DIY Photography

Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

 
@diyphotography

Telegram Me

Instagram

Submit A Story

Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Art vs. Canon 85mm f/1.2L II: how does it stack up?

Share
Tweet
November 13, 2018 by Dunja Djudjic 1 Comment

If you’re in the market for a new lens, it may be hard to decide whether to go for a third-party option, or stick with the same brand as your camera. The Sigma Art series has received a lot of praise, and photographer Julia Trotti put it to a test. She used the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Art and compared it to the Canon 85mm f/1.2L II. In the video below, you can see how the lenses compare on Canon and Sony bodies.

Julia used the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 Art on the Sony A7III. But, since she also wanted to try it out with her Canon 5D Mark IV, she got the Canon version of the lens. She used a Metabones adapter to fit the EF lens onto the Sony camera body. Additionally, she tested the Canon 85mm f/1.2L II lens, and in the video, she shares a lot of raw, unedited files for comparison.

Comparing the lenses

First of all, Julia was surprised how fast and accurate the AF was when shooting with the adapter on the Sony body. On the other hand, the Sigma lens is slightly heavier than the Canon, and it’s huge (especially in comparison to the small Sony body). Still, Julia found it comfortable to shoot fit and it sat nicely in her hand.

When she tested the Sigma 85mm lens with the Canon counterpart, Julia used both lenses on the Canon 5D Mark IV body. The images looked sharp and contrasty on the back of the camera with both lenses. The colors in raw and unedited images look really good, too. You can see the comparison between the images in the video.

On the plus side for the Sigma, there was significantly less lens flare compared to Canon. Still, if your creative choice is to include the lens flare in your images, this is when you should opt for the Canon lens.

In Julia’s test, the Sigma was generally a bit faster to autofocus than Canon. Still, in a busy location, it had some trouble to achieve accurate focus on the model’s face.

Julia tested the proximity to the subject with both lenses. You can get slightly closer to the subject with the Sigma, which is not too obvious in the images of lavender Julia shares in the video. However, she saw this as helpful when doing portrait shoots, as it gives you more flexibility.

When it comes to bokeh, Julia clearly prefers Sigma, and it has slightly smaller and sharper bokeh balls. She shot both lenses at f/1.4, and Canon still has creamier, larger bokeh. I’d say it’s a matter of preference which one you prefer. Personally, I like Canon better.

The verdict

Well, there’s basically no verdict here: it all comes down to personal preferences and what you want and need from your photography. If you’re into a more contrasty, sharper look, then Sigma is the option for you. If you prefer creamy bokeh and slightly “softer” look, then you should opt for the Canon. And finally, the price may determine your final choice. If your budget is higher, then go for the $1,900 Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II. And if you wanna save up $700, go for the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art. Hopefully, this comparison and side-by-side images will help you make the final decision.

[Sigma 85mm 1.4 ART Review vs Canon 85mm f1.2L II via FStoppers]

Share
Tweet

Related posts:

Four 85mm lenses resolution compared: Sigma, Tamron, Canon and Zeiss The ultimate 85mm lens shootout: comparing seven lenses from $99 to $4,500 Battle of the 24-70 f/2.8 lenses: how does Sigma Art compare to Canon? Samyang announces compact and lightweight 85mm f/1.4 AF lens for full frame Canon cameras

Filed Under: Gear Tagged With: 85mm, 85mm f/1.2, 85mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.4L IS USM, canon 85mm f/1.4, canon lens, Julia Trotti, Sigma 85mm f/1.4, sigma art, sigma ART 85mm review, sigma art lens

« The RED Hydrogen One is “a $1,300 mess of a phone”
Graduated ND filters or multiple exposures: what is the best option for a landscape photographer? »
  • Peter Hollos

    Why not: Sigma 85 1.4 Art vs. Canon 85 1.4 L IS???

Popular on DIYP

  • This epic video is what happens when a pro racing drone pilot turns on the camera
  • The Nikon Z6 goes head to head with the Sony A7III with some surprising results
  • Canon EOS RP first impressions leave filmmakers disappointed
  • These are five free and simple mobile apps every landscape photographer should install
  • This guy wants to rescue 100,000 film cameras by the year 2020
  • Photographer receives death threats after images suggesting animal abuse go viral
  • Stop Instagram from ruining your videos with this easy technique
  • Atomos Shinobi goes head to head with SmallHD FOCUS 5″ at $75 less
  • These five clever tricks will help you save thousands on camera gear
  • How much should photographers charge in 2018

Recent Comments


Previous Polls

Dunja Djudjic is a writer and photographer from Novi Sad, Serbia. You can see her work on Flickr, Behance and her Facebook page.

John Aldred is based in Scotland and photographs animals in the studio and people in the wild.

You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube and Facebook.

JP Danko is a commercial photographer based in Toronto, Canada. JP
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.

To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.

JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.

Clinton Lofthouse is a Photographer, Retoucher and Digital Artist based in the United Kingdom, who specialises in creative retouching and composites. Proud 80's baby, reader of graphic novels and movie geek!
Find my work on My website or follow me on Facebook or My page

Recent Posts

  • How to create an epic orbiting 360° timelapse rig using PVC pipe and an egg timer
  • How to shoot those crazy dance floor light streak photos with flash
  • Apple makes a Bokeh commercial, uses “bokeh” as a verb and pronounces it wrong
  • Is 4:2:2 video worth it? Can you even tell the difference over 4:2:0?
  • EyeEm and Animoto affected by major security breach – over 47 million accounts compromised

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2019 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy