Sigma 105mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art review

This new ‘bokeh master’ lens from Sigma aims for portrait perfection, putting competitors in the shade

Sigma 105mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens

Digital Camera World Verdict

There’s no denying this is a big, heavy and expensive lens, but the Sigma 105mm f/1.4 Art delivers sumptuous image quality with immense sharpness and clarity, along with beautifully soft and creamy blur. For portraiture, it’s spectacular.

Pros

  • +

    Incredibly sharp and clear

  • +

    Bokeh is near-perfectly smooth

  • +

    Addition of weather seals

Cons

  • -

    Will dent your wallet

  • -

    As heavy as a telephoto lens

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Competing in the ring of ultimate portrait primes, Sigma’s latest Art lens is up against pro-grade favourites, including the Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM, Nikon AF-S 105mm f/1.4E ED and Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 G Master. The Sigma overshadows them all, if only in physical size and weight: it’s heavier than most 70-200mm f/2.8 telephoto zooms.

The optical design is based on 17 elements, laid out in 12 groups. These include three top-performance FLD (Fluorite-grade Low Dispersion) elements, two SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements, and one aspherical element. Multi-layer coatings are applied and a fluorine coating is added to the front element, to repel moisture and fingerprints. Unlike many of Sigma’s older Art lenses, this one has weather seals, including a rubber gasket on the mounting plate.

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Matthew Richards

Matthew Richards is a photographer and journalist who has spent years using and reviewing all manner of photo gear. He is Digital Camera World's principal lens reviewer – and has tested more primes and zooms than most people have had hot dinners! 

His expertise with equipment doesn’t end there, though. He is also an encyclopedia  when it comes to all manner of cameras, camera holsters and bags, flashguns, tripods and heads, printers, papers and inks, and just about anything imaging-related. 

In an earlier life he was a broadcast engineer at the BBC, as well as a former editor of PC Guide.