85mm f/1.2 canon or sigma- please advise

Hi.... I am planing to buy a 85mm f/1.2 lens for portrait photography. I have two options. Sigma 85mm f/1.2 ex dg hsm or canon 85mm f1.2L usm. I am not a profrssional photorapher and will not be using this lens very often. Since the price of canon is double that of sigma i would like to take advise to make the right choice. Please advise.

Reading this extensive comparison review of the two lenses and your own words ("I am not a professional photographer and will not be using this lens very often."), I think the choice is quite clear.

I am curious as to why you would need such a fast lens for portraiture? An 85mm at f1.2 would have quite shallow depth of field, so, unless you want parts of the person's face soft, or you're shooting in low-level available light, a lens with a smaller maximum aperture may serve your needs better, and be less expensive and less heavy, as well.

I agree with John in that if you'll use such a lens on rare occasions, the Sigma would be give a better return on investment.

--P

As an alternative, the Canon 85mm f/1.8 is a very good portrait lens and much more budget friendly for a non-pro who will use it infrequently. I've had excellent results with it in making family portraits.

Thanks all for the advise.

Preston the idea is to have a very sharp image of the model and blur the surrounding.