Hi, I currently own a sigma 85 1.4, but I don't take a lot of portraits, actually I only used the lens once since I bought it, so I am thinking to downgrade this lens. Nikon 85 1.8g seems to get a lot of positive reviews here and there. Have anyone compared these two lens side by side? For these two lens, sharpness is not a concern for me, so I am very interested to find out the bokeh and AF speed difference. Is Nikon's bokeh as good as siggy's? Can I use Nikon for occasional indoor action? Thanks a lot!
I recently acquired the Nikon 85mm f/1.8, and the first thing I noticed is excessive fringing wide open, at about the same level as the D version. So unless you need the money, I think Sigma is likely a better value.
For what little used price difference there is, I'd keep the Sigma(if you have a good one). I've owned both and did lots of testing between the two. The Nikon starts to catch up in sharpness by 2.5 or so, but I liked the Sigma bokeh much better. I also thought the Sigma focused a bit faster, but not by much.
As mentioned above, the fringing can alaso be an issue. I sold the Nikon and kept the Sigma.
I am the opposite, I am satisfied with the nikon. The sigma was too unreliable. I am loving the nikon one, especially on the D4, it focuses so fast.
But in your case, why on earth would you consider selling for a few bucks difference, the resale value on the sigma is aweful, if you don't use it, then keep it or sell it all together & get a focal length you are going to use.
I've got both. They are both great optically. The pro's for the Nikon is very light and cheap. It will not match the Sigma's focusing speed. The pro's for the Sigma is 1.4 and the focus speed. When things are moving I'd much rather have the Sigma. I think the Siggy has better bokeh too.
Can't go wrong with either. I think I'll eventually sell my Nikon and keep the Sigma.
I've yet to try the Siggy 85/1.4 in a Nikon mount, but loved it when I shot Canon. I had a good copy that was fairly consistent so that really, really helps.
As for the Nikkor 85/1.8G, I love it. The Bokeh for me works. Here's a shot from my Daughter's wedding reception @ f/5.6 and it still looks great.
The price, IQ, AF, and build quality cant be beat for what I need it for!
I use both and both are just excellent.
When I want to play with very thin DOF and If I don't care about weight, I go for the Sigma, other than that, when I want a high quality light lens, I take the Nikon.
you guys have some good points here, I am not a pro and lot of things have been going on in my life so I did not shoot much in the last couple of months. I do expect to use 85mm about once a month in the near future. So I do want to keep an 85mm around.
If money isn't a huge concern, maybe a 70-200mm would fit the bill? You may find that you use it more than a 85mm and you can use it as an 85mm (granted, with obvious drawbacks).
At least for me, when I think I'm going to use a lens once a month, it turns into once every 3 months... It becomes more of a rent candidate.
If you dont use it much then the heavier Sigma will be an insignificant advantage of the Nikkor, in that case why "downgrade"? You have a more capable lens with faster AF and better IQ.
I'm unsure why people seem to think the Sigma is sharper than the G. Heck the old 1.8D was sharper than the Sigma unless you were shooting 1.4 which the lens doesn't have.
The Sigma lens to put it nicely is known to have a jackhammer AF.
