Canon 135mm f2 or Sigma 85mm ART - Dog Photogrpahy

Hey everyone, I'm looking to buy either a Canon 135mm f2 or Sigma 85mm 1.4 ART. It'll mainly be used for outdoor dog photography in natural light. Been trying to decide all weekend on which to buy but I just can't figure it out!! I'm leaning more towards the Canon, mainly because it's cheaper. I've read in a few places that the Sigma ART occasionally has AF problems, which steers me away from it. Any suggestions? Cheers!

CaPpedDoG wrote in post #18259166
Hey everyone, I'm looking to buy either a Canon 135mm f2 or Sigma 85mm 1.4 ART. It'll mainly be used for outdoor dog photography in natural light. Been trying to decide all weekend on which to buy but I just can't figure it out!! I'm leaning more towards the Canon, mainly because it's cheaper. I've read in a few places that the Sigma ART occasionally has AF problems, which steers me away from it. Any suggestions? Cheers!

I don't have a 135, but the sigma 85 works ok. At f1.4 there will always be misses, since the size of the af point isn't small enough to be perfectly precise, but no dramas for me so far. If you want to catch them on the run then I'd probably be looking for something longer.
Edit: Servo AF with the 85 works better than the 35mm 1.4 (forget about even trying).

For moving subjects, I'd get the 135/2. You want the fastest and more reliable AF. The extra reach also helps.

For outdoor use the 135L is my favorite. I would suggest the 85mm if you also want to use the lens indoors. 135mm indoors is a little hard. With the 135L be sure to use speeds above 1/200 , it focuses very fast. A great lens.

CheshireCat wrote in post #18259275
For moving subjects, I'd get the 135/2. You want the fastest and more reliable AF. The extra reach also helps.

+1

Appreciate the replies. Looks like I'll be getting the 135mm !

FWIW I prefer something like a 70-200 personally, Gives you more options. But it depends on if the dog is moving or stationary.

APS-C or FF would also be useful to know (135 might be a bit tight..)

KenjiS wrote in post #18263329
APS-C or FF would also be useful to know (135 might be a bit tight..)

OP has a 5D3. Click on "More info" below the user's name.

If you'd like a cheaper version of the 135mm f2, consider the 100mm f2. I have both of these lenses and use the 100mm slightly more due to it's smaller size and focal length. I find it amazing how many people overlook the 100mm f2 when considering a lens in this range.

I'm a big fan of the Canon 135 f/2. As others have already said, fast focus and very sharp! I've paired it with the Canon 1.4x teleconverter with great results as well.

How close are you going to be to the dogs? If they are going to be posed shots (i.e. static dogs), then you could probably get away with a short telephoto.

I shoot dogs at my local dog park, and I use a 100-400. I tried 135 bare and with 1.4x TC, and found it generally too short. The zoom also gives a lot more versatility in changing focal length to frame running dogs.

why not consider 100-400mm (outdoor) or the 70-200mm (indoor)?

The Canon 135L is the best lens i've ever used

If 85 is long enough, the Canon 85F1.8 is very sharp and had very fast and accurate AF. If you need a longer focal length, the 135 is certainly a sharp lens. Is this for a crop or full frame?

The OP posted their question over 6 months ago: hopefully they made their decision by now.