My First Portrait Sessions Using the Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG Art Lens

The 135mm focal length has long been regarded as a beloved companion to portrait photographers, offering optic compression that our clients really love, with a quality that keeps them coming back. Sigma took this one step further and designed the first-ever F1.4 version of the 135mm – something that immediately perked up my ears as a shallow-depth-of-field photographer! I’ve never seen such a long focal length with such a wide aperture. What a dream come true! I was so eager to get my hands on the Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG | Art lens.

First Impressions

Straight out of the box, I was immediately wowed by the size. It’s actually small for what it is! Telephoto lenses are known for being larger beasts (with heavy weight to boot), mainly because the optical construction often demands it, but this one manages to be relatively compact. Most of the length you see here is the lens hood, which of course, you won’t always need.

Having become used to the old 135mm F1.8 DG HSM | Art for DSLR, to see a wider aperture at a smaller size broke my brain a little bit.

The lens barrel itself comes equipped with an AFL button in two locations, which can be assigned to a range of functions. As a Sony user (I had this lens paired with my A7R V), I usually assign autofocus functions to these. They are very conveniently placed, my fingers can find both buttons very easily. Like other newer Sigma lenses, the lens is also equipped with an aperture ring lock switch and a click switch to turn the click on and off, making aperture adjustments on the lens easy to navigate (and confident that they won’t knock off due to an accidental slip of the hand).

The high-quality, durable construction is also something I have grown very accustomed to with Sigma’s lenses, whether they are Art, Sports, or Contemporary. This 135mm is no exception. I know I can take this lens anywhere and it’ll handle the conditions like a champ. Plus, the lens looks beautiful and sleek – my clients can visually tell I am using high-quality gear.

Of course, none of the above matters unless the image quality is there – and that led me to three very different kinds of photo shoots to test it all out.

Elisabeth’s Shoot – A Classic Goth Hang

The 135mm’s first adventure led us to the ghosts! It was wonderful to photograph professional model Elisabeth in one of the oldest cemeteries in Southern California (that is open for photographing). The location features a stunning mausoleum and old graves, some with notable names featured on them. Out of respect for the loved ones laid to rest, we made sure not to stand on any graves and found only open areas to be in.

I felt like the 135mm F1.4 DG | Art lens really shined for this particular set-up, you can really see how well designed the lens is for portraiture specifically! The wide open F1.4 allowed the location to provide enough context for the shoot, but not enough detail to reveal any names – keeping everything anonymous and not the primary focus. The bokeh appearance itself is notable, with the out-of-focus areas looking very natural!

The sharpness, as is customary for Sigma lenses, was out of this world. You could see every single detail that Elisabeth put into her makeup, hair, and wardrobe – even from quite a distance away. This was especially evident when I changed the photographs to black-and-white, referencing classic gothic portraiture such as Vampira!

Rosie’s Shoot – Best Friend at the Beach

With the weather being so perfect, I soaked in the California sun and traveled to Malibu to photograph Rosie and her beloved boy Theo at their favorite pup-friendly beach. I loved how easily the lens transitioned from capturing portraits of Rosie to immediately shooting action shots of Theo playing in the water! A lens that is this versatile and capable always has a permanent spot in my kit, because I so often change subjects throughout the day.

With Theo running around with his favorite (deflated) soccer ball, the autofocus really shined. The 135mm F1.4 DG | Art lens utilized dual HLA for fast and accurate autofocus, and paired with my Sony A7R V, it’s an unstoppable combination. There wasn’t really any shot that wasn’t tack sharp. So at that point, all that mattered was which photo had the best Theo pose!

Alongside that, as is customary for our beaches, the wind kicked up as the sun began to set. The blowing of sand, water spray, oil (eek), and who-knows-what-else on the beach was once a big ol’ hazard for camera equipment. Not for this lens – the 135mm was built to be dust and splash-resistant, as well as the frontmost surface of the lens having a water and oil-repellent coating applied. Two hours at the beach and the lens looked completely untouched.

Veronica’s Shoot – Big Bokeh at Horsetown, USA

The third adventure took me to Horsetown USA, a famous equestrian town where everything has gone to the horses (including the Starbucks drive-through, specially designed to take your order on horseback)! This is where I was welcomed onto the beautiful ranch owned by Veronica and her spouse, that features sweet rescued horses, romping pups, and many chickens!

I really wanted to show the cinematic and story-telling qualities of the 135mm F1.4 DG | Art, which is a big staple of my work as a whole. I asked Veronica if I could just tag along on her daily ride, photographing everything from tacking her horse to enjoying the neighborhood trail and her arena. With the sun setting right behind us, the 135mm demonstrated its useful ability to minimize flaring and ghosting, something that I find incredibly useful when I’m capturing these kinds of portraits.

I will say, this day was rather hot, so the thermally-stable composite structure of this lens kept it from turning into hot lava in my hands (and keeping the internal components safe). The lighter-weight of this particular 135mm also made it much easier to chase after Veronica and her steed, with the ergonomics making the moveability very much possible (versus the original 135mm lens I had, which is… a beast in comparison).

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, I loved everything about this lens. From the design itself, to the weight-distribution in my hands, sharpness, anti-ghosting and flaring, versatility, and accurate autofocus – I can’t think of anything to criticize about this Artful masterpiece (see what I did there? It’s an Art lens, get it?).

Check out this portrait powerhouse for yourself

Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG | Art

All Sigma Art Prime Lenses

Model Credits:

• Elisabeth (@elisawiitch)
• Rosie Weir
• Veronica Shelby (@veronicashelbz and @orangecountymermaid)