Sigma has officially announced their first ever f/1.4 DG DN Art lens, designed specifically for full frame mirrorless cameras. The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art lens for E and L mount is less than 55% of the weight of the existing 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM | Art, but is able to offer improved image quality for Sony E-mount users, and for L-mount full-frame mirrorless cameras from Panasonic, Leica and Sigma.
The new Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art lens promises to offer "unparalleled optical performance, a compact and lightweight body, robust build quality and high-speed AF". It has give Special Low Dispersion (SLD) elements and one aspherical element to help control optical aberrations, including flare, ghosting and chromatic aberration. This could help make this new 85mm f/1.4 an excellent lightweight option for wedding and portrait photographers looking for a top quality piece of glass.
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The optical design of the lens is apparently completely different to the existing 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM lens in Sigma's line-up, which although available for Sony E-mount, was designed for DSLRs.
In addition to the five SLD elements and one aspherical element, the 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art has also received the latest high-refractive glass, which works to correct aberrations that cannot be effectively handled by in-camera correction, including axial chromatic aberration. This means that users should be able to enjoy sharp images with no color bleeding all the way up to f/1.4.
Sigma's lens designers have also conducted numerous rounds of ray-trace simulations and repeated real-world testing to reduce flare and ghosting. This means that users should be able to expect clear, high-contrast images even if they're shooting in backlit conditions where they might ordinarily encounter flare.
One of the most exciting aspects of this newly announced lens is its size and weight. While mirrorless cameras have long been touted as the lightweight answer to clunky DSLRs, mirrorless lenses have often proved disappointingly large and heavy. However, the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art is only 630g, which is almost half the weight of the original 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens (1,215g).
The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art will go on sale on 27 August and the suggested retail price is £999 / $1199.
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