SIGMA AF 85mm F1.4 DG HSM | A - CANON

The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens hit the streets with great anticipation and generated many requests for a full review. Reasons for the interest? First, the 85mm focal length is useful - especially for portraits. Second, the f/1.4 aperture is wide - allowing 16x as much light into the camera as many consumer zooms at their f/5.6 max 85mm apertures (2x as much light for each stop times 4 stops) with the ability to create a strongly-blurred background. In addition, the Sigma 85 features excellent build quality, HSM AF and a demand-inducingly low price.

When I see the specs this lens has, my immediate thought is that it is an ideal portrait photography lens.

 Classic portrait focal lengths fall into the 85mm to 135mm range (after FOVCF is factored in).

An 85mm lens hits the bottom figure on a full frame lens and, at a 136mm angle of view equivalent, is essentially still in the ideal portrait range on an APS-C 1.5x or 1.6x body.

This focal length combined with a super-wide aperture creates a shallow DOF (Depth of Field) at this short focus distance (notice that the slightly-more-distant eye is starting to go out of focus).

 When shooting 85mm f/1.4 portraits at this distance, attempt to position the subject's face so that the plane of sharp focus runs across the mouth and both eyes.

If you want both eyes and ears to be sharp, a narrower aperture is necessary. I will include more portrait samples in the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Lens.

 sample pictures gallery (and will provide more insight into shooting portraits with an aperture this wide).

Notice how the shallow DOF examples focus the viewer's attention on the subject by eliminating the distracting background.

 I love it. Also, it seems that there is always enough light to handhold a camera at f/1.4 - even without image stabilization.