Photographing Professional Hockey with the Sigma 135mm f/1.4 Art

Dec 06, 2025

Matti Mäntynen

Two ice hockey players collide against the rink boards during a game. The player in red, number 9, checks the player in white, both gripping their sticks and wearing helmets with visors. Spectators and other players are visible in the background.

Sometimes it is the least obvious choice that produces the most striking results. That is why I ended up photographing a hockey game in the Swiss National League, with a Sigma 135 f/1.4 Art and a Lumix S1 II and not your standard f/2.8 zoom — and boy was I up for an exciting shoot!

Buy the Sigma 135mm f/1.4 Art new on B&H Buy the Sigma 135mm f/1.4 Art used on KEH.com

My goal for this test was to ﬁnd out if the Sigma 135 f/1.4 would offer you something the f2.8 zooms cannot. Could it give you results that could help your work stand out from the vast ocean of other images out there? And could the new dual autofocus motors in the Sigma 135 f/1.4 handle the fast action? To answer these questions, I decided to put it to the test through ice hockey.

A Panasonic Lumix S1 camera with a large telephoto lens mounted on a tripod, set against a textured stone background.

Unusual Setup, Exceptional Results

It is not every day you see a Sigma 135 f/1.4 strapped on a Lumix S1 II to tackle the highest levels of professional hockey. The game I photographed was in Switzerland between the Swiss National League teams SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers and EHC Kloten. During my time with the Sigma, I shot other projects as well, but for this article we will focus on how it performed at the hockey rink.

A large indoor ice hockey arena filled with spectators. Two teams, one in red and one in white, are playing on the ice. The scoreboard is lit, and bright arena lights illuminate the rink and crowd.

Buy the Panasonic Lumix S1 II new on B&H Buy the Panasonic Lumix S1 II used on KEH.com

Shooting Fast Action with the Lumix S1 II

Let’s start with the camera. The S1 II from Panasonic Lumix is the first full frame Lumix that you can shoot sports with using just the electronic shutter. The partially stacked sensor is up to the task. This is great, as you can get some insane frames per second (FPS) but I also like to save the mechanical sensor for better use when I am shooting long bursts. There were times when the cameras autofocus had its hiccups, but on many occasions it was my fault due to the conditions.

Ice hockey players skate onto the rink through blazing columns of fire during a dramatic arena entrance, with one player mid-jump and the scene illuminated by the flames.

Four ice hockey players in red uniforms and a goalie in full gear stand on the ice rink, talking and holding hockey sticks. The background shows a stadium with empty blue seats and advertisements.

The Worst Piece of Glass

I say conditions because when you shoot hockey at ice level, you need to shoot through a glass that is scratched, scuffed, and way lower in optical quality than even the cheapest of lenses or filters out there, plus players shoot at it with pucks, slam their opponents against it, bash it with sticks… you get the point. Expect softness, lack of contrast, and focusing issues if you stand too far from the glass — all qualities we try to avoid in photography like it was the black death. There are some stadiums that cut out holes so that camera lenses can poke through uninhibited, but I did not have this opportunity and even if I did, the unthinkable can happen.

Ice hockey players in action on the ice rink, with one referee nearby. The stands are packed with fans in red shirts, waving flags and banners, creating an energetic and lively atmosphere.

Ice hockey players on the rink during a game, with a large crowd of fans dressed in red and holding banners in the background. The atmosphere is energetic and lively.

A hockey player in a red uniform is focused and skating forward with the puck, closely pursued by an opponent in a white uniform. A goalie in red gear stands alert in the background near the goal.

Ice hockey players in red and white uniforms compete for the puck in front of the goal, with a goalie in white gear ready to block; an arena with spectators is visible in the background.

Two men in suits stand near the glass at an ice hockey rink, with blurred players and spectators visible in the foreground and background. One man is bald and both appear to be observing the game.

Image Quality at f/1.4

Now, the good stuff: the Sigma 135 f/1.4. performed incredibly. It is a lens with exceptional sharpness, wonderful contrast, and fantastic image quality that renders images like no other lens. You see an image shot with this lens at f/1.4 and someone might think it is fake. I mean, how can it be that here we have three guys in full hockey armor, standing 15 meters away, and the lens is still smashing the background into a soft and sweet apple jam? This lens is organic goodness at its best. Combine the focal length with a huge aperture and the laws of physics make you smile.

Ice hockey players in red and white uniforms gather on the rink during a game, with a referee standing near the center. Spectators sit in the stands behind protective glass.

Ice hockey goalie in red and white gear stands alert in front of the net while another player skates in the foreground, both wearing red uniforms. The rink boards display various advertisements.

A hockey player in a red uniform and helmet sits on the bench, holding a stick and looking upwards, while other team members in red are nearby. The scene is inside an ice hockey arena.

A pair of red Bauer hockey gloves rests against a wall beside a hair dryer and some gray PVC pipe fittings arranged on the ground.

Ice hockey goalie in a red jersey with the number 60 stands alert in front of the net, wearing a white helmet and large protective gloves during a game. The background is blurred, focusing on the player.

Sigma 135 Handling and Practicality

Of course everything is a compromise in photography. This is one of the first things you try to fight against when you start thinking of upgrading that f/3.5-5.6 kit lens. “I mean, why can’t there be a fast lens with a big reach that is small and light weight?” Compromises and reality.

Now, modern clever lens designing alleviate this a bit, where new versions of lenses are smaller and lighter than their predecessors, but there are still limits.

The Sigma 135 f/1.4 sacrifices a few things in order to achieve its character and performance. First you notice is the weight: at over 1400 grams, it is no featherweight. Second is the huge piece of glass making your subject feel uncomfortable. At 105mm, the front element is very big! Apart from the weight and the huge front element, the lens is built fairly compact and handling is fairly pleasant due to the center of gravity being quite close to the camera body. I cannot call it front heavy.

Three ice hockey players in action on the rink. One player in a white jersey with blue and yellow accents handles the puck while two players in red jerseys approach him. The background shows boards and partially visible spectators.

Ice hockey players in red uniforms sit on the bench during a game, with one player looking directly at the camera. People in the foreground are out of focus. Equipment and boards are visible nearby.

A hockey goalie in red and white gear kneels on the ice in front of the goal, holding a glove up and watching the play. The background shows advertisements along the rink boards.

A hockey player in a red uniform skates on the ice near the goal, controlling the puck with his stick, while a goalie and net are visible in the background.

Real World Performance

I was positively surprised how versatile this focal length is for ice hockey. I go as far as to say that you can cover about 60 to 70% of the game with it. Of course, for the action that comes closer to the boards, or is in the other end, you will need something else on that second camera body.

And the pictures. I may be biased and that could make my eyes deceive me, but these pictures have a very different look to them. There is sharpness to the subjects that impresses and those busy backgrounds fade beautifully in the background, even when you are shooting full body or groups of people. The shallow depth of field is also a great tool to pull the viewers focus exactly on the player you want to highlight.

A hockey goalie in red and white gear stands beside the net, lifting his mask. An official in black and white stands in the background on the ice. Arena advertisements and a blurred crowd are visible behind them.

A hockey player in a red and yellow uniform focuses on the action during a game, with other players in blue, white, and yellow jerseys skating nearby on the ice. The background shows a blurred crowd and boards.

This was what I came to search – and I’m so glad I came up with this silly idea. This lens has a character that sets it apart from the f/2.8 zooms. The images come out great from this lens. In post-processing I only needed to compensate for the varying white balance and brightness in the arena, and then a small bump in contrast and that was it. I shot all the shots in f/1.4 apart from one, where I must have have inadvertently bumped it to f/4.

Is the Sigma 135 f/1.4 a Sports Lens?

The Sigma 135 f1.4 will provide you with images that separate your work from the bulk of all the other images out there. The photos have a look that make you go “Wow!” I feel this lens is a great addition to the working professionals as it will give you a striking look that can make the viewer stop and take a moment to admire the image — a treat that is increasingly rare nowadays.

A hockey goalie in red Lakers gear, wearing the number 60, stands holding his stick and helmet, with white goalie pads and a beard, in an indoor rink.

A male ice hockey player in a red uniform and helmet smiles and points upward with his stick as he walks off the ice, followed by a teammate. The jerseys display the SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers logo and various sponsor logos.

A hockey goalie mask sits atop a large black equipment case on wheels, with two gray boxes stacked above. In the background, a person in a red jacket is blurred near the rink bench. A broom leans against the wall.

I am surely not the only one to have brought a 135mm to a hockey game but this shoot was extremely rewarding, as I was able to overcome serious hurdles throughout the project — from obtaining the Sigma 135mm for testing, up to gaining access to photograph the game.

Moreover, the test also reminded me to trust my instincts — the little voice in the back of my head, that said, “you know, this might actually work.”

Disclaimer: The Sigma 135mm f1.4 was provided to me by Sigma Switzerland for testing purposes for a two week test period. The lens has already been returned. I did not receive any compensation and all opinions are my own.

About the Author: Matti “Maukka” Mäntynen is a Finnish-born photographer living in Switzerland. He works professionally in the sports marketing industry, collaborating with athletes and brands on visual storytelling and creative projects. As a passionate photographer, Maukka is rarely seen without a camera in his hand — whether at work or in his free time — and feels most at home on the tele end of the focal range.