First impressions of any sort of camera gear are of course, often aesthetic. When I first pulled the new SIGMA 85mm F1.4 DG DN | Art out of the box, I was immediately impressed with the compact size of the lens. Similar to the 35mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art in dimensions, it’s much smaller and lighter than the 85mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art for Canon EF. And it should be, seeing as one of my favorite features of my Sony A7R IV camera is its smaller size. It would certainly seem counterproductive to have a large, heavy lens on my Sony camera when portability is a main benefit.
SIGMA is known for producing fast, sharp, high-quality lenses, and true to form this lens is just that. With the new 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art, I’m able to easily grab focus on a fast-moving toddler wide open at F1.4. This is now definitely the fastest telephoto lens I own. And while I love to use SIGMA’s 85mm lenses for lifestyle photography, they also make amazing portrait lenses. In the image below, I was able to easily grab focus shooting through a screen door at F1.6.
One of the reasons I gravitate towards the 85mm focal length is that I can still capture beautiful bokeh that long lenses are known for at a closer distance to my toddler. This is huge, especially because my daughter is at an age where I need to be near her. Moments with little ones are fleeting, and I’m able to easily capture those moments in a dreamy way without missing a beat.
The SIGMA 85mm F1.4 DG DN | Art — which will soon be available for Sony E-Mount and L-Mount as well — combines all the things I want in a lens. It’s small and lightweight, tack sharp, fast and dreamy. Unlike a 135mm or 105mm lens, I don’t have to stand too far away from my children to capture a moment. Overall, the combination of versatility, portability and exceptional image quality makes this a go-to lens for my mirrorless camera.
