigma fan (see my previous posts haha). But I'm seriously disappointed with the 135 art pricing to be honest. No way I'm paying that much for a 135 art

 

[rstoddard11]

I wonder when Canon will release the supposed 135 f2 update. if it is weather "sealed" i.e. gasketed and not much higher in price than the Sigma, it might be preferred if it is in the same price ballpark.

 

[infared]

I'm an avid sigma fan (see my previous posts haha). But I'm seriously disappointed with the 135 art pricing to be honest. No way I'm paying that much for a 135 art

I am an avid Sigma "ART" Fan, too... Have the 21mm, 50mm (just sold my 35mm and bought the Canon L II, sorry).... I need more info on this new Art lens. It is kind of scarce right now. Pricing is a little high, but I can give it a little time and order from Hong Kong and get $200-300 off the US price! (Like I did with all my other ART lenses )
Also, I want to see a comparison with the "dated" Canon 135L to see what all the fuss is about?!

 

[MaxFoto]

Sigma got a little greedy with this lens. Yes it will most likely be slightly sharper and faster than the legendary 135L but at a cost of inconsistent AF, huge size and weight, price, and Sigma's not so great color. Oh yeah, it costs quite a bit more. No thanks!
The 135L is a no brainer with superb image quality, AF, Bokeh, Color, small size, and price.

 

[Luds34]

Sigma got a little greedy with this lens. Yes it will most likely be slightly sharper and faster than the legendary 135L but at a cost of inconsistent AF, huge size and weight, price, and Sigma's not so great color. Oh yeah, it costs quite a bit more. No thanks!
The 135L is a no brainer with superb image quality, AF, Bokeh, Color, small size, and price.

I tend to agree. Kind of funny when the 3rd party is charging the 50% markup, premium over the 1st party. It would be one thing if the 135L had some big weaknesses, but it's an awesome lens. And yes, throw in used, refurbished and the savings are even greater (I think I paid $700 for mine).

I love what Sigma is doing and their 35mm Art is one of my favorite to shoot with. However this is a bit of tougher sell IMO since the Canon is already so good!

 

[AJ]

Well, Sigma 85/1.4A is 1199 USD and the 135/1.8A is a bigger lens.
It looks like Sigma with its Art lineup is positioning itself as a premium third-party manufacturer, like Zeiss

 

[deletemyaccount]

1399 USD

Canon 135/2 lists for 999 USD. I suppose the refurbs are even less than that.

Wonder how the two lenses compare in regards to IQ and AF?????

I bought a refurbished 135 F2 a little over a month ago at $719 + tax but I have seen them as inexpensive as $679 when Canon has them at 15% off. That would make it 1/2 the price approximately. Difficult decision considering the Canon 135F2 is so highly regarded despite being a 20 year old design.

 

[[email protected]]

I'd wait to criticize the price/value of the new Sigma 135 Art until people are actually using the lens and indicating whether it's better or worse than the Canon or other competitors.

Fact is, there is no such thing as a 135mm lens available to consumers in f/1.8 until a few weeks from now. When that happens, different people will have different priorities, and we can differ on the perceived value of the lens. To pre-suppose that it'll be bad at something just reveals an initial likely bias; which is good because it can instruct you on where you might endeavor to be especially careful to be neutral in the event you actually get personal experience with the lens.

We all may do well also to be mindful that not only is the Art series quite a departure from Sigma's older line-up and build quality, but also that the latter entries in the Art series appear to have largely quashed some of the reported complaints, such as AF inconsistency and lack of weather sealing. This may or may not prove to be a consistent trend, but it needs to be taken into account if you are speculating based on earlier performance.

And, finally, the introduction of the dock does go a long way to enabling Art glass to exceed at times Canon L glass (speaking as one who uses both). And to prevent the lens from being bricked by new Canon firmware. If you go merely by internet reports of performance, then you are often being guided by people who do not have the dock or the patience to use the dock, or who use the dock incorrectly. You can very well argue that you shouldn't have to use the dock, and for many people that is absolutely right. In that case, using L glass is a great option - or if you don't even need that resolution and quality - kit glass. If it suits desired time spent / image quality ratio, these can be superior options, and no one should judge otherwise.

But my own hunch - which I was previously trying to suppress prior to the delivery of the 135mm Art - is that this one may have the opportunity to well exceed the quality of the eventual Canon 135 L replacement that is likely to cost $1800+, and quite possibly substantially more.

I look forward to the mid-April bursting forth of many reviews, positive and negative. It'll be fascinating, and in the very least, it will be pushing the other vendors perhaps not wait a decade or two to update their equivalents.

 

[ScottyP]

I'm an avid sigma fan (see my previous posts haha). But I'm seriously disappointed with the 135 art pricing to be honest. No way I'm paying that much for a 135 art

Had they put IS in the thing, they could command a premium like this, as that would really differentiate their offering from everything else. IS is useful at this focal length and it just cannot be all that expensive if every $150.00 kit lens out there has it.

A missed opportunity for innovation from Sigma, and they are generally the wild card innovators with their never-before seen lenses. I don't think a little added sharpness and f/1.8 vs. f/2.0 is going to make this a smash hit at this price.

 

[slclick]

Sigma got a little greedy with this lens. Yes it will most likely be slightly sharper and faster than the legendary 135L but at a cost of inconsistent AF, huge size and weight, price, and Sigma's not so great color. Oh yeah, it costs quite a bit more. No thanks!
The 135L is a no brainer with superb image quality, AF, Bokeh, Color, small size, and price.

No one at this point knows about the AF consistency. The 85 uses a different AF motor and is very exact from initial reports. There is no doubt in my mind that all four of these new lenses will have an updated motor and algorithms for AF. They just keep getting better and better, the days of the hunting 35Art are behind Sigma.

 

[sanj]

I'm an avid sigma fan (see my previous posts haha). But I'm seriously disappointed with the 135 art pricing to be honest. No way I'm paying that much for a 135 art

Had they put IS in the thing, they could command a premium like this, as that would really differentiate their offering from everything else. IS is useful at this focal length and it just cannot be all that expensive if every $150.00 kit lens out there has it.

A missed opportunity for innovation from Sigma, and they are generally the wild card innovators with their never-before seen lenses. I don't think a little added sharpness and f/1.8 vs. f/2.0 is going to make this a smash hit at this price.

Agree.

 

[Luds34]

I'm an avid sigma fan (see my previous posts haha). But I'm seriously disappointed with the 135 art pricing to be honest. No way I'm paying that much for a 135 art

Had they put IS in the thing, they could command a premium like this, as that would really differentiate their offering from everything else. IS is useful at this focal length and it just cannot be all that expensive if every $150.00 kit lens out there has it.

A missed opportunity for innovation from Sigma, and they are generally the wild card innovators with their never-before seen lenses. I don't think a little added sharpness and f/1.8 vs. f/2.0 is going to make this a smash hit at this price.

Agree.

Well, looking through a fast 85mm or 135mm full frame lens is a beautiful sight, almost nothing but glass. It's not like adding IS to a kit lens with a narrow aperture. I'd suspect there are some challenges, compromises. I'd guess the size of the lens would have to increase a not too insubstantial amount.

 

[Jopa]

Fact is, there is no such thing as a 135mm lens available to consumers in f/1.8 until a few weeks from now. When that happens, different people will have different priorities, and we can differ on the perceived value of the lens. To pre-suppose that it'll be bad at something just reveals an initial likely bias; which is good because it can instruct you on where you might endeavor to be especially careful to be neutral in the event you actually get personal experience with the lens.

Sony 135 1.8 ZA? It's quite old, I use to shoot it on my a99. Very sharp, one of the best A-mount lenses.

 

[slclick]

Fact is, there is no such thing as a 135mm lens available to consumers in f/1.8 until a few weeks from now. When that happens, different people will have different priorities, and we can differ on the perceived value of the lens. To pre-suppose that it'll be bad at something just reveals an initial likely bias; which is good because it can instruct you on where you might endeavor to be especially careful to be neutral in the event you actually get personal experience with the lens.

Sony 135 1.8 ZA? It's quite old, I use to shoot it on my a99. Very sharp, one of the best A-mount lenses.

Canon mount.

The so called need for IS has reached insane levels. Initially it was considered a necessity for telephoto glass only and now anyone will and can make a case for a need for any focal length. I however am in the camp that 135 and longer is a good starting point. YMMV depending on your styles of shooting and use of available light. I will make no judgments on this lens until I experience it first hand but I will say not having stabilization isn't a non starter issue for me... owning the 135L is.

 

[hubie]

Sigma got a little greedy with this lens. Yes it will most likely be slightly sharper and faster than the legendary 135L but at a cost of inconsistent AF, huge size and weight, price, and Sigma's not so great color. Oh yeah, it costs quite a bit more. No thanks!
The 135L is a no brainer with superb image quality, AF, Bokeh, Color, small size, and price.

No one at this point knows about the AF consistency. The 85 uses a different AF motor and is very exact from initial reports. There is no doubt in my mind that all four of these new lenses will have an updated motor and algorithms for AF. They just keep getting better and better, the days of the hunting 35Art are behind Sigma.

Did they solve the focussing issues or do you just mean they left designs like the 35 art behind them? :-/

 

[slclick]

Sigma got a little greedy with this lens. Yes it will most likely be slightly sharper and faster than the legendary 135L but at a cost of inconsistent AF, huge size and weight, price, and Sigma's not so great color. Oh yeah, it costs quite a bit more. No thanks!
The 135L is a no brainer with superb image quality, AF, Bokeh, Color, small size, and price.

No one at this point knows about the AF consistency. The 85 uses a different AF motor and is very exact from initial reports. There is no doubt in my mind that all four of these new lenses will have an updated motor and algorithms for AF. They just keep getting better and better, the days of the hunting 35Art are behind Sigma.

Did they solve the focussing issues or do you just mean they left designs like the 35 art behind them? :-/

So you didn't read what I wrote? Really. Let me ask you about Canon or any other imaging company. Are all of their lenses to the same specifications? Sigma lenses are getting better and better with each new release and people clinging to old paradigms are missing out.

 

[[email protected]]

Fact is, there is no such thing as a 135mm lens available to consumers in f/1.8 until a few weeks from now. When that happens, different people will have different priorities, and we can differ on the perceived value of the lens. To pre-suppose that it'll be bad at something just reveals an initial likely bias; which is good because it can instruct you on where you might endeavor to be especially careful to be neutral in the event you actually get personal experience with the lens.

Sony 135 1.8 ZA? It's quite old, I use to shoot it on my a99. Very sharp, one of the best A-mount lenses.

I stand corrected. Thank you.