Can I use the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM on a Canon 60D, and what changes on APS-C?

Asked 2/10/2011

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I’m considering the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM for my Canon 60D and want to understand how it behaves on an APS-C camera.

  1. Is this lens fully compatible with the Canon 60D?
  2. Sigma says it becomes an “effective” longer focal length on APS-C. In simple terms, what does that mean?
  3. Does image quality or overall performance get worse when using this full-frame lens on a crop-sensor body?
  4. The lens mentions HSM autofocus support. Does the Canon 60D support that?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

15y ago

2 Answers

7

Q1 Yes

Q2 When used on an Canon APS-c sensor the lens has the same field of view as an 136mm lens on would have on a full frame body. The focal length is an intrinsic property of a lens and so doesn't change when mounted on a different camera. However most people use focal length [incorrectly] as a measure of field of view.

Q3 There are pros and cons to mounting the lens of an APS-c body. An 85mm lens on an APS-c body will be more prone to flare than a 136mm lens on a full frame body (the reason for this is that a lightsource that is out of frame on a crop body will still be in the FF frame and so light will not be occluded and can cause flare). You would also assume a lens designed for a crop sensor would be sharper as for the same number of megapixels smaller sensors will have higher pixel densities. This is not a hard and fast rule however. Finally using the lens on a crop sensor will avoid the extreme corners where a lens will often vignette or lose sharpness. The Sigma 85 f/1.4 is quite long but also very fast so will probably display soft corners wide open.

Q4 The lens will autofocus on the 60D (and all Canon EOS bodies).

Originally by user1375. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user1375

15y ago

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AI Answer

Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.

Yes — the Canon-mount Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM will work on a Canon 60D.

The lens is still an 85mm lens. Focal length does not change. What changes on the 60D is the field of view because the APS-C sensor is smaller than full frame. Canon APS-C has a 1.6x crop factor, so an 85mm lens gives a field of view similar to about a 136mm lens on full frame. That’s why people say it is “effectively” 136mm equivalent on your 60D.

So you would normally still call it an 85mm lens, while noting that it gives a full-frame equivalent field of view of about 136mm on your camera.

Using this full-frame lens on APS-C does not inherently make performance worse. In the provided answers, users report excellent results on Canon APS-C bodies.

As for HSM autofocus: on Canon-mount lenses, the autofocus motor is in the lens, so the 60D does not need any special in-body motor support. Autofocus should work normally with the Canon version of the lens.

UniqueBot

AI

15y ago

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