[Brightcolours]

135mm is a focal length I tend to like, visually, when used by others. Or 85mm on APS-C, of course. I myself have to yet get used to the FOV in my own photography, but I know I can get used to it. This Sigma seems to render nicely.

[Klaus]

I added some sample images to the review. It's not my focal length - sorry - and some very high ISOs are in there.

[Brightcolours]

The last image (car nose/grill) does not appear to be there?

[JJ_SO]

I think I have a new "best lens". Would have loved to post that in the Nikon section as my Sigma 135/1.8 Art has a Nikon mount, but things are a little bit slower on the Nikon side of the galaxy. Which is not the fault of Markus - Nikon themselves take it really slow.

 



 

Considering, nearly all files are cropped to APS-C or smaller, I have to admit, I could not get to this with a Nikon Micro Nikkor. And I'm also very pleased about the AFMA which was necessary but went pretty smooth. I experienced a pretty reliable AF with this lens.

 

I'm just curious what it could do with a very sharp sensor like a Foveon in a sd quattro - but then I call myself dreaming: with ISO around 400 and up to 1600 I have to forget the benefits of a Foveon and better focus on a D850. 

 

Anyway, that lens is massive fun! I'm not sure if I will like the portraits with it - originally I wanted to get a 85/1.4 Art - which is bigger, same weight and features only 1:8.5 whereas the 135 goes down to 1:5. No macro, though, but at that sharpness level more versatile.

[JJ_SO]

 

135 mm, f/2.8, 1/8000, D850

 

I like this combination of bokeh and sharpness. I passed by a field full of this flowers and even fuller of bees which took advantage of a beautiful warm day in autumn, However, I had to take dozens of pictures, until I got what I had in mind when I started this little cycling trip.

 

[stoppingdown]

Excellent. How did you take care of focusing on the bees? Or did you just focus on the flowers and waited for the bees?

[JJ_SO]

Thank you  

 

The field was literally invaded by buys bees, sometimes 3 and more on a single plant. So I could try some ideas about AF: AF-C + 3D-tracking (which became super-nervous after I adjusted follow-up time to short and movement to unpredictable) and  AF-C with 72 points. The speed of lens and camera were impressive. But since Capture One is not very generous in EXIF display, I can't tell you the exact AF-setting pf the two pictures. I usually waited until one lifts off, or was slow enough on a transfer flight from one blossom to the other. I never tried this "catching in flight" on purpose before, so I had a bit of a training lesson.

 

And I can tell, that I changed the memory bench: just to find out that by default the setting is P-mode instead of A or M. At f/10 and 1/320, it's too much DoF and also movement blurr. It will take a while to get decent bench settings.

[toni-a]

Thank you

 

The field was literally invaded by buys bees, sometimes 3 and more on a single plant.

That needs really some courage, last time I did it, I got away with "just" two stings

[JJ_SO]

I haven't seen stings at their back. And I really think they were in a flow of work and all getting the honey into the hives. If you don't move to rapidly, you're no enemy to them.

[davidmanze]

  I've spent many an hour spent shooting bumble bees and many thousands of shots.......very hard indeed!

 

   Get's even more difficult if you want to get close and catch one in flight.....like macro close.........a good way to wear out your shutter....

 

   ....plenty of nearly gotchas.....but  I still didn't get that perfect shot!