artsf Offline Upload & Sell: Off
|
I am wary of third party lenses, they are not serviced by CPS, don’t hold their value, somestimes have AF issues and long term support but even more importantly they are not equivalent to L-series rendering. What I appreciate most about Canon, it is their strong focus on lens rendering/drawing instead of simply technical sharpness. Sigma and Sony, in particular, seem to optimize their products for dxomark score which fails to capture rendering, perhaps, the most important aspect of photography. At the end of the day, it is overall look/feel of the image that matters most not pixel level. I viewed hundreds of Sigma Art 50, 85 and 135 images on flickr and 500px and it is simply not the same. IMO, Sigma Art 85 is not even close to 85L for color. I can’t see all of the sharpness at iPad Pro resolution and my max print size is 24x36. I am a sucker for insane cinematic Canon L-colors (think 200mm f2)
tiggy wrote:
So, it appears you really need a better 135, or an 85 with a better mfd.
Options:
1) You could choose to keep the 135 and live with a "poorer" image quality, although it'll still shoot as well as it always did. It's natural that photographers will discover over time that there is something to be gained by upgrading, but this isn't as often required as it is exercised.
2) You could swap for the 85, which strikes me as moving to a perceived better image quality with a lens that doesn't suit your purpose. Likely the least good option. Plus which, this might be justifiable were it the new 85 f/1.4, but the IQ increment isn't going to be so great with the older one, wider aperture notwithstanding.
3) Better still the Sigma 135 Art has an mfd even closer than that of the canon 135, and the image quality hasn't yet been equaled near that focal length in an autofocus lens. One can be had used for around $1100.
I think your line of inquiry is a good and healthy one, but to really be inquiring you need to visit a shop and try out some of the third party options (and maybe the new Canon 85 v/1.4 too).
An 85 doesn't sound like the right thing for you based on your interpretation of results, although maybe one of the third party ones squeaks in due to shorter mfd. If you stick with 135, I doubt you'd be displeased with the Sigma. I find myself shooting that lens completely inappropriately just because the IQ is so amazing. Was doing close-in action with the kids yesterday and didn't want to switch to something wider just because.
...Show more →
|