Last Updated on 11/28/2012 by Chris Gampat
I’ve stuck to three lenses for a very long time: The Canon 35mm f1.4 L, 50mm f1.4, and 85mm f1.8. And I’ve loved them. They were great wide open, great stopped down, and overall have never failed me. But it’s time that I upgrade. In my personal opinion, Canon has been dragging their feet a bit and I haven’t been absolutely truly stunned by any of the lenses that they’ve made in the past year. With that said, I’ve decided to go all Sigma and replace each lens with its Sigma variant. Why Sigma? Though I’ve ripped into some of their zoom lenses in previous reviews here, I’ve absolutely loved their 85mm f1.4 and 50mm f1.4. I’ve been waiting for a very long time for a 35mm f1.4, and now it’s here. All of those lenses are all very well worth their weight in gold; and for my type of work (portraits and studio) I don’t really need to upgrade cameras. All of these lenses will be coupled with my 5D Mk II, and will take great advantage of the already excellent sensor. They all autofocus perfectly fine with the camera as well.
So why a full post dedicated to this? Because as I’ve stated in previous posts this year, I believe that Sigma needs to be congratulated on overcoming the myth of the third party manufacturer. To be honest, I never thought I’d see the day that happened. Their glass is wonderful, it autofocuses well, its affordable, and they have improved their quality control methods. In the end, it’s all the photographer who creates the images; but I’m at the point where I want more from my lenses. And at the moment, Sigma is doing that for me.
And now to be totally selfish, I’m selling each lens on eBay if you’re interested. You can check out the 35mm f1.4 L, 50mm f1.4, and 85mm f1.8 at the according links.