Sigma A 105 mm f/1.4 DG HSM review - Introduction

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Sigma A 105 mm f/1.4 DG HSM

10 July 2018

Arkadiusz Olech

1. Introduction

When Sigma started launches of full frame fixed-focal lenses in the top-of-the-range class marked as Art they offered some classic devices as the first. At the beginning you saw such instruments as the 1.4/35, the 1.4/50, or the 1.4/24. Then the time came for much more complex constructions, needing really great optics design skills and the best build quality. As a result such interesting lenses as the 1.4/20 or the 1.8/14 appeared on the market. The situation was also intriguing in the telephoto segment because, after the classic 1.4/85, we were shown also the 1.8/135, one step further when compared to more typical 2/135.

The 1.8/135 model needed an entrance pupil as big as 75 mm – really huge. Almost one year after its launch Sigma announced that they raised the standard even higher, planning the launch of the Sigma A 105 mm f/1.4 DG HSM. Its entrance pupil was supposed to be the same as in the 1.8/135 model but, with shorter focal length, it might face more problems with correction of most of optical aberrations. How did Sigma manage that ambitious project? Did they produce a device as good as the 1.8/135 one? How the new lens compares to the rival Nikkor AF-S 105 mm f/1.4E ED? We hope our test will answer these questions and many more.

We would like to thank the Sigma ProCentrum company for sending us very quickly the final specimen of the lens for testing.

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