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| p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Sigma 85mm vs Nikon 85mm 1.4D vs Nikon 85mm 1.4G - The good, the bad and the ugly. | |
Santa brought me an Sigma 85mm 1.4 Santa meaning my fiancee. Sadly I've already returned the lens as I told my fiancee I really need a 400mm F2.8 VR more than anything else. In any event, I've now used all 3 lenses, owned all 3, etc. I know many are curious of the differences, value, etc. Here is my take on it.
Nikon 85mm 1.4D
If you own the lens run and hide. I wouldn't in all honestly pay more than $500 for one right now. For the longest time this was a great portrait lens with numerous flaws. It was a sharp portrait lens with really great bokeh. In my opinion the best bokeh between all 3.
Flaws.
1. Bad physical design. My two main issues being the screw in metal hood and the fact the rear element sits basically flush against the mount making it easily damaged.
2. Poor AF performance and no AF motor. If you using lower end bodies there is no AF and if you using higher end bodies the AF performance is poor. Even on a D3s/D3x the AF is slow and not overly accurate.
3. CA can be harsh at the best of times and is easily the worst of the 3 in this category.
Nikon 85mm 1.4G
I owned one of the very first and had my pick of roughly half a dozen that I sampled. This lens was everything that the 85mm 1.4D was not. It had a good AF motor that was capable of tracking moving subjects with accuracy. Not incredibly fast, but think of a bride and father walking down the aisle. With that alone it was worth the cost upgrade.
The image quality on the lens is top notch. CA is still some what iffy under certain circumstances but is improved over the 85mm 1.4D. Shooting wide open at F1.4 the lens is sharp.
Build quality is the best of the 3 lenses hands down.
Flaws.
1. Price tag. Nikon seems to enjoy raising prices during economic turmoil. There's no real other downside to the lens.
Sigma 85mm 1.4
Man people despise sigma, swear they'll never use them, etc. I'm not one of them. Certain sigma lenses are great and often better than Canon and Nikon made lenses. This is not totally the case with this lens.
AF performance is the best of the 3 lenses, hands down, no comparison. I was surprised at just how fast the Sigma focused even compared to the 85mm 1.4G. Again it's not as fast as a 70-200 or 200 F2 but it's definitely a huge improvement. AF accuracy is on par with the 85mm 1.4G and way better than the 85mm 1.4D.
The lens is equally as sharp if not slightly sharper at the center shot wide open at F1.4. The 85mm 1.4G is sharper in the corners. I wouldn't say this is a noticeable difference, very slight if anything. You would probably only see a difference with large prints such as a 16x24 and up.
CA is better on the Sigma 85mm than it is the 85mm 1.4D. I would say the 85mm 1.4G is the best of the 3.
Flaws.
1. Build quality is not as good as the 85mm 1.4G. It's a sigma and will always have the stigma as being a sigma.
2. I have found the lens will shoot rather than hunt for the right focus. To some this may not be an issue but for me it was an annoyance. Besides that the AF performance is the best of the 3.
3. The colors and contrast were not as good as they are on the 85mm 1.4G.
Conclusion.
It's a real tough one. For me I still prefer the 85mm 1.4G simply because it does have a better build quality, handles CA better and the colors/contrast just seem more pleasant. That being said optically the Sigma is at least equal to the 85mm 1.4G and the AF performance is faster. Note I say faster. I refuse to say better overall since the 85mm 1.4G has a nice smooth AF that has a good speed where as the Sigma 85mm feels snappy. Basically you can feel the torque in the lens. My only issue with that is how well it will handle over time. I always find lenses with high end torque in the AF have a higher failure rate.
In low light the 85mm 1.4G and Sigma are basically equal and substantially better than the 85mm 1.4D.
I think what it boils down to it what you are most likely to use the lens for. I feel the Nikon 85mm 1.4G is worth every penny as it's a really well built lens that has advantages over the Sigma. I honestly feel they are both really good lenses and you can't go wrong with either one. I would still take the Nikon 85mm 1.4G over the Sigma 85mm, again it's preference.
The only issue I still have with Sigma is quality control as I've seem several reviews online stating the AF performance in the lens can be poor. My experience showed it has a great AF motor but I can't help but wonder if their quality control isn't up to snuff.
I stick by what I say, the 85mm 1.4D is not worth more than $500 USED right now. I dont understand how anybody could justify paying more for it when for a couple hundred more the Sigma 85mm is right there and is an improvement in every way shape and form.
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