Sigma 135mm F/18 Dg Hsm Art Lens for Nikon F Review

What is It?
The Sigma Art fast prime number gear up is getting filled in very nicely, at present extending from 14mm to 135mm. The 135mm is an f/1.viii optic, non f/1.iv like some of the Fine art primes, simply that probably saved us all from having to work out at the gym more.

At 40.9 ounces (1130g), this lens is non calorie-free. Indeed, since information technology's only iv.5" long (114.9mm) and 3.half dozen" in diameter (91.4mm), it feels like you lot're picking upward pocket-size gold bar.

Inside there's a lot of drinking glass. Not so much in terms of elements, as there'due south just thirteen of those in 10 groups. It'southward that and then many of those elements are big. Y'all tin't see that from the outside, of course, just much of that weight is just large thick glass elements packed together, especially towards the front of the lens. Two of the elements are SLD glass, two FLD.

Apertures range from f/i.8 to f/16, with a ix-blade rounded aperture opening. Up front, nosotros've got an 82mm filter band and a bayonet lens hood mountain (lens hood included, as is a carrying case for the lens).I should point out that the discontinuity is electronically controlled on Nikons (east.g. E-blazon), so watch camera compatibility.

Close focus is 34.4" (.875m) and nets out to a pretty dainty one:four.iii maximum magnification. Not macro, but this lens will let you come in tight to subjects, even human ones. Focus pull is a bit over a quarter of a turn, indeed, slightly awkwardly then (encounter treatment, below). At that place's a focus scale marked in anxiety and meters, but no DOF markings. And yes, every bit with virtually lenses using low dispersion glass, you tin can focus past infinity at many temperatures.

The lens has two switches, 1 for AF/MF, and a three position focus limiter switch (all, nearly, far). The sample lens was manufactured in 2017.

The 135mm f/ane.8 Art lens is made in Japan and retails for Us$1399. It'south available in Catechism EF, Nikon F, Sigma SA, and Sony FE mounts.

Source of the lens: B&H loaner

Sigma's Web page for the lens

How'south information technology Handle?
It's a big dense parcel that reminds me a lot of hanging the Nikkor 105mm f/ane.4 off the front of my cameras. On the light cameras, such every bit the D750, you lot're going to definitely experience front heavy. On the D5, not an issue at all. The D850 is somewhere in between.

The focus band was smooth and very wide (so easy to find), though the minimum to maximum throw plow is more than you want to practice in one hand twist. But I'm not certain in that location'south a time when you manually move focus from 0.857m to infinity, so this is generally ignorable.

One thing that was highly unusual is that the feet markings on the distance calibration are almost unreadable even under bright light. It's like someone used the wrong pigment, in that location's not only zero reflectance, but the markings are dim on top of that.

Overall than that, zip to complain well-nigh.

How'due south it Perform?
Focus: Like the 85mm, there's a piddling slide-to-focus in low light. Merely shooting Frank (encounter below), the lens was handling focus just fine. Call back that you've got a focus limiter if you lot don't desire the lens to go all the mode from .875m to infinity.

Sharpness: While not quite the sharp knife the 85mm Fine art is, the 135mm comes remarkably close. Center is excellent from wide open until diffraction starts taking your acuity away. Corners are, well, uh, I'm going to telephone call them very good at f/1.8, merely I'm pushing my definition a bit. Information technology'due south rare to see a fast lens this long and then sharp in the corner, though, so I'yard going to give the Sigma the benefit of the uncertainty. Put it this way: the corners are likely to be amend than you lot hoped at f/i.8. The corners are conspicuously very good to first-class at f/4, then stopping down even a lilliputian bit should get you desire y'all demand if you need edge-to-edge abrupt.

It'southward the return of Frank, concluding seen in the 70-300mm DX review. Because he'south on the far bank abroad from me, this is about a 9mp crop from the D850. Yep, the camera/lens combo was able to choice him off a very busy background and put the focus in the right identify, and the detail is really really good for beingness at f/i.8.

Several frames subsequently, everything'southward however very nice. Again, this is f/i.8, non the strongest aperture on this lens withal the detail is clearly there.

Linear distortion: Like the 85mm, the 135mm has very little pincushion baloney. At about a 5th-of-a-percentage, I'm not sure you'd tend to correct information technology, simply information technology looks very regular to me, so should be easily correctable.

Vignetting: Surprise! I wish all modernistic fast lenses were so tame. Less than a end and one-half wide open up, and past f/2.8 we're well nether a half stop and unnoticeable. Very nice performance for a fast telephoto lens.

Chromatic abnormality: I'thousand starting to wonder if Sigma was delivered a box of CA-Away and they sprayed it on all recent lenses. Lateral CA is low enough that I can't even vouch for the accuracy of my numbers. Longitudinal CA is present, but in reasonable depression levels and mostly gone by f/iv. I've seen far, far worse from fast primes than this lens delivers, and then I'k going to telephone call that practiced performance.

Bokeh: Like the 85mm, this is some of Sigma's better piece of work. Minimal outer edge brightness, no existent visible onion skin, and actually only some fringe color due to the longitudinal CA. Corners lose shape, indicating coma.

Final Words
Some other really impressive prime number from Sigma. Hmm. Nikkor 58mm, Sigma 85mm, Nikkor 105mm, Sigma 135mm. That'due south ane fine lens set that takes y'all across from long normal to brusque telephoto. If you're not getting great images with tight acuity from a ready similar that, well, something is wrong with yous, not the lenses.

Sigma'south definitely upped their game with many of the Art lenses. The 135mm f/1.viii shows a really solid residual of the optical tradeoffs, with an emphasis on sharpness and reducing any easily-visible artifacts. If you like this focal length, this is the all-time option I've seen to appointment on the high megapixel count cameras. It'due south good. Real good.

Recommended (2018 to present)

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Source: https://www.dslrbodies.com/lenses/nikon-lens-reviews/third-party-lens-reviews/sigma-135mm-f18-dg-hsm-art.html

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