[Jewelltrail]

Pentaxor: I do somehow agree that the Sigma 50/1.4 has better overall rendering (sharpness, brightness and bokeh) than the Pentax 50/1.4. the Pentax is not that bad, actually it is even great or impressive by it's own right. the deal-breaker however leans more towards price and size, not the overall lens and IQ performance. Sigma is big/heavy and expensive. 2 of the 3 things that I don't like about the Sigma. and the 3rd reason is because I have a 1.2 which is awesome for portraiture.

Yeah, but you get somethig in return for that size: very low vignetting at large apertures. Also, the price tag is not nearly as high as the Da 55mm--right? The weight (just over a pound) doesn't faze me much, since I'd be using it indoors for portraits anyway. From what I'm reading, virtually everyone has high praise for it. I usually find DPreview, inundated with testing, very careful with their wording when releasing results. They really see a lot in the lens, more than just better than the competiion:

"When Sigma first announced the 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM in March, our story headline (courtesy of our news editor and punmeister-in-chief) was 'A new standard?', and this has turned out to be remarkably prescient. This new lens essentially redefines its class, and for once the results really live up to the marketing hype; compared to previous designs, we see significantly improved sharpness at large apertures (presumably due to a reduction in aberrations through the use of an aspherical element), and substantially lower vignetting due to that that oversized lens barrel. Chromatic aberration (both axial and lateral) has been impressively minimized, and distortion is low - in optical terms there's simply little to fault."

[Pentaxor]

Yeah, but you get somethig in return for that size: very low vignetting at large apertures. Also, the price tag is not nearly as high as the Da 55mm--right? The weight (just over a pound) doesn't faze me much, since I'd be using it indoors for portraits anyway. From what I'm reading, virtually everyone has high praise for it. I usually find DPreview, inundated with testing, very careful with their wording when releasing results. They really see a lot in the lens, more than just better than the competiion:

"When Sigma first announced the 50mm F1.4 EX DG HSM in March, our story headline (courtesy of our news editor and punmeister-in-chief) was 'A new standard?', and this has turned out to be remarkably prescient. This new lens essentially redefines its class, and for once the results really live up to the marketing hype; compared to previous designs, we see significantly improved sharpness at large apertures (presumably due to a reduction in aberrations through the use of an aspherical element), and substantially lower vignetting due to that that oversized lens barrel. Chromatic aberration (both axial and lateral) has been impressively minimized, and distortion is low - in optical terms there's simply little to fault."

I did consider those things, I believe some did as well. as far as selecting between the DA*55 and Sigma50, I have no numbers on the matter of which of the two lenses is preferred more by most consumers, and such statistics can be affected greatly due to price similarities. the FA50/1.4 is an easy sell because it is much practical for the average consumer to the more experienced one. the 55s were offered for those who want something extra. as for me, I never really liked the DA*55 due to it's unimpressive AF performance (for me). I would much prefer the K55/1.8's manual feel and rendering over it. and for that, the K55 is good enough to do such tasks along the 50mm range.

there are two 50mm's that I like using for portraiture, the 50/1.2 and the 55/1.8.

[GeneV]

I wouldn't buy the 85mm, simply because it doesn't have an aperture ring, and I would want to use it on my LX.

Agreed. Not to mention does it cover a full film frame and perform well on a film camera? I like that FL much more on film.

[tokyoso]

Great news..
I'll take one, but not two.. nor three

[bimjo]

A 8-16mm rectilinear lens... very interesting! That might make me rethink getting a 10-17 fisheye.

Eh, mebbe not.

[Wheatfield]

.


New Sigma 85mm 1.4 - available in Pentax mount.

Will you buy, depending on price and reviews?

No.
1: It's a Sigma.
2: I doubt it will hold a candle to my A*85/1.4.

[Alfisti]

On paper the 85/1.4 is of interest to us but it will come in around the $750 to 1K mark i'd guess but you're paying a hefty weight/size price compared to the 77/1.8.

[deadwolfbones]

I'll be very interested in the 85/1.4 if it's <=$500.

[Biro]

Sigma, frankly, impresses the hell out of me these days. Take a look:

Sigma 30 1.4: maybe AF accuracy problems, maybe not - if not, brilliant.
Sigma 50 1.4: Made Nikon fanboys cry like little girls.
Sigma 70 2.8 macro: Possibly sharpest macro on the market
Sigma 150 2.8 macro: Pentaxians cry like schoolgirls that this is not available. Brilliant.
Sigma 50-150 2.8 HSM II: Fast, sharp, contrast, colors beyond the rainbow.
Sigma 100-300 f4 HSM: It leads it's class. So sharp wide open you don't need f/5.

And now these new lenses... Kudos, Sigma.

You hit it right on the nose, Jay. Sigma may become my third-party lens of choice very shortly. And I say this as a person with an all-Pentax kit. I'll wait at least through mid-March to give Pentax a chance of unveil some new and/or redesigned lenses. At the very least, I want an unambiguous lens roadmap that clearly states what Pentaxians can expect over the next 12-24 months. If we don't get at least that, I will probably begin buying Sigmas.

[Pentaxor]

On paper the 85/1.4 is of interest to us but it will come in around the $750 to 1K mark i'd guess but you're paying a hefty weight/size price compared to the 77/1.8.

true, size convenience may play a role on that one, but the Sigma's price is still speculative and dependent on how it will perform lenswise and how well it would be received in the market. from the initial reports, it seems to do better in terms of CA control and might be as sharp as that of the 77. but it's an 85mm where it's reach is much more preferable for portraiture. and it's much faster than the 77 that it could render much better with regards to subject isolation and brighter as well. this can be critical especially in lowlight settings. aside from the fact that it could have a fast AF as well, coupled by HSM and OS lens system.

for 700 bucks, I believe it is worth every penny for what it could offer.

[Jewelltrail]

jsherman999: Sigma, frankly, impresses the hell out of me these days. Take a look:

Sigma 30 1.4: maybe AF accuracy problems, maybe not - if not, brilliant.
Sigma 50 1.4: Made Nikon fanboys cry like little girls.
Sigma 70 2.8 macro: Possibly sharpest macro on the market
Sigma 150 2.8 macro: Pentaxians cry like schoolgirls that this is not available. Brilliant.
Sigma 50-150 2.8 HSM II: Fast, sharp, contrast, colors beyond the rainbow.
Sigma 100-300 f4 HSM: It leads it's class. So sharp wide open you don't need f/5.

And now these new lenses... Kudos, Sigma.

I think the Sigma 10-20mm belongs in here too, nicely filling that chasm in focal range below the 30 1.4 .

[GeneV]

I think the Sigma 10-20mm belongs in here too, nicely filling that chasm in focal range below the 30 1.4 .

That is the one that interests me the most. The DA15 has whetted an appetite for wide.

[Jewelltrail]

GeneV: That is the one that interests me the most. The DA15 has whetted an appetite for wide.

Appetizers do the teasing, but the main course the pleasing! That 10-20mm Sigma sure does have a lot on the plate--GET EATING.

[LeDave]

Does anybody have any idea how much these might cost when they are released? I'm guessing the new 70-200 HSM OS will be around 950-1,100 while the 17-50 HSM OS will be probably priced at 625-765

[Rondec]

Not certain why everyone thinks that these will be cheap lenses , aka Samyang. Sigma makes some very expensive lenses. I would say that the Sigma 85 f1.4 will probably come in at 800 or 850, considering the current price of Nikon 85mm f1.4 and Canon 85mm f1.2. Sigma sells cheap lenses, but they are the kind of lenses that you'd like to up grade as quickly as possible.

Too bad that they are releasing these lenses with optical stabilization for K mount. From what I understand, this can significantly degrade image quality at times.