The gold standard in portrait lenses for DSLRs.
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from
£999
from
£999
With a perfect focal length for portraits, the SIGMA 85mm F1.4 is the prime lens of choice for many professional portrait and wedding photographers and film-makers. Designed to operate with ultra-high resolution DSLRs, its exceptional optical quality provides ultra-sharp in-focus results right across the frame, and the lens is also well known for its pleasing out-of-focus rendering when shooting with a shallow depth-of-field. As well as portraits, the lens is often used for landscape photography owing to its razor-sharp optics.
The 85mm has a very wide aperture of F1.4, providing fast shutter speeds in lower light conditions and a very shallow depth-of-field for blurry backgrounds. The lens has an advanced optical design with two SLD elements and one aspherical element, which help ensure a clear image throughout the plane free of chromatic aberration, vignetting and distortion.
The superb build quality of the 85mm F1.4 DG HSM is exactly as you’d expect from an Art-line lens, both in its intuitive ergonomics and in the quality of craftsmanship.
The lens’ outer barrel is made of a polycarbonate called Thermally Stable Composite (TSC), which is not only strong and light, but has a similar thermal expansion rate to aluminium. This ensures that the interior aluminium parts and the exterior TSC parts behave in the same way as temperatures change.
The focus ring is rubberised for easier operation, and focusing is internal, meaning the lens never changes length.
To reduce flare and ghosting in bright sunlight, and to help protect the front element from damage if dropped, the lens has a robust petal-type lens hood.
The durable brass mount is surrounded by a rubber seal to help keep out dust and moisture.
Precision brass mount with seal
Protects against dust and moisture.
Focus Mode switch
For changing between AF and MF.
TSC construction
Made from a strong and light polycarbonate that behaves in a similar way to aluminium.
Focus ring
A large, rubberised ring with a smooth action. Focusing is internal.
Petal-type lens hood
Cuts down on flare while limiting vignetting.
The 85mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art for DSLRs delivers remarkable optical quality that makes it one of the most popular portraits lenses on the market. It renders detail beautifully right into the corners even wide open at F1.4.
The lens has an advanced optical design made up of 14 elements in 12 groups, including 1 aspherical element and 2 SLD elements. This ensures razor-sharp results with very minimal chromatic aberration, flare, distortion and vignetting.
An advanced Super Multi-Layer Coating helps to reduce flare and ghosting when working in bright direct sunlight, creating high-contrast images with rich colours and strong blacks.
As is true of all SIGMA Global Vision lenses, the 85mm F1.4 produces images with vivid and true-to-life colours straight out of camera. This is partly thanks to the exceptional control of flare, which keeps image saturation high.
The 85mm F1.4 and 105mm F1.4 are two of the most popular portrait lenses on the market for DSLR users. Both have F1.4 apertures, which creates a very shallow depth-of-field, and both have exceptionally sharp optics. At 1,645g the 105mm is considerably heavier so may be less suitable for all-day hand-held shooting. It is sometimes nicknamed the ‘bokeh master’ for its smooth and attractive out-of-focus areas.
1,130g
in weight
126.2mm
in length
1,645g
in weight
131.5mm
in length
All Sigma cameras and lenses are designed, manufactured and assembled at our sole factory at Aizu in Japan. This domestic production model is unusual in today’s industry, with most imaging companies opting to outsource to other countries to reduce costs. But SIGMA believes that keeping virtually all manufacturing, processing and assembly in Aizu is essential for creating innovative, carefully thought-out and impeccably constructed products that meet the high standards demanded by professional photographers and film-makers around the world.
Sigma chose Aizu as its main production base in the early 1970s. Situated at the base of Mount Bandai in the Fukushima Prefecture, about four hours’ drive north of Tokyo, Aizu has an abundance of very clean water from mountain streams, which is essential for grinding and polishing lenses. Sigma’s founder, Michihiro Yamaki, was also drawn to this area for its workforce, who have a reputation for their craftsmanship, work ethic and attention to detail. Mr Yamaki’s son, Kazuto Yamaki, now the owner and CEO of SIGMA Corporation, has the same unwavering commitment to keeping production in Japan.
Today Sigma’s factory is more than 50,000 square feet in size, and packed full of some of the most advanced optical manufacturing technology in existence. So when you buy a Sigma camera or lens you can be sure that virtually every single component part has been manufactured and assembled by SIGMA, in Japan, with the greatest level of care and attention. We hope you enjoy using our products.
If you want to see how a particular SIGMA lens or camera performs, why not test drive it with our SIGMA Select hire service. Available for selected SIGMA lenses, short-term loans are free of charge (including shipping), with a small fee if you want to test it for longer. Refundable deposit required. Subject to availability.
Lens construction
14 elements in 12 groups
Angle of view
28.6°
Number of diaphragm blades
9 (rounded diaphragm)
Minimum aperture
F16
Minimum focusing distance
85cm
Maximum magnification ratio
1:8.5
Filter thread
86mm
Dimensions (diameter x length)
ø94.7mm × 126.2mm
Weight
1,130g
Corresponding AF mounts
Canon EF | Nikon F | Sigma SA
Canon EF barcode
00-85126-321543
Nikon F barcode
00-85126-321550
Sigma SA barcode
00-85126-321567
Specifications are for Sigma SA mount
A special coating applied to the front element to help repel water and oil.
This suppresses flare and ghosting by minimising reflections within the lens, ensuring punchy, high-contrast results. All lenses in the current Sigma range feature this technology.
Internal focus or an inner focus system means the lens configuration uses movable internal lens elements that adjust focus without changing the length of the lens barrel. This helps keep the centre of gravity of the lens more constant when changing focus.
Sigma’s Hypersonic Motor (HSM) uses ultrasonic waves to drive the autofocus mechanism. It is extremely quiet, fast and accurate, so is well suited to a wide range of photo and video applications.
The lens has an image circle large enough to be used on a full-frame camera. It can also be used on cameras with a smaller ‘crop’ sensor, provided the mount is compatible.
The lens has a filter thread around the front element onto which filters and filter holders can be attached.
The mount is the part of the lens that attaches to the camera body. A coated brass mount is used for strength, and is surrounded by a rubber seal to keep out dust and moisture.
This switch toggles between autofocus and manual focus.
The diaphragm is constructed of nine rounded blades for a circular aperture opening and round out-of-focus highlights.
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