Ive been shooting with my A7III for like four years now, mostly sticking to the 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom because its reliable, but I feel like Im losing that extra pop in my portraits lately. I have a wedding shoot coming up in three weeks in Chicago and I need something sharper that handles low light better. Im torn between the Sony 85mm f/1.8 and the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN. The Sigma is obviously sharper but its way heavier and I dont know if my back can handle that for an 8 hour gig. My budget is around 800 bucks. Should I just save the cash and stick with the native Sony glass?
Jumping in here to offer a slightly different perspective. I have been using the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 for about three years now and honestly, the size to performance ratio is hard to beat for long events. When I started doing weddings, I thought I needed that f/1.4 look from the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art but my wrists were killing me by the time we hit the reception. Technically, you are right about the sharpness, but the Sony is plenty sharp for client work, especially if you nail the eye-af on the A7III. I found that stopping the Sigma down to f/1.8 anyway to get the depth of field I actually wanted kind of defeated the purpose of lugging the extra weight around all day. If you find yourself needing something else, the Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 is a great alternative to throw in your bag for those tighter dance floor shots. It weighs next to nothing and performs consistently in low light. Whatever you choose, just make sure you rent it for a test run before the big day, because finding out the focal length isnt what you wanted on the wedding day itself is a nightmare.
Honestly, stick to the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8. In my experience shooting weddings for years, reliability beats slight aperture gains every time. Don't risk the Sigma focus hunting during a ceremony. Save the extra cash for a SanDisk Extreme Pro 128GB SDXC UHS-I card or two. Your back will thank you after the 8 hour stretch.
Honestly, stick with the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 for that wedding. The Sigma is technically sharper, but the weight difference is brutal for an 8 hour day. I had issues with the Sigma focus consistency during a long event, which was super frustrating. Save your back and cash, you wont regret the reliability. Just keep your shutter speed up and you'll get that pop no problem.
Gonna try this over the weekend. Will report back if it works!