Sigma 85 1.4 Pricing & MTF

Is it just me or is that a low MTF rating compared to comparable Canon lenses? I like sigma lenses however you get either really good copies or bad

these guys do not use the same MTF measurements and frequences. comparisons are worthless unless done by the same method.

The majority of Sigma lenses are good out of the box: what can be read on photography boards is not representative.

Ex: In an effort to get a good copy of the Sigma 30mm f/1.4, I tried 4 copies in the store, and all focused perfectly.

I’ve also read about many people playing the Canon shuffle with a number of Canon lenses.

Sigma 85mm f1.4 for $899. Canon 85mm f1.8 for less than $400. On the Sigma you get one full stop for double the price. How many people can tell the difference between bokeh of 1.4 and 1.8?

The Sigma released in 2010 and Canon 85 uses tech from 20 plus years ago. But who can tell from the photos?

If you really want a budget plus quality the Canon 1.8 is best buy. Shoot RAW and adjust in post. Save $400 for newer lenses like the rumored 135L or possibly a 30mm 1.8.

But then why is it ok to pay $2000 for canon 85mm 1.2 – five times the price of canon 85mm 1.8 for “ONLY” 1.5 stop extra?

depends on your budget i guess. I shoot events and so far i havent gotten any complains from clients about lens use and which f stop. Bottom line is did you capture that special moment.

The sales guy and I started talking, and we figured it was worth a little test.

At least it gives me a story to post in cases like this :O)

I don’t think i am alone when i say theres a big difference between 1.4 and 1.8 in terms of light and background. And as Gabe mentioned, having a larger max aperture allows you to stop down if necessary to increase sharpness, vignetting, CA, and perhaps most notably, cat-eye OOF highlights (a product of vignetting).

Plus, this lens has the potential to produce better OOF rendering depending on the design, and at the very least the highlights should remain circular better than the Canon when stopped down due to the 9 blade rounded iris.

Whether or not it delivers remains to be seen. I personally shoot the Nikon 1.4 on my Canons. It seems nicer to me than the 85L and cheeper. This sigma could take the cake though if its anything like its little brothers and has improved AF and what not.

But unless they have improved the residual spherical aberrations from the 50 it will be a manual focus lens for all intents and purposes beyond its AF sweet spot….

You’re going to have to eat some crow, Paul: f/1.4 to f/1.8 is two thirds of a stop, not one half. (Some rounding involved, of course.)

Anyway, the Canon 85mm f/1.8 has a bit too much purple fringing below f/2.2 (mine does, anyway), so I think we can probably grant the Sigma a full stop advantage.

Does anyone know what the lines in any of the Canon mtf tests mean? It’s odd for them to post these tests without any explanation as to what the lines mean.

My Sigma 50 1.4 focuses as well as any of amy canonlenses. In short all focus correctly all the time. There are no AF issues with my sigma 50 1.4.

Yes jt, the mtf is and should be a standardized test that measures sharpness (contrast) and resolution. They also test from dead center to the corners. So the higher the y axis is to 1 across the x axis the sharper it is edge to edge.

Some lenses are sharp in the center but falls apart in the corners. This test will show that. It will also show how sharp it is compared to others

Or you could just, you know, take PICTURES with it.

I’ve used great lenses that had poor test charts.

And vice versa.

the same like with Canon original lenses :(((

Ah, then you’re more lucky than me. My sigma has problems with AF on distant (>5m) objects :-(

I have sigma 50mm F1.4 for my Nikon cameras, the lens is awsome, I will buy 85mm F1.4 for Canon