The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 ART is by far the most requested lens since Sigma launched the ART series line. I’ve been asked when it was coming since I did my first ART series lens review several years ago. It’s finally here, and it is a beast of lens in both size and image quality. Some will be put off by the former, but few by the latter. I’ll be putting the Sigma 85mm ART through my review paces for a couple of weeks and will be reporting in greater detail on it. In the meantime you can watch this space for new photos and watch my YouTube channel for video coverage, too. Thanks to Sigma Canada for getting me a copy of the 85 ART along with the new Sigma 12-24mm f/4 ART lens!
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Great News! I can now offer a 5% discount on all purchases at Amplis Foto, Canada’s Leading Photographic Supplier. Please enter discount code: AMPLIS52016DA in your cart. It is good for everything in your cart, and is stackable with other coupons, too! It will take 5% off your entire order! Proceeds go towards keeping this site going and providing you with new reviews!
DISCLAIMER: This article and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Sigma has become the company that pushes the envelope of what is viable in maximum aperture lenses. They have put larger maximum apertures than what was historically possible (or at least feasible) in a number of lenses, from zoom lenses (18-35mm f/1.8, 24-35mm f/2 for full frame) to focal lengths (20mm f/1.4). I’ve spent some extended time with each of these lenses (click the links for reviews). Sigma has managed to do this while upholding an incredibly high standard for optical performance, with lenses that have consistently had amazing resolution, great contrast, and strong chromatic aberration control. The fly in the ointment has often been less than desirable autofocus consistency, which in some cases has led to customers sadly returning lenses that they otherwise loved. Can Sigma manage to strike gold by producing a new lens with all of the former strengths but without the latter weaknesses? The new Sigma 50-100mm f/1.8 DC HSM ART once again pushes the envelope by putting a very large maximum aperture (f/1.8) in a zoom lens that covers a number of key focal lengths. Is the 50-100 ART a lens for you? Read on to find out!
If you prefer to watch your reviews, take a look below:
Let’s stop for a moment and consider that focal length. This is a Sigma coded DC lens, which indicates that it is for crop sensor cameras only (APS-C/DX). This makes it a good pairing with Sigma’s previous 18-35mm f/1.8 ART, a lens that set the gold standard for image quality in a crop sensor lens. APS-C/DX tends to get the development leftovers from the first parties like Canon, Nikon, and Sony. Lenses tend to be variable aperture, consumer grade zooms. Sigma did something very rare when they developed a truly premium zoom lens for APS-C with the 18-35mm, and they have done it again now with this even more impressive 50-100mm f/1.8 ART lens. The Nikon crop factor is 1.5x, while the Canon crop factor is 1.6x, so you have to multiply the focal length by the crop factor of the camera to get its equivalent focal range in 35mm/full frame terms. In this case, that would be 75mm/80mm on the wide end to 150/160mm on the long end. So, while this is only a 2x zoom ratio, it covers a number of important focal lengths from 85mm to 100mm to 135mm and beyond.
The applications for these focal lengths are virtually unlimited, from portraits to events to short range sports. Here’s a look at the difference between 50mm and 100mm on a Canon system:
At medium distances like this (75-100 feet), the change in magnification is noticeable. Don’t expect as extreme a difference when the subject is more distant. As with the 18-35mm or 24-35mm (full frame) you need to think of the 50-100 ART less as a traditional zoom and more like having a number of prime lenses in one body. Both the aperture value and the image quality make this true, as few prime lenses at these focal ranges can match the overall image quality of this lens.
Build Quality
From the moment you pull this lens out of the box you will have no doubt that it is a premium lens. The box is essentially just a wrapper for a very large, nicely padded protective case that houses a very large chunk of lens. One thing that the ART series has never been guilty of is being light and compact, but this lens pushes that to a new level (as it does a number of areas). It is very large, and very heavy. Physics demand that you cannot make a lens with such a large maximum aperture over this focal length without creating a very large lens, even when the lens only has to cover a crop sensor image circle. The Sigma is a little shorter that the 7.8”/19.81cm of Canon’s 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II at 6.72”/17.7cm, but weighs the same as its hefty 3.28lb/1490g. The front element of the Sigma is an even larger 82mm (the move from 77mm will be disappointing to some, though Sigma’s 24-35mm f/2 lens had already gone there!).
If you need something light or compact, you might as well stop reading now. Skip seeing the photos that come from something large and heavy like this…(they might make you jealous!) In this video I break down the build and give you the details!
Most 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses (including Sigma’s own) have an image stabilizer, but this lens comes without Sigma’s OS. Its inclusion would have added even more weight and size, so for some users the extra wide aperture is compensation enough. If you are shooting anything that moves you need to have a reasonable shutter speed to stop the action anyway, so perhaps it won’t be missed there. The only place I noted (and missed) not having an image stabilizer is when composing and I noticed more movement in the viewfinder than what I’m accustomed to. 100mm on a crop sensor is a fairly long focal length to hold really steady without a stabilizer.
The lens has a different profile than the 70-200mm lenses. Those lenses tend to have a fairly constant barrel width, while the Sigma tapers from narrower near the lens mount to wider near the front element. Its maximum girth is wider than the 70-200mm lenses, which accounts for it weighing as much despite being a little shorter. This design does result in the lens feeling a little more front heavy than shooting with a 70-200mm lens. Those lenses are a bit more balanced while the 50-100 ART is a bit of a strain to support with only one hand on the grip.
The lens has only one switch – the AF/MF switch, which is nicely raised, easy to find, and definite in use. You probably will not have to often reach for it, however, as the lens features full time manual override. All of the ART series lenses are pretty, and this is no exception. It gives the immediate impression of being almost brutally professional. I use the term “brutally” because of the weight and feel of the lens along with the design; right down to zoom and focus rings that have such deep ridges that they feel less “soft” to the touch when compared to most lenses. This is a “no-nonsense” lens. The lens has the now familiar ART series design language (which is very nice!) with a black on black look that is broken up by some texture variation.
Despite the “brutally professional” look and feel of this lens, Sigma persists in not adding any type of moisture resistance. This lens feels like it should have weather sealing, frankly, as befits the flagship lens for APS-C shooters. The majority of the people that buy this lens will have higher grade camera bodies that tend to include moisture resistance. Some of you may think that moisture/dust resistance is just marketing, but others who live or shoot in difficult weather conditions strongly feel otherwise. I’ve found that the importance that people assign to weather resistance often boils down to the harshness (or lack thereof) of their typical shooting environment.
I continue to admire Sigma’s lens hoods – they are well engineered, have a slightly velvety texture to them, and, in a final nice touch, feature a soft-touch rubberized transition zone where they mount to the lens barrel that has the lens information stamped in them. Very nice.
The 50-100 ART has the silver A (for ART) badge along with a distance window (but no hyperfocal markings). Both the zoom ring (closest to the lens barrel) and the focus ring (wider and further up the barrel) move nicely, though the focus ring is a little stiffer than what I would like (when mounted on a tripod I found it a little tough to focus the lens without moving the barrel to the side by the effort I had to put on the focus ring). That stiffness might loosen up with use.
There is (in my opinion) one unfortunate design flaw here. The lens includes a tripod collar. This is certainly justified by its weight, but unlike most 70-200mm lenses, the tripod collar is not removable. It has a knob that can be loosened to allow the collar to be rotated, and, in a nice touch, it has four set detentes that are easy to find at the 12:00, 3:00, 6:00, and 9:00 positions. The tripod foot itself is quite small, which is fortunate, because…no matter where I seem to put it the foot seems to get in the way of operating the most important ring…the zoom ring. The zoom ring is quite close to the lens mount, and the tripod collar foot seem intent on getting in the way of it. There is only about 2mm of clearance between the foot and the zoom ring, so, if it is in the bottom position, I have to let it sit in my palm while I reach around it to operate the zoom ring. If I rotate it to the top it interferes with where I put my fingers to rotate the ring. The 9:00 position is obviously out of the question. The 3:00 position seems to be the best compromise, but then then the tension knob seems to get in the way at times.
Sigh…I just wish the thing would come off.
I eventually settled on leaving it in the standard 6:00 position and just trying to forget about it. At least there it provides a nice support to set the lens on. The situations where I shoot a lens like this on tripod are almost non existent (your mileage may vary). I prefer to remove a tripod collar and save the weight. The Canon 100-400L II does not have a removable tripod collar either, but it does have a removable foot so that it is never in the way. The implementation of the tripod collar on the 50-100 ART is my least favorite aspect of the design. You adjust, of course, but I can’t count the number of times I’ve been bothered by it in shooting. I’m afraid that adding anything to it (even a tripod quick release plate) is just going making it more in the way!
This is the one thing I’d most change about the lens, because I’ve got little else to complain about! Here are a few more photos of this pretty lens:
Image Quality – Putting the “Art” in ART
You quickly forget the size and bulk of the lens when you see the images that it can produce. This lens is sharp…as in, stunningly sharp. It is clearly designed for maximum performance between f/1.8 and f/2.8, and the image quality doesn’t really sharpen up beyond that.
It doesn’t need to.
The 50-100 ART is incredibly sharp and contrasty at wide apertures. The lens displays very little chromatic aberrations, which further help in making the images look tack sharp. I will not be surprised to hear of the lens setting new resolution records at wide apertures among APS-C lenses when it is chart tested. The sharpness is not just in the center, either, but shows excellent results even out towards the edge of the frame.
A number of viewers/readers knew that I had the similarly excellent Tamron SP 85mm f/1.8 VC lens on hand, and, while that lens is designed for full frame cameras, there is no rule against mounting it on a crop sensor body and comparing the result with the Sigma at 85mm. I shot a controlled test using mirror lockup, manual focus using 10x Live View, and using a 2 second delay to eliminate any vibration through the tripod. I shot comparative series at f/1.8, f/2, f/2.8, and f/4. I found a few surprising things.
First of all, at f/1.8 the Sigma easily bests the Tamron in both the center and corners. The Tamron doesn’t look as strong on a crop as it does on full frame at wide apertures. The Tamron shows a slight bit of line doubling on the numbers engraved on the vintage lenses I was shooting. The Sigma looks sharper and more contrasty everywhere I look in the frame. The Tamron (designed for full frame) has a clear advantage in vignette control on APS-C because of being designed to cover the larger image circle. The Sigma is not bad in this regard, but the crop factor helps the Tamron there.
At f/2 the difference becomes far less noticeable. The Sigma is about the same, but most of the imperfections of the Tamron have disappeared. I would still give a slight edge to the Sigma if pressed.
From f/2.8 on the story changes. The Tamron makes mild improvements at f/2.8 and f/4 (these two results are essentially indistinguishable), but the Sigma actually seems to get a bit worse. The biggest gains for the Tamron and losses for the Sigma are actually in contrast. Intrigued, I went back and compared the f/1.8 result from the Sigma to the f/4 result and found that yes, I definitely favored the f/1.8 result over the f/4 result. At f/4 (shockingly) the Sigma was showing a bit of chromatic aberrations and slightly reduced contrast when compared to the wide open result.
I can’t recall seeing a lens quite like this! The only advantage of the f/4 result was in lower vignette. The Sigma is clearly optimized for shooting at f/1.8 and f/2.
In a side note, the colors from the Sigma skewed a little warmer while the Tamron delivered a more Zeiss-like neutrality. This is a taste thing and is pretty much a moot point for RAW shooters.
This is great news for those of you who love to shoot lenses wide open. You can shoot wide open with this new 50-100 ART and get essentially peak performance from it. Stopping down to f/2 will net you a hair more contrast, but little difference. There were a few times that I found wide open images of some subjects to have a slight bit of “haze” at a pixel level with brighter subjects, but could easily up the local contrast in post to adjust for it. That very minor “flaw”, though might lead to the following…
Image quality is more than sharpness. Essentially all of the ART lenses have been very sharp, but not all of them have had beautiful rendering or drawing. I’ve found a few of them somewhat clinical. No such problem here. This lens puts the “art” in the ART series.
The 50-100 ART is perhaps the best “bokeh maker” among any APS-C lenses that I’ve seen. That big aperture (particularly towards the longer end of the focal length) produces a shallower DOF than most competing lenses can produce. This enables you to produce results more akin to those usually found on full frame (35mm) cameras. The depth of field is more shallow and the separation of the subject from the background more intense.
In my bokeh tests I saw little to discourage me. The bokeh has little activity within the circular highlights and the inner circle of the bokeh circle is not strongly defined. There is a bit of line doubling, but it is faint. The nine bladed aperture results in a roughly circular nonagonal shape when stopped down. I didn’t see color fringing there, either, which all adds up to very nice real world bokeh…and the lens can make a lot of it!
There is a lovely softness to the defocused area, and the lens transitions nicely to defocus. The nice thing about this focal range is that it gives you some flexibility on how much you want the background to disappear. Shooting at the wide end (50mm) and ten feet from your subject produces a depth of field of 15.87 inches. But you can step back twice as far at 100mm and still get a slightly shallower DOF but a completely different look. At fifteen feet and 100mm/f1.8 the depth of field is a tiny 8.89 inches. Using that 100mm focal length for head and shoulders shots is going to make just about any background completely disappear.
Here are a few other portrait oriented shots.
I also liked the way the lens dealt with “ordinary” scenes. Take, for example, this shot of a freshly baked pan of cornbread. This is just on the kitchen counter and using available light, but look how soft the defocused area is in the image. Something simple becomes rather artful!
The bokeh and drawing from the lens is just pretty delightful all around. Here’s a gallery of bokeh-oriented images to demonstrate just what I mean.
As I’ve hinted at already, chromatic aberrations are virtually non-existent. This is one area where so many modern lenses have made huge strides. You don’t have to worry about green or purple fringing disrupting your images. Even the bit that I noticed when the lens was stopped down would be hard to see in most field settings. There is some vignette (stronger on the long end), but nothing extreme.
I shot a brick wall and on the wide end the barrel distortion is extremely mild. A chart tester will produce a percentage, but I doubt it is enough to really affect anyone for field use. The pincushion distortion on the long end is a little stronger, but still quite mild. It is all mild enough that you won’t really notice it in normal use.
In the midst of all of this goodness there is really only one drawback. The lens flares pretty badly. With the sun in the frame there is a pronounced loss of contrast (veiling) and also a lot of green ghosting (a big green blob). The ghosting is more pronounced on the wide end while the veiling is more pronounced at the tele end. Don’t point the lens at the sun unless you have some artistic use for what will happen.
There is a lot to praise and very little to criticize in the image quality department. I can only share so many photos in the actual review, so I recommend that you visit my image gallery here and look at more examples.
Mounted on Full Frame
I’ve never had so many requests from people to test an APS-C/DX lens on a full frame body. While I would never advise buying a crop sensor lens specifically for the purpose of shooting it on a full frame body, the lens will technically mount on a full frame body. At 50mm there is a solid black ring around the edge of the frame that goes beyond “vignette” (the full frame image circle is not being covered), by about 72mm it becomes a heavy vignette that with some irretrievable areas in the corners – you have to crop (image circle still not covered). But at 85mm the vignette is correctible, and there is just a tiny mark in each extreme corner that remains black…but this you could compensate for in post and it won’t be noticed in many environments. At 100mm there is still a heavy vignette, but one that is fully correctable in post though it required my adding the standard profile for the lens plus adding manual values of +70 in Lightroom’s vignette slider along with moving the midpoint to 19.
Here is a video examination of just exactly what happens when you mount the lens on a full frame camera body (in this case a Canon 6D).
I was happy to note that the autofocus remained accurate even on my 6D body. At the 80-100mm mark the images actually look pretty stunning. The lens is incredibly sharp and looks even sharper on a full frame body. If you happen to have both full frame and crop sensor camera bodies I see no reason for the lens to not pull some double duty, though the lens exhibits more pincushion distortion on full frame. Here’s a few more samples from full frame:
Autofocus Examination
It is typically at this point in a Sigma review where I start to lament over autofocus accuracy issues, but it is with great relief that I get to say…this lens focuses very well for me! I had serious issues with the 18-35mm f/1.8 ART, but despite have a more demanding focal length the 50-100 ART has exceeded my expectations. It is not only exceptionally sharp, but it is also a very good focusing lens…right out of the box, on multiple bodies. I’ve used it on three different camera bodies and found that it focused well on all of them. Overall the focus speed is quite good (particularly considering the large elements being moved), though racking through the full range of focus (something you’ll rarely do) is a little more deliberate. Normal (smaller) changes come quickly and very quietly.
I’ve never really complained about the autofocus speed of Sigma lenses, and certainly never about their quietness. But [outside of their ultra telephoto lenses] I’ve spilled a lot of ink lamenting about autofocus accuracy issues that I just couldn’t solve either through traditional AFMA in the camera body or via the Sigma dock. This lens isn’t perfect, but I am confident that I could tweak it enough through the Sigma USB dock (a recommended accessory for this lens if you don’t have one) to make it pretty close. I am really delighted to have such a nice focusing Sigma ART lens in hand, and I have to say that it really alters my ultimate perception of the lens. I personally refuse to own a lens that I can’t rely on to consistently and accurately autofocus. I do a lot of photography work – personal, business, commercial – and I need tools I can rely on. I’m happy to say that if I needed this lens I wouldn’t hesitate to add it to my personal kit.
I also tested the lens in AF Servo mode as there will certainly be those interested in using this lens for shorter range sports (a nice application for it!) The results were encouraging, with the lens effectively keeping up with my son as he ran full tilt towards me. In a few seconds I fired off 27 frames with the Canon 80D set in TV mode to keep a 1/500th second shutter speed (aperture changed from f/2.8 to f/4 based on the changing lighting). The 50-100 ART had no problem keeping up with the rapid movement and I had almost all nearly perfectly focused frames. A few were not quite tack sharp but still adequate. I see no reason why those wanting to shoot action (and using a body with a good focus system) shouldn’t be happy with this lens. It may not have the overall speed of the 70-200 beasts but is close enough to get the job done. You can see all of those frames in the video review.
I shot an event at my children’s school exclusively with the Sigma and got good focus results. A few misses here and there, but not any kind of pattern that would speak of a true focus issue, and none of the random bad misses I sometimes got with some of the earlier ART lenses. Focus speed was just fine for my purposes, and the images themselves looked very nice. It was in a smallish gym, and I found there were times that 50mm (80mm equivalent on my Canon 80D) wasn’t quite wide enough even if I moved to the back of the gym. I would typically use a two camera solution in that environment anyway. On full frame I’d be using a 24-70mm and 70-200mm f/2.8 zooms, so a person could easily augment the focal range of this lens with the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 and have a very similar arrangement.
The 50-100 ART would seem like a natural fit for adding a teleconverter to. That wide maximum aperture means even with a 1.4x teleconverter the maximum aperture would still be only f/2.5. I don’t have access to one of the Sigma teleconverters, but I do own the Canon 1.4x III and was able to test it. Unfortunately, the results were not promising. While there is no problem physically mounting the teleconverter (plenty of depth at all focal lengths), the two pieces seem incompatible. Aperture value does not change, but more importantly, the AF just pulses back and forth without settling on focus, rendering it basically unusable. You could manually focus, but that hardly seems worth the effort.
I also have the Kenko DGX Teleplus Pro 300 (Blue Dot), and I was happy to see that the combination works well on the 70D, with the aperture registering correctly and the autofocus working quickly and accurately. I had unfortunately already observed that the 80D was not compatible with the Kenko (at least my version, which is close to four years old). There may be a newer version that might work. Canon pulls this with every new generation of camera, and trying to use it on the 80D just flashes an error code. If history is any indication there there will be a silent update (new version) of the Kenko that will update it to adapt to the changes in the autofocus systems of the new bodies and will once again enable it to work. This is supposition, however, and all I can report is that no teleconverter combination that I own will work on the 80D. Kenko might want to consider putting out a USB dock of their own to apply firmware updates to their teleconverters.
But in its native form the lens really did quite well for me. I can’t tell you how relieved (and happy) I was to find that this lens focuses well. It allows those beautiful optics to shine!
Conclusion
Sigma has done it again. They have built a lens that no one else has the expertise (or at least nerve) to build. The first parties tend to stick with the volume sellers in APS-C – compact, variable aperture zooms that are fairly easy to design and manufacture and that they can sell hundreds of thousands of units of. Sigma won’t sell nearly so many of this large and heavy lens with a big aperture and small zoom range, but what an investment in their image as the company that hasn’t forgotten about the many serious amateur and even professional photographers that happen to like shooting APS-C cameras! This is the kind of lens that will keep some photographers from moving to full frame and might even tempt a few full frame shooters back to APS-C. Sigma tested these waters with the 18-35mm f/1.8 ART, and they must have been sufficiently pleased with the market response to take this even bigger risk. Thanks to Sigma, crop shooters can have a two lens kit that offers a constant f/1.8 aperture from 18mm-100mm (with a largely irrelevant 15mm gap between). Not only that, but both of these lenses are perfectly capable at their maximum aperture at all focal lengths. Neither Canon nor Nikon have made a lens that can hold the candle to these two lenses optically (on APS-C), and that puts Sigma in a unique position.
The Sigma 50-100mm f/1.8 DC HSM ART is an incredible lens. The image quality is seriously impressive, and this lens exhibited none of the focus woes I encountered with the 18-35mm. Not only is the resolution extremely high on the lens, but the overall look of the images it produces is extremely nice. The tradeoff is that you are going to have to deal with a uniquely large and heavy APS-C lens that is also unmatched in the weight department. My most serious gripe is with the poor implementation of the tripod collar, but I suspect that most users will adapt. I could wish for weather sealing or Sigma’s Optical Stabilizer, too, but the ART series has given me no reason to expect that. If your wrists can handle the weight, and your wallet can handle the hit ($1099 in the US), then I can think of no other serious reason why you wouldn’t want to own this lens.
Pros:
Exceptional image quality
Unique wide aperture from 50mm-100mm
Fast, quiet, and reasonably accurate autofocus
Beautiful bokeh and nice rendering
Gives APS-C shooters a full frame “look” due to shallow DOF and sharpness
Optimized to give peak performance wide open
Comes with hood and padded case
Beautifully constructed lens
No other lens like it
Cons:
Uniquely large and heavy (won’t be for everyone)
Design results in a somewhat front-heavy feel
Tripod collar not removable and can interfere with operation
No OS or weathersealing
Flare prone
Thanks to the good people at B&H Photo for providing me the loaner retail copy of this lens for review. Gear Used:
Purchasing your gear through B&H and these links helps fund this website and keeps the articles coming. Thank you for your support.
Great News! I can now offer a 5% discount on all purchases at Amplis Foto, Canada’s Leading Photographic Supplier. Please enter discount code: AMPLIS52016DA in your cart. It is good for everything in your cart, and is stackable with other coupons, too! It will take 5% off your entire order! Proceeds go towards keeping this site going and providing you with new reviews!
DISCLAIMER: This article and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Sigma has made a reputation for itself by pushing the envelope in large aperture lens design. I reviewed the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 ART a little over a year ago, and, while I had a few quirks with the autofocus, the image quality was exceptional – unmatched by any other APS-C lens. Sigma has just released a new APS-C Goliath: the new Sigma 50-100mm f/1.8 DC HSM ART. This is a big lens in every sense of the word, and if it proves as good as expected, will probably sell a lot of copies for Sigma simply because there isn’t anything to match it. At nearly $1100, this is the most expensive lens in the ART series, but is a relative bargain compared to the full frame 70-200mm f/2.8 variants. I’ll be reviewing the lens primarily on the new Canon EOS 80D body, a perfect match for this high-tech lens. Stay tuned for my findings along the way!
Purchasing your gear through B&H and these links helps fund this website and keeps the articles coming. Thank you for your support.
Great News! I can now offer a 5% discount on all purchases at Amplis Foto, Canada’s Leading Photographic Supplier. Please enter discount code: AMPLIS52016DA in your cart. It is good for everything in your cart, and is stackable with other coupons, too! It will take 5% off your entire order! Proceeds go towards keeping this site going and providing you with new reviews!
DISCLAIMER: This article and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Sigma has emerged from the third party lens manufacturer abyss with a new identity – the company that pushes the boundaries of what can be done with wide apertures. They have pioneered innovative zoom lenses with wider apertures than what has been done (18-35mm f/1.8 ART and 50-100mm f/1.8 for APS-C; 24-35mm f2 for full frame) and have successfully built strong competitors to the traditional 24mm, 35mm, and 50mm f/1.4 lenses. This newest addition to the ART series, the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART now pushes the boundaries of how wide an aperture can be successfully engineered into a lens wider than 24mm. An f/1.4 maximum aperture in a 20mm focal length easily bests what was previously possible (or at least done) and provides a strong alternative to a lens like the Zeiss Distagon 2.8/21mm (I reviewed that lens here).
There’s often a reason why traditions exist. Often pushing the boundaries too far produces a very niche product that doesn’t prove overly practical (I’m looking at you, Canon 50mm f/1.0L!). Has Sigma managed to create an extreme yet useful lens here? The answer to that is a little complicated, but there is no question that in many ways Sigma did succeed.
Want to watch your review instead? Take a look here for my thorough video review on YouTube:
Build Quality and Handling
The 20mm f/1.4 ART is not a small lens. It is smaller than the very substantial Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8 VC lens, but is still on the large size of medium. Its overall dimensions are not massive (3.6”/90.7mm x 5.1”/ 129.8mm length) but it weighs in at a hefty 33.5 oz/950 grams). It is (by a good margin) the largest lens in its class. That is made all the more apparent by the lens that I had brought in as a contrast in style and purpose – the Voitländer 20mm SLII 20mm f/3.5 – a pancake lens (more on that in a little while)!
I’ve reviewed the majority of the ART series lenses (I missed the 24mm) but have never been so impressed by the build quality before. All of these lenses share a very strong family resemblance, but the 20A just feels a little better made. Perhaps it is a perception caused by the greater than usual heft of the lens. It does feel a cut above the build of my Tamron 15-30 VC (though that is probably perceptual, as the Tamron has weather sealing and a fluorine coating on the front element).
It is in this area that the Sigma disappoints; there is no attempt at weather sealing or moisture resistance. This may be a deal-breaker for many landscape photographers, particularly those who live or shoot in challenging weather conditions. I did part of my review alongside the Atlantic Ocean, and while a splash from a rogue (saltwater) wave is cause for concern with any piece of equipment, it is particularly scary when you are shooting with a lens that makes no sealing claims.
The other build challenge common to wide angle lenses is the curved front element on the lens that results in both a series-first fixed lens hood and the inability to use traditional screw-in filters. The Sigma is hardly the first to need this compromise in lens design, but I know from conversations with many photographers since the Tamron 15-30 VC was released that they simply aren’t willing to accept the additional complications that arise from having to go to a third party filter system. I have no doubt that Fotodiox, Lee, or some other company will fill that void (you can find the Fotodiox adapter here), but Sigma will definitely lose a few customers due to this reality. The inability to use traditional filters is also at odds with the wide aperture – there will be many times that you will be knocking on the upper limits of your shutter speed (even if it is 1/8000th of second) at f/1.4.
The fixed lens hood also means that the lens cap is a larger piece that fits over the end of the lens hood like that of the afore-mentioned Tamron, Samyang 14mm f/2.8, or the Zeiss Distagon 2.8/15mm – all lenses that I’ve used quite a bit. These lens caps are a bit of a pain because they don’t slip very easily into a pocket because of their additional bulk. The Sigma cap does fit snugly on the lens and I had no issues with it inadvertently falling off.
Some wide angle lenses actually sport a fairly decent maximum magnification, but the 20A is not one of them. Its .14x magnification (at right under one foot/27cm) is towards the bottom of the chart among competitors. Fewer people use wide angle lenses like this, but I’ve found when using a lens like the Samyang (Rokinon) 12mm f/2 NCS (mirrorless) lens that getting close to a subject for an “environmental macro” provides a unique extra perspective on a scene. You can still do this with the Sigma 20A, but the results are a bit less successful. Don’t plan on creating massive bokeh with this lens; you will have to be right on top of your subject to get a highly diffused background.
The Sigma is a very nice looking lens (as are all of the ART series). Here’s a little gallery of lens eye candy:
Autofocus Observations
The Achilles’ heel for the Sigma ART series has been the autofocus consistency. I have been very satisfied with the focus speed of all of the ART lenses, but rarely satisfied with the focus consistency. I now have the Sigma USB dock to help with this process (thanks to a kind reader who sent me one – thanks, Tig!). The demands on the AF system are far less at such a wide focal length than many of the ART series lenses. At ten feet the depth of field is already over 7 feet even at f/1.4, and by 20 feet the DOF has grown to well over 43 feet. It is only at very close focus distances that significant pressure will be put on the AF system at this focus length.
I am happy to report that I have personally been fairly satisfied with the focus accuracy of the lens after calibrating it, though not without a few of the trademark issues that I’ve seen from many of the ART series lenses. If you are shooting it wide open at medium distances (before infinity focus arrives) you may find a little focus inconsistency (Sigma is not quite there yet). This shot, for example, is not perfectly focused despite the AF system having a pretty big depth of field advantage (the subject was about ten feet away). The full photo doesn’t look bad, but when examining the crop you will find that it isn’t nearly as sharp as what this lens is capable of.
I took two of these focusing with even more care than usual because I was testing the AF performance and wanted repeatable results. I used focus and recompose using the highly accurate center point on the 6D body I was doing the test on, and, considering the depth of field here, there should be no issue with the extremely mild focus shift that would come from this method (this is a fairly flat plane of focus at this distance). The first shot was far worse.
The medium distance has been the weak point for many of the ART series lenses I’ve tested. The Sigma USB dock helps somewhat here as it allows you to tune the lens at that specific distance, but the bigger issue is when the AF system delivers inconsistent results. I worked at using the USB dock to tweak this value. I recognized that while the lens was delivering good focus results at closer distances, the medium distance shots were front focusing. I started playing with the values only at that distance. Unfortunately there is no actual calibration component as a part of the software; it is trial and error. This isn’t great news for a lens reviewer like myself that has lenses for a limited period of time. I don’t have the time to spend hours on end trying to refine focus. Of greater concern is the fact that a lot of this will be over many photographer’s heads. I’m glad the dock exists, and it will enable those with some technical expertise (and some time) the chance to [hopefully] maximize the potential of their lens. I did feel like I made some improvement through the dock, though in Sigma fashion there was an occasional miss for no good reason.
Thankfully these were isolated instances. Most of the time my focus accuracy was quite good. Misses (when they came) were invariably at medium distances. Just know that sometimes those misses at f/1.4 can be pretty bad. Unlike most ART lenses, however, I wasn’t shooting this lens at extremely wide apertures all that often. If you intend to, however, just spend some time fine tuning the focus via the dock so that you can get the best possible results. There are many people that I know that are willing to accept the occasional miss with their ART lenses because of the great image quality they get in exchange.
I had no issues in the field using the 20mm f/1.4 ART. It handled as expected and gave me no cause to criticize.
One final praiseworthy ingredient in the Sigma formula is the inclusion of a nice, padded case that does provide some quality protection. I wish that other manufacturers would follow suit.
Image Quality
The tradeoff for that complicated front element is the image quality. Sigma has once again managed to push the boundaries of what is possible in lens design by putting an f/1.4 maximum aperture in a wider focal length (20mm) than what has been done before. Lens design at focal lengths wider than 24mm on a full frame system is very challenging, and Sigma should be applauded for pulling off something that no one else has done.
This lens continues Sigma’s recent tradition of being able to provide stunningly sharp resolution at very wide apertures in its ART series lenses. In the center of the frame this lens turns in a pretty stunning performance at f/1.4. The corners lag behind a fair bit, but sharpen up very nicely by more traditional apertures like f/4 to f/5.6. If I’m disappointed by anything here, it is that the lens still isn’t quite as sharp in the corners at f/2.8 as the Tamron 15-30 VC wide open (at 20mm). I’m surprised by this, frankly. Peak sharpness is around f/4 rather than f/5.6 or f/8 for the lens – not surprising considering how wide its maximum aperture is. At f/4 the image quality is pretty close to perfect across the frame. Here’s an f/4 shot with crops from across the left to right edges of the frame:
The lens has good contrast and colour rendition from wide open, so if you aren’t looking critically at the corners, image quality at f/1.4 even near infinity focus is pretty impressive. I directly compared the lens with the Voigtländer 20mm f/3.5 in a controlled setting and the Sigma handily beat the Voigtländer in the corners (and center too) at all compared apertures save the bottom one third of the frame, which for some reason was a little crisper on the Voigtländer. Here’s the wide open image from the Sigma along with the crops from left to right across the frame:
One takeaway from that comparison is that the Voigtländer is noticeably wider. Intrigued, I set my Tamron 15-30mm at 20mm and found that the Sigma definitely framed tighter.
Lens manufacturers are prone to rounding in their favor, and it seems like Sigma has done a bit more of that than Voigtländer here. The lens is still plenty wide, though, and this is not an uncommon practice at all.
This lens has a moderate amount of barrel distortion (expect straight lines to curve in a somewhat “mustache” pattern). Here is the uncorrected version compared with the result after applying the Adobe profile for the lens.
The lens (unsurprisingly) has a significant amount of vignetting…particularly at f/1.4. There are well over 3 stops of shading in the corners at f/1.4, which will be highly noticeable in many situations.
It also means that if you are shooting in lower light (high ISO settings) and want to correct for those corners you may experience some noise – 3 ½ stops are often too much when you are at ISO 1600 or higher. It’s a good thing this lens sucks in a lot of light!
And on that note, this lens is a great companion for going out into the city at night or in concerts, restaurants, or other low light venues. It sucks in a lot of light, and the short focal length makes handholding this lens a piece of cake. Here’s a favorite from the Grand Strand in Myrtle Beach. This is at f/2 and is nicely crisp (my f/1.4 images look pretty much identical):
Any 20mm lens is going to provide some perspective distortion. This simply means that unless the plane of focus (subject) is completely level with the camera, there is going to some “stretching” of subjects near the edge of the frame. You’ve seen this many times where people near the edge of the frame appear “stretched” while people nearer the center are not distorted and appear normal. The large aperture of this lens makes it appealing for wedding or event photography, but you will have to be careful when composing; no bridesmaid will thank you for adding 20 pounds to her by stretching her! There are occasions when composing that you can use that distortion to your advantage, however, by giving something close to the camera additional emphasis.
I was pleased with the control of chromatic aberrations that didn’t present any real field issues even at f/1.4. This is a definite bonus for both landscape work and general purpose shooting. I found that the flare resistance was very good, too, with only a hint of ghosting and no apparent veiling.
One final note is that the nine rounded aperture blades of the lens make for very pleasing sunbursts/sunstars when stopped down.
All of the astro shooters (astrophotography) perked up when this lens was announced. This is the widest aperture ever on a lens with this wide of a focal length, and the ability to grab a lot of light via the f/1.4 aperture over such a wide angle of view suggested that this could be the perfect astrophotography lens. Both of those things proved true, but ultimately this lens has proven a letdown for those of us that like to shoot the night sky for one big reason – coma. Coma refers to an optical defect in which bright points of light (such as stars) are rendered more like flying saucers or ducks…they grow wings. This is usually most true near the edges of the frame. The 20A unfortunately suffers from a fairly bad coma performance, though some will still buy it for this purpose because of other qualities it has (namely letting in a lot of light!)
The Sigma definitely lets in a lot of light (and has a fairly large amount of information in the frame), but its there that the night sky goodness ends. At f/1.4 the coma is strongly pronounced around the edges (stars looking like flying insects with blurred wings) but is evident at a pixel level even in the middle of frame. Stopping down does help, but even by f/2.8 the stars in the corners resemble something more like the shape of candy corn than fine points of light. The bigger problem is that having to stop down this far eliminates the wide aperture advantage over lenses like the Samyang 14mm f/2.8 or the Tamron 15-30 VC (Zeiss Distagon 2.8/15mm is another great choice), and the coma performance still isn’t as good as those lenses even when the Sigma is stopped down. Look at the comparisons between the Sigma and the Tamron 15-30 VC which I own and had on hand to compare. The first image is from the Tamron, and then some comparison crops.
I think that Sigma really missed a golden opportunity here to make a lens that astrophotographers would have flocked to…even if the aperture was a bit smaller.
My current top picks for this purpose continues to be the Tamron 15-30 VC (mid budget), Zeiss Distagon 2.8/15mm (big budget), with the low budget option being the Samyang (Rokinon) 14mm f/2.8 prime lens.
Price and Conclusions
The Sigma 20A is undoubtedly another excellent entry in the optically stellar ART series. Sigma continues to push the boundaries of what can be done with wide aperture lenses. Not only does this lens enter new territory in its maximum aperture value but manages to best all direct competitors in its resolution (particularly in the center). It also does this while undercutting its principle competitors in price by a fair margin (it currently lists for $899 at B&H Photo). It provides crisp, detailed images with good color rendition, strong flare resistance, and a moderately low amount of distortion.
But at the end of the day I am left with one considerably large unanswered question: who exactly is this lens for? 20mm is a prime focal length for landscape photography, but this lens is questionable as a top choice for landscape photographers due to lacking either weather sealing or the ability to take traditional filters. Its main selling point (the wide f/1.4 aperture) is of dubious use for this application, particularly considering that the corner resolution lags a fair bit behind the center resolution at wide apertures. Its resolution at narrower apertures is exceptional, but no more so than some of the top wide angle zooms. It feels somewhat petty to knock a lens that produces such beautiful landscape images, but the lack of weather sealing and ability to use filters is going to be a deal breaker for a lot of landscape photographers.
Astrophotographers will also be disappointed by the less than stellar coma control despite the appealing combination of focal length and wide aperture. I already have a photographer contact who is very skilled at night sky shooting who loved the concept of this lens but returned it in favor of another option due to the comparatively poor coma control.
Some wedding photographers will undoubtedly find use for the focal length, wide aperture, and excellent center resolution. It will provide the opportunity to shoot wide, contextual shots while retaining the ability to control depth of field. In fact, probably the best argument for this lens is for those who need the ultimate low light performance in a wide angle lens. For a certain niche of photographers this lens will be an answer to their prayers.
In summation, the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART lens is an excellent lens in many ways, but probably not one that will make it into my bag. It is too large to be just a “bring along” lens (unlike the Voigtlander 20mm f/3.5 pancake lens I reviewed at the same time), and is somewhat wasted on those who primarily use this focal length for landscape work. The build quality feels excellent (even better than the typical high standard of the ART series), but the lack of any weather sealing is a serious shortcoming in a lens like this, particularly when it will compete against zoom lenses like the excellent Canon 16-35mm f/4L IS or the similarly excellent Tamron SP 15-30mm f/2.8 VC, both of which have very good weather sealing). Similarly the convex front element that prohibits the use of traditional filters will discourage others, though an adapter already exists for third party filters from Fotodiox as well as other third parties.
If you need great low light performance in a wide angle lens for events or wedding work, it is hard to think of a better alternative. The resolution from the lens is fantastic. The price relative to the build quality and performance is strong, but at the same time I think that Sigma stuck a little too closely to its ART formula for this lens. Yes, it is now the class leader in maximum aperture value at 20mm, but at the cost of being the largest lens in the segment and the only one without the ability to use traditional filters. You can debate about the value of weather sealing, but the reality is that the lack of it will probably send a lot of photographers elsewhere. I also think that Sigma missed the boat by not working harder at controlling coma – they would have sold many of these lenses to astrophotographers. A little more painting outside the lines was needed with this kind of focal length, and I suspect the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART lens will be one of the weaker selling lenses in the ART series as a result. This isn’t to say that it isn’t a great lens – it is – but perhaps not one that will check the right boxes for a lot of potential customers.
Pros:
Class leading maximum aperture for the 20mm focal length
Class leading resolution for the focal length (particularly in the center)
Good flare resistance
Good color rendition
Good build quality
Chromatic abberations well controlled
Autofocus is quick in most situations
Good flare resistance
Nice sunstars
Reasonable price when compared to competitors
Includes a padded case
Cons:
Disappointing coma performance
Lacks weather sealing of any kind
Curved front element precludes the use of traditional filters
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Sigma’s most recent entry in their stellar ART series of lenses is the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART lens. This is a wider focal length than they have ever done in this series, and it is widest aperture value (f/1.4) ever in a lens of this focal length. Will this be another winner for Sigma? I’m currently putting the lens through the paces to find out. In the meantime, here are some galleries of images of and by the lens. You can read about my conclusions on this lens here.
Purchasing your gear through B&H and these links helps fund this website and keeps the articles coming. Thank you for your support.
Great News! I can now offer a 5% discount on all purchases at Amplis Foto, Canada’s Leading Photographic Supplier. Please enter discount code: AMPLIS52016DA in your cart. It is good for everything in your cart, and is stackable with other coupons, too! It will take 5% off your entire order! Proceeds go towards keeping this site going and providing you with new reviews!
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It was only 28 months ago that I was reviewing the predecessor to this lens, and my final verdict was that it was generally excellent and a strong competitor to lenses like the Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS while undercutting it significantly in price. So why, you might ask, is Tamron already replacing a lens that few people would suggest needed an update? The answer to that question is at the heart of our comparison of the older lens (known by the internal code F004) and the new Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 VC USD (code F017).
If you prefer to watch your reviews, I’ve got you covered! Check out my video review here:
Tamron had already experienced a sort of renaissance nearly five years ago when it began to produce quality, competitive zoom lenses with much better AF motors (USD and PZD), image stabilization (VC – Vibration Compensation), and higher grade build quality with some degree of moisture and dust resistance. Lenses like the 24-70mm f/2.8 VC, 70-200mm f/2.8 VC, and then the 15-30mm f/2.8 VC offered up optics that were as good as the first party competitors while often surpassing them in features. I own all three of these lenses and love them. Tamron then started the “affordable reach” revolution with the 150-600mm f/5-6.3 VC lens, a lens that not only made its way into many photographers bags but inspired a number of competing lenses to be built. In the midst of all of this Tamron released a lone prime lens (for full frame systems) in the 90mm f/2.8 VC lens (F004).
In the past year Tamron has turned its attention to the prime lens market and simultaneously released the excellent 35mm and 45mm f/1.8 VC primes in their new SP (Super Performance) prime line. I reviewed both of those lenses and added the 45mm VC to my own kit. These lenses pioneered a completely new look for Tamron, from the logo to the lens design to the class of the build quality. They are competitive with, well, everything, despite having a slightly smaller maximum aperture than some competitors. Those lenses have been well received critically, and have proven to be only the opening salvo in a whole new line of lenses. The second wave of announcements features this lens along with a highly anticipated 85mm f/1.8 VC lens. In the midst of this was another important announcement: the release of the Tap-In console for all of the new SP lenses that will allow the lenses to receive firmware updates and even to customize aspects of focus, focus limiting, and VC performance. This is similar to Sigma’s USB dock, and, while not for everyone, it does allow a deeper level of customization for those users with the expertise and desire to maximize productiveness from their lenses. The new Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di VC USD (F017) is compatible with the Tap-In console, which reveals at least one of the reasons for the redesign.
The Zeiss lens company announced and released 6 lenses simultaneously in their new Milvus line last year. Only two of those lenses had brand new optical designs. The goal was more about standardizing the look/identity of some of these lenses while upgrading their build, coatings, and handling to modern standards; their optics were already good. I see a similar logic here from Tamron. The question is, “Do the updates to the 90mm f/2.8 VC take it from being a competitive lens to a superior one?”
The Upgrades
Let’s group the upgrades together: substantial build updates, including more metal in the construction and superior dust and moisture resistance, improved coatings (including fluorine on the front element), improved AF speed and general performance, and the addition of XY-Shift compensation to help VC performance…particularly at macro distances. There is also updated coatings (Tamron’s new proprietary eBAND and BBAR) along with optimization of the bokeh performance, all of which whose importance should not be underestimated.
So while the basic optical formula is unchanged from the previous lens, there are a number of significant changes that will improve the function, performance, and yes, the look of the images produced by the lens. In short, there is a lot going on here beyond just standardizing the look of Tamron’s prime lenses.
While Tamron’s original 90mm macro lens has continued to be sold, it should be noted that the new lens will immediately replace the last generation 90 VC (F004) and it will no longer be sold.
The F004 lens was generally excellent, proving to be optically competitive with the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L Macro IS (a lens I own and love). I directly compared the two lenses in my review and found that while they were remarkably close, I found the Canon still had a very slight edge in the overall handling and performance. Are the new upgrades enough to push the advantage balance into Tamron’s camp?
Right off the bat there is one obvious difference; the build quality advantage now belongs to Tamron. Tamron’s new SP design language is very nice, very modern, and very elegant. It is also noticeably more robust than previous Tamron lenses. It is reminiscent of the Sigma ART series on some levels, though unique in its own way and actually more functional. The design is now all lightweight metals as opposed to engineered plastics over a metal shell. It has a more thorough dust and moisture resistance than before, which includes seals not only at the mount but at critical junctures near the switches, focus ring, and other areas. The F004 generation claimed “moisture resistance”, while the new lens professes to be “moisture proof” and “dust resistant”. Tamron stressed this language in the lens’ relief, so they are clearly far more confident in the sealing. Saying “moisture proof” is rather bold, but still don’t plan on dunking this lens in water. Typical weather shouldn’t adversely affect it, though. The fluorine coatings on the front element repels water and fingerprints and improves durability as well. I noticed while doing this comparison that my 100L definitely has some dust in it despite have some form of weather sealing, so if Tamron has gotten this figured out it is another big advantage.
I’ve had some interested photographers from India that are planning to buy this lens based on the enhanced weather sealing alone. The heavy monsoon season there is destructive to lenses, and one photographer’s 100L was in the shop because the aperture blades were stuck due to the weather conditions. He stated that he had other photographer friends with similar issues. He plans to sell his Canon and purchase this lens because of the more robust weather sealing (and the much longer warranty period doesn’t hurt, either!) I stated in the reviews of the 35mm and 45mm VC lenses that I felt Tamron was making a smart move by setting its products apart by offering more robust weather sealing (something Sigma hasn’t included on any of the ART series primes).
The overall size and shape is very similar to the previous lens but not identical. The new lens is minutely larger (4.61″/117.1mm vs. 4.51″/114.5mm) and heavier (610g vs. 550g). The F017 is also 2.5mm thicker. Neither of these size changes are significant enough to make any real difference in the field, but the improvements to the build over the F004 are well worth the marginal size and weight increases. I’m not aware of any macro lens that bests the build of the F017, though I haven’t (yet) tested the Zeiss Milvus 2/100 Makro-Planar lens. The F004 lens made the jump to being internally focusing, and the F017 continues that tradition. Nothing moves externally during focus. A standard lens hood is included.
Even the filter threads are made of metal (rather than plastic) on the SP Primes series. My one (minor) gripe about the build is that the front filter threads continue to be for a 62mm filter – this is a pretty uncommon size and it may be unlikely that you will be able to share filters with other lenses in your kit (Tamron’s 70-300mm f/4.5.6 VC USD is the one other lens that comes to mind that uses the same filter size). On a positive note, the smallish size of the 62mm standard means that filters will be relatively inexpensive.
There are three switches on the side of the barrel: a 3 position focus limiter, AF/MF switch (though full time manual override is available), and an On/Off switch for the VC. I find the switches on the SP Primes to be a tactile improvement over the older Tamron designs.
As with the other SP primes that I have reviewed, the lens says both “Designed in Japan” and “Made in Japan” on the barrel. This is a very pretty lens. Here are few more looks at it:
Macro lenses have very unique image stabilization needs. The nature of macro photography introduces unique stresses on trying to stabilize an image at close focus distances. The F017 introduces new technology into the VC (Vibration Compensation) system of the previous generation, including an accelerometer to compensate for shakes on the x-y plane. Here’s one of the several handheld macro shots I took during my review period.
The end result is better stability at all focus distances, including macro. One final plus for the F017 is the ability to customize the stabilization behavior to your unique needs through the Tap-in Console.
One of the improvements that immediately stood out to me is the improved performance of the USD (Ultrasonic Drive) autofocus motor. The press release from Tamron stated, “The control software program for the USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive) actuator has been revised to provide substantially improved focusing speed and accuracy when using AF.” Real world testing shows that the autofocus is noticeably snappier, and typical adjustments come almost instantaneously. The lens is even able to rack through the whole very large focus range of a macro lens quite quickly. Autofocus performance can be further customized through the use of the three position focus limiter switch, and, in the near future, through software tweaks via the Tamron Tap-in Console accessory.
When I did a typical AFMA on the 90 VC (F017) I found that while it needed a good bit of adjustment (-10 on my review body) the results were consistently repeatable each of the three times that I did the test. Focus results were also nicely consistent during the review. More customization will be possible once the Tap-in Console arrives.
Compatibility with Tap-in is a big advantage for the F017. This type of lens will have even more areas that can be customized than the average lens, including focus limiter, VC performance, and autofocus tweaks. This provides a unique advantage over all other macro lens competitors at the moment. It also helps give peace of mind that the lens can be easily updated via firmware in the future to both improve performance and ensure ongoing compatibility with the camera systems it is developed for. This accessory also means that those of you without the ability to do microadjustment within your camera body will still be able to tweak the AF via the console.
Image Quality:
If you would like to see a broader range of images, feel free to check out my review of this lens’s predecessor. These lenses share a basic optical formula, though the new lens will produce slightly better image quality due to a few key improvements.
Image quality was already excellent, so few improvements were needed here. I did notice what I would consider an improvement in the overall contrast of the images. In a direct comparison between the Canon and the F017 I found that the Tamron appeared to have the slightest of edges when it comes to contrast and the overall look of the images. Here are a few direct comparisons.
Tamron mentioned that the F017 has received “optimizing” to its bokeh “to minimize any blurring with a doubled image appearing for a single line because that phenomenon has a considerably negative impact on background image quality.” I looked back at some similar images I had taken with the F004 two and a half years ago, but I wasn’t able to actually see what they are referring to. Suffice it to say that the bokeh here seems quite good overall and looks almost identical to that of the Canon 100L, a lens I have long praised for its bokeh performance. The bokeh from the F017 looks pretty yummy here:
Here are a number of other “bokehlicious” samples:
The F017 has nine rounded blades in its aperture that help retain a circular shape when stopped down. It does quite a good job. Here is a look at the aperture shape from f/2.8 to f/8:
Tamron has also updated the coatings to their proprietary eBAND and BBAR coatings. These are designed to reduce flare and ghosting, help eliminate chromatic aberrations, and increase contrast. Mission accomplished. I shot into the sun a fair bit without introducing any kind of veiling or ghosting. I saw extremely low levels of CA (very important for a macro lens and all of those shiny surfaces you will be shooting), the flare resistance was excellent, and the contrast compared favorably with the Canon 100L Macro lens. The end result is the already excellent image quality from the previous lens now has a bit more pop.
One area where the Tamron still lags behind the Canon competition is in a typical Tamron weak spot – light transmission. I noticed when testing the stabilization on a calendar with constant lighting that the Canon consistently exposed more brightly than the Tamron with identical settings. I had to increase the Tamron’s image by about half of a stop to get an equal histogram.
One other minor niggle was that I found the VC (Vibration Compensation) a little louder than I’m used to. It may have been specific to my review copy, or it could be due to the new accelerometer.
After having spent some time with the new lens it is easy to see why Tamron refreshed this lens in the way that they did. Now all of their prime lenses will conform to the same standard and will share a “family resemblance”, but beyond that the end result is a significantly improved lens that has great optics in a class leading build. The ability to customize the lens via the soon-arriving Tap-in Console gives Tamron (at least temporarily) a one-up on the competition. This is one of the rare occasions where third party AF is completely competitive with that of the first party lens. Vehicle manufacturers sometimes do a “mid-cycle refresh” to their vehicles that often significantly improves them, and Tamron has done the same here. The Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di 1:1 Macro VC is a great lens that deserves to make its way into a lot of photographer’s bags.
Pros:
Vastly improved build quality that is now class leading
Enhanced “moisture proofing” and “dust resistance” (Tamron’s words).
Class leading 6 year warranty
Improved AF performance that now matches first party AF
Ability to use the Tap-in Console to install firmware and customize performance
Improved coatings increase performance
VC Performance has been enhanced specifically for macro performance
US pricing has actually gone down rather than up compared to last gen
Cons:
Light transmission lags behind Canon 100mm f/2.8L IS Macro
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Great News! I can now offer a 5% discount on all purchases at Amplis Foto, Canada’s Leading Photographic Supplier. Please enter discount code: AMPLIS52016DA in your cart. It is good for everything in your cart, and is stackable with other coupons, too! It will take 5% off your entire order! Proceeds go towards keeping this site going and providing you with new reviews!
DISCLAIMER: This article and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Tamron’s newest lens is a refresh of their already excellent 2nd Generation SP 90mm f/2.8 Macro lens (F004). The new version (F017) adds a number of new features in a much improved build quality that conforms to Tamron’s excellent new SP Prime line. You can find out about all the different upgrades and my final verdict on the lens here: If you prefer to watch your reviews, I’ve got an excellent video that highlights all of those differences here:
If what you want it to just see the images, here is a gallery of images from the SP 90mm f/2.8 Macro VC:
Pictures by the Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 VC USD (F017):
Pictures of the Tamron SP 90mm f/2.8 Di Macro 1:1 VC USD (F017):
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Great News! I can now offer a 5% discount on all purchases at Amplis Foto, Canada’s Leading Photographic Supplier. Please enter discount code: AMPLIS52016DA in your cart. It is good for everything in your cart, and is stackable with other coupons, too! It will take 5% off your entire order! Proceeds go towards keeping this site going and providing you with new reviews!
DISCLAIMER: This article and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
This is a different kind of gallery. I’ve got my hands on a truly amazing little accessory. The LumeCube is a 1.5″ inch cube that has an LED light in its tiny housing that can put out a staggeringly bright 1500 lumens (think of a 100 watt bulb save with a more focused light beam). It is wireless in every way, rechargeable, and can be controlled via Bluetooth and a free app. If that wasn’t cool enough for you, it is also waterproof down to 100 feet. In short, because it is so small it means that you can put light just about anywhere. The applications for photography and video are virtually endless. Over the next while I will working at finding creative ways to use it. This will be a gallery of images I’ve taken while using the LumeCube in creative ways. I’ll also includes images taken of this tiny little product. You can expect my video and text reviews to pop up over the next couple of weeks. Enjoy!
Images Using the LumeCube:
Images of the LumeCube:
To order your own LumeCube or learn more about it, take a look at this link.
Thanks to B&H Photo for providing me the LumeCube for this review!
DISCLAIMER: This article and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
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