Anybody got the Sigma 85 1.4?

cuthbert

cuthbert

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Mark
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i've seen a few photos taken using this lens and i'm pretty impressed (take a look here: http://www.flickr.com/groups/1464365@N22/pool/)

and i'm starting to get that itch. i won't be able to afford it until the spring, but there doesn't seem to be a huge number of reviews online on sites that i trust and use as my primary reference (the digital picture and dpreview)

so, just asking, does anybody have the sigma 85 1.4?

what's it like wide open? how fast is focussing?

and perhaps most importantly, how does it compare to the canon 85L with regards to focus speed, accuracy and bokeh?

i've seen it online for £500-600 which is very affordable when compared to the 85L, but is it worth it?

any if anybody does have the Siggy, a couple of full res images wide open would be greatly appreciated.
 
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hey mark,

i wondered the same thing .... then i read this review. its now on my "to buy" list

http://hofferphotography.com/2010/11/16/my-sigma-85-f1-4-vs-canon-85l-review/

in a nutshell

Writing this next sentence is like disowning a child…. The Sigma 85 1.4 is a better lens than the Canon 85L. There, I said it. It’s not ‘as good’, it’s actually better.*
 
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This Sigma looks really good, and the likelihood that I'll be selling my 85 and getting the Sigma is increasing rapidly - in fact, I could probably afford to right now :nuts: :help:
 
It does look a fabulous bit of kit - I wonder who'll be the first to state "I got a duff copy," then the whole of the Internet will spread the word about how rubbish it is?
 
I'm interested in this to fill the gap between my Siggy 50mm f1.4 and 150mm f2.8 but I can't decide if I should go for it or a macro around the 100mm range.

I love the 50mm and recently did a comparison with my Canon 50mm f2.5 which I had considered to be my sharpest lens. I found that the Siggy actually gave me a higher hit rate in low contrast situations and that it was at least as sharp at f2.5 and probably sharper. The only criticism I have of it is that at the widest apertures it can produce a soft bloom around bright or reflective objects.

If the 85mm is as good I'd be very pleased but reading reviews like that one it may actually be better.

That shot is horrible but I suspect that it would be no matter what lens was used.
 
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I'm still debating between this and the Nikon AF-D equivalent. This Sigma looks amazing though and I am sorely tempted. I could pull the trigger now if I wanted to but I just can't make up my mind!
 
great another lens to wonder over to and try and convince my self i dont need it.
I sold my 85mm 1.8 and regretted it, however since then i have had one (borrowed) for 2 weeks in my kit bag and it didnt get used once. - my 135mm & 50mm got more use.
 
Thank you for the info everyone. fwiw, i like the swirly bokeh, i know it's not to everyone's taste but it adds quite an ethereal quality to the image.

however, there has been a bit of a change of plan..... my very, very, very generous and lovely mum and dad have said they'd buy me the 85L for christmas because they've seen me drooling over it too many times. i am just a tiny tiny little bit excited :bonk:
 
Dman said:
I'm still debating between this and the Nikon AF-D equivalent. This Sigma looks amazing though and I am sorely tempted. I could pull the trigger now if I wanted to but I just can't make up my mind!
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Same here! I watched the Nikon version go on ebay last night for a mere £530!!
 
cuthbert said:
Thank you for the info everyone. fwiw, i like the swirly bokeh, i know it's not to everyone's taste but it adds quite an ethereal quality to the image.

however, there has been a bit of a change of plan..... my very, very, very generous and lovely mum and dad have said they'd buy me the 85L for christmas because they've seen me drooling over it too many times. i am just a tiny tiny little bit excited :bonk:
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You sure Mark? You could get the 35L and this sigma for the price of the 85L and reviews indicate it's as good or better?
 
You are right Joe.

I think i will go for the Sigma, will save my mum and dad a few quid too, i'd been talking about the 85L and they said they'd give me the money for it.

i keep reading the reviews, then i come to the conclusion that in the end, there isn't that much difference in terms of IQ between the two and if anything focus speed does seem to be the killer for me - the sigma seems to win out in this regard.
 
Take the money, buy Sigma and get you mum some flowers and your dad a bottle or whatever he drinks with the change - they'll feel great and it won't cost you a penny ;)
 
what would you guys do in my position?

i've got the
24-70 2.8
70-200 2.8
135 f2

i use the two zooms the most these days, but i'd love a fast prime. i want to keep my 135 f2 because of the look, i liked the sigma 50 1.4 and if i could have afforded to keep it at the time, i would have, but the sigma had a fault i returned it and i went for the zoom because i was having trouble keeping up with my little girl running around.

but, i'm getting asked to do more and more portraits for people and the 35 f1.4 got me thinking, it looks amazing but a fast 85 has also got a classic look about it and is probably more useful for what i want to do - the 135 is a bit long in some situations... but then i have both 35 and 85 focal lengths covered at f2.8 with my zooms.

i know my mum and dad have said they'd buy me the 85l, but i feel guilty, that's a heck of a lot of cash and the slow AF worries me a bit and it might become a liability, my other lenses focus almost instantly, even on a 5d2.
 
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Get the Sigma.

That linked review said that it's better than the 85L so what's to think about?
 
My only concern with the Sigmas is the build quality. I'm considering exactly this option too and I keep thinking that the L is a bit of an investment yet the siggy at half the price is tempting. I handled one the other week and it does seem much better now they've done away with the horrible coating that always looks 'rubbed' after a month or two. I have a 30 1.4 which is very good overall but have had one lens that was returned due to being defective, so if I ever do go for the siggy it will be from somewhere I can return for an exchange easily if there's a problem. I'm quite happy to buy the Canon version abroad if needs be, worth considering.
 
The reviewer in that linked review doesn't raise any build concerns and if it's anything like the 50mm I doubt there'll be too many complaints. I've had Sigmas for years and have never had a built or coating problem. All of them still look brand new.
 
cuthbert said:
what would you guys do in my position?

i've got the
24-70 2.8
70-200 2.8
135 f2

i use the two zooms the most these days, but i'd love a fast prime. i want to keep my 135 f2 because of the look, i liked the sigma 50 1.4 and if i could have afforded to keep it at the time, i would have, but the sigma had a fault i returned it and i went for the zoom because i was having trouble keeping up with my little girl running around.

but, i'm getting asked to do more and more portraits for people and the 35 f1.4 got me thinking, it looks amazing but a fast 85 has also got a classic look about it and is probably more useful for what i want to do - the 135 is a bit long in some situations... but then i have both 35 and 85 focal lengths covered at f2.8 with my zooms.

i know my mum and dad have said they'd buy me the 85l, but i feel guilty, that's a heck of a lot of cash and the slow AF worries me a bit and it might become a liability, my other lenses focus almost instantly, even on a 5d2.
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I think the 85 1.4 sigma is your first choice. But if your parents were willing to put up the money for the 85L then why not get both the 85 1.4 and the 35L?

At some point thats what I'll have and I have the 50mm 1.4 sigma as well. ut I use primes much more than zooms
 
Rob_p said:
Same here! I watched the Nikon version go on ebay last night for a mere £530!!
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Really? I was watching one that went for £570 but it hard a few marks from champagne spray on the glass and that put me off bidding.
 
Livin The Dream said:
I'm considering exactly this option too and I keep thinking that the L is a bit of an investment yet the siggy at half the price is tempting.
Click to expand...

Rob_p said:
Same here! I watched the Nikon version go on ebay last night for a mere £530!!
Click to expand...

If initial outlay for the lens isn't an issue wouldn't you rather get a higher return if you ever decide to sell the lens on?
That said, if it was me I'd probably get the Siggy, I'v had a couple of their primes in the past and been very impressed.
 
I had a good 'handle' of the new Sigma lenses at Photokina including this one and I reckon it's a serious contender when put up against the 'old' AF-Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 - maybe not against the new £1500 version, but for £600 what do you expect?

It feels right - properly heavy, good focus action in manual mode and a nice sturdy 'heft' to it.

Build-quality is likely to be 'as good as' some Nikkors and Canon Pro-lenses, as that's where they're pitching this lens at...
The build-quality issues that plagued earlier Siggys from 6-10 years ago seem to have been addressed and overcome by far more stringent QC checks and by refusal to sub-contract out to China. All Pro-Sigmas will be manufactured in Japan using optical glass sourced solely from Hoya.

If I hadn't bought a second-hand 85mm f/1.4 earlier this year, I'd be having a very serious look at this lens.
 
Thanks again everyone for your useful feedback and info.

I can confirm that I've gone with the Sigma. All the reviews and test shots, even full res crops wide open look absolutely fantastic, tbh I can hardly see anything in the bokeh between the 85 1.2 and indeed the nikon 85 which it's also been compared with and when I look again at the 85 1.2 the clipped out of focus highlights do annoy me a bit. i always thought they were the result of using the lens on a aps-c camera but they happen on the 1d3s and 5d2 too it seems.

Got the best price from Clifton Cameras (somewhere else was a little cheaper, but didn't have stock for 10 days, which kind means that with christmas i probably won't have it till nearly the new year) and it *should* be in my gribby mitts tomorrow. Looking forward to posting a few pictures for you take a look at over the weekend.

But thanks again, i really do appreciate the advice.
 
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iancandler said:
I don't like it in any of the shots I've seen with this lens, it just doesn't have that creamy/dreamy quality to it
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You don't like any of the shots? How odd. IMVHO there are lots of nice examples.
 
i've definitely seen some dreamy shots taken with the sigma 85 - a lot does depend on subject distance and composition - there are certainly plenty of dull shots around taken with the 85l too (that could have easily been taken with any prime, probably even with the 50 1.8). i've done a fair bit of research now on the sigma, and optically it looks to be a gem.

slight off topic, but i know it's not everyones cup of tea but i love swirly quirky bokeh and the old helios 44 f2 lens is a great example of a lens which creates this effect:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/helios44/pool/
 
iancandler said:
I don't like it in any of the shots I've seen with this lens, it just doesn't have that creamy/dreamy quality to it
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are these examples creamy enough for you?

7587.AI6C3903.jpg


3362.AI6C4000.jpg
 
ordered this myself today too, arrives monday -looking forward to comparing it against the 85mm 1.8 before deciding whether to keep it or send it back
 
I have a Jessops gift voucher burning its way out of my pocket but I can't decide what to put it towards between....

Siggy 85mm f1.4.
A Tamron 90mm or Siggy 105mm macro.
LX5.
60D.
 
Let us know how you guys get on with it.

I'm waiting till the end of Jan when I get my bonus. Was just going to get a 5d mkII but going to go mad and add one of these too.
 
got mine this morning. first thing i did was check the focus on a focus chart at 1.4 ................

................ it was spot on.

had a quick play, results look very good. will post some examples later
 
First test today, it's great for focussing and very sharp, quick pp on these - curves and unsharp mask. I am seeing chromatic aberations where the white shirt hits the background though.

Very pleased with it so far

f/2

IMG_5474Web.jpg

IMG_5474WebClose.jpg


f/1.4
IMG_5486Web.jpg

IMG_5486Close.jpg
 
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Dman said:
Really? I was watching one that went for £570 but it hard a few marks from champagne spray on the glass and that put me off bidding.
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I was watching that one as well. I've been watching them while I save to see what they go for. Yeah it was mint and I can't believe it went for so little, basically giving it away!

andephotographic said:
If initial outlay for the lens isn't an issue wouldn't you rather get a higher return if you ever decide to sell the lens on?
That said, if it was me I'd probably get the Siggy, I'v had a couple of their primes in the past and been very impressed.
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Well it is in an issue? Are you saying if your rich (which I am not) then you should just fork out more money than you should so someone dosen't feel hard done by? Or have I missed the point all together :p

Thats the world of second hand unfortunately, it's like anything. I agree if it was me selling it I'd have wanted to sell it for more but thats how it goes. You want to buy for less but sell for more

joescrivens said:
IMG_5474WebClose.jpg
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First results look good! Although I'd say you need to tone down the unsharp mask a bit, also on this shot you can see where it's sharpened the background. Might be worth duplicating the background layer, sharpening that and then rubbing out the sharpness on the background with a layer mask. No point in sharpening the out of focus background......
 
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Rob_p said:
Although I'd say you need to tone down the unsharp mask a bit, also on this shot you can see where it's sharpened the background. Might be worth duplicating the background layer, sharpening that and then rubbing out the sharpness on the background with a layer mask. No point in sharpening the out of focus background......
Click to expand...

I know we're going totally off topic here but I agree with the above – one of the most common mistakes people make is just sharpening an entire image.

You should use a mask to only sharpen very select areas, typically the eyes and lips if it's a portrait, works a LOT better.
 
great shots, Joe. I got mine on Thursday - i did some tests and mine needed +9 MA (the same as my siggy 50 1.4 did) and it's spot on now. Focussing is as nearly as quick and just as accurate as any Canon lens i own. Very impressive.

All these images were taken wide open and minimum post/colour correction. i've got an xmas meal tonight so i haven't got time to do crops, but focus now spot on as far as i can see.

thanks again for persuading me to go for this lens, it's absoulutely fantastic. bokeh is wonderfully creamy and smooth.


5251511793_f83d022a0e_b.jpg

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5252141172_a6d7f895ec_b.jpg

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100% crop:
5252118956_fe9fc35d47.jpg
 
Rob_p said:
First results look good! Although I'd say you need to tone down the unsharp mask a bit, also on this shot you can see where it's sharpened the background. Might be worth duplicating the background layer, sharpening that and then rubbing out the sharpness on the background with a layer mask. No point in sharpening the out of focus background......
Click to expand...

loplyg said:
I know we're going totally off topic here but I agree with the above – one of the most common mistakes people make is just sharpening an entire image.

You should use a mask to only sharpen very select areas, typically the eyes and lips if it's a portrait, works a LOT better.
Click to expand...

thanks for the tips!
 
that third shot is awesome Mark

I took it out again yesterday before it gets wrapped and i cant have it till crimbo day

all at 1.6

IMG_5545.jpg

IMG_5564.jpg

IMG_5556.jpg
 
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