14/03/2026 11:00 am
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I am honestly so over my kit lens. Ive been trying to get some decent headshots for a friends portfolio but everything just looks so flat and muddy on my a7iii. I thought the 28-70 would be enough but the bokeh is honestly gross and it just isnt sharp enough for what i need. Im getting so frustrated spending hours in lightroom trying to fix shots that should have been good in-camera. I have about 700 bucks saved up and I need something fast before a family shoot I have scheduled next month. Is the Sony 85mm f1.8 the way to go or should I look at Sigma glass? Really need something that actually makes the background melt away...
4 Answers
12
14/03/2026 12:05 pm
Just saw this. Be careful with third-party consistency; I would suggest the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 for maximum reliability. TL;DR: Native lenses are safer for important family shoots scheduled next month.
11
14/03/2026 12:05 pm
Had a minute to look at charts. Im satisfied with the MTF performance on these:
- Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 FE II
- Viltrox AF 85mm f/1.8 II FE Check DXOMARK for lab data. It makes comparing sharpness easy.
5
14/03/2026 11:00 am
I was in your shoes last year and picked up the Sony FE 85mm f/1.8 for a cousins wedding. Tbh I'm super satisfied with how it performs. It hasnt let me down once and the results are honestly very clean.
- autofocus is incredibly reliable
- nice creamy background blur
- fits your budget perfectly I havent looked back since getting it, it's just a solid, safe choice for the money.
1
14/03/2026 11:45 am
Re: "Had a minute to look at charts. Im..."
- Man, I totally feel your pain. Over the years I went through the exact same thing. Spending ages analyzing the market and jumping between brands, I thought better charts would fix that flat look. It was so disappointing seeing my results even after finally ditching that Sony FE 28-70mm f3.5-5.6 OSS. Honestly, I am still struggling with that same issue today... its just a massive headache.
