Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Large Aperture Medium Telephoto Prime Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

by Sigma

• Front Lens Cap
• Rear Lens Cap
• Lens Hood
• Lens Hood Adapter
• Lens Pouch

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.3 x 3.3 x 3.4 inches ; 11.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B003NSC2XE
• Item model number: 85mm f/1.4 EX DG Nikon
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 24, 2010

Product Description

Style: Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Sigma's 85mm F1.4 EX DG HSM Lens is a large aperture medium telephoto lens optimized for use with digital SLR cameras and is especially ideal for portrait and low light photography. Designed with SLD glass and a glass mold element excellent color correction is achieved for all types of aberrations and superior optical performance is ensured. It is equipped with a rear focus system that minimized fluctuation of aberration caused by focusing and the Super Multi Layer Coating reduces flare and ghosting even in backlight photography. HSM (Hyper Sonic Motor) ensures quiet and high speed autofocus capability and the round 9 blade diaphragm creates pleasant out-of-focus highlights. It comes with a Petal-type hood to block out extraneous light. For digital cameras with an APS-C size image sensor, a dedicated hood adapter, which expands the length of the lens hood is supplied and enables the hood to block out extraneous light more effectively.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 90 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic lens! A comparison to Canon's f1.2 L mk II and f1.8... November 11, 2010

By C. Tipton

Style Name:Canon Digital SLR Cameras

I've always been hesitant to try sigma lenses because I hear a lot of problems that people have with the focusing on them. I passed up on the widely regarded 50mm f1.4 and 30mm f1.4 even though they got stellar reviews for the most part. When Sigma came out with the 85mm f1.4 for less than half the price of Canon's 85mm f1.2 L II, I had to see if it would save me a bundle in my search for a great 85mm.

I took some time to compare this one to the 85mm f1.8 and the 85mm f1.2 L II by renting all three before making any decisions, and I have to say that this lens really impresses!

The Sigma lens is much lighter than the Canon f1.2 and therefore, much easier to handle. The first thing that comes to mind when putting the canon f1.2 on my camera is how awkward everything feels - it's weight and "top-heaviness" really throw the balance off (I'm using a 7D) and makes the whole set-up feel wrong. With the sigma, I don't get this feel.... it feels right. It feels like almost a rubbery-plastic, and while the canon f1.2 feels more solid, the Sigma feels more modernized to me. The Canon f1.8 is no slouch, but feels lacking compared to the other two in build quality. The Sigma comes with a unique 2-part lens hood to help avoid hood vignetting on full-frame cameras. There is a middle section that you leave off if you are using a full-frame camera, but then add back on if you have a crop camera.

As for image quality, I'm not going to go too much into detail here because other reviews across the web have conducted much more scientific tests than me and provide images to compare. I will just summarize my experiences though: in my opinion, the Canon f1.2 has the sharpest photos, especially in the center of the image. The Sigma bests the other 2 in corner sharpness though. The f1....8 has the fastest autofocus, with the f1.2 far behind and Sigma trailing only slightly behind. For bokeh quality, I actually prefer the Sigma to the f1.2. Color and contrast is a tie between the Sigma and f1.2... the Sigma offers slightly warmer photos. The Sigma handles flares better than the f1.8, but not as well as the f1.2. All three seemed to handle chromatic abrasion well in my tests. Just as an overall picture, I really found that I enjoyed the f1.2 pictures the best, but did I enjoy them $1000 more? Probably not. The Sigma really wasn't far behind the f1.2 in image quality.

If I were a professional photographer, I would probably go with the canon f1.2 over the Sigma just because that slight edge in image quality and extra light from the f1.2 would probably pay for itself over time. As a hobbyist though, I can't see myself paying over twice as much for the only slightly better lens. The Sigma really provides an excellent option for a midpoint between the Canon f1.8 and f1.2. In addition, it opens up a new way for indoor sports photographers to capture fast action. Because of its slower autofocus, I constantly found that the f1.2 had less keepers when I did indoor fast action photography. The Sigma and f1.8 handled these situations fine. I shoot a lot of indoor dog shows and competitions, so the Sigma is now going to be my go-to lens for those. The f1.8 would have been a great option and still is probably one of the best quality/value ratios out there in my opinion, but the better image quality of the Sigma is apparent. Plus, the extra light from the wider aperture really does help in many situations. I also like the bokeh quality much better than the f1.8. Read more ›

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Sigma that rivals the Canon 85 1.4! December 28, 2010

By Vance Zachary

Style Name:Canon Digital SLR Cameras|Amazon Verified Purchase

I am a pro wedding photographer who shoots primarily with zooms. I use prime lenses more as specialty lenses when I want to narrow depth of field or in extreme darkness. I own the Canon 85 1.8, itself an excellent lens, and rented a Canon 85 1.2L, a fabled Canon staple. The Sigma is actually better than the 85 1.8 at large apertures and rivals the Canon 85L in almost all respects. Compared to the Canon 85L, the Sigma is slightly more compact and lightweight. It's build is similar to my Canon 35 1.4L. More importantly, the Sigma focuses faster on all of my cameras--5D, 5DII, and the 50D. The Canon L has the advantage of being weather sealed and accepted by Canon Professional Services for pros who are members. The Canon 85L is also unique in that it opens to 1.2 rather than just 1.4.

The Sigma autofocuses faster than the Canon L and almost as fast as the Canon 85 1.8. There have been reports of this lens hunting, having seizures, and making squeaking noises. If your copy of the Sigma does any of these things, return it immediately as you definitely have a dud copy. Mine rarely ever hunts, the autofocus is smooth, quiet, and accurate. The lens is tack sharp even at 1.4--as sharp as the Canon 85L at wide apertures and with similar color and contrast. Like with 85 1.2L, the depth of field wide open is razor thin and requires precise precision in where to put the point of sharpest focus. The faster focus of the Sigma does help in attaining accurate focus quickly.

In summary, I feel Sigma got it right with this lens. It is truly an alternative to the 85L at half the cost with similar image quality and actually faster focus. The Sigma does have a different bokeh than the Canon L. Not necessarily better or worse, just different.... The Canon 85L may be slightly better to tame restless backgrounds with smooth bokeh than the Sigma but the difference is small. The Sigma then offers a more compact and faster focusing alternative to the pricey 85 1.2L for both the pro and advanced amateur photographer. Read more ›

39 of 44 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Autofocus DOES Work on Live View (Nikon D7000) November 12, 2010

By Re2st

Style Name:Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

Some of you might have read my reviews on Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras and Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras, both complain about autofocus on live view, on Nikon D7000.

This one, however, is a different story. Autofocus works perfectly. Fast and quiet, better than my old Nikkor 85mm f/1.4D.

I'm not sure why it's different from those other fast primes from Sigma, probably because this lens is really new, so they got the reverse-engineering perfected.

Build quality is top notch, smooth metal finish (not the rubbery/glittery finish). AF and MF switch, with MF overrides AF during AF.

57 of 71 people found the following review helpful

2.0 out of 5 stars Huge, huge potential...but not without some flaws. November 25, 2010

By hawh

Style Name:Canon Digital SLR Cameras|Amazon Verified Purchase

I've been testing out the exciting, new Sigma 85mm 1.4, and as unworthy and unqualified as I am to be a professional lens tester, I feel compelled to informally share my findings...

1.) When it arrived, I thought I had a dud: AF would not stop hunting, nor would it lock on to anything, even high-contrast subjects. It simply jerked back and forth as though it were suffering from a seizure, and didn't stop unless I took my finger off the shutter. This lasted for about 20-25 minutes. Has anyone experienced this?
2.) After 20-25 minutes of AF madness, it literally seemed to "snap out of it," and the AF has been nothing short of stellar since. Simply no more hunting or convulsing. Nearly as fast as the EF 85 1.8, but tremendously faster than the 85L II. It now locks onto everything and does it quickly, even in near darkness. This is simply astounding. (This is using center point on a 5D2; the outer points are useless, but this is true for pretty much any other Canon-brand lenses, too.) This Sigma's AF locked onto things in mere candlelight that the 85L II just gave up on.
3.) The AF on this beast seems to be as accurate, or perhaps even a little bit more so, than the 85L II. Incredible work, Sigma!
4.) Biggest concern for me at the moment: The Sigma seems to consistently underexpose by at least 1/3 to 2/3rds of a stop compared to the 85L II. In shooting both at f/1.4 on aperture priority, the Sigma seems to tell the 5D2 to use a far higher shutter speed. Shooting on full manual eradicates this problem...but sometimes I like to use aperture priority in certain situations. But seriously, I wonder if the Sigma is communicating differently to the camera body than the 85L.... I would prefer not to have to punch up the exposure in post for every shot, or to have to use exposure compensation every time I mount this lens (because I probably won't remember to).
5.) The Sigma is super contrasty...almost too contrasty. This is subjective, however. I feel as though I would prefer to add contrast in post, rather than have the lens do it for me. But that's just me.
6.) This is a pretty remarkable lens. It truly blows the EF 85 1.8 out of the water, IMHO. It handles better and feels great in the hands. Robust build, solid hood, zippy AF. The bokeh is astounding and is on par with the 85L (again, subjective). Sharpness is definitely on par with the 85L at 1.6 and above, and trails almost imperceptibly to the 85L wide-open at 1.4.
7.) I still can't help but wonder if that AF problem I experienced upon opening the box will come back to haunt me later.

UPDATE 11/26/10:
Here is an update after testing it extensively for a week...
1.) The convulsive AF that I experienced only on the first day has, unfortunately, returned on three separate occasions. However, fortunately, it lasted only brief seconds each time, and the lens resumed normal function. Even these brief AF "seizures" erode my confidence in this len's future performance and reliability.
2.) Completely unscientifically, I've decided that the Canon 85L II's AF isn't that much slower than the Siggy. When going from MFD to infinity, yes, it takes about twice as long as the Siggy; when within reasonable relative distance, however, it's not bad at all -- far better than people on net forums make it out to be. The Canon's AF locks on firmly and confidently, albeit slightly more deliberately; the Siggy's AF zips to the near AF-lock point, adjusts back-and-forth extremely quickly for a hair of a second, then locks. They're like two entirely different personalities: one older but more experienced (Canon), and the other an adolescent rushing in for the kill but not quite aiming right (Siggy)...if that makes any sense.
3.) At identical exposures on full manual, the Siggy still consistently underexposes by about 2/3rds of a stop. Combing through online forum comments have revealed that the Sigma quite possibly absorbs more light than the 85L due to either its increased number of elements (more elements = more light loss) and/or its coatings. I suspect that most buyers seek a fast 85mm for its brightness and here, for some reason, the Sigma fails.
4.) Lastly, my biggest concern, and my reason to not recommend the Siggy: Its metering communication with Canon's bodies is NOT RELIABLE. My exposures vary quite wildly, with the majority of them being on the darker side. Wildly = 3+ stops in some instances! There's no way to boost the exposure in post without significantly degrading the image. After laboring through hundreds of forum comments on DPreview and P.O.T.N., I've come to the conclusion that there are possibly some errors in Sigma's reverse engineering especially in regards to electronic communication between the lens and camera body. There are also some very incredulous conspiracy theories that Canon actually boosts the exposure in-body BEFORE the file is recorded into RAW for certain (only) Canon lenses that the company knows are prone to light loss. (?!?!) I don't get it, but search the P.O.T.N. for the Sigma 85, and you can read all the juicy comments yourself. At any rate, my Sigma 85 is causing my 5D2 body to meter unreliably, which isn't a good thing, IMHO.

Oh, and yes, the Siggy did arrive needing microfocus adjustment, which on my 5D2 was +13. Just FYI. Read more ›