Sigma Art 85mm 1.4 DG DN

An 85mm f/1.2 lens is a beautiful thing, with gorgeous bokeh and wafer thin depth of field when required. This is the stuff of wedding photographers, portrait photographers and those involved in any short telephoto photography. The price is high, but the quality is absolutely superb. In fact, it is so sharp that it may be that the portrait photographer will be reaching for a soft focus filter to flatter the sitter who may not have perfect skin. Arguably better, as the choice is there, as there are plenty of subjects that can be enjoyed with the crisp sharpness that is on offer. In keeping with the defined objectives of the Sigma Art range, an excellent example of the truly classic lens makers' art, with a truly classic focal length. Highly recommended.

If you want a portrait lens that can deliver smooth bokeh and dreamy flare, this is a spectacular choice. It's also the only choice right now if you want something with autofocus.

The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DN DG ART didn't receive too much attention out there, which is a bit strange in our book - it is among the best 85mm lenses that we have tested so far. It is plenty sharp at f/1.4 and only gets better when stopped down a little bit. The peak quality around f/4 is nothing short of outstanding. Image distortions are visible in RAW files but easily auto-corrected. The RAW vignetting is typical for a lens in this class - and, once again, there's little to worry about with auto-correction. Lateral CAs are marginal. Conversely, axial CAs are clearly visible in critical scenes at f/1.4 and f/2. However, keep in mind that this isn't unusual among ultra-fast lenses. The quality of the bokeh is good in the critical image background, with some nervousness in the foreground. Bokeh highlights are nicely rendered, but you'll have to live with cat eyes near the edges. It's a non-issue for photography, but videographers may not like that the lens exhibits pronounced focus breathing. The build quality is exceptionally high and on the level of professional OEM lenses - other than the rather wobbly front cap. It's also dust- and splash resistant. The Sigma lens is also surprisingly lightweight and compact for a lens of its class. The dedicated aperture ring offers a de-clicked mode, and you can customize the AF-lock button via the camera. The AF is both quite speedy and noiseless, with the usual caveat that this is heavily dependent on the camera as well. Overall, the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DN DG ART is a winner, and it deserves our highest praise - "Highly Recommended".

Superb optical performance and great handling make this a classy 85mm lens.

The Sigma 85mm f1.4 DG DN Art is a mild telephoto lens designed for full-frame mirrorless cameras and available in E-mount and L-mount versions. It's an excellent example of what you can achieve when designing a new 85mm f1.4 lens from the ground-up for mirrorless cameras: not only is the 85mm f1.4 DG DN smaller and half the weight of the earlier 85mm f1.4 DG HSM but Sigma's also improved optical performance over what was already a very respectable lens. This makes the newer DG DN version optically the best 85mm f1.4 lens I've tested so far. Packed with all the right features and coming at a price that's one third less than the Sony FE 85mm f1.4 G-Master, the Sigma clearly earns a Highly Recommended! Let's hope that Sigma soon is able to offer their new lens with Nikon Z-mount and Canon RF-mount too.