The Sigma 30 F1.4 is just too sharp for portraits particularly with the D80’s 10MP backing it up. That’s just not a complaint you hear very often, and it’s testament to just how far Sigma has come from it’s days as a low-budget, low-performance lens maker. Sometimes, too sharp really is too sharp. Casual portraits taken with the Sigma require a bit more work with the healing brush and clone stamp and a little lighter touch on the sharpening.


Nikon D80, Sigma 30 F1.4

Portrait photographers have long known that too sharp can be a bad thing. Occasionaly they’ve gone too far; the softfocus wedding portrait is often a horrid, misty mess that goes well behind obscuring that little blemishes we all have. But there is a place for lenses that render just a bit less clinical detail. The 50 Hexanon is a good example of such a lens. Up close and wide open, fine details just melt away. Looking at a print, you wouldn’t say that it wasn’t sharp, but you also wouldn’t be counting individual eyelashes.


Hexar RF, 50 Hexanon

Undoubtedly, some of this softness is the result of some of the limitations inherent in film and it’s resulting workflow, which brings up the question, “Is digital too sharp for portraits?” Probably not, but it might require some changes in technique. A softar filter might be worth investing in, or learning the appropriate use of photoshop’s blur tools. Or it might be as simple as letting the focus go a little off or using a longer shutter speed to induce a little camerashake. Sacrilege, I know, but not every picture requires every detail to be render with such aching fidelity.