Photography News Issue 40

Photography News | Issue 40 | absolutephoto.com

52 First tests

Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DGHSMArt £1199

Specs

Sigma’s range of top-end, fast aperture prime Art lenses is growing apace and there are now five f/1.4 primes available, all of which continue to receive glowing reviews. The fifth member is the anticipated Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art, which was launched last September and is in the shops now at £1199. This lens is a completely new 85mm design and, as you’d expect from a lens with this pedigree it is packed full of premium glass and quality components. Its 14-element construction includes one aspherical lens and three types of Sigma low- dispersion glass, ELD, SLD and FLD – E stands for extraordinary, S for special and F for F! Simply, the exotic glass keeps chromatic aberration to a minimum and helps to maximise image quality. See the website if you want to learn more about Sigma’s optical technology. We know the internals are high spec, so let’s move onto its build and finish. Well, you can’t help but be impressed with the lens’ finish which is typically impeccable Sigma with a wide, smooth focusing barrel, which takes about one third of a rotation to cover the distance range, and beautiful cosmetics – the lens certainly looks the business. A bayonet-fit hood and case are supplied as standard. The filter size, though, is a whopping 86mm. For comparison, the Nikon 85mm f/1.4G’s thread is 77mm and the Canon 85mm f/1.2 is a mere 72mm. Using filters is probably not top of the agenda for all buyers of this lens but if you are thinking of using it wide open in bright light, you need to factor in the cost of bigger NDs or adapter rings. Its size is an inescapable fact and it is a big lens even making the full- frame Nikon D810 used for this test look small. The step up froman f/1.8maximum aperture lens to a f/1.4 might only be 0.7EV and is just about discernible through an optical viewfinder. However, the difference in size and

weight is certainly significant and you have to bear in mind that there is no Sigma Optical Stabilisation included. Good camera technique is essential to make the most of this lens’s ability especially as it is likely to be used by owners of high resolution DSLRs and any camera shift has serious implications on image sharpness. Get it right though – and that includes checking whether your DSLRneeds anyAFmicro adjustment with this lens – you will be rewarded with top quality images. Sharpness is impressive at f/1.4 and images withstand critical scrutiny across the frame. Add a little unsharp mask and fine detail just leaps out. There is a trace of purple fringing at f/1.4 but it is gone by f/2 and it is nothing major and quickly eliminated during Raw processing. Stopping down further does little for the already high resolution but contrast does improve and any minor fringing that was present goes. The apertures of f/4 and f/5.6 were very impressive. In fact there is little to choose with images shot in the f/4-f/8 aperture range where images are pin-sharp across the whole image frame and the tiniest detail is crisply resolved. That is great news because your aperture choice can be down to creative depth-of-field control as opposed to needing to stop down to get decent sharpness. Quality remains high right through to f/16 where diffraction slightly softens the image but the image’s sharpness is still more than acceptable. The expansive front element means there is the potential risk of ghosting or flare but I actuallydidn’t experience any on the occasions I used the lens – and that was with and without the supplied hood. Overall, optically this Sigma is a very fine lens, and just about lives up to all the hype and anticipation. But if you are shooting at the wider apertures just make sure you double check focus and practice good hand- holding technique. WC

Price

£1199

Format 35mm and APS-C Mount Canon, Nikon, Sigma Construction

14 elements in 12 groups Special lens elements SLD, ELD, FLD, 1xapsherical Coatings Sigma Super Multi-coating Filter size 86mm Maximum range F/1.4-16 Diaphragm 9 blades Internal focus Yes Manual focus Yes, full-time override Minimum focus 85cm Focus limiter No Maximummagnification 1:8.5 Distance scale Yes Depth-of-field scale Very limited Image stabiliser No Tripod collar No Lens hood Supplied Weather-sealed No Dimensions (lxd) 126.2x94.7mm Weight 1130g Contact sigma-imaging-uk.com

As you’d expect from a lens with this pedigree it is packed full of premium glass and quality components Below The Sigma lens was tested on a Nikon D810 on a variety of subjects. This particular scene was shot in Gravesend with the camera mounted onto a Gitzo Mountaineer GT2542 carbon fibre tripod fitted with an Arca Swiss ball head. Shots were taken using the camera’s exposure delay mode set to 3secs.

Original image

F/1.4

F/2

Verdict

The 85mm focal length is a hugely popular one, especially for people photography, and this Sigma option is certainly a very worthy and capable one. Its large diameter filter thread, the lack of OS which would help handling and the body form are negatives. It is, for example, nearly twice the weight of its Nikon rival. That said, the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 is a classy performer which is no more than I’d expect from the brand and if you’re using a high resolution DSLR and love good bokeh, then this could be your dream portrait lens.

F/2.8

F/4

F/5.6

F/8

F/11

F/16

Pros Build and optical quality, good close focusing distance Cons Large filter size, bulk, no OS