Sigma 105mm f1.4 Art review

Sum-up

With the 105mm f1.4 ART, Sigma has produced one of their finest lenses in their acclaimed Art line: it's duplicate metal-cutting and has the about beauteous Bokeh I've always seen. Plus it's the only f1.4 105mm lens you can get for your Canon DSLR operating theater Sony mirrorless camera. It might glucinium on the great and very heavy side and has no optical stabilization but its optical performance makes the new Sigma replace the Nikon 105mm f1.4E as the reference gravid aperture 105mm lens system. Gum olibanum the Sigma 105mm f1.4 Art well earns a Highly Advisable.

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Sigma 105mm f1.4 Art review

• 1st August 2018
• Written away

In depth

• In depth
• Quality
• Samples
• Verdict

The Sigma 105mm f1.4 Nontextual matter is a bright mid-distance telephotograph Lens corrected for choke-full-frame sensors and easy in Canon, Nikon and Sigma DSLR mounts, As easily as in a native Sony E mount for Alpha mirrorless cameras. With an f1.4 stop number the unweathered 105mm f1.4 Art joins the Nikon 105mm f1.4E as the brightest lenses at this focal length, although crucially the Sigma comes in at a lower cost and with the benefit of availability in more than just a Nikon mount.

Available since July 2018, it has no predecessor in Sigma's lens catalog. To be enclosed into Sigma's acclaimed Art series of tipto-notch lenses it should have got very pleasing optical performance and build quality. And every bit you would expect it is compatible with Sigma's USB-dock to fine-tune different characteristics of AF, positive if you change bodies, you can pay to have the mount swapped for your new system. This all comes at a price: 1400 USD / 1500 EUR is not exactly cheap but roughly in line with other high performance large aperture mid-length telephoto lenses – and again IT's also more low-cost than Nikon's possess 105mm f1.4 lens, so i of the big questions I'll be answering in my review is how these cardinal models compare.

Facts from the catalog

American Samoa usual I'll accept a take the technical data of the Sigma number one. I've rated the features with a [+] (or [++]), when it's meliorate than norm or even nation of the art, a [0] if it's standard or just average out, and [-] if in that respect's a disadvantage. For comparison I wont the Nikon 105mm f1.4E ("Nikon" for unawares) and Sigma's own 135mm f1.8 Artistry ("Sigma 135mm").

Size (diameter x distance): 116 x 129mm, the lens hood adds 43mm (with a diameter of 128mm) which gives a total duration of 172mm. The Nikon is 95 x 106mm with the Lens hood adding another 47mm (111mm diameter). The Sigma 135mm is 91 x 114mm, the electron lens hood adds 60mm (with a diameter of 102mm). [0]

Weight: 1496g plus 104g for the carbon vulcanized fiber lens hood and 123g for the detachable tripod neckband which adds up to a total weight of 1723g. The Nikon is 979g, the lens hood adds another 55g. The Sigma 135mm comes in at 1121 + 64g. Thus the new Sigma 105mm f1.4 is by far heavier and bigger than the alternatives except for the Mitakon 135mm f1.4.  [-]

Optics: 17 elements in 12 groups vs. 14 elements in 9 groups for the Nikon and 13 elements in 10 groups for the Sigma 135mm. This is a complex plan for a prime lens and contains 5 special dissemination elements and one aspherical lens element which could produce onion rings in out-of-concentrate specular highlights. The Nikon and the Sigma 135mm have atomic number 102 aspheric elements. [+]

Closest focus distance is 1.0m with a magnification of 1:8.3 although I was able to dumbfound down to 1:7.7 at 0.94m with non-automatic focal point. A magnification of 1:10 is achieved at a distance of 1.18m. The Nikon does 1:6.7 at 0.92m in manual focussing and and achieves 1:10 at 1.26m while the Sigma 135mm goes to 0.84m where IT offers a identical nice magnification of 1:4.6 and achieves 1:10 magnification at 1.55m distance. [0]

Filter-wind: 105mm which probably agency that you will need an costly recent filter typeset. The Sigma 135mm and the Nikon need cheaper 82mm filters. [-]

Image stabilization: No. That's about par for the course on large aperture primes. Unfortunately at a focal length of 105mm and with today's high resolution sensors information technology's pretty challenging to avoid blur/shake with hand-held shots. Utilization 1/200 sec to be on the safe(r) side or use a tripod. Canyon has proven that you can build f1.4 primes with image stabilization and not compromise image quality for it. And Sony offers leastways body-based image stabilization. [0]

Motorcar focus: HSM (Hyper Sonic Efferent), sol it also whole kit on camera bodies which don't have an AF-drive shapely in like Nikon's D3x00/5×00. Manual-focus overrule is by simply turning the focus gang. Same with the Nikon. But the untried Sigma allows you to alter focus fine-tuning at 4 distances with the USB-dock. The Sigma 135mm is the only lens in this compare which has a limiter replacement (full / 1.5m – eternity / 0.875 – 1.5m  configurable with the USB-dock). [+]

Covers full draw up/FX or small = very good. Same with the competition. [+]

Price: around 1500 EUR (incl. 19% VAT) / 1600 USD. The Sigma 135mm has a street price of around 1250 EUR / 1400 USD and the Nikon is around 2000 EUR / 2200 USD. [0]

Comes with a nice padded lens suit and a strap. The genus Lens hood is enclosed, made from carbon fiber to reduce weight, and has a rubberized advance segment to foreclose dings and scratches from setting the lens down on the lense hood. It is reversible for transport, and can be latched in place with a screw. The lens-caps are standard. The lens comes with a clastic tripod mount with an Arca-Swiss way interface. No other f1.4 crystalline lens offers that except for the artful Mitakon 135mm f1.4. Sigma even included a rubber ring to cover the tripod mounting screws happening the lens should you favour to leave the tripod saddle horse detached. [++]

Distance entropy is relayed to the camera, and so the television camera and flashes can do all the advanced exposure-associated stuff with this lens. Cookie-cutter for the alternatives. The Canon variant of the lens is also mixable with the lens aberration department of corrections available in recent bodies to compensate for vignetting, chromatic aberrations and distortion. [+]

Sigma's service can convert the mount of the Lens between Nikon, Canon, Sony or Sigma (at a cost). Addition you can also bargain Sigma's Mc-11 Mount Converter for 250 EUR/USD to invest the crystalline lens connected a Sony E-Mount body (only available for adaptation of Sigma lenses with Sigma or Canyon mount, not Nikon mount). These are unique have that no other manufacturer offers. [++]

Aperture gang: no, same A with the competition. The aperture is actuated electromagnetically in the Nikon-interpretation too which makes it the equivalent of a modern E-type Nikon lens and puts gone with the mechanical coupling that Nikon uses on all sr. lenses. [0]

Waterproofing: yes, a rubber eyelet at the lens-mount plus further special weather-waterproofing throughout the twist. The Nikon and the Sigma 135mm  only consume brave waterproofing at the lens-mount. [+]

The score in the "features-department" is 2[-]/5[0]/9[+]. So the lens is well-featured with the unique option to get the lens-mount swapped or use an adaptor for Sony's E-Mount plus a clastic tripod taking into custody which no early manufacturer offers. The two big downsides are its weight and size and the necessitate to use 105mm filters.

Three large aperture medium telephoto lenses

Higher up from left to aright: Nikon 105mm f1.4E ED, Sigma 105mm f1.4 Prowess, Sigma 135mm f1.8 Art

Alternatives:

• There is really entirely one other 105mm f1.4 lens system: Nikon's 105mm f1.4E ED from their line of professional large aperture primes. This lens has very good image prime and is little and substantially lighter than the new Sigma. But it costs around 2000 EUR. For more details go steady my Nikon 105mm f1.4E ED review.
• If you rifle longer then at that place's the option of Sigma's own 135mm f1.8 Art lense. It has 30% more gain which might be a tad to a fault long for your purposes and has a smaller f number (2/3 of a stop). It has the benefit of being ignitor and smaller than Sigma's new 105mm f1.4 and is slightly cheaper plus offers an first-class sense organ carrying out. For more details see my Sigma 135mm f1.8 Nontextual matter reexamine.
• Sony likewise offers the older SAL 135mm f1.8 ZA Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* from 2006 for A-Mount or via an adapter for E-Mount. It has autofocus but relies on the body to provide the AF-push. IT's around 1500 EUR. Tests indicate that it's a same good performer albeit with some solemn longitudinal CAs. It's little and ignitor than the Sigma and uses 77mm filters. It does not go image stabilization of its own (like any of the unusual lenses mentioned) simply you have the advantage of the stabilization that the Sony bodies offer. But that is true for the Sigma 105mm f1.4 Art too when you use it along a Sony mirrorless body.
• On the shorter side there is an abundance of 85mm f1.4 lenses of which perhaps the only stable lens in this group, the Canon EF 85mm 1.4 L IS USM for around 1550 EUR and the optically excellent and equally expensive Zeiss Otus (manual focal point only, 4000 EUR) deserve special mentioning. See my Zeiss Otus 85mm f1.4 review. But you recede 20% reach with a 85mm lens as compared to 105mm focal length which is equivalent to cropping 35% of your pixels away. Sony owners should also consider the Sony Fe 85mm f1.4 G Master key which performs very well, although costs a little more than the Sigma.

Which focal length come you need?

In a higher place from larboard to right: 85mm, 105mm, 135mm shot from 2.6m distance on a FF/FX-body

Focus

Focus accuracy and repeatability is critical to consistently produce sharp shots. Repeatability (the accuracy of focus connected the same theme later on recurrent focus-acquisition) of this lens is pretty good (metrical 97.8% in Reikan FoCal) with nobelium outliers over a serial of 40 shots. But this is only when the lens is already focused around the fair game outstrip. With a large focus movement repeatability sank to 94,3% merely still produced no proper outliers. And in that location is a little of performance variation whether the lens focuses from infinity operating theater from a closer distance.

The lens focuses quite fast in around 0.6 sec from infinity to a magnification of 1:10 without search which is faster than the Nikon 105mm f1.4E with 0.8 sec just a routine slower than the Sigma 135mm f1.8 Art at 0.5 sec. The focus ring has no slackness/play between its movement and the focus-action and a throw of 135 degrees, which is precise good for accurate manual focus on wide open. The focus ring offers a good suitcase with a 33mm broad golosh surface but its movement is a trifle too stiff to cost comfortably operated with a single thumb. Information technology turns the same way as Canon lenses but that is the wrong way for Nikon users. AF-operation is just perceptible from the outside and if you phonograph recording video with the built-in mike there's but a "knock" at the beginning and the end of focus-movement and the AF-drive is same quiet. American Samoa you deplumate focus, you'll distinctly notice sharpen breathing: the image becomes more magnified at closer focusing distances. When I adjusted the focusing from eternity to 1.18m on the rising Sigma, I plumbed a 13% increase in magnification which might not please videographers. But the Sigma 135mm f1.8 increases magnification by 18% and the Nikon 105mm f1.4E even by 28%.

Next check out my quality results.

Ascertain prices on the Sigma 105mm f1.4 Graphics at Amazon, B&H, Adorama, or Wex. Alternatively get yourself a copy of my In Camera book or care for Maine to a coffee! Thanks!

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Sigma 105mm f1.4 Art review

Source: https://www.cameralabs.com/sigma-105mm-f1-4-art-review/