I picked up the Sigma a few weeks ago. I'm a wedding photographer as well and have been using the GM for 2 years. My biggest complaint with the GM has been the flaring/loss of contrast in the sun. The Sigma is definitely a lot better! However, it does have a hard time autofocusing when shooting with the sun backlit. It also has a hard time autofocusing in situations like reception dance floors. But I had the same issue with the GM. It's a toss-up for me. I LOVE the color and contrast on the Sigma. And with the much quieter motor and lower price, I'd say the Sigma is the best option right now. I have been blown away at just how much better my shots are looking with the Sigma. Thanks for the great review as always!

Awesome review ! Loving the breakdown and flow of this review !

Thanks for the review and the sample images (they really help to evaluate the lens).

Great video, I was looking for exactly this comparison and the identical bokeh shots were very useful

Great review, i got the most info about comparison of these two.Subscribed!

Interested in the Sigma lenses for L-mount which of course are the same as for the E-mount and this was a REALLY nice short and well made review of it. You got everything in that needed to be there, including great comparisons between to similar lenses and you did it without being boring and taking too much time to do it. Don't get me wrong, I love long reviews as well but sometimes long reviews can be three times as long as your but without any more real information. Thanks for posting, well done and hope to see some more Sigma DG DN reviews from you!

Another stellar review. Straight to the point, authentic and helpful. I’m trading my GM for this. The increased focus speed, increased sharpness and no other major loss of IQ. What’s not to like. Thanks!

Been waiting for this one! :D

That was the comparison I needed. Thank you.

Just picked up the Sigma, and its creamy and fast focusing... Love it. I do need to use gaffers tape on the aperature ring on the grip side, my knuckle is starting to peel.

I remember when I started photography in the very early 2000s. Sigma and Tamron was with a few exceptions (a few macro lenses) mostly a very cheap alternative with relatively poor performance. After around 2012-1013 they stepped up their game and have been crushing it and today Sigma and Tamron is often my first choice because of at least as good and often better and heck of alot cheaper than first party!

I'm impressed by your split-screen comparison of focus speeds. I've got the famous trifecta and so don't need too much convincing.

Was looking to upgrade from the 85 1.8. Mostly because of the lack of sealing than the faster 1.4. Glad the sigma came out just in time! Good to hear the focus is good

As usual very well made video. 👊

Sigma its doing a great job ! I used the previous version so heavy but great sharpness and its is better and smaller

Thanks Chris - even for this "old" video :) Nobody else tested the AF speed for both video and photo.. I have struggled a lot with the GM and AF speed.. Then it's either wait for the new Sony or save a lot on the Sigma(which colors i really like)

Thanks for this great informative video.

Good review. Straight to the point.

I have the Sigma 85mm 1.4 DG DN and really do like the lens. I do wish they made it bigger though to correct the distortion better in the lens instead of relying on the camera or doing it in post.

Hey Chris, I did download couple of pictures to see my self . That sigma just WOW awesome lens its not say GM is bad but for the money its no brainer. Thank you for leting us download and see files !!

Raws look amazing and dreamy ❤️

Trading mine in this week 2. Sigma is killing it.

Cheers man - you made me make up my mind

great review !!

Are there plans for any DG DN like 24 or 35(not 1.2)? Just moved to Sony and I would love to see what's up with sigmas new DG lineup. I think you helped me with my decision on this 85!

Hey Chris thank you for this review! I was wondering if you have any recommendations when choosing between a 50mm and an 85mm. This lens would be paired with the Tamron 17-28mm, but now I just can't decide whether the 85mm or 50/55mm would be better for me. I plan on doing some senior photos which include full body shots and possible weddings in a few years. I think I will eventually get both but I just want one to start out with so it is more affordable. Thanks!

Love mine!! Just perfect!!

I just got my sigma 35mm DG DN. I never regret it. 🔥

Wasn't impressed with the focusing speed of the 85mm GM when it came out but looks like I should try out the Sigma.

That slomo clip was clever and a great comparison

Cant wait for more of their existing lenses to get an update to a dedicated mount (like the 35 1.4 or maybe a 24 👀)

Has Adobe or specifically in Lightroom updated the lens vignetting support for RAW files?

Cheers mate. Enjoyed your input :-) Curious, was EFC turned off?

Thanks Chris for the great review! have you tried the latest Samyang 35mm f1.8? I heard it's sharper, lighter and cheaper than the Sony 35mm f1.8. I would love to hear your opinion about the two. Cheers from Melbourne AU.

Great review and comparison shots! Discussion topic: Are number and shape of aperture blade not only about geometry of bokeh balls stopped down, were higher number and round shape avoids hexagonal shape? Wide open you cannot see any hexagonal shapes anyway.

Thanks for the great review of the Sigma 85mm 1.4. Three aspects should imho also be mentioned: 1) You shot your bokeh comparison pictures with 1st electronic curtain enabled. This kind of cuts bokeh balls in the middle. It looks much nicer with 1st electronic curtain disabled. 2) The heavy distortion of the Sigma 85mm 1.4 DG DN is clearly visible on your test pictures, but you did not mention it. 3) The bokeh balls of the Sony 85mm 1.4 are more round in the corners of the image. However all in all I also think that the Sigma is probably the better lens.

Thank you

Hi chris, on mobile icant see the information about the Lens. CM208666.arw is my favorit picture. Is this shot with the Sony or the sigma. Thx

thank you but i wonder about night and darkness atmosphere ?

I love my sigma 85 mm, It's one of my favourite lenses. The only thing I don't like is the very soft metal they use for the barrel of the lens. Mine has little chips all over it. Whereas my GM lenses which are all treated in the same way look like new. Hopefully the 85 GM MKII will be out soon ,which I will pick up as I'm sure it will be amazing, as all their new lenses are. I just hope it's f1.4 and not a 1KG plus f1.2

my wedding combo is distagon 35/1,4 + sigma 85/1.4 (it's in my bag too sony 55/1,8, but GM 50/1,2 is dream lens....). not even the sharpest lens will help you to take a beautiful photo if you do not have talent and an eye.

Great review. Love it either on my A7r4 and my A9 II

Hi Chris, Sigma lens seems to have strong distortion off the centre. If shot under JPEG with in camera adjustment, and the face is on 1/3 position, will you still see obvious distortion? I own Sony 85GM, but feel not sharp enough.

Please compare also zeiss batis 85mm 1.8. I've heard that batis is really awesome if we talk about bokeh too:)

i feel like a better comparison for these will be the sony 1.8 vs sigma 1.4. Is it worth paying a little extra for the faster speed? I feel like for a lot of hobbyists and enthusiasts, the 1.4 GMs are just out of the question, while pros will probably just go with the sony lenses anyway, or will for out 100 bucks to rent it for a few days

Chris, did you decide to keep the Sigma 85 or continue to use the SONY 85 for your work? I have the SONY 24 / 1.4 and want to get a 85 / 1.4 companion lens for general non pro use (probably buying SONY used). Will the SONY 85 colors match the SONY 24 better than the Sigma 85? I am trying to avoid a lot of post work. Thanks if you have time to reply.

Chris! Please help me out! I’m getting in to wedding photography and I c’ant decide between this sigma 85 1.4 and the Sony 55 1.8 to pair with my sony 24 1.4. Can you do a comparison between 85 and 55/50?

the lint on his shirt stole the show ! jk great vid, i love my Sigma 85mm, and my brother loves his sony 85mm 1.8 LOL

What’s the music you are using in the beginning

Do you really have a feeling that Sigma is better in backlit scenes? From my quuick test, I had exactly the opposite feeling and this is something stopping me from trading in my GM lens.

Hey Chris, out of interest, what is the wedding photographer group you started on fb? Wouldn't mind joining it :)

I also tried it. - but for my wedding work I will still use the Sony 85 1.8 - its so much lighter and so much faster than the Gmaster or the Sigma 85.

Hi im new to photography planning to buy an 85mm lens and not sure if i'll go for sigma or the sony 1.8.. i use it for posting on facebook, instagram or maybe for printing soon.. almost all reviews show that the new sigma 85mm is sharper and my question is will the sharpness of the sigma still be better and noticeable when i post it on social media even though instagram and facebook have photo compression? Should i save my money and go for more expensive sigma?

Sigma has any crop factor ? . Pic seems little tighter than gm

Guess I’m gonna have to follow. Won’t cost me any money.

Any regrets Chris? I have the option to upgrade my 1.8 for GM or Sigma both new at the same price. Tempted by the GM but heard the focus noise is very loud in churches etc. 🤔🤙🍺

The Sony GM 1.4 is a front focusing lens. I tested it for 3 weeks and constantly got the same results.

Hi Chris… it’s been a year since you made this review… are you still using the 85mm? Is it still performing as good as in the beginning…?

I ended up buying it. I love this lens. It reminds me of film - why is that?

The pincusion distortion is terrible though. I just can't unsee it now. I've been looking at this lens for days now and noticed it from the first shots I saw. So bummed about this.

Hey Chris I know you're super busy with weddings but now you shoot weddings with the Sigma 85 dg dn and the Sony 24 do you notice much of a colour difference between the 2 and how easy is that to fix in post? Cheers much appreciated brother!

One problem with Sigma is the hideous pincushion distortion. Its pretty noticeable due to the lens structural flaws. I personally have it, but if given second choice, I'd pick the GM over the Sigma for the same price (I was torn between a mint GM that is priced the same as the new Sigma, in the end picked the Sigma as I thought it would be nicer to have a more compact and lighter lens). Oh boy I should have picked the GM instead.

Hi, did you compare both lenses on pincushion distortion, any words on that? I'm reading Sigma has a horrible distortion. Thank you.

Does Sigma have a "new" 50mm (i..e not one of the old-skool "internally-adapted" ones)

YES! Thank you as always! Sigma better pay you Chris! haha

SCOOP (..why am I the only one to point it out - only I saw it ?) : The lock relating to the aperture ring not only locks the A-position, but optionally, when locked outside the A-position it than prevents to slip into A when at f16 /when freely working with the aperture ring (that's the way I like to lock it). So that lock should actually rather be referred to as an enabler of a barrier between either way, because it really is offering more then what is sayd everywhere about that.

Comparing the images, it seems that either the Sony is either 82-83mm or the Sigma is maybe 86-87mm.

Nice review Chris! The batis 85 have been in my scope for a while, execpt the 1/2 stop difference, how you hou describe the difference between them? I run the 55 and batis 25 wich renders the images beautifully... the signa now confuseme since it s about the same price.... Thx for the advice Ps: i am not a working professional, just a serious enthousiast.

Awesome

I might swap my Sony FE 1,8/85 for the Sigma.

I hope Sigma doesn't re-design their 135mm f1.8 Art lens, because I couldn't bear it if it was better than the 135mm GM - surely that's not possible!

Please respond to this. So what do you think of sigma now?? I’m going to get it tomorrow

so sad, im so loyal to sony I feel weird when I have to use another lens. but after watching and reading so many reviews I think the best option is sigma.

can i use mirrorless lens on dslr ??

I think the Sigma has a lot of distortion that could potentially affect the way it renders people if it's a portrait lens vs the GM. The Sigma is better at everything else.

IMO.. even the Samyang/Rokinon beats the Sony 85 1.4 GM Great video Chris, your review helps a lot! Keep it up!

wait.. hold up. Is Sigma releasing more 1.4 tiny lenses for sony?? I just ordered a 1.8 because I hate Sony's 1.4 so much!! This one is nice!

it feels like I have to sell my Batis 84 1.8 and buy Sigma 85 1.4 :)

My Sony 85 gm has been rock solid for the past 3 years the thousands of pictures I’ve taken bear this out. I see no logic, reason to trade down to the Sigma even if I can pocket some cash. DONT need the extra sharpness....in fact I’m often softening skin with the gm.

27k views and only 700 likes?

Alright, I’ve seen enough, I’m buying this lens. 😂 No, but for real. I have their 24-70 DG DN, and I’m happy with it. Sold my Sony FE 85mm F1.8 two weeks ago, and wasn’t sure whether to get the sigma 85mm DG DN or the Sony 135 GM. I can’t get both, and it’s a really hard decision to make for me, but I think I’ll get the sigma.

wow! that beard is getting long! LOL

Sigma it is

😳What prison are you in?

First :)

don't recommend channel