Sigma’s Upcoming 85mm f/1.2 DG Art Lens

credits: Sigma

Sigma is updating its premium Art lineup with a new 85mm f/1.2 DG Art lens, which recently appeared as a prototype at the China P&E Imaging Show. The lens will complete Sigma’s growing lineup of full-frame f/1.2 primes alongside the existing 35mm f/1.2 DG DN Art II and 50mm f/1.2 DG Art for Sony E-mount and L-mount cameras. While Sigma still has not revealed the full technical specs, the company has confirmed the lens will use its HLA (High-response Linear Actuator) autofocus system, which is designed for faster and quieter focusing performance. Based on Sigma’s recent Art lenses, expectations are already pretty high for both sharpness and AF reliability.

What makes the timing particularly interesting is that Viltrox has also been developing its own LAB 85mm f/1.2 for Sony E and Nikon Z mount. Viltrox actually teased its lens months before Sigma officially showed its prototype, and it is becoming increasingly clear that competition in the premium third-party lens market is heating up. Over the last couple of years, Viltrox has improved its build quality and optical performance quite a bit, especially with the LAB series. The company’s existing 35mm f/1.2 LAB already uses a fairly advanced optical design with multiple ED, high-refractive-index, and aspherical elements packed into a full-metal body.

A lot of this battle will probably come down to pricing. Viltrox has been consistently pricing its LAB lenses significantly lower than Sigma’s Art series while still targeting the same group of photographers looking for fast primes. Sigma still has the stronger reputation overall, especially when it comes to autofocus refinement and long-term reliability, but Viltrox is definitely starting to put pressure on the established third-party brands. Sigma says the new 85mm f/1.2 DG Art is scheduled to launch in September (no word on pricing though), while Viltrox still has not confirmed a release date for its competing LAB lens.