Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG Art Coming to Photokina [CR3]

[arcer]

Sweet that Sigma is finally gonna release a 85mm ART.

Here are just my PERSONAL opinion:

1) I think that you will be getting good AF similar to what you get with the 50mm, but accuracy and hit rate will not be enough for those using it for fast action. So if you are too lazy to use the Dock, maybe you need to be more forgiving or skip this lens at all. I concur with others that a new 85mm from Sigma will push Canon to release something. At least a new 85mm f/1.8.

2) I think that all ART lens from Sigma are targeting Studio, Landscape, and creative shots. So I think a 85mm ART will lack certain degree of moisture resistance and NO OS. I think Sigma is leaving these features for a SPORT version, which means the refresh of 24-70mm and 70-200mm will more likely to be SPORTS than be ART, to have the OS and the seals.

You are free to disagree with me but I'll hold my ground until this lens is released.

 

[vscd]

Hmm, can't understand the hype for the Sigma 85mm Art too much. The Canon 85L is a wonderful lens, near perfection. Most usable potraits are taken around f2.2-f4 and in this range even the mild CAs are gone. The sharpness matches the OTUS in this range. Anything else like f1.2 is not possible with the 85mm Art anyway.

The only thing which could be improved is the AF of the 85L, but this is portrait lens, not a fast sportslens for travelling along. Moving the huge glass elements takes time and f1.2 is 0.45EV more light than f1.4.

I hope the Sigma 85Art will be a good performer but in history the bokeh often got destroyed with the complexity of the formular. Expect at least 12 Element in 8 Groups

 

[chrysoberyl]

Tempting...tempting. I had the previous edition and sold it because of the severe AF problem. But it was sharp! If this one turns out to have decent AF and Sigma does something to improve their wretched customer service...

 

[CanonGuy]

Never pre ordered any lens in my life. But after having killer 35 and 50 Art, I think 85 art will be my first lens to pre order. Beyond excited! I replaced 50L with 50 Art and couldn't be happier. Contrast and sharpness wise, 50 art is a generation ahead of 50L. Hoping the same for 85 Art.

 

[slclick]

Many think the 85 1.4 is the original ART lens but without the fancy wrapping paper. It's also high on Sigma's top sellers list. Maybe that's why it's taken longer to get this one out in new clothes. All I know is it would fill a hole in my FL lineup.

 

[Maiaibing]

Did you ever shoot the 85L?

The Canon 85L is a wonderful lens, near perfection.

Several mechanical/electrical things could improve making it less prone to damage/failure. And - regardless of Canon marketing claims - it is sloooowww.

Most usable potraits are taken around f2.2-f4 and in this range even the mild CAs are gone.

So you can see the difference between a shot taken with the 85L and the 85 f/1.4 if both were shot @f/4? That's new to me. You get the 85LII to shoot wide or nearly wide open or its a lot of money to be paying for something that will not show in your shots... I even doubt one could eyeball the difference between pictures taken with the 85L @f/4 and the 70-200 f/4 IS L (except the bokeh will be better with the zoom). Would be an interesting test.

Anything else like f1.2 is not possible with the 85mm Art anyway.

It's not. But - except for the ability to shoot in darker space - many out there will probably trade better optics wide open @ f/1.4 compared to the 85LII and its (slight) f-stop advantage. YMMV.

I hope the Sigma 85Art will be a good performer but in history the bokeh often got destroyed with the complexity of the formular. Expect at least 12 Element in 8 Groups

Time will tell. I'm hopeful for the wide open bokeh. Will be a key aspect of such a lens.

 

[Luds34]

It's probably safe to predict that optically this lens will be good but most primes are, the question is whether it can auto focus accurately at F1.4. Until this is tested I'm going to wait and see. I'm not into micro adjusting and all that malarkey, I just want to put it on and shoot.

+1 (other then the micro adjusting as that is just part of any lens)

I'm sure the optics will be great. For a while I even wondered if they would just put new the new Art skins on their current 85mm, but being it has taken this long the optical design must have been refreshed as well. I'm a big fan of my 35mm Art but even there I do accept that it seems to lock focus just a tad slower then my Canon primes. I'll be keeping my eye on this lens.

 

[Chaitanya]

insert obligatory comment how the autofocus won't be as good as first party

There, it's been said. No need for repetition.

On that topic -- in general, not just for Sigma -- I want to see hit rate studies! Put a camera on a tripod, have a clear as day target, randomly spin the focus ring and shoot at f/1.4.

LensTip does it and most lenses test as 'fine', great, etc. but we don't get numbers. Bryan Carnathan has dabbled at it but also does not report numbers. CR's reviewer Dustin Abbott started reporting hit rate numbers with the various 35 f/1.4 options, and I'd love to see more.

- A

Actually lenstip has been quoting percentage of missed shots along with total focus time for each lens now a days. You should take a look at their recent reviews. I dont find it perticularly useful as thoses tests are done in studio conditions with controlled lighting.

 

[Refurb7]

Hmm, can't understand the hype for the Sigma 85mm Art too much.

The hype is based on Art lenses offering excellent value: high quality for a medium price. And that's better than hype. The Canon 85L offers high quality for a high price, which is fine for those with more money. An 85 Art will likely be a great performer at a much lower price, maybe $1,000 or so.

 

[ExodistPhotography]

Just hope its tack sharp at f/1.4.. At least in the center FFS.. My EF 85mm f/1.8 is starting to show its age, but still very usable from f/2.8 to f/9. Tamrons new lens is temping, but Tamron has left bad taste in my mouth to many times. Rather wait for the Sigma..

 

[ExodistPhotography]

It's probably safe to predict that optically this lens will be good but most primes are, the question is whether it can auto focus accurately at F1.4. Until this is tested I'm going to wait and see. I'm not into micro adjusting and all that malarkey, I just want to put it on and shoot.

So what if the lens focuses perfectly each time, but it just happens to be back focusing. Or front focusing each time consistently. This is what micro adjustments fix. Micro adjustments are not to fix bad focusing lenses, but to fine tune them to your particular camera. If you want to avoid this, I suggest you never use a fast aperture. Just saying.. :-/

 

[ExodistPhotography]

Hmm, can't understand the hype for the Sigma 85mm Art too much.

The hype is based on Art lenses offering excellent value: high quality for a medium price. And that's better than hype. The Canon 85L offers high quality for a high price, which is fine for those with more money. An 85 Art will likely be a great performer at a much lower price, maybe $1,000 or so.

Agreed...

If they offer this lens for about the same price as the 50mm Art, even if its a $100 USD more.. It will still sell like hot cakes IMHO..

 

[ahsanford]

So what if the lens focuses perfectly each time, but it just happens to be back focusing. Or front focusing each time consistently. This is what micro adjustments fix. Micro adjustments are not to fix bad focusing lenses, but to fine tune them to your particular camera. If you want to avoid this, I suggest you never use a fast aperture. Just saying.. :-/

Yes, but Sigma has a history of inconsistently focusing lenses that you can't solve with AFMA / their USB dock.

I always use the TDP example to show this with the 50 Art:
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Sigma-50mm-f-1.4-DG-HSM-Art-Lens.aspx
(pan halfway down until you see the butterfly -- read and mouseover the digits)

And CR's reviewer Dustin Abbott presented a basic head to head hit rate effort while shooting both the 35L II and the 35 Art wide open, and the results were telling:
http://dustinabbott.net/2016/01/sigma-35mm-f1-4-dg-hsm-art-review/
(1/3 of the way down with the school pictures: 92% for the 35L II and 64% for the Sigma)

And it wasn't like the Servo AF incorrectly selected the AF points. Again, from Dustin's review:

"Reviewing the data in Lightroom via a plugin called “Show Focus Points” tells me that I was using AF Servo focus and that focus was locked with the center point square in the middle boy’s face…and yet the lens is actually focused on the far wall. By contrast the Canon 35L II shots in the same situation were all accurately focused."

I don't say this to smear/troll/mock/doubt Sigma -- I say this to spur them on to fix their designs and fulfill the promise of their fine optics.

- A

 

[FramerMCB]

I was just about to bite on the Tamron 85 VC to upgrade my EF 85/1.8. I think I'll keep using the Canon and wait for this to pan out more.

Keep in mind, the Sigma Art 85mm won't have OS. And the new Tamron does have it (VC). May not be a big deal for your shooting needs with this focal length. The Tamron is most certainly cheaper than what the Sigma will be introduced at. And has some weather sealing...

Choices, choices...decisions, decisions. It's a great time to be a photographer is it not?

 

[Alex_M]

My understanding is that Sigma was aware that 85mm Art prime was single most requested product. Company CEO admitted that openly.
Older 85mm product was already very good and re-housing into Art style case and adding USB dock ready firmware would be an easy entry into the market, but... The AF focus inconsistency is a sure way to spoil a successful product and turn frustrated customers away... Therefore, it appears that Sigma decided to get the AF right and only then release the product. 24-35A was already better focusing lens and it appears that 50-100A is much, much better in that regard.
So.. There is a hope that upcoming 85A, 24-70A and 70-200S Sigma lenses will auto focus nicely.
Disclaimer: I owned 18-35A, 24A, 35A, 50A and 120-300S lenses and loved them optically but sold all of them due to AF inconsistency / unique shots I have missed. I will re-purchase all of them back if/when Sigma released AF fixed firmware for affected lenses.

 

[slclick]

My understanding is that Sigma was aware that 85mm Art prime was single most requested product. Company CEO admitted that openly.
Older 85mm product was already very good and re-housing into Art style case and adding USB dock ready firmware would be an easy entry into the market, but... The AF focus inconsistency is a sure way to spoil a successful product and turn frustrated customers away... Therefore, it appears that Sigma decided to get the AF right and only then release the product. 24-35A was already better focusing lens and it appears that 50-100A is much, much better in that regard.
So.. There is a hope that upcoming 85A, 24-70A and 70-200A Sigma lenses will auto focus nicely.
Disclaimer: I owned 18-35A, 24A, 35A, 50A and 120-300S lenses and loved them optically but sold all of them due to AF inconsistency / unique shots I have missed. I will re-purchase all of them back if/when Sigma released AF fixed firmware for affected lenses.

+! and I have to add, my copy of the 24-35 nails focus each time.

 

[FramerMCB]

So what if the lens focuses perfectly each time, but it just happens to be back focusing. Or front focusing each time consistently. This is what micro adjustments fix. Micro adjustments are not to fix bad focusing lenses, but to fine tune them to your particular camera. If you want to avoid this, I suggest you never use a fast aperture. Just saying.. :-/

Yes, but Sigma has a history of inconsistently focusing lenses that you can't solve with AFMA / their USB dock.

I always use the TDP example to show this with the 50 Art:
http://www.the-digital-picture.com/Reviews/Sigma-50mm-f-1.4-DG-HSM-Art-Lens.aspx
(pan halfway down until you see the butterfly -- read and mouseover the digits)

And CR's reviewer Dustin Abbott presented a basic head to head hit rate effort while shooting both the 35L II and the 35 Art wide open, and the results were telling:
http://dustinabbott.net/2016/01/sigma-35mm-f1-4-dg-hsm-art-review/
(1/3 of the way down with the school pictures: 92% for the 35L II and 64% for the Sigma)

And it wasn't like the Servo AF incorrectly selected the AF points. Again, from Dustin's review:

"Reviewing the data in Lightroom via a plugin called “Show Focus Points” tells me that I was using AF Servo focus and that focus was locked with the center point square in the middle boy’s face…and yet the lens is actually focused on the far wall. By contrast the Canon 35L II shots in the same situation were all accurately focused."

I don't say this to smear/troll/mock/doubt Sigma -- I say this to spur them on to fix their designs and fulfill the promise of their fine optics.

- A

If the optics are stellar, I guess one could treat it like a Zeiss and just keep the autofocus turned off and use it as a manual focus only lens. Which would be fine for static portraits, studio work, and landscape. And macro if one combines it with an extension tube or two. Not necessarily a bad way to go...just sad when it does have autofocus.

 

[FramerMCB]

Hope this will give canon more pressure to replace the 85L II.

I'm quite sure Canon is, and already has been, working on a new version that will include their new "blue goo" that they used in the 35mm 1.4L II. Be ready to pay around $1899 - $2199 for it however. I would be surprised if would be less than $1899.

 

[ahsanford]

For Canon EF users who want an 85mm lens with AF, we now have a lovely 4 price point market:

Canon 85mm f/1.8 USM @ $349

Tamron 85mm f/1.8 VC @ $749

Sigma 85mm f/1.4 @ $869 --> Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Art @ $999 (guessing)

Canon 85mm f/1.2L II @ $1899

Which basically pits the Tamron's IS and weather-sealing vs. the Sigma's IQ. Though this is (generally) a FL for portraiture, we tend to drool over sharpness and Sigma's recent track record on that front will likely have most folks more excited about the Sigma than the Tamron.

- A

 

[GuyF]

If they can improve focus consistancy and reduce the fringing when wide open, I'll trade in my current 85mm f1.4 the second the Art hits the shops.

Come on Sigma, get the focusing issues sorted! (They do read this forum, don't they?)