Photography News

The Sigma 85mm f1.4 DG DN Art competes directly with Sony's well-received 85mm f1.4 G Master. Both lenses share an identical focal length and maximum constant aperture. There are other similarities,... too: both feature an 11-bladed circular aperture, weather sealing, a customizable focus hold button, a de-clickable aperture ring, and a dedicated focus mode switch. The Sigma also includes an aperture ring lock that the Sony lacks. Sigma's managed to deliver the 85mm f1.4 DG DN Art at a fraction of the G Master's cost too. Did Sigma have to cut any corners to achieve the cost savings? Let's compare these two portrait lenses head to head and find out.

Portrait shooters are in for a treat with the Sigma 85mm f1.4 DG DN Art. It's the spiritual successor to Sigma's much-loved but massive 85mm f1.4 DG HSM Art. The HSM lens was originally designed for... DSLRs. Sigma would eventually release it for E and L mounts as well. However, their performance on mirrorless cameras left much to be desired. The new Sigma 85mm f1.4 DG DN Art aims to address both the size and performance issues that plagued mirrorless versions of its HSM predecessor. It also competes directly against Sony's excellent 85mm f1.4 G Master. The 85mm f1.4 DG DN Art and the G Master share numerous similarities: both have 11 rounded aperture blades, an aperture range from f1.4-f16, a minimum autofocusing distance of 2.79 feet, and a filter diameter of φ7 7mm. The 85mm f1.4 DG DN...

"I've never before included so much practice and rehearsal time for a series' images," Christine Ren tells us. We've featured her work many times on this site, and it's always dazzling. "Justin and I... spent at least 2-3 sessions of practice shooting at different times of day and with different lighting setups before we layered in sets, props and I brought Sammy in for her and me to rehearse together. All of that incremental prep I think also really shows in the final shots." The collaboration between Sammy, Christine, and Justin is a result of quarantine. When you're inside, you tend to get creative for many reasons. And arguably, we're in a golden age of creativity right now. At least Christine's series, Sani/Nation, is big evidence of that.