Our recent visit to the CP+ 2017 camera and photo imaging show presented the opportunity to try out Sigma’s new top-of-the-line midrange telephoto prime offering – the Sigma 135mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art. This lens slots into the company’s lineup above the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens that was released at Photokina 2016. You can download and view a selection of high resolution sample images taken with the Sigma 135mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art coupled to our Canon EOS 5DS R by visiting our Amateur Photographer Flickr page. The gallery on this page offers product views of the lens and our full-size samples are available to view by visiting our Sigma 135mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art sample image gallery.
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With all other primes of this focal length on the market being quite old designs, Sigma has turned to its new 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art as the benchmark for optical performance. It’s a lens that’s designed to appeal to those who regularly shoot portrait or live stage work. It’s a little shorter than the 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art but has a similar thickset barrel. It’s solidly made and differentiates itself from other Art-series primes by implementing a focus limit switch that gives users control of how far the focusing element moves.
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With the focusing glass inside the lens being heavier than other lenses Sigma produces, it relies on a new, faster Hyper-Sonic motor (HSM), which provides 1.3x more torque. The combination of midrange telephoto focal length and wide maximum aperture delivered a sensational shallow depth of field to images in the short amount of time I spent using it in Kamakura – a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, about 30 miles south-south-west of Tokyo.
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Although we’re yet to be informed of the pricing and availability of the lens, we expect it to cost around the same price as the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art (£1,199).
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During our time at CP+ 2017, we managed to speak to Sigma to find out more about their latest lens releases that also includes the Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art, Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG HSM OS Art and Sigma 100-400mm f/5-6.3 DG HSM OS Contemporary. You can find out more about what the CEO of Sigma Corporation had to say by reading our CP+ 2017 Interview with Mr Kazuto Yamaki.