Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG Art Wins EISA Portrait Lens Award — A Late Summer Shoot with Rosina

EISA just awarded Best Portrait Lens to the Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG Art — and honestly, it's well deserved. I've been shooting with this lens since late last year, and it's truly amazing.

So today, I'm bringing this 135mm F1.4 out for a photoshoot with Rosina (@rosinashakirova) in Midtown Sacramento to celebrate — still full late summer vibes, Rosina in a summer dress, right at that perfect transition before fall really sets in.

Gear

Mine is the L-Mount version, running on a Panasonic Lumix S5II — Sigma also makes this lens in Sony E-mount if that's your system.

What I Already Know About This Lens

I've been shooting this exact combo since late last year, and everything above matches what I've seen in real sessions — not just spec sheets. I wrote up the full hands-on breakdown after my first shoots with it:

Sharpness at f/1.4 has never been the issue with this lens — it's tack sharp on eyes and skin texture from the first frame. Backlit scenes hold contrast well, and at 1.43kg it's noticeably easier to handhold through a full session than Sigma's own 105mm F1.4.

Today's Shoot

We shot at Sutter's Fort State Historic Park in Midtown Sacramento at 4pm, right as the afternoon sun dropped low enough to filter through the trees for soft, golden backlight on every frame. Rosina wore a cream eyelet-lace dress that caught the light beautifully against the wood-railed bridge and fall foliage — exactly the kind of scene this lens was built for.

Half Body

Rosina half-body portrait, soft backlit light through the trees

Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG Art · f/1.4 · 1/1000s · ISO 100 · Model: @rosinashakirova

Rosina half-body portraits, Sigma 135mm F1.4 backlit 1 of 6

1 / 6

Full Body

Rosina full-body portrait leaning against the bridge railing

Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG Art · f/1.4 · 1/1000s · ISO 100 · Model: @rosinashakirova

Rosina full-body portraits, Sigma 135mm F1.4 backlit 1 of 7

1 / 7

Movement

The best test of this lens wide open — the dress in motion, backlit rim light catching every fold of the skirt as she moved.

Rosina in motion, skirt flowing, backlit by afternoon sun

Sigma 135mm F1.4 DG Art · f/1.4 · 1/1000s · ISO 100 · Model: @rosinashakirova

Rosina movement portraits, flowy skirt, Sigma 135mm F1.4 1 of 5

1 / 5

Even wide open at f/1.4, autofocus held onto her eyes through every bit of movement — no hunting, no missed frames. Follow along on Instagram or subscribe below for more from this session.