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Review: Sigma 135mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art (Sony E Mount)

Posted on November 11, 2018February 12, 2021 by Jordan Steele

Contents

  • 1Construction and Handling
  • 2Autofocus
  • 3Image Quality
  • 4Conclusion
  • 5Image Samples

Conclusion

Pros

  • Absolutely brilliant sharpness across the frame right from f/1.8
  • Beautiful bokeh
  • Good contrast and color
  • Very low chromatic aberration
  • Good flare performance
  • Minimal vignetting
  • Minimal distortion
  • Excellent build quality
  • Reasonable price

Cons

  • Very large and heavy lens
  • Autofocus is only average

The Sigma 135mm f/1.8 Art is a lens that not everyone will take to, as the medium telephoto length works well for many and not so well for others, but if you like this focal length, you really can’t do much better.  The lens has simply exceptional sharpness, beautiful bokeh, extremely low aberrations across the board and a fairly reasonable price for that level of performance at $1,399.  It is a rather large and heavy beast, which is par for the course for Sigma’s Art series, but if you can deal with the weight, you’ll be rewarded with truly stunning image quality.

The autofocus is only average, but it gets the job done, and the lens works very well with Sony’s EyeAF capabilities.  There really isn’t much more to say: it’s one of the best lenses I’ve ever had the pleasure to use.

Image Samples

Click on an image to enlarge.

Golden Sunrise – Sony A7 III with Sigma 135mm f/1.8 @ f/6.3, 1/1250s, ISO 100
Fish – Sony A7 III with Sigma 135mm f/1.8 @ f/2.8, 1/800s, ISO 100
Scioto Mile – Sony A7 III with Sigma 135mm f/1.8 @ f/1.8, 1/500s, ISO 100
By the Deer – Sony A7 III with Sigma 135mm f/1.8 @ f/1.8, 1/200s, ISO 100
Pillars – Sony A7 III with Sigma 135mm f/1.8 @ f/1.8, 1/640s, ISO 100
Railing – Sony A7 III with Sigma 135mm f/1.8 @ f/1.8, 1/320s, ISO 100
Huntington Building – Sony A7 III with Sigma 135mm f/1.8 @ f/8, 1/200s, ISO 100
Fish – Sony A7 III with Sigma 135mm f/1.8 @ f/1.8, 1/1000s, ISO 100
Cat – Sony A7 III with Sigma 135mm f/1.8 @ f/1.8, 1/160s, ISO 2000
Wild Teasel – Sony A7 III with Sigma 135mm f/1.8 @ f/1.8, 1/160s, ISO 125
Custom Keyboard (another hobby) – Sony A7 III with Sigma 135mm f/1.8 @ f/2.5, 1/160s, ISO 100
If you enjoyed this review, please take a look at my other reviews in the Review Index.
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7 thoughts on “Review: Sigma 135mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art (Sony E Mount)”

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  5. Gabriel says:
    March 12, 2019 at 9:02 am

    Been coming to your site for a while and was pretty surprised to see you were a fan of the mech keyboards too!
    Only just joined the mass drop for the next round of Canvas

    Reply
    1. Jordan Steele says:
      March 12, 2019 at 9:06 am

      It’s a great keyset. I’m excited for the delivery of my Holy Pandas.

      Reply
  6. Joel says:
    February 27, 2023 at 9:42 am

    Great review thank you! Exactly the information I came looking for. Was surprised to see scioto mile! That’s about a mile from where I live.

    Reply

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