At a glance:<\/p>\n
Price $1,899 \/ \u00a31,649<\/p>\n
Filter thread: 109mm<\/p>\n
Leica L and Sony E-mount<\/p>\n
Weather-sealed construction<\/p>\n
135.5mm long, 1430g<\/p>\n
I wonder how much the 135mm focal length is on the radar of anyone other than those looking for a portrait lens<\/a>. It isn\u2019t really considered a \u2018regular\u2019 lens, but it has a unique position between the \u2018moderate telephotos\u2019 at the 70mm\/85mm\/105mm mark, and what I\u2019d consider \u2018long telephotos\u2019 from 180mm onwards. The 150mm sits in about the same area, but we don\u2019t see too many of those either, these days.\u00a0<\/p>\n There\u2019s a special place in my heart for the 135mm, as my third interchangeable lens was a Pentax 135mm f\/3.5 for my Chinon CM4. I had what I considered to be some success with it at college and it played a significant part in the beginnings of my love of street photography. So when this new Sigma version was announced, it had my attention immediately.\u00a0<\/p>\n But on reflection, I realised that as much as I used to love that focal length, I haven\u2019t used a 135mm fixed lens for a very long time. With its dramatically wide maximum aperture of f\/1.4 and Sigma\u2019s recent excellent performance in my head, I was ready to love this \u00a31649 lens before I\u2019d even requested it for review. And that\u2019s not a healthy position for a reviewer to take.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG DN Art \u2013 Features<\/p>\n This new Sigma Art lens is designed specifically for full-frame mirrorless cameras and comes in versions for the Leica L-mount or Sony\u2019s E mount \u2013 this example is for L and was tested on the Lumix S1R ll<\/a>. The great attraction, of course, is that f\/1.4 maximum aperture, which is a whole 2\/3rd of a stop larger than the f\/1.8 lens that came before it. I suspect the 1.66x more light entering the lens may be less of a draw for most photographers than the reduced depth-of-field and enhanced subject isolation that this super-wide maximum aperture will achieve.<\/p>\n Long wide-aperture lenses like this have been somewhat prone to chromatic separations in the past, that leave some wavelengths unfocused and\/or coloured fringed about high contrast edges. But Sigma assures us that its use of four elements made in its Fluorite-like FLD glasses and two aspherical elements will avoid this and deliver sharpness and clarity right across the frame.\u00a0<\/p>\n That massive f\/1.4 maximum aperture is achieved using a 13-bladed iris. It closes to f\/16, via in-camera controls or by the manual ring on the lens that can click at 1\/3rd stop intervals, or not at all once the ring is de-clicked.\u00a0<\/p>\n Heavier lenses like this can put a strain on a camera\u2019s mount, so Sigma provides us with a tripod foot to take the weight away from the camera. This is moulded with an Arca-Swiss fitting that will slide directly into tripod heads designed for this standard. The collar\u2019s restraining knob can be loosened to allow the lens to rotate or for the foot to be removed entirely.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG DN Art \u2013 Build and handling<\/p>\n Sigma has been making its Art series since 2012, and has garnered plenty of experience in the manufacture of lenses that have a premium feel and finish. My test sample arrived clothed in bubble wrap and without the usual fancy packaging. But even nestled in its bed of polystyrene chips in a humble brown box, it was able to provoke a feeling of confidence in me that I was in for a very good experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n The lens is thickset and solid like a bulldog\u2019s head, and it weighs more than its size might indicate \u2013 it requires a degree of force to lift that surprised me almost every time I picked it up. With a 105mm front element one might expect all that weight to be shifted to the front of the barrel, but Sigma has managed to find a way to position the weight in the middle of the construction so it sits over the thread on the tripod foot.<\/p>\n For the reviewer looking for new things to write about, Sigma\u2019s standardisation of the Art lens layout is a little frustrating. But for the user, it presents a consistency across the range that means you\u2019ll know where everything is without having to take your eye from the viewfinder, whichever lens is mounted on your camera. This 135mm f\/1.4 has the usual AF\/MF sliding switch, a click\/declick slider for the aperture ring, and a lock for that ring so it can be restrained in the manual range or in Auto mode. We have a pair of custom buttons that can be customised to activate one of 18 settings in the camera, such as AF modes, AF\/AE lock and depth-of-field preview.\u00a0<\/p>\n Once you are over the weight of the lens, you\u2019ll find it very comfortable to use. But when hand-holding, you\u2019ll need to adjust your grip, so the left hand is supporting the lens. Otherwise it will be too much to handle for a long shoot.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG DN Art \u2013 Autofocus<\/p>\n The Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG Art lens uses a pair of floating focus groups to help shift the right amount of glass inside the barrel. This allows it to find focus quickly and with as little distortion as possible. And it works.\u00a0<\/p>\n I used the lens on the Lumix S1R ll and S5 to see how it performed being driven by both phase detection and contrast detection systems, and I found it extremely able in either case. That Panasonic\u2019s DFD contrast-detection system may not have a great reputation stems primarily from difficulties in low light and with fast moving subjects when tracking is required. But in bright light with a contrasty scene, the system is extremely fast \u2013 and this lens did nothing to hamper performance in such conditions.\u00a0<\/p>\n With moving subjects and phase detection I had good success too. But while that f\/1.4 aperture lets in a lot of light to help AF systems, its diminutive depth-of-field demands a degree of accuracy that\u2019s hard to satisfy. The hit rate wasn\u2019t 100%, but I suspect the camera\/user has more to answer for than the lens.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG DN Art \u2013 Image quality<\/p>\n The short answer to the Image Quality question is that the Sigma 135mm F1.4 is very good and you won\u2019t be disappointed. In more detail, you\u2019ll find it really very nicely sharp at all apertures and right across the frame.\u00a0<\/p>\n Clearly, with a headline-grabbing maximum aperture, Sigma has put a lot of effort into the optical performance of this lens at the wider apertures, While the pinnacle of its detail-gathering power may not be at f\/1.4, you may need to compare f\/1.4 images with those shot in the middle of the range to see that things can get even better. For central and corner resolution f\/4 is the way to go \u2013 which is where some 135mm lenses start their aperture range anyway.\u00a0<\/p>\n Images shot at f\/1.4 are very nicely detailed, and while they might lack some of the contrast of the middle apertures, few will find they fall short. My test charts show me that f\/2.8 is where things really tighten up and that quality drops off again at f\/16, where resolution isn\u2019t as good as it is at f\/1.4. But in real-life shooting, you\u2019ll be delighted all the way though the range.\u00a0<\/p>\n Some people these days are happy to put up with poor resolution and horrific chromatic aberrations so long as the bokeh of the lens in question is \u2018amazeballs\u2019, but in this lens you get excellent technical performance alongside aesthetically pleasing out-of-focus areas. At f\/1.4 we get a lot of out-of-focus areas in our pictures, so it\u2019s important they look nice. Focus transitions are beautifully smooth, and highlights are clean, rounded and will not distract from the subject.\u00a0<\/p>\n On high contrast edges at f\/1.4, you might find a tiny amount of colour separation if you look hard enough. But thanks to the L-Mount Alliance\u2019s integrated software corrections, there\u2019s no vignetting or distortion to speak of.\u00a0<\/p>\n Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG DN Art \u2013 Verdict<\/p>\n I loved my Pentax 135mm f\/3.5 very much, but when I put it on a digital camera, I discovered it wasn\u2019t nearly as sharp as I thought. I still like it, but I suspect my love of this Sigma lens will be a little more enduring.\u00a0<\/p>\n I love the angle of view of a 135mm, and I love the subject isolating qualities of an f\/1.4 aperture, and in this lens I can have both. Crucially, though, I can have both without the usual costs of a fast telephoto \u2013 poor resolution wide open and chromatic fringing on high contrast edges.<\/p>\n Sigma has done a great job with this model, and has created a lens that\u2019s as lovely to look through as it is lovely to inspect its images close-up. The impact of that shallow depth-of-field really helps images to stand out, and the creaminess of the out-of-focus areas brings a level of sophistication we have no a right to expect at this price.\u00a0<\/p>\n I was ready to like this lens before I got hold of it, but have used it with as much scepticism as I could muster. And I\u2019ve found it\u2019s as good as I had hoped.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related reading:<\/p>\n Full specifications<\/p>\n Filter Diameter105mmLens Elements\/Groups 1717\/13Diaphragm blades13Aperture f\/1.4-16Min focus110cmLength135.5mmDiameter111.7mmWeight 1430gLens MountLeica L and Sony EIncluded accessoriesTripod foot, lens hood, pouch, strap<\/p>\n Follow AP on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>,\u00a0YouTube<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0TikTok<\/a>.<\/p>\n