FA 77/1.8 or Sigma 85/1.4?

Wilson1802 · 02-01-2012, 08:26 PM

Last night I asked the question on which lens was better for shooting basketball...I got some great advice...thank you all!

A couple of posters suggested I consider the Sigma 85mm/1.4. Citing the need for the f-stops below 2, would be important for shooting indoor hoops.

So, tonight, I would love to ask peoples opinion on whether they would recommend either the Sigma or Pentax...I am going to buy the lens tomorrow...so I can use it this weekend. thanks.

Adam · 02-01-2012, 08:39 PM

The Sigma and the Pentax are about just as good as far as IQ goes. I would go for the Sigma as it's newer, cheaper, and available!

Sigma 85mm F1.4 HSM - Review - PentaxForums.com

Winder · 02-01-2012, 09:07 PM

I would go with the Sigma 85mm. It is a little more expensive, and a lot bigger and heavier, but IMHO it is a better lens.

brofkand · 02-01-2012, 09:15 PM

If you think you can manage with manual focus, take a look at the Vivitar 85mm f/1.4. I bought it for my K-5 and absolutely loved it; dead sharp and cheap (less than $300 from B&H).

I returned it because I wanted to move to zooms to make my assortment of gear simpler. Had I not, the Vivitar 85mm would still be my #1 lens. I may buy another one when tax time rolls around.

Dave · 02-01-2012, 09:24 PM

Me, I'd take the 77mm anyday...

But that is just me.

Eagle_Friends · 02-01-2012, 10:34 PM

FA 77mm f1.8

Without question. This is one of the greatest short tele ever made. This is not some 3rd party glass-ware, and yea the Sigma is nice, but this is the FA 77mm Limited. No contest.

Laurentiu Cristofor · 02-01-2012, 10:57 PM

I'm not sure how well the FA would do for sports photography given that it has PF issues.

Use for portraiture is irrelevant as almost any lens that is long enough or wide enough can be used to get impressive portraits, if the photographer is skilled. If anyone has basketball shots taken with the FA77, it would be nice to see them - I don't recollect anyone posting such shots to demonstrate the capability of the FA 77 to be used in conditions with harsh lights. I've seen examples, however, where PF was demonstrated to occur under harsh light.

A perfect giveaway for lenses with CA problems is when people rave about them and then post B&W shots.

Roob-N-Boots · 02-01-2012, 11:00 PM

I haven't shoot with either one but I would choose the FA77, it is smaller, lighter and cheaper. If you use filters the FA77 uses a 49mm thread which is cheaper than the 77mm filter thread that the Sigma uses.

**Digitalis** · 02-01-2012, 11:35 PM

Originally posted by Laurentiu Cristofor

'm not sure how well the FA would do for sports photography given that it has PF issues.

If you keep your expectations to realistic levels you would know by now that pretty much every fast (f/1.2~f/1.8) non-apochromatic lens designed for portraiture will suffer from purple fringing, the Leica-R summilux 80mm f/1.4 suffers from it, the Canon EF85mm f/1.2L suffers from it, the Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G suffers from it, the sigma 85mm f/1.4 also suffers from it and yes, the Pentax FA77 f/1.8 limited suffers from it almost every modern lens below 100mm that is f/2 and faster will produce varying amounts of PF to some degree! the only lens that doesn't have a problem with purple fringing is the manual focusing Leica Summicron-R 90mm f/2 APO - which is a superlative lens, but also quite rare.

I personally wouldn't recommend the FA77 for sports photography, it is very slow to focus .The golden standard for screwdrive focusing is the FA*85mm f/1.4 which focuses very quickly - but that lens has been discontinued for some time.

NicoleAu · 02-02-2012, 12:26 AM

Just out of curiousity, why a short tele prime for sports? Wouldn't you be better off going for a fast zoom? A prime kind of limits you in that circumstance as you won't be able to zoom with your feet so much during a sports match..

vrrattko · 02-02-2012, 12:28 AM

short tele for sports? sigma 85 or da 70 limited.

Laurentiu Cristofor · 02-02-2012, 12:59 AM

Originally posted by Digitalis

If you keep your expectations to realistic levels you would know by now that pretty much every fast (f/1.2~f/1.8) non-apochromatic lens designed for portraiture will suffer from purple fringing, the Leica-R summilux 80mm f/1.4 suffers from it, the Canon EF85mm f/1.2L suffers from it, the Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G suffers from it, the sigma 85mm f/1.4 also suffers from it and yes, the Pentax FA77 f/1.8 limited suffers from it almost every modern lens below 100mm that is f/2 and faster will produce varying amounts of PF to some degree! the only lens that doesn't have a problem with purple fringing is the manual focusing Leica Summicron-R 90mm f/2 APO - which is a superlative lens, but also quite rare.

All are not equal.

The PF is partly or mostly caused by the purple component of LoCa. And yes, all fast lenses have it, but some excel at it - notably Pentax lenses. It is true since Takumars and until FAs. There are better lenses though - I never saw the same level of LoCA on Voigtlander lenses - they have some, but it is much better controlled - and I am not talking about the APO models - just regular Nokton models. I would expect the Samyang to have better control of CA as well - I only used it a bit, but from what I've seen, Samyang does a pretty good job controlling CA in their lenses. I would expect the Sigma to be better in this area too.

JohnTaylor · 02-02-2012, 01:43 AM

I have both 77mm f1.8 limited and sigma 85mm f1.4

Had both for less than half a year, and no sports photography. Mostly used at night. But these are my personal inexperienced subjective observations:

1. 85mm focuses faster, quieter and sharper than the 77.
2. The 85mm weighs double the 77mm (approx 710 grams vs 370 grams) so it's a good opportunity to get a workout.
3. The photos from both are sharp and bokeh is fine. However, the 77mm still produces creamier bokeh. Despite the rough sounding screwdrive. slow indecisive AF, esp in less than ideal light, the final photo is good for the 85mm, but sometimes wonderous for the 77mm.
4. The 85mm sounds like a far more refined lens. The 77m looks great, but the screwdrive sound just ruins the illusion.

So it depends on- if you a good sharp pic is more important than creaminess, then the 85mm is your lens. I really do feel the f1.4 vs f1.8 makes a world of difference in shutter speed, and although I say the 77mm can produce some fantastic photos, that's no good to you if it can't focus fast enough and you lose the shot.

The

thomasz08 · 02-02-2012, 02:14 AM

FA77 is better

Emacs · 02-02-2012, 03:00 AM

Originally posted by Digitalis

I personally wouldn't recommend the FA77 for sports photography, it is very slow to focus .The golden standard for screwdrive focusing is the FA*85mm f/1.4 which focuses very quickly - but that lens has been discontinued for some time.

Since I owned both these lenses I would not recommend FA* 85. It has blazing fast AF, it's at least as sharp until f2.8, but it's just plain boring. Sometimes 77Ltd brings pixie dust into the shot. FA 85 will never do this. I would recommend you A* 85, which is really stellar performer, better than 77Ltd IMO, but it's MF

From what I have seen, Sigma is about as boring as FA* 85. If you don't know what it is, try to buy both then sell one. I would stick with 77Ltd, but it's my choice

02-01-2012, 08:39 PM	#2
Adam Administrator Site Webmaster Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Arizona Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 51,595	The Sigma and the Pentax are about just as good as far as IQ goes. I would go for the Sigma as it's newer, cheaper, and available! Sigma 85mm F1.4 HSM - Review - PentaxForums.com Adam PentaxForums.com Webmaster (Site Usage Guide \| Site Help \| My Photography) PentaxForums.com server and development costs are user-supported. You can help cover these costs by donating or purchasing one of our Pentax eBooks. Or, buy your photo gear from our affiliates, Adorama, B&H Photo, KEH, or Topaz Labs, and get FREE Marketplace access - click here to see how! Trusted Pentax retailers:

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02-01-2012, 08:26 PM	#1
Wilson1802 New Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 13	FA 77/1.8 or Sigma 85/1.4? Last night I asked the question on which lens was better for shooting basketball...I got some great advice...thank you all! A couple of posters suggested I consider the Sigma 85mm/1.4. Citing the need for the f-stops below 2, would be important for shooting indoor hoops. So, tonight, I would love to ask peoples opinion on whether they would recommend either the Sigma or Pentax...I am going to buy the lens tomorrow...so I can use it this weekend. thanks.

02-01-2012, 09:07 PM	#3
Winder Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Tennessee Posts: 6,617	I would go with the Sigma 85mm. It is a little more expensive, and a lot bigger and heavier, but IMHO it is a better lens.

02-01-2012, 09:15 PM	#4
brofkand Pentaxian Join Date: May 2009 Location: North Carolina Posts: 836	If you think you can manage with manual focus, take a look at the Vivitar 85mm f/1.4. I bought it for my K-5 and absolutely loved it; dead sharp and cheap (less than $300 from B&H). I returned it because I wanted to move to zooms to make my assortment of gear simpler. Had I not, the Vivitar 85mm would still be my #1 lens. I may buy another one when tax time rolls around.

02-01-2012, 09:24 PM	#5
Dave Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: VT Photos: Albums Posts: 67	Me, I'd take the 77mm anyday... But that is just me.

02-01-2012, 10:34 PM	#6
Eagle_Friends Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 971	FA 77mm f1.8 Without question. This is one of the greatest short tele ever made. This is not some 3rd party glass-ware, and yea the Sigma is nice, but this is the FA 77mm Limited. No contest.

02-01-2012, 10:57 PM	#7
Laurentiu Cristofor Banned Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: WA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,055	I'm not sure how well the FA would do for sports photography given that it has PF issues. Use for portraiture is irrelevant as almost any lens that is long enough or wide enough can be used to get impressive portraits, if the photographer is skilled. If anyone has basketball shots taken with the FA77, it would be nice to see them - I don't recollect anyone posting such shots to demonstrate the capability of the FA 77 to be used in conditions with harsh lights. I've seen examples, however, where PF was demonstrated to occur under harsh light. A perfect giveaway for lenses with CA problems is when people rave about them and then post B&W shots.

02-01-2012, 11:00 PM	#8
Roob-N-Boots Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Palm Springs CA Posts: 393	I haven't shoot with either one but I would choose the FA77, it is smaller, lighter and cheaper. If you use filters the FA77 uses a 49mm thread which is cheaper than the 77mm filter thread that the Sigma uses.

02-01-2012, 11:35 PM	#9
Digitalis Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Melbourne, Victoria Photos: Gallery Posts: 11,694	Originally posted by Laurentiu Cristofor 'm not sure how well the FA would do for sports photography given that it has PF issues. If you keep your expectations to realistic levels you would know by now that pretty much every fast (f/1.2~f/1.8) non-apochromatic lens designed for portraiture will suffer from purple fringing, the Leica-R summilux 80mm f/1.4 suffers from it, the Canon EF85mm f/1.2L suffers from it, the Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G suffers from it, the sigma 85mm f/1.4 also suffers from it and yes, the Pentax FA77 f/1.8 limited suffers from it almost every modern lens below 100mm that is f/2 and faster will produce varying amounts of PF to some degree! the only lens that doesn't have a problem with purple fringing is the manual focusing Leica Summicron-R 90mm f/2 APO - which is a superlative lens, but also quite rare. I personally wouldn't recommend the FA77 for sports photography, it is very slow to focus .The golden standard for screwdrive focusing is the FA85mm f/1.4 which focuses very* quickly - but that lens has been discontinued for some time.

02-02-2012, 12:26 AM	#10
NicoleAu Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Central Coast, NSW, Australia Photos: Gallery Posts: 539	Just out of curiousity, why a short tele prime for sports? Wouldn't you be better off going for a fast zoom? A prime kind of limits you in that circumstance as you won't be able to zoom with your feet so much during a sports match..

02-02-2012, 12:28 AM	#11
vrrattko Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Photos: Albums Posts: 753	short tele for sports? sigma 85 or da 70 limited.

02-02-2012, 12:59 AM	#12
Laurentiu Cristofor Banned Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: WA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,055	Originally posted by Digitalis If you keep your expectations to realistic levels you would know by now that pretty much every fast (f/1.2~f/1.8) non-apochromatic lens designed for portraiture will suffer from purple fringing, the Leica-R summilux 80mm f/1.4 suffers from it, the Canon EF85mm f/1.2L suffers from it, the Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G suffers from it, the sigma 85mm f/1.4 also suffers from it and yes, the Pentax FA77 f/1.8 limited suffers from it almost every modern lens below 100mm that is f/2 and faster will produce varying amounts of PF to some degree! the only lens that doesn't have a problem with purple fringing is the manual focusing Leica Summicron-R 90mm f/2 APO - which is a superlative lens, but also quite rare. All are not equal. The PF is partly or mostly caused by the purple component of LoCa. And yes, all fast lenses have it, but some excel at it - notably Pentax lenses. It is true since Takumars and until FAs. There are better lenses though - I never saw the same level of LoCA on Voigtlander lenses - they have some, but it is much better controlled - and I am not talking about the APO models - just regular Nokton models. I would expect the Samyang to have better control of CA as well - I only used it a bit, but from what I've seen, Samyang does a pretty good job controlling CA in their lenses. I would expect the Sigma to be better in this area too.

02-02-2012, 01:43 AM	#13
JohnTaylor New Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Photos: Albums Posts: 20	I have both 77mm f1.8 limited and sigma 85mm f1.4 Had both for less than half a year, and no sports photography. Mostly used at night. But these are my personal inexperienced subjective observations: 1. 85mm focuses faster, quieter and sharper than the 77. 2. The 85mm weighs double the 77mm (approx 710 grams vs 370 grams) so it's a good opportunity to get a workout. 3. The photos from both are sharp and bokeh is fine. However, the 77mm still produces creamier bokeh. Despite the rough sounding screwdrive. slow indecisive AF, esp in less than ideal light, the final photo is good for the 85mm, but sometimes wonderous for the 77mm. 4. The 85mm sounds like a far more refined lens. The 77m looks great, but the screwdrive sound just ruins the illusion. So it depends on- if you a good sharp pic is more important than creaminess, then the 85mm is your lens. I really do feel the f1.4 vs f1.8 makes a world of difference in shutter speed, and although I say the 77mm can produce some fantastic photos, that's no good to you if it can't focus fast enough and you lose the shot. The

02-02-2012, 02:14 AM	#14
thomasz08 Junior Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Jiangsu Province Posts: 47	FA77 is better

02-02-2012, 03:00 AM	#15
Emacs Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Moscow Posts: 1,223	Originally posted by Digitalis I personally wouldn't recommend the FA77 for sports photography, it is very slow to focus .The golden standard for screwdrive focusing is the FA85mm f/1.4 which focuses very quickly - but that lens has been discontinued for some time. Since I owned both these lenses I would not recommend FA 85. It has blazing fast AF, it's at least as sharp until f2.8, but it's just plain boring. Sometimes 77Ltd brings pixie dust into the shot. FA 85 will never do this. I would recommend you A* 85, which is really stellar performer, better than 77Ltd IMO, but it's MF From what I have seen, Sigma is about as boring as FA* 85. If you don't know what it is, try to buy both then sell one. I would stick with 77Ltd, but it's my choice