I'm in the market for a new 85mm lens for my Canon 6D. I've never owned an 85mm (only 100mm and above.) I'll be using the lens to capture portraits of my sons (mostly indoors.)
I can't decide whether to purchase a Canon 85mm 1.8 or the Sigma 85mm 1.4.
I'd really appreciate the input of people who have had experience using both lenses.
Does the Sigma perform significantly better than the Canon 85mm 1.8? To you, is worth the extra $400?
Yes. Better sharpness wide open (and it's f1.4), very nice bokeh. AF a little prone to misfocusing unpredicatably. Good on AI servo though. Good value. Color fringing wide open (Canon 85/1.8 has the same issue). Love mine.
I find that the 85mm indoor is sometimes too long for me. Buy the Canon for the following reasons:
1. $400 is a lot of money when the Canon 85mm at f1.8 will get you the result that you want most of the time.
2. Canon 85mm resale value is better than Sigma. I sold mine for pretty much what I paid for. All of the Sigmas that I owned in the past have horrible resale value.
3. My first statement above, I sometimes end up pulling out my zoom or 35mm for indoor. With the $400 that you saved, you can almost buy a 35mm IS or a 50mm f1.4
4. Canon has faster and more accurate focus.
The Sigman go for about 600 used so I would look there from a reputable FMer. I've owned both. IMO the EF 100 f/2 is a significantly better lens than the 85. The Sigma is VERY good and obviously a stop faster if you like to shoot at f/1.4 from time to time.
Vees, I just replied to your message. Now I had a look at your profile and see you have a 50mm and 100mm f2 lenses. In this case definitelly do not get the Canon f1,8 - itīs very simillar to your 100mm f2. If you really think you need a new lens (which I doubt) get the Sigma because itīs different from the lenses you already have.
Genius Petr! I agree. Also, since Vees is an aspiring wedding photographer, why not a 24-70mm f2.8 as a backup?
I find that I get more shots when shooting kids with a zoom than with a prime. I have the 85mm 1.2 and I actually miss a lot because of the slower focusing.
I can't thank you enough for taking the time to reply to this post. It will help me a lot making a final decision. Thank you again.
One final question:
Would you recommend me buying the lens new or used? There's one lens here going for $550, but it's from 2010. Do you think newer lenses are built better or the same as when the lens was released back in 2010?
Thank you again very much for your time.
Robin Smith wrote:
Yes. Better sharpness wide open (and it's f1.4), very nice bokeh. AF a little prone to misfocusing unpredicatably. Good on AI servo though. Good value. Color fringing wide open (Canon 85/1.8 has the same issue). Love mine.
I would wait and see what the Tamron 85 f/1.8 VC brings to the table. These new lenses are very well built, apparently better than Sigma Art, and Tamron lenses have less focus issues than Sigma or is that Stigma for some people. Hopefully reviews aren't too far off.
FWIW I have the Sigma and it's a very nice lens, sharp wide open (if you nail focus) since DoF is so thin you get no leeway for focus errors, so use spot focus if you have a 5D3, 5Ds, etc. Of course stopped down even to f/1.6 it's very sharp and also makes a wonderful landscape lens.
Thank you again very much for your reply. I need to update my gear list. I sold all of my lenses, except one. I currently just have my Canon 35mm F/2. I've already ordered a Sigma 50mm Art. But, I really need to get a portrait lens because my baby is due next month. I like to shoot portraits above the 50mm range.
petr vokurek wrote:
Vees, I just replied to your message. Now I had a look at your profile and see you have a 50mm and 100mm f2 lenses. In this case definitelly do not get the Canon f1,8 - itīs very simillar to your 100mm f2. If you really think you need a new lens (which I doubt) get the Sigma because itīs different from the lenses you already have.
The Canon 85 f/1.8 is going to be very similar to the Canon 100mm f/2 if you had that in the past. The Sigma 85 f/1.4 is $100 off right now if that helps. I just purchased the Sigma 85 to use on a Sony body, and plan to use it for portraits. However, the Sigma 50 Art should work very nicely for baby portraits, so you may want to see how that lens works out.
I shot the 85L, the Sigma, and the Canon 1.8 back to back to back. I didn't micro adjust, but they were pretty good off the shelves. The 1.8 is sharper than the Sigma, almost as close as the 85L. The Sigma is nice, but not worth twice the price new.
I went with the Canon because it was almost as good for a significantly less investment.
myboostedgst wrote:
I shot the 85L, the Sigma, and the Canon 1.8 back to back to back. I didn't micro adjust, but they were pretty good off the shelves. The 1.8 is sharper than the Sigma, almost as close as the 85L. The Sigma is nice, but not worth twice the price new.
I went with the Canon because it was almost as good for a significantly less investment.
Was the Sigma AFMA'd? This report is contrary to other opinions.
The Canon is very good for the price. I sold mine because I have the 100L macro lens and it relegated the 85 to the closet.
Hi Vees, got a bit late to your topic. Lots of good suggestions already. I just want to add that for someone like you, who start all over buying lenses, I recommend to first think ahead about what your total kit would need to look like. I mean you may find yourself buying an 85mm for shooting children and next wonder what you will use for other subjects. So if I understand correctly you had an 100/2 and 50/1.4 and you sold those and you now have a 35/2, right? I heard someone mention weddings. If you want to do those, a 35/85 combo is useful but if you only have one body it can be a pain to change lenses so quickly. Weddings are fast paced at times. If you want to stick with a one body setup, a zoom may serve you better for weddings and a 24-70/2.8 for instance will also make nice portraits. Of course if your budget is endless by all means get the 85 but if it isn't then imagine yourself three years from now shooting what you want to shoot.
I've had both and prefer the Canon, even if both would cost the same. I use 85mm quite a bit, for portraits and sometimes just as a walk-around lens. So at some point I thought, I'd "upgrade" it to the Sigma. After some use, I never warmed up to the color rendering, and the AF was sometimes not consistent (it was mostly ok, but sometimes missed by a few inches). Sharpness wasn't any better than the Canon, even when focus was spot on, but then again my sample of the Canon 85/1.8 is very sharp even wide open. The only thing the Sigma had going for it in the end was a bit more subject isolation (f/1.4 vs 1.8), but that was barely noticeable. So after a while I sold it and kept using my Canon 85/1.8. Here's a sample from each.
Thank you so much indeed for that detailed explanation on your experience.
Thorsten wrote:
I've had both and prefer the Canon, even if both would cost the same. I use 85mm quite a bit, for portraits and sometimes just as a walk-around lens. So at some point I thought, I'd "upgrade" it to the Sigma. After some use, I never warmed up to the color rendering, and the AF was sometimes not consistent (it was mostly ok, but sometimes missed by a few inches). Sharpness wasn't any better than the Canon, even when focus was spot on, but then again my sample of the Canon 85/1.8 is very sharp even wide open. The only thing the Sigma had going for it in the end was a bit more subject isolation (f/1.4 vs 1.8), but that was barely noticeable. So after a while I sold it and kept using my Canon 85/1.8. Here's a sample from each.
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to this post and for your valuable input.
Yea, I do plan on shooting weddings again, but, I will not be doing that for several years. And I would get me a second body if I ever do. I've gotten used to the quality and crispness of my former prime lenses.
Right now I'll be focused on raising my young children. My new Sigma 50mm Art will suffice, but for outdoor portraits and family portraits, I've decided to buy the Sigma 85mm.
All thanks to everybody's feedback.
rabbitmountain wrote:
Hi Vees, got a bit late to your topic. Lots of good suggestions already. I just want to add that for someone like you, who start all over buying lenses, I recommend to first think ahead about what your total kit would need to look like. I mean you may find yourself buying an 85mm for shooting children and next wonder what you will use for other subjects. So if I understand correctly you had an 100/2 and 50/1.4 and you sold those and you now have a 35/2, right? I heard someone mention weddings. If you want to do those, a 35/85 combo is useful but if you only have one body it can be a pain to change lenses so quickly. Weddings are fast paced at times. If you want to stick with a one body setup, a zoom may serve you better for weddings and a 24-70/2.8 for instance will also make nice portraits. Of course if your budget is endless by all means get the 85 but if it isn't then imagine yourself three years from now shooting what you want to shoot.
I would like to thank each one again for your valuable input.
After doing extensive research and, exchanging private messages with other users, the majority of photographers seemed very happy with their Sigmas and recommended the lens over the Canon 1.8 in terms of sharpness, image quality, and bokeh quality. Many claimed that the Sigma performed very close to Canon's 85mm L. Even recent reviews of the Sigma 85mm praised its performance.
Based on that majority of positive reviews and experiences, I decided to purchase a new copy from Japan, which was only $700. The eBay seller has had over 5000 reviews, of which less than 10 have been negative. The seller is actually a pretty nice camera store in Japan and they offer a 1-Year warranty, with a turnaround repair time of 2 weeks. The seller also offers hassle-free returns (with paid postage back) if the lens malfunctions within 14 days.
I decided to purchase directly from Japan because of the warranty offered and ten seller's outstanding reputation. Grey market items sold in the US by US sellers have zero warranty coverage from such sellers.
Another reason why I ended buying new is because the cheapest copies I could find used were $600 or above, and with many, many years of use. I paid the extra $100 for a new lens.
On a final note: I will be buying a software (FoCal Plus) wich can check how my Canon 6D performs with my lenses, and can automatically calibrate / microadjust each lens for the most accurate focus.
Vees_3188 wrote:
I would like to thank each one again for your valuable input.
After doing extensive research and, exchanging private messages with other users, the majority of photographers seemed very happy with their Sigmas and recommended the lens over the Canon 1.8 in terms of sharpness, image quality, and bokeh quality. Many claimed that the Sigma performed very close to Canon's 85mm L. Even recent reviews of the Sigma 85mm praised its performance.
Based on that majority of positive reviews and experiences, I decided to purchase a new copy from Japan, which was only $700. The eBay seller has had over 5000 reviews, of which less than 10 have been negative. The seller is actually a pretty nice camera store in Japan and they offer a 1-Year warranty, with a turnaround repair time of 2 weeks. The seller also offers hassle-free returns (with paid postage back) if the lens malfunctions within 14 days.
I decided to purchase directly from Japan because of the warranty offered and ten seller's outstanding reputation. Grey market items sold in the US by US sellers have zero warranty coverage from such sellers.
Another reason why I ended buying new is because the cheapest copies I could find used were $600 or above, and with many, many years of use. I paid the extra $100 for a new lens.
On a final note: I will be buying a software (FoCal Plus) wich can check how my Canon 6D performs with my lenses, and can automatically calibrate / microadjust each lens for the most accurate focus. ...Show more →
I also own a Sigma 85 and like it very much.
One caveat, though. Based on many user and professional reviews I've read, and as with some other Sigma lenses, it seems like getting a copy that autofocuses well with your camera can be somewhat hit and miss. There's even a name for this--"the Sigma lottery." The problem is that AF can be inconsistent--sometimes back focusing and sometimes front focusing--such that it can't be corrected with mfa.
So I'd recommend you do some testing with your new lens when you receive it to make sure that it AF's well with your camera. If it doesn't, hopefully you can send it back. But chances are it will be fine.
BTW, don't expect perfect AF, particularly at f/1.4. With such thin dof, you're bound to get some misfocused shots. But if the lens is AFing properly, you should get a reasonable proportion of keepers.
