Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN ART Lens Review (Sony E-Mount)
In the past, I have discussed my reasons for using the Sigma lenses as my go-to brand for prime lenses coupled with the Sony A7R III body. For the past year, a Sigma lens has been pretty much always attached to the Sony camera body for all of my photography projects.
But I’d like to delve deeper into my experience with each lens to better highlight a few of their capabilities and my personal opinion on their overall quality.
In short, I have been very fortunate to carry this lens for different styles of photography, and with this 85mm being one of my first prime lenses ever, I have been able to use it to challenge myself as a photographer and try to utilize the lens in more creative ways.
This review is solely based on my experience using this lens and what I prioritize when I go out to photograph on-location. All of the photos featured in this blog post were taken with the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN ART.
LENS BUILD/SPECIFICATIONS
The technical specifications of this E-mount lens are listed on Sigma Photo’s website. But to list a few of the specifications that I always consider when buying the lens, this Sigma lens has a minimum aperture of f/16, weighs 625 g (or 22 oz), with dimensions at 82.8 x 96.1mm / 3.3 x 3.8 in. (diameter x length), and a 77mm filter size.
Comparatively, the Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 G-Master lens weighs about 820 g (or 28.92 oz) and the newer G-Master II lens weighs 642 g (or 22.7 oz).
The Sigma lens has a “Click” on/off switch, which allows you to control if you want to hear a clicking sound when adjusting the aperture. This feature is useful if you need to change the aperture when filming video and you don’t want sound to bleed through, or if you’re changing the aperture as a photographer but you don’t want to be heard.
APERTURE
My biggest reason for first purchasing this lens was because of its wide aperture of f/1.4. As a photographer who started off doing street photography at night, I wanted a lens that would allow enough light into the frame without having to lower my shutter speed or raise my ISO. While I don’t find myself often going to f/1.4 as much, the ability to do so has been very useful in capturing both incredible street photography and portraits.
Given the fact that this is an 85mm lens, if you have less than stable hands any don’t have a tripod or any sort of surface to keep your camera steady, you’ll likely want to have a higher shutter speed than you would with a wider-angle lens (especially if you’re trying to capture a faster-moving subject). Of course everyone is different, but as someone who likes to shoot handheld from different angles, I’ll always prioritize a high shutter speed over anything else. That’s where having a wide aperture has come in handy for me.
Lighting reasons aside, aperture is a tool that provides a lot of creative freedom for a photographer. Varying apertures can change the look of a photo because of foreground-background separation.
A LIGHTWEIGHT LENS
The dimensions and size of this lens are incredibly compact, and it is the smallest lens that I have in my current camera bag. The lens is able to fit in my camera bag while attached to my Sony camera body, which is very useful for someone like me who consistently goes back and forth between taking out his camera, and then putting it back in. However, I have been able to carry this camera and lens together in hand without much strain despite not having a lot of arm strength.
I haven’t used the 85mm lens on a gimbal since I usually reserve wide angle lenses for video shoots, but I think that the lens is compact enough that you shouldn’t have too much trouble trying to stabilize it.
IMAGE QUALITY
The Sigma 85mm lens has been able to deliver sharp photos in a variety of different photography settings. When it comes to portraits especially, I hold high expectations for sharp focus on the eyes of the subject. The Sigma lens paired with the Sony A7R III delivers quick and accurate autofocus and I’m able to leave a session with more than enough shots to choose from.
As a travel photographer, the 85mm lens is a great lens to capture landscapes in a more original way than typical wide angles.
I’ve seen a slight pincushion distortion and vignetting with this lens straight out of camera, but simply checkmarking “Enable Profile Corrections” In Adobe Lightroom Classic handles most of the issue as well (you can also push down the distortion manually to get a similar result).
Minimum Focus Distance
The Sigma 85mm lens has a minimum focus distance of 85cm (33.5 in). As someone who used to consistently shoot with wide angle lenses, it took a bit of time for me to get used to photographing subjects from a farther distance. But I think the 85mm is the perfect focal length to capture full body photos, as well as images close up.
Autofocus Quality
One of the most important features of any camera lens is its autofocus speed. As a street photographer, unplanned moments happen incredibly quickly and being able to quickly catch focus on a desired subject is important.
Even on an older camera body like the Sony a7R III, the Sigma 85mm lens performs very well when photographing moving subjects moving through the frame. With this lens, I am able to get a majority of the photos from a street photography photoshoot or lifestyle photo session in sharp focus.
No Optical Image Stabilization
I would say the biggest drawback of this Sigma lens is that it doesn’t have optical image stabilization. I often shoot handheld and with a longer focal length like 85mm, you have to be more cognizant of your settings to make sure that your photos will be sharp.
This hasn’t been a problem for me because the Sony a7R III has IBIS (In-Body Image Stabilization), which definitely helps combat that shortcoming. As I previously mentioned, the prime lens is very light and with a wide aperture, there is plenty of space to bump up your shutter speed and still properly expose your raw photos while still getting a clean image straight out of camera.
Final Words
Over time, the Sigma 85mm lens has been my favorite lens to use in all of my photography and I would recommend it for any photographer looking for a prime lens. If you have the budget, I would say it’s definitely worth purchasing given how much you’ll be able to get out of the lens.
I have talked about why an 85mm lens is a great focal length to have for any kind of photographer, but if you’re someone who specializes in portraits, or who would like to get creative with street and travel photography, I think this lens will be a great addition to your camera bag.
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