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06-11-2017, 09:46 PM   #1
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What I should get? Sigma 85mm or Pentax 77mm

Hello there,

I like to hear your opinions about what I should get in the near future... Sigma 85mm F1.4 or Pentax 77mm F1.8
What I need to have is outstanding sharpness wide open and really good micro contrast. Also AF performance should be good.
Yours positive and negative feedback for each of those lenses are requested, as I did not had any experience with those lenses.
I looked up the flickr for those two lenses but the images/style there are quite different.

I do have Sigma 50mm F1.4 HSM (needs to be calibrated) and Sigma 70mm F2.8 Macro (all fine here) and I do like both of them, however 50mm misses focus quite often versus 70mm which is slower and do not have HSM but it does not miss focus.

Sample photos if anyone have both of those lenses with same subject will be excellent.

I looked through all reviews here but still I like to see if anyone have both lenses and how they compare to each other.

Thank you in advance!

EDIT: The weight is not an issue and I will get at some point K-1 as well.


Last edited by RAART; 06-11-2017 at 10:16 PM.
06-11-2017, 10:08 PM - 1 Like   #2
hcc
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You will get a lot of answers. I will share here my take.

Both lenses are good but not identical.

The IQ and colour rendering of the FA77mm are outstanding. It was called at once stage the "best AF prime lens that money can buy". It is also PF winner of the lens competition. The Sigma's IQ and sharpness are outstanding.

For me the decision may come to your usage and how you feel about the weight and size of the Sigma 85mm. It heavy and big, and the FA77mm is a nibble in comparison.

For portraiture, I would say go for the FA77mm.

For sharpness and speed (f1.4), go for the Sigma 85mm, if the weight is not an issue.

Personally I love my FA77mm for its colour rendering, portrait shots, and its small size. For these reasons, I would not buy the Sigma.

Hope that the comment may help.

Last edited by hcc; 06-12-2017 at 01:05 AM.
06-11-2017, 10:13 PM - 1 Like   #3
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I agree with Hubert (hcc) above on all his points.

On your K-3, I'd lean toward the Pentax 77mm although you do already have a Sigma 70mm. If you thought you may be getting a K-1 one day, then the Sigma 85mm would have my vote.
06-12-2017, 02:42 AM - 1 Like   #4
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Everytime I point my FA77 at someone, I get my desire shot, for portraiture the FA77 is just magical !

06-12-2017, 03:13 AM - 1 Like   #5
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I am only familiar with the FA-77mm, taking pictures with it on both the K-5 and the K-1 It's a wonderful lens, I can't recommend it highly enough.
06-12-2017, 03:39 AM - 1 Like   #6
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I adore my FA77, RAART, but if you want to put sharpness before size and rendering, you should probably get your credit card out for that Sigma!
06-12-2017, 04:34 AM - 1 Like   #7
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If you want sharp, the Sigma 70mm you already have will beat them both. I have the 77 and the Sigma 70, and no doubt the Sigma is sharper. I like my 77 a lot though, and it's the one I actually carry.

06-12-2017, 05:28 AM - 1 Like   #8
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Re: What I should get? Sigma 85mm or Pentax 77mm

If weight is at all an issue go with the 77mm.

While I don't have the the Sigma 85, I do have Pentax FA* 85--which I do love--but if I'm wanting to be on the move I take the 77 Ltd.

The 270g of the 77mm Ltd is less than half the FA* 85mm's 550g and about a third of the Sigma 85mm's beefy 725g.
06-12-2017, 06:06 AM   #9
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This is what I like and do not like:

FA 77mm:
Pros: IQ, rendering and weight
Cons: F-stop of 1.8, sharpness

Sigma 85mm:
Pros: IQ, Sharpness, F-stop of 1.4, Silent focus (HSM), bokeh,
Cons: weight, not easy to find.

Those lenses at some point will be used on FF.
I want to know how is AF performance on FF and APS-C bodies.

I am also wondering about bokeh on FA 77mm as seen on some examples on flickr can be quite nervous but then again on next example is fine. Sigma is in that regard a bit better or more consistent, at least on examples I have seen.

Still torn between those two and was hoping that someone here has both of them... :-)

Last edited by RAART; 06-12-2017 at 06:18 AM.
06-12-2017, 06:13 AM   #10
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Looking at 85mm lenses

I have and use the Rokinon 85mm f1.4, the Pentax *85mm f 1.4, and the Pentax-FA 77 f 1.8 and well, the Pentax 85mm f 2.8 soft focus. It was somewhat of an experimental/collector orientation that caused me to pick up all four of these lenses. Not being a lenses expert, but simply an amateur hobbyist photographer, it is a little difficult for me to offer technical evaluations of these lenses. However, I can offer my personal user's reactions.

First, the Rokinon//Samsang is an excellent value at less than $300 new. It appears wall-to-wall sharp in my applications, and I reach for it when sharpness is my primary goal. I love it for garden shots, although its usefulness would be much greater with closer focussing. It is a comfortable lens to use, and to me the tightness of the manual focussing ring is nice as it is not easy to knock off focus once you are zeroed in. It is also great to have its capabilities available when its FL is required in environments that might be hostile to more expensive glass.

Second, the Pentax-F 85mm f 2.8 soft does not really compete with the other three in the 85mm sharpess/rendering league, although at f 8.0 or smaller apertures it is quite a decent lens. At larger apertures it is an interesting toy for flowers and women's faces.

Third, the Pentax-FA 77 f 1.9 is so famous that it is difficult to add much new to what has already been said. My wife calls it our magic lens, as when she says, "I'll take the K-1 with the magic lens, and you can take something else." The lens has the uncanny ability to take a fairly ordinary framed shot in something less than the best light and transform it into something much better than anticipated. On occasion, if you frame subjects correctly in relation to each other, you can obtain the most amazing 3-D effects. The lens also has the advantage of light weight and AF which I use maybe half the time.

The Pentax-FA* 85mm f 1.4 is my latest acquisition in the 85 FL category, and I have not yet completely mastered it. It has produced some excellent portraiture results, however, and though I am still trying to distinguish between it and the 77 for portraiture. I am open to challenge on the following assessment, but will offer it nonetheless: The 85* has a front focussing effect that offers somewhat subject-isolating characteristics than the 77, and its images are as little more neutral than those of the 77. The shots I get from the 85* are excellent, and readily seen as such. Those from the 77 are also excellent, but sometimes with a slight rendering twist, difficult to explain, that identifies it as the 77.
06-12-2017, 06:15 AM   #11
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QuoteOriginally posted by Kozlok Quote
If you want sharp, the Sigma 70mm you already have will beat them both. I have the 77 and the Sigma 70, and no doubt the Sigma is sharper. I like my 77 a lot though, and it's the one I actually carry.
How is the IQ between those 2 and how they compare in terms of colour rendering.
For sure Sigma is sharper but how about bokeh in direct comparison as I do not have 77mm.
Can you shed some light as I know how is the 70mm rendering and what is to expect from 77mm or 85mm.

Thanks!
06-12-2017, 07:32 AM - 1 Like   #12
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I haven't spent much time A/B testing them. I wanted a faster aperture and a lighter lens, so the 77 fit that bill for me. I'll not sell the Sigma, though, because when I need closeup, it delivers the goods. I've often thought of selling the 70 and getting the Pentax 100 instead, but the Sigma is so hard to find, I can't bear to let it go.

With these lenses, trying to use sharpness as your only deciding characteristic is foolish, in my opinion. They are all more than sharp enough. The 77 images look magical to me, and the Sigma 70 is magical in it's own, different way too. I don't own the Sigma 85, but the images it produces also look pretty special.

Here's my thought, if you buy a 77 or the Sigma 85 used, (or both), and try them out, you can sell them in a month or so and get pretty much all your money back, so just pick one (or both), buy used, sell if it doesn't work for you! Consider it a rental for the cost of shipping.
06-12-2017, 03:59 PM - 1 Like   #13
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Have you considered an FA* 85mm f1.4?
At one point I had that and a 77mm.
For portraits, the FA* was pretty much head and shoulders above the 77mm. It is pricier and a fair amount bigger (which you said doesn't bother you), but definitely a portrait machine.
However, I did find that at longer distances, the 77mm was as good or maybe even a bit better. So for portraits, FA*, landscapes and general photography the 77mm.
06-12-2017, 07:17 PM - 1 Like   #14
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Never tried the sigma, but the FA77 is a must have. Maybe get both and sell one.
Good luck.
06-12-2017, 08:20 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by cali92rs Quote
Have you considered an FA* 85mm f1.4?
At one point I had that and a 77mm.
For portraits, the FA* was pretty much head and shoulders above the 77mm. It is pricier and a fair amount bigger (which you said doesn't bother you), but definitely a portrait machine.
However, I did find that at longer distances, the 77mm was as good or maybe even a bit better. So for portraits, FA*, landscapes and general photography the 77mm.
Though it is fine lens I did eliminate that one in regards of FA77.

QuoteOriginally posted by mikeSF Quote
Never tried the sigma, but the FA77 is a must have. Maybe get both and sell one.
Good luck.
as I do like how Sigma 70mm and Sigma 50mm F1.4 render images, I am still hoping that someone here has or had both of them and can shed some light.

---------- Post added 06-12-17 at 11:25 PM ----------

The only one in addition to FA77mm and Sigma 85mm I consider is the upcoming Pentax D FA*85mm 1.4 (roadmap 2017)

Last edited by RAART; 06-12-2017 at 08:26 PM.
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