Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens For Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras USA

Comments about Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens For Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras:

Geat lens, better bokeh! Fast focus, no issues!

Comments about Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens For Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras:

To Start off, I'd like to say that I've owned a few 85L's over the years and a couple 85/1.8's as well. The Sigma 85 is has faster AF than the L, is just as sharp at f/1.4 and controls CA better. It just doesn't have f/1.2. I paid [$] for the Sigma and would have had to pay $1100 more for the L, which to me is just silly. The AF on the Sigma 85 is a step above the AF of the Sigma 50mm, it doesn't stutter like the 50, it locks on right away and is as accurate as any Canon USM lens. I always feel very confident using it. If someone was going to give me either the 85L or the Sigma 85, I'd choose the L, just because F/1.2 renders it's own magic. But I know, after a while, I'd just sell the L, buy the Sigma and pocket a grand...

Comments about Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens For Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras:

On my second copy of the lens, same issue with both...with the flash on, set to one-shot focus mode it will not focus accurately to subjects more than 10 feet away. In all other situations (even in ai servo mode) it's beautiful - sharp, fast, great bokeh, but I am a wedding photographer and often have to shoot in low light receptions & need my flash & the focus assist light that comes with one-shot focus.

Not sure I'll chance a third lens and see if it works.

Comments about Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens For Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras:

I bought both the Canon and Sigma and kept the Canon, barely.Sigma has faster auto focus and a better manual focus. It is as sharp as the Canon. I needed +6 micro adjustment on the Sigma and +7 on the Canon. I kept the Canon because I liked the weight of it, its 1.2 apature, but most importantly to me was the brighter viewfinder image. None of those reasons being worth an extra $1100.The Canon is in no way worth the money they ask for it. The Sigma is every bit as good as the Canon, and for $1100 cheaper. Great job Sigma.You won't be dissapointed if you can't afford the Canon and get this lens instead.

Comments about Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens For Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras:

This is a truly fine lens! I truly believe it to be as good as the Canon 85mm 1.2 in many respects, and it focuses more quickly too! Color and contrast are wonderful, and sharpness is excellent right to 1.4. The build quality is excellent, and the focus mechanism is quiet too. This is one of the best lens values available IMHO. Fantastic portrait lens! You will likely need to spend a bit of time with focus microadjustment on your body to dial it in, but once done the results are stellar!

Comments about Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens For Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras:

I had the Canon 85 1.2 but sold it as I wasn't using it very often for what i was photographing. Recently started doing a lot more portrait work and after comparing the reviews of the Canon vs the Sigma, I decided to try the Sigma at half te price of the Canon...... 1 week later, and I'm in love with this lens....every bit as good as the Canon. Plus I saved enough to buy some Pocket Wizards!

Comments about Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens For Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras:

I've only had the lens for a couple weeks now but so far I have found it to be a great lens for the price and I would recommend it to others. It has a great shallow depth of field and it is great for shooting wide open in low light conditions.

One thing I found is that in very low light situations it can have trouble figuring out what to focus on, even when I have a specific focus point chosen. Maybe there is a trick that I am not aware of though.

Comments about Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens For Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras:

Bought the lens mainly for video and as a secondary still lens. After reading reviews here and on other sites I decided it was worth a shot. The lens did not disappoint. Very crisp images, no focus issues on my 60D. Videos shot were exactly what I had hoped for.

I did have an issue with the focal length on my cropped 60D. At around 130mm, it was a bit long to use for stand-up interviews. If I had a huge budget I would keep it, but in the end I returned it for the Sigma 50mm (which has turned out perfect).

I used the 85mm to shoot sporting events and some portraits and everything looked and functioned great!

Comments about Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens For Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras:

I bought this for portraiture and landscapes where I want a very shallow DOF and have use it mostly at f1.4-f2. My next largest aperture lens is f4 and the first 2 days I certainly got shots that I could not get with my other lenses. It does lock focus quickly, however, it is certainly somewhat inconsistent (tested on a tripod). It generally front focuses on my T1i, but I can still get am acceptable (for me) hit rate by focusing just behind where I want sharp focus. The sharpness, even at f1.4 near the center, is clearly beyond what my T1i can handle , which is not true for some of my L series lenses. The IQ coupled with the shots that I got in the first few days made be decide to keep the lens. Plus I plan to upgrade my camera to one with focus adjustment soon and expect that will help. I did expect that with any f1.4 lens the DOF is so shallow that focus adjustment is going to be a necessity, so I'm not too surprised about the front-focus thing. For landscapes I often find I use the live view to focus (using contrast detection at 10x magnification) and have got some stellar results. I can't imagine trying to use this for sports, the 70-200mm f2.8 with a higher ISO would be a far better bet IMO. Or maybe the 1.8 or 1.2L if they focus fast enough.

Of the subject of fringing, I have thrown out some shots where the lighting and subject just create too much purple fringing to get a pleasant image. Again though these seems to be an issue with all these fast primes and does depend very much on the subject. I don't expect it to be an issue for most portraiture work.

It is also a very contrasty lens. I have no idea how this is achieved and personally I like high contrast, but I have adjusted my default processing parameters for this lens. I don't think it is anything you can't change in post-processing, but but might be annoying if you like camera .jpeg and don't want to change settings.

For close-up work I have used 11mm and 21mm extension tubes and the auto-focus works just as well (no not-so-well) as without the tubes (not so for instance with my 24-105mm f4L or even my 70-200mm f4L lenses).

So I can't say I'm in love with this lens and wonder if I should have just saved money with the Canon 1.8 or gone all out with the 1.2L, but as a compromise, and considering the images I have gotten so far after a few days (even with a little frustration), it's a lens I can see me using a lot. I may yet become a fast prime convert.

Comments about Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens For Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras:

Ideal portrait lens at a price half of the Canon equivalent.
- Extremely sharp after slight focus micro-adjustment on my 7D.
- Lightning fast autofocus, even in low light.
- Extremely shallow depth-of-field wide open. Beautiful bokeh.
- Very impressive build quality, on par with canon L-series lenses.
- Poor minimum focus. Not for macro photography.

Comments about Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens For Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras:

I bought this lens after doing some research on the internet and decided that I would take the chance of buying a lens which is half the price of the Canon 85mm f1.2. I am so happy that I did, I am amazed at how good the lens feels, really, really sharp, focus is fast and I think the bokeh is stunning. I am very happy with this lens and will use it for portraits and street photography. Love it.

Comments about Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens For Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras:

It's like a Canon f/1.2 except for the price.

Comments about Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens For Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras:

Having recently posted a review for the 50mm Sigma I felt compelled to review this as well since they are both staples in my lens line-up.

This lens is near perfect in my book. Yes, the DOF is thin, but any lens this fast will be. Yes, that means you may have some out of focus shots, but the bokeh this lens renders will more than make up for it when you nail it.

At a fraction of the price of the Canon 'L' equivalent this lens is worth every penny. I find it's excellent for portraiture and excels in darkly lit rooms. I have had no issues with focusing with this lens and can't imagine my bag without it.

Comments about Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens For Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras:

Received my Sigma and was excited to do some senior pics. I chose it over the Canon due to much research about clarity and bokeh. I own, or have owned many L series Canon gear and thought this would stack up to them. One minute after I opened the package and put the lens on I knew I had a bad copy. I thought to myself " I thought I bought a lens, not a machine gun". The Sigma would not autfocus ...it would just jolt violently back and forth seeking and attemting to focus. I was sad.
On the positive side... If I select manual focus the lens is very sharp and I love the creamy bokeh. Sending it back tomorrow for another lens and we'll go from there.

Comments about Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens For Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras:

Great lens that really performs well on my Canon 5DMKII body. Very sharp wide open at f1.4. Some fast lens are "usable" wide open but to me this one is excellent and razor sharp wide open. I don't hesitate or have concerns shooting wide open and I get a very high keeper rate with.

I am a Portrait and Wedding photography ... immediately put this lens to use for a night Bridal shoot and several model sessions the day after getting the lens. Performed well as expected!

Great colors and contrast. Well balanced and great feeling in hand. Locking hood is great.

I highly recommend this lens!

I do miss the matte finish of the Sigma 50mm f1.4 but that's the only thing. Great upgrade from the Canon 85mm f1.8 and feel do drawbacks from not going with the Canon 85mm f1.2 L which I have rented and used.

Comments about Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens For Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras:

[...]The Bokeh is awsome and the shots are colorful and sharp in the razor thin FOV. I can't imagine the Canon version being worth the extra 1K and I'm going to put that savings toward something else. Would have been 5 stars if the first one worked.

Comments about Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens For Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras:

Sharp, fast lens... when it decides to focus correctly that is. As far as sharpness or bokeh, the canon 85L has nothing on this lens, nothing! However, this lens, on my Canon 7D, had front/back focusing issues... alot of them, which ment that micro-adjustments can not address both front and back focusing issues so I am out of luck. If you get a good copy of this lens then you have just saved a $1000+ over purchasing the 85L. Good luck!

Comments about Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens For Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras:

I am an on location photog as well as studio & this lens is amazing! I love that it has auto focus because with fast moving subjects like children, manual isn't always easy. The bokeh is amazing & even novice photogs can use it with ease!

Comments about Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens For Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras:

Fast and very responsive lens. I did an initial 'breaking-in' shoot at a wedding and I was impressed with its performance esp during low light situations inside the church and reception hall. It was able to focus with no hesitation.

Creamiest bokeh I've seen thus far. Subject was really sharp at f/2.8 and above.

Comments about Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens For Canon EOS Digital SLR Cameras:

I was told that the color fringing on this lens was HORRIBLE. Yes, some exists, however, it is so minuscule in the scheme of things. You are buying a quality lens. I will say that canon's 85mm has creamier bokeh and virtually no color fringing- BUT!- for this price range, this lens is absolutely incredible. I even had the opportunity to buy canon's 85mm, and turned it down. The bokeh on this lens is almost just as good as canon's (canon's is f/1.2- that's why they have the advantage).