In a modern era where exotic, enormous lenses are achieving unprecedented new focal ranges and apertures, I’ve always preferred the more modest lenses. My favorite lenses don’t break my back, and they don’t break my bank account either! And yet, I still expect optical perfection. Am I asking too much? Maybe, but lately I have been getting what I want, even to my own surprise!

The Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art is such a lens. It is relatively affordable, and it is relatively portable. Yet, somehow, the optical engineers have delivered near-perfection. I do a lot of different kinds of photography, though, and most of the lenses I review end up being “awesome” for just one or two subjects, but not everything. Can this 35mm prime be one of the rare exceptions, and be good at EVERYTHING? Read on, and we’ll find out…

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art | Specifications

• FOCAL LENGHT & ANGLE OF VIEW: 35mm, 63.4° angle of view (full-frame)
• LENS MOUNT(S): Sony E-mount, (FE full-frame) Leica/Sigma/Panasonic L-mount (full-frame)
• APERTURE & RANGE: f/1.4 to f/16, 11 blades, rounded
• STABILIZATION: No
• AUTOFOCUS: Yes, stepper motor, linear response (depending on camera settings)
• MANUAL FOCUS: Electronically controlled, dedicated physical focus ring
• OPTICAL CONSTRUCTION: 15 elements in 11 groups, 2 aspherical, 1 extra-low dispersion, 2 super-low dispersion, 1 FLD low-dispersion
• MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION: Metal & plastic, internal movements, weather-sealed
• MAGNIFICATION & FOCUS DISTANCE: 1:5.4 magnification, 11.8 in (30 cm) close focusing
• FILTER THREADS & HOOD: 67mm, locking rubberized plastic hood
• SIZE: 3 x 4.4″ (75.5 x 111.5 mm)
• WEIGHT: 22.6 oz (640 g)
• PRICE: $789-899 (depending on savings & rebates) (B&H) 

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Review | Who Should Buy It?

A 35mm prime is such a universal lens, it’s perfect for almost anything. Whether you’re doing high-fashion editorial portraits, or candid portraits of your own kids, it’s a perfect portrait lens for when you want that slightly wider perspective. It’s easier to get head-to-toe portraits, and/or a little bit more of your surrounding environment in the frame.

It’s also a perfect focal length for weddings, and all kinds of event journalism; in my opinion, the angle of view is almost universally superior to the highly popular 50mm focal length! (No, that’s not rage-bait, that’s my honest opinion from decades of experience!)

Speaking of the “universe”, last but not least this 35mm f/1.4 prime makes an excellent “normal” nightscape or astro-landscape photography lens, too! In fact, as far as I’m concerned, all landscape photographers should just consider 35mm to be the real “normal” instead of 50mm, because it’s just so much better of an all-around lens.

With that being said, let’s talk a little more about each individual category of photography that the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art is highly suitable for…

Wedding Photography & Event Journalism

Hands-down, if you’re a wedding photographer then you need a 35mm prime. Not just any 35mm prime, either; in my opinion, I’d rather have an exotic 35mm f/1.4 prime and a more modest, compact 50mm f/1.8 prime! That is, opposed to skimping on a 35mm (settling for an f/1.8) and opting for a bigger, heavier, more expensive 50mm f/1.4 or 50mm f/1.2.

I know that opinion isn’t for everyone, however, in my experience as a wedding photographer, I just find that 35mm is what I reach for way more often than a 50mm, in almost every scenario. 

It’s a great detail lens, it’s a great candid/group portrait lens, and it’s obviously a perfect choice for environmental portraits of the happy couple. (See the trio of examples below, NOT captured using this particular Sigma 35mm f/1.4, but simply added from our studio’s archive of nearly 2 decades of wedding work, as proof that 35mm is one of our all-time favorite focal lengths…

Portrait Photography

Portraits in general are also excellent with a 35mm prime, whether they’re environmental scenes, totally candid “action portraits”, or close-up intimate moments. All in all, a 35mm prime should be in every portrait photographer’s camera bag!

The only question is this: what is your creative style? Because depending on your style, you’ll probably prefer either 35mm or 50mm for very similar situations, but with slightly different creative results.

I can’t answer that question for you, however, I can say that after so many years as a portrait photographer, (again, the above examples are just randomly pulled from ~20 years of wedding & portrait photos; they’re NOT examples from this particular lens) …Personally, I find 35mm to be my favorite.

Either way, the thing is this: Because of how affordable and relatively compact both this Sigma 35mm f/1.4 is and its counterpart, the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG DN Art, 

Fashion & Editorial Photography

While weddings and most types of portraiture are a lot more forgiving in terms of the technical needs of an optic, fashion & editorial portraits or other types of professional work can be a lot more demanding. Whether you’re photographing runway models for a million-dollar clothing ad campaign, or you’re photographing food or other products; things like resolution & sharpness, distortion, vignetting, and general reliability come into play a lot more.

In all of these regards, I’m happy to report that this mirrorless Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art is a true workhorse of a lens even if you plan to work at f/4 and demand extreme sharpness, etc.

Everyday Candid & Street Photography

Here is another category where this 35mm prime will absolutely shine, and possibly become your favorite lens of all time. Whether it’s just your everyday, around-the-house lens that always stays on your camera, or you’re a serious hobbyist or professional who does a lot of street photography, you will love the focal length of 35mm, and you’ll be thrilled with the results from this lens.

The only caveat I would mention is this: If your style is to try and remain as inconspicuous or incognito as possible, then the f/1.4 aperture of this prime does mean it’s quite a bit bigger than, say, a downright TINY f/1.8 alternative such as the Samyang/Rokinon AF 35mm f/1.8  

Wildlife & Action Sports Photography

Of all the photography subjects that just don’t necessarily lend themselves to this particular prime focal length, I think Wildlife or action sports photography are some of those genres. You might need that exact focal length for one particular photo here or there, but honestly, this is one group of subjects where an f/2.8 zoom is likely infinitely better for those occasions when you need to “cover” 35mm for just one photo.

The same thing goes for Real Estate & Architectural Photography; I’m not even giving it a mention besides this because there’s virtually no reason to use a 35mm prime instead of either a 16-35mm type wide-angle zoom, or a 24-70mm type mid-range zoom.

Landscape & Travel Photography

A “traditional” landscape photographer, on the other hand, might be inclined to appreciate such a flawlessly sharp optic as this, since they’re much more likely to be closely inspecting the details of some images’ corners, though not all.

Having said that, honestly? Once again, modern zoom lenses are more than enough in this regard, and even in the extreme corners, you’ll get all the sharpness you need from a lens such as the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art.

So, if you spend all of your time at f/8 or f/11 as a landscape photographer, once again a mid-range or wide-angle zoom is a better choice. However, keep reading…

Nightscape & Astrophotography

…Of course, we all know that most landscape photographers these days love to stick around long after sunset, and photograph the same landscapes by moonlight or starlight. If this sounds like you, then yes, you may want to trade that f/2.8 or f/4 zoom for this incredibly bright, super-sharp f/1.4 prime!

The only thing I can say in this regard is, you’ll want to consider all three of Sigma’s relatively similar wide-angle f/1.4 primes. This 35mm, plus the Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG DN Art, and last but not least the Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG DN Art.

If I could, I’d own all three of these lenses! They’re truly amazing, and I could put all of them to very good use as a nightscape photographer.

However, if I had to pick just one or two of them, I must admit that I’d probably make either the 24mm or the 20mm my first choice, with the other being my 2nd choice, and this 35mm being my last choice. That’s just my personal style as an astro-landscape photographer, though.

 Video & Content Creation

Since virtually all of the above categories can include both photo and video types of content, I thought it would be easier to keep this very simple: Regardless of whether you are capturing stills or video, the same excellent performance and value applies to this Sigma 35 1.4! 

Thanks to its de-clickable aperture, and other performance characteristics which we’ll get to later, all types of content creators will love this lens.

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Review | Pros & Cons

I’ll spoil this whole review right now, if you want: The Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art is essentially perfect, with only a couple minor drawbacks that most photographers whill never notice. The image quality is excellent, the build quality is very professional, and the overall value is second-to-none thanks to the added features & customizations. Literally the only complaints I can think of are almost embarrassingly nit-picky.

(That is, it has just a bit of noticeable color fringing, which is removed quite easily. Also, as an f/1.4 prime, it is obviously quite a bit bigger, heavier, and more expensive than an f/1.8 option. However, that’s not even a real “con”, it just means that you have two excellent choices as a potential buyer.)

Image Quality

Art lenses have always had some of the best image quality around, and the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art is no exception. In fact, it’s one of the better Sigma Art lenses I have had the pleasure of using, and it’s one of the absolute best 35mm primes I’ve ever reviewed, period!

Sharpness

Even wide-open at f/1.4, sharpness is just absurdly perfect. Even off-center, indeed at the edges of the frame and almost right up to the extreme corners, sharpness is impressive at f/1.4 and only gets “absurd” when stopped down.

I’d say that this optic is more than ready for full-frame cameras with 60-100 megapixels. Even if you pixel-peep the extreme corners, (check the nightscape star test photo below) …the level of image detail is impressive at f/1.4, and basically flawless by f/2.8.

Bokeh

One of the main complaints of the oldest Sigma Art prime lenses, (indeed the oldest being their first 35mm f/1.4 prime ever, made for DSLRs) …was that although they were incredibly sharp, their bokeh was “busy”, and the overall character of background blur wasn’t as soft and smooth as more “exotic” lenses.

That has changed with virtually all of the recent Sigma Art lenses; the smoothness of background blur is just gorgeous. In the above sample, I’m testing with some of the harshest subjects possible, and you can see that even in the “nasty” texture of bark chips in the lower right, bokeh stays nice and smooth. (And the rest of the image’s background is just “buttery smooth”!

Colors & Contrast

Color and contrast are never a significant concern for modern optics, as their coatings are far more advanced today, and the quality of glass itself is crystal clear.

The biggest difference you’ll see when it comes to color & contrast is this fact: Now, Sony and Adobe are “playing nice” in terms of the in-camera picture settings, even when capturing raw images. So, if you set your camera’s color mode to “Landscape” or “Portrait”, you might see a HUGE difference on the computer, and it oculd save you HOURS of editing time!)

NOTE: Such settings are non-destructive when capturing raw stills or raw video, HOWEVER, they can be highly destructive if you are capturing JPG stills or regular (compressed) video files. So, when in doubt, leave your camera in “Natural” or “Neutral” picture mode!

Vignetting & Distortion

This is where we begin to see real problems with virtually all modern mirrorless lenses, especially the fast-aperture primes. Lens manufacturers have come to rely heavily on software, known as profile corrections, to “cover the sins” of distortion and vignetting.

In other words, you might think at a glance that the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art has flawlessdistortion and vignetting, but that’s because it’s being “erased” in-camera before you ever see it.

You can turn this setting off, and reveal the true nature of the image quality, but I honestly don’t recommend it; you just don’t need to worry about this!

Having said that, there are a few obscure situations in which you might need to turn off the profile corrections:

• In high-ISO scenes with lots of noise, be careful to either not crank up the Texture & Clarity sliders too high, otherwise they will create horrible noise patterns when the distortion correction is on.
• In special conditions such as a plain white snow, or an empty, light sky or grey sky, the 

Sunstars & Flare

For a portrait lens that is also excellent at landscape photography, the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art offers excellent performance in terms of minimizing flare “dots” while still delivering a beautiful rendition of golden hour light.

Sunstars, when stopping down to f/11 or f/16, are quite “pointy”, but there’s nothing particularly outstanding about them, either.

Color Fringing, Coma & Astigmatism, Field Curvature

As you can see from the above examples, the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art makes for an absolutely excellent nightscape photography lens. At f/1.4, the sharpness is truly impressive, and by stopping down just one stop to f/2, you get nearly flawless results!

For such a relatively compact and affordable lens, this is great news for the 35mm focal length. Historically, almost all primes in this range have highly favored portrait photographers, meaning their corner image quality was “trash” if you tried to photograph stars with the lens at f/1.4.

Hands-down, I would give this 35mm prime the title as the best all-around value for nightscape or astro-landscape photography.

Unfortunately, there is one minor drawback that can be a bit of an annoyance, and that is this: Unlike the Sigma Art lenses that are wider than 35mm, (both primes and zooms) …this 35mm f/1.4 prime is prone to a fair amount of field curvature, but not much. If you make the mistake of focusing on stars in the dead-center of your image, then you’ll see more softness in the corners at f/1.4 than you ought to. (It’s not softness, technically, it’s out-of-focus blur!)

This almost completely vanishes when using f/2 or smaller, and especially if you set star focus CORRECTLY for nightscpaes, which is, somewhere around the rule-of-thirds area.

Macro & Close-Up Photography

More and more prime lenses these days are capable of geting very up-close with average subjects, even if they’re not considered dedicated macro lenses. For a wedding or portrait photographer, this makes such lenses perfect for “detail” photos, because you never really need to get extremely close; all you want is to not have to worry about the minimum focusing distance being an issue.

With that said, the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DN’s close-focusing distance of about 12 inches (30 cm) is in line with most other 35mm primes; the reproduction isn’t “true macro” but it’s more than enough to capture beautiful close-up details at a wedding, or out in nature, etc.

Design & Durability

Sigma’s modern Art series primes are all very similar in their design, both in terms of operation and build quality. They’re strong, sturdy, and generally made to stand the test of time under professional work environments. 

Weather sealing and metal parts abound, however, the barrel parts that are high-grade plastic are also a gift because the material seems to absorb bumps and general use much better than the all-metal pro lenses of the DSLR era.

Ergonomics & Portability

This lens is a bit of a chonky boi, yet it’s not nearly an “oh lawd!” situation. For the professional results you get, it’s a perfect balance on a pro camera body such as a Sony A7R series, or a Sony A9 series or Sony A1.

The Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DN is considerably more front-heavy than all of the similar focal length f/1.8 primes you might have tried, though, so it should be noted that you’re bordering on the territory of  needing to support the lens with your left hand; it’s not a lens that will feel perfectly balanced if you try to hand-hold your camera with just your right hand, especially on a 10+ hour wedding day.

That being said, it’s also not a “monster”, like the various f/1.2 primes out there, and considering how beautiful the images look from this lens, I really find it hard to imagine how any photographer or videographer who would forsake this amazing optic in favor of the utterly massive Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DG DN Art. That thing is a beast, has noticeably sluggish and unreliable autofocus, and costs as much as $1,500.

Autofocus Performance

As a wedding photojournalist who always loved to focus on the more intimae details and moments of a wedding day, the 35mm prime holds a special place in my heart. It’s not too wide, but not too tight, making it perfect for all sorts of action photos from “active details” to candid portraits.

Historically, it was a huge annoyance to try and use such a fast-aperture lens for these types of photos, because either the camera or the lens would fall short in terms of being able to acquire or track focus on active subjects with such shallow depth of field as f/1.4. For this reason, a lot of wedding photographers forsook their favorite prime, whether a 35mm or 50mm, in favor of a 24-70mm f/2.8 because their autofocus motors were stronger, and the depth of field was more forgiving.

TODAY, THAT HAS CHANGED. With powerful, precise autofocus motors, and with incredible subject detection & tracking algorithms in cameras, we can now trust these lenses to perfectly nail focus, even wide open at f/1.4, in any conditions no matter how active, no matter how dim the lighting may be.

With that being said, yes, I absolutely loved the performance of the Sigma 35mm f/1.4’s autofocus. It is both precise and reliable. I use it constantly for general photorjournalism now, and rarely reach for my 24-70mm f/2.8. (Well, now it’s the ultra-lighweight Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8; since I just don’t rely on mid-range zooms very much anymore, I went with the compact, affordable option so that I have more space in my wedding camera bag for more awesome primes!)

Focus Breathing & Autofocus Sound

For videographers, these things really matter a lot! Thankfully, this Sigma 35mm 1.4 Art is basically silent when focusing. Furthermore, there isn’t much focus breathing, although it is present. Most types of content creators won’t have any complaints; only the most picky filmmakers might notice a faint amount of focus breathing when doing perfectly static focus pulls.

Manual Focus Performance

As with virtually all modern digital camera lenses, (with autofocus, that is) …manual focus is performed electronically by turning the focus ring. It’s a rather large manual focus ring, actually, and its physical movements are mechanically very smooth. Thankfully, the underlying electronic control is also very smooth & subtle, offering excellent precision when focusing on tricky things like stars in the night sky.

(You would think “infinity” is easy to focus on, however, it’s actually extremely difficult! Especially at f/1.4 or even f/2.8, it is no easy task. So, I am glad to report that when you combine both the precision of the manual focusing, and the overall sharpness of the optics, you get an excellent lens for astro-landscape photography, among other things of course.

Features & Customizations

As with other recent Art series prime lenses, the Sigma 35mm f1.4 DG DN offers as many features and customizations as the Sony E-mount will allow. It has a physical AF/MF switch, and that alone has been something I’ve missed dearly on various other lenses.

I’m especially thankful that not only do these latest prime lenses have a physical aperture ring that can be de-clicked, but they also have a locking ring, so you never have to worry about accidentally finding yourself suddenly at f/16 a dimly lit church, when you had the “A” aperture setting dialed to f/1.4…

There is also a customizable button, below the AF/MF switch, and that can come in handy for a variety of reasons which you can usually program from within your camera body.

Value

We’ll talk about all the numerous competitors next, but for now, let’s just keep this very simple: for the relatively low price of $789, (or up to $999 if no rebates/savings are active) …you get one of the most professional, flagship-level lenses on the market. So, it’s an excellent value for any working professional, regardless of what type of photography or video work you do.

Having said that, considering the lens’ performance in terms of the images and the autofocus, as well as the physical quality and general features, I have to give it a 10/10 for value, without question. Simply put, I remember when lenses less than half as good cost more than twice as much. So, consider me truly delighted in this regard.

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Review | Compared To The Competition

35mm is probably the second-most popular prime focal length behind 50mm. I didn’t tally up every 35mm prime ever made and compare it against 50mm, 85mm, etc, but I’m pretty sure. Suffice it to say, there are a LOT of 35mm primes on the market.

Even if you narrow the category down to just 35mm f/1.4 primes available on the Sony E-mount, (FE full-frame) …there are a handful. The Sony FE 35mm f/1.4 GM is an impressive optic, with cutting-edge autofocus motors that might persuade a full-time pro who can afford to invest in the $1,398 price tag. Indeed, the Sony GM is the only other lens that really edges out the Sigma in terms of optical performance, but you’re only getting a small %% better optics for nearly double the price.

There are also two Samyang/Rokinon options, an older one and a newer one, priced at $449 and $699, respectively. Neither of them is nearly as good as the Sigma, not in terms of the physical build quality, nor the autofocus performance, nor the image quality. (Honestly, if you’re eyeing the older one because of its ~$450 price tag, I would instead suggest checking out the much newer, even more compact and affordable Rokinon/Samyang 35mm f/1.8, at just ~$350.

In fact, that is the only other recommendation I can make. This is specifically for those photographers who are on an extremely tight budget, and/or those who want the lightest, smallest-possible package: the Rokinon/Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8. It’s only $349, it weighs just 7.4 oz, and is about the size of a “nifty fifty”. The image quality isn’t nearly as good as this Sigma, but it makes a good option for those who actually want something super compact, or are just on that tight of a budget.

[Click here to read my in-depth reivew of the Roki-Yang 35mm f/1.8 AF!]

Sony has another option as well, the much older (Zeiss glass) Distagon T* FE 35mm f/1.4 ZA. It costs $998, however, and let’s just say it leans in the direction of “character” in terms of its image quality. That is to say, yes, the images are beautiful, and have a certain “je ne sais quoi” that is rare for even the most exotic prime lenses. Since it’s a very old lens, however, the autofocus is (and I don’t use this word lightly) abysmal. Besides, I suspect that most photographers today are likely interested in a more versatile optic, and the Sigma wins again because of how well it handles everything from the erratic action of wedding photojournalism, to the extreme optical demands of astro-landscape photography.

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Review | Conclusion

All in all, Sigma really delivered a near-masterpiece with this 35mm f/1.4, despite how crowded the category already is. Combining clinically perfect sharpneess with a beautiful aesthetic is no easy task, and yet, they delivered a lens that gives professional results across every genre of photography & videography.

The features such as the physical, de-clickable aperture and the Fn button give it the ability to more or less match what you’ll get with a flagship “GM” lens. The image quality is phenomenal, and the price tag of $789 is equally so.

What you should really be asking yourself is, if you get this lens, will you ever use your 50mm again?

Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Review | Check Pricing & Availability

I don’t know what else to say, except this: Sigma now has an entire lineup of all the best nightscape photography lenses, period. If we combine this 14mm f/1.4 with Sigma’s other wide-angle primes and ultra-wide zooms, it is the most-complete arsenal for astro-landscape photography.

I’ve already reviewed the near-perfect Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art, and its portable, affordable sibling the Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary. I’m currently finishing up reviews of the (spoiler alert!) equally amazing Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DN Art and 24mm f/1.4 DN Art. All of which are impressive, made-for-mirrorless lenses.

With that being said, let’s dive into this review! The Sigma 14mm f/1.4 is a highly specialized lens, made for a very specific purpose, and it does its job better than any other lens on the market. The images are impressive, indeed almost perfect, and you’ll just have to see them to believe me.

Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Specifications

• FOCAL LENGHT & ANGLE OF VIEW: 14mm, 114.2° (full-frame)
• LENS MOUNT(S): Sony E, Sigma/Panasonic/Leica L mounts
• APERTURE & RANGE: f/1.4-16, 11 rounded blade aperture
• STABILIZATION: NO
• AUTOFOCUS: High-Response Linear Actuator AF motor
• MANUAL FOCUS: Yes, electronically controlled
• OPTICAL CONSTRUCTION: 19 Elements in 15 Groups, 3 super low dispersion, 1 F low dispersion, 4 aspherical elements
• MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION: Metal & “Thermally Stable Composite” material, fully weather-sealed, tripod collar included
• MAGNIFICATION & FOCUS DISTANCE: 0.1x, 11.8” (30 cm)
• FILTER THREADS & HOOD: rear drop-in filters, fixed hood, filter holders in lens cap
• SIZE: 4 x 5.9″ (101.4 x 149.9 mm)
• WEIGHT: 2.58 lb / 41.3 oz (1170 g)
• PRICE: $1,599
  (B&H | Adorama | Amazon)

Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Review | Who Should Buy It?

The Sigma 14mm f/1.4 is not your average ultra-wide lens. In fact, it’s not even your “average” ultrawide nightscape photography lens. This is, without hyperbole, the most specialized ultra-wide nightscape photography lens ever made.

As such, we can start and finish this whole review by saying that if you’re not very serious about astro-landscape photography, this isn’t the right lens for you. Oppositely, if you love to photograph the Milky Way, then this is your new dream lens, period.

There are a select few other photography genres where you might find this lens to be useful, but it would still be untruthful to call it a practical, ideal choice for anything besides photographing the night sky. It’s really that simple!

Furthermore, even if you are very serious about nightscape photography, there are a few excellent alternatives that might better suit your needs. So, if you’re very concerned about the size, weight, or overall versatility of your lenses, then once again this might not be the right lens for you.

With those disclaimers out of the way, let’s talk about which types of photographers should actually consider this lens, and why!

Nightscape & Astro-Landscape Photography

For nightscape photography, it’s all about two things: brightness and sharpness. Of course, these things sound simple enough, but they are actually very complicated when you are trying to photograph the night sky. Brightness isn’t just about sheer aperture, the number on the lens. In reality, brightness is about the actual light transmission of a lens, which accounts for vignetting, and how that transmission improves (vignetting goes away) as you stop the lens down.

That is why this 14mm f/1.4 lens is not just the only 14mm f/1.4 lens ever made, it is also the best 14mm f/1.8 lens, and the best 14mm f/2.8 lens.This is because, of course, as you stop this f/1.4 prime down, image quality and transmission get better and better,while the various competitors are still using their apertures wide-open.

In other words, if you want the absolute best, this lens is it. You’ll have to deal with the incredible size and heft of the lens, however, which will be a common theme throughout the rest of this review. However, it’s worth it.

Low-Light Wildlife, Action, & Outdoor Photography / Video

Although the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 is explicitly designed for astro-landscape photography, there are a few other highly specialized applications where it might also truly shine. (Pun intended?)

Basically, it all comes down to this: Do you need to capture a scene in extremely low light, with as fast a shutter speed as possible? Maybe you are trying to capture moonlit photos of a nocturnal animal, or anything that moves and therefore requires a fast shutter speed.

Of course, I would usually recommend a slightly less wide f/1.4 lens for these applications, such as the truly impressive Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG DN Art or the Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG DN Art. However, if you need 14mm, this is literally the only f/1.4 option around.

Also, with a physical aperture ring that can be de-clicked, this 14mm f/1.4 lens joins the lineup of Sigma mirrorless primes, including their newest 35mm, 50mm, and 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Arts, that are perfect cinema lenses. A few other primes and zooms also have this useful feature for movie-making productions.

Landscape Photography

To be completely honest, if I only did “traditional” landscape photography and not astro-landscape photography, then I would prefer almost any other lens besides this one. Namely, the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art is one of the best landscape photography lenses on the market. Also, for those who don’t need 14mm, and/or those who don’t need f/2.8, the better alternatives abound.

Architecture & Real Estate Photography

14mm is certainly very useful for real estate and architectural photography. However, almost all of that type of work is usually done at very tight apertures, for more depth of field. I can’t imagine ever needing f/1.4 in such a situation, and to be honest I simply prefer ultra-wide zooms for any sort of real estate or architectural work

Thus, once again, Sigma’s existing 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN, or even the DSLR-made 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM, would be better suited to real estate and architectural photography.

Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Review | Pros & Cons

Let’s talk about the specific qualities that make this monster of a lens so good at what it does. The Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art is indeed a very large, heavy lens, but there are a lot of big, heavy, and even much more expensive ultra-wide lenses out there! So, what makes this one so much better than all its competitors?

It starts with the aperture, of course; this is the fastest 14mm lens ever made. That’s not the only special thing about this lens, though; it also has a lot to do with the exact optical formula and design of the lens. Sigma specifically optimized this lens for things like perfect sharpness at far distances, an almost perfectly flat plane of focus, and and extremely minimal aberrations such as sagittal astigmatism or coma.

In short, Sigma set out to make a perfect nightscape photography lens, and that is indeed what they accomplished.

Image Quality

Sharpness

At a wide-open aperture, sharpness is already impressive throughout the entire image frame, including the corners. There is plenty of resolving power coming from this lens, even on the 60-megapixel Sigma fp L, or, say, the Sony A7R V with its same megapixel count.

When you stop down to f/2 or f/2.8, the central part of the image becomes impeccably sharp, and the extreme corners become truly impressive. In fact, I dare say that if you have anything LESS than 40-60 megapixels, you will not even be able to tell the difference between the dead-center and the extreme corners, in terms of resolving power!

Again, as I hinted earlier, keep in mind that this testing is referring to far distance subjects, such as stars at infinity. The lens maintains this incredible sharpness at normal and moderately close distances, too.

ALSO NOTE: at f/1.4, even distant subjects that are ~25 yards away will appear slightly soft. That is the drawback of having so much light-gathering capability; you’ll need to learn to focus stack if you plan to use this lens at f/1.4 a lot!

Color Fringing, Aberration, Coma & Astigmatism

I’m going to re-arrange the order of testing details for this lens review, simply because to be totally honest I am not nearly as concerned about things like bokeh or close-up magnification with this lens. We’ll get to those things last. Now, let’s get to the reason you’re reading this review: 100% crops of the Sigma 14mm f/1.4, focusing on stars with a 60-megapixel sensor… (The Sigma fp L, captured at ISO 3200 and 6 sec and 13 sec for f/1.4 and f/2, respectively…)

Simply put, all the different types of aberrations are impressively low with this lens. Coma and astigmatism are virtually nonexistent, even at f/1.4. At f/2, this lens delivers truly impressive extreme corners, and by f/2.8, well, it is just utterly destroying all the f/2.8 options. As you can see in the previous sharpness sample, you’re more likely to run into issues with stars “moving” through your frame, (even at 15 sec!) …than you are likely to notice any sagittal astigmatism. WOW.

Color fringing and chromatic aberration are both extremely minimal as well. I always leave the in-camera corrections for chromatic aberration turned on, and by f/2 I would say that there is virtually nothing to report.

Vignetting & Distortion

Vignetting can “kill” an otherwise excellent astro-landscape photography lens. It doesn’t matter what the number (aperture) on the lens says; if the optics themselves cause too much light loss at the edges and corners of the lens, then you are effectively working with an f/4, f/5.6, or even an f/8 lens by the time you get to the extreme corners.

In fact, for all wide-angle f/1.4 lenses, even when looking at the very center of the image, you might not encounter maximum brightness! See the example above with a comparison between f/1.4 and f/2. The shutter speed was adjusted to keep the effective exposure the same, and yet, the f/2 image is significantly brighter everywhere in the image. This is very normal for wide, fast lenses, and I have over-edited the above sample image to dramatize how dark the corners can get. (I did not add vignetting, just lots of contrast to the whole image.)

NOTE: I noticed that the “Distortion” option for the built-in lens profile was greyed out in Adobe Lightroom Classic. (See below) This means that turning off the distortion correction may be impossible in post-production, and therefore I would strongly advise choosing your preferred option before taking pictures. Personally, I tend to leave in-camera vignetting correction on all the time, however, I often turn in-camera distortion correction off because it can create terrible artifacts in shadow areas when using extremely high ISOs such as 6400 or 12800. I did not notice any such effect with this lens, however!

Thankfully, Sigma has just crammed a ton of glass into this optic, and this delivers relatively low vignetting for such a fast aperture. In other words, you’re going to actually see a real brightness advantage when using f/1.4 compared to, say, f/1.8 or f/2.8. Furthermore, when stopping down to f/2 or f/2.8, vignetting becomes even less noticeable. This effectively gives you the brightest f/2 and f/2.8 options on the market, too.

Colors & Contrast

Although you’ll most likely be using this lens to photograph dark skies and very dimly lit subjects, I’m happy to report that colors and contrast are clear, crisp, and vibrant.

This can actually have more of an impact than you would think for wide-field astrophotography; even the slightest bit of haze in an image can harm a lens’ ability to “see” the fainter stars and their subtle colors.

Sunstars & Flare

Flare can be a problem with some exotic lenses, because you may find yourself photographing the moon within the image frame sometimes. If this results in a weird flare, it can look like some bizarre UFO and ruin your nightscape photos!

Once again, thankfully, I found flare “dots” to be either minimal or nonexistent, depending on where your light sources are.

NOTE: As with all ultra-wide lenses that have large front elements, if you put a very bright light source in the image itself, this will “highlight” every speck of dust on the glass. So, while flare may be minimal, always remember to keep your lens’ front element perfectly clean, especially if you plan to shoot directly into the sun or moon!

Thanks to the aperture’s rounded 11 blades and extremely fast starting aperture, sunstars are very “pointy” as soon as f/5.6 or f/8.

Bokeh

The Sigma 14mm f/1.4 does of course deliver beautiful background blur, thanks to its f/1.4 aperture. However, this must definitely be caveated by saying that to achieve any significant amount of background blur you must be focusing rather close-up to your subject, and this lens is, simply put, NOT optimized for close focusing. (Read on…)

Macro & Close-Up Photography

Up close, quite honestly, this lens doesn’t do very well. Sharpness is noticeably diminished at f/1.4, and unfortunately it does not improve very much even when stopping down to f/2.8 or f/4.

Furthermore, the plane of focus is optimized to be flat at infinity, so, when focusing up-close that really tends to deteriorate. This effectively means that if you focus on a central subject, anything off-center is almost guaranteed to be not just soft but literally out of focus.

Having said that, bokeh is indeed quite smooth, and background blur is amazing with such a fast aperture.

Design & Durability

As far as I know, this is the only ultra-wide lens that requires a tripod collar. It’s big and heavy, and it does not easily fit into just any camera bag! Having said that, the overall design is excellent, and the physical durability seems very professional.

One of the elements (pun intended?) of design that I am grateful for is the front element itself. Unlike most other ultra-wide lenses that reach 14mm or wider, this one is not obscenely bulbous. It is very large, indeed, but neither the glass element nor the hood itself are particularly unwieldy. I hope this results in fewer of these gorgeous lenses having nasty scratches on their front element!

The other most noticeable design feature. of course, is the fact that this lens comes with a tripod collar. No other ultra-wide lens includes one, as of this writing! It’s a good thing, though, because despite having a relatively “modest” front element, make no mistake, this lens is incredibly front-heavy from all that exotic glass. I would recommend always using the tripod collar, because not doing so with such a heavy lens can gradually stress the lens mount of your camera body, and potentially result in a slightly tilted plane of focus if you’re frequently applying any kind of strain on such a setup. (Also, always transport your astro-landscape photography cameras and lenses detatched from each other, for this same reason!)

Ergonomics & Portability

Portable, this lens is not. It is, quite simply, the exact opposite of compact and lightweight. If you’re committing to this lens, then be prepared to re-arrange the dividers in your camera backpack, and I hope you have a very strong, stiff tripod and ball head!

Having said that, ergonomically this lens is a delight to work with. The tripod collar actually makes it infinitely more practical and easy to use compared to any other giant ultra-wide zoom. It allows the setup to balance perfectly on a tripod, whether you’re using the ultra-compact Sigma fp L body, or something larger like a Sony A7R series.

Also, the switches, focus ring, zoom ring, and the custom function button are all relatively well-positioned and well-dampened. I do wish that the AF/MF switch were in a completely different position, maybe, such as between the tripod collar and the mount, so as not to confuse it with all the other switches on the lens.

Autofocus & Manual Focus Performance

Focusing with extreme precision is very important for astrophotographers, because even the slightest error causes significant loss of sharpness/detail in stars. Thankfully, the AF on this lens is very precise, and can even lock focus on brighter celestial objects such as the nearer planets and brighter stars.

Manual focusing is also a breeze, with plenty of precision in the focus ring’s electronic sensitivity.

I used to strongly dislike electronically controlled manual focus lenses for the specific task of astro-landscape photography, but all of Sigma’s recent Art and Contemporary series lenses have been a delight to work with in this regard.

Features & Customizations

As I mentioned before, aside from the optics themselves, this lens has other features that are optimized for nightscape photography, too. There is the excellent manual focus precision, plus, one of my favorite features: A dedicated MF-L switch! Separate from the AF/MF switch, this lower switch resides beneath the AF-L button. As its name implies, locking the MFL switch completely turns off both the camera autofocus and the manual focus ring. This is, of course, an excellent feature for everyone who photographs the stars, especially those who do long time-lapses and don’t want to accidentally bump the manual focus ring in the middle of the night!

Last but not least, the lens cap is also completely redesigned, and thankfully it is very good at staying “clamped” on the lens. It even has unique, built-in, click-to-open slots for your rear drop-in filters!

Value

All in all, clearly this is a unique lens that is highly specialized and unique. However, it is priced at $1,599, which is an interesting price range for ultra-wide lenses in general. We’ll get more in-depth with the competitors next, but here’s the bottom line when it comes to the value of the Sigma 14mm f/1.4: Your two next closest likely choices are the Sony 14mm f/1.8 GM, at $1,598, and the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art, at $1,279.

Thus, objectively, this lens’ price tag represents an excellent value, considering the nearest alternatives as well as the fact that it truly stands alone with its f/1.4 aperture. Still, there is not much more I can say about value without breaking down why you might consider the alternatives… So, read on!

Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Review | Compared To The Competition

As I said, the two closest alternatives are also close in price. However, they are also very different, in very important ways.

First, the Sony 14mm f/1.8 GM is almost the same price, however, it is TINY compared to the Sigma 14 1.4. The Sony is less than half the Sigma’s weight, too. In fact, it’s about 40%! (460g versus 1170g)

Considering how sharp the Sony is, I do have to give it a nod for any adventurous nightscape photographers who are climbing mountains for a lot of their images, or just traveling a lot. Is the Sigma optically superior? Yes, absolutely. But the Sony is still excellent and I have very little to complain about, despite the Sigma being much better at f/1.8 and f/2.8.

The opposite alternative is Sigma’s own 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN. It’s actually a bit more affordable, at $1,279, and it’s also a bit lighter, too, at just under 800g! This makes it much more versatile, and honestly, preferable for many astro-landscape photographers who also do at least some general daytime “adventure landscape photography”.

I could continue listing alternatives, however, few other lenses really come close to this incredible optic. The Sony 12-24mm f/2.8 GM could be attractive with its wider focal length, but it’s nearly $3,000. Going in the opposite direction, a Rokinon/Samyang 14mm f/2.8 is very compact, lightweight, and just $497. However, of course, they don’t even come close to the Sigma, not optically, nor in terms of build quality etc. They feel like toys compared to this exotic, professional optic.

So, it really is all about just those three flagship lenses. The Sigma 14mm f/1.4 is the best 14mm lens, but if you’re looking for something more portable and/or versatile, you might consider one of the two main alternatives.

Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Review | Conclusion

Indeed, the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art is simply, and quite literally, the best. It is peerless as an f/1.4 prime at 14mm. Furthermore, when stopped down to f/1.8, f/2, and f/2.8, it is totally superior to all competitors, in virtually every way.

Even if you plan to mostly use it at f/2.8, this lens will blow away every f/2.8 zoom, especially with regard to vignetting and corner sharpness.

This performance comes at a price, of course; mainly in terms of size and heft. This is not just a specialty lens; it is a serious commitment to even fit it in your camera bag, let alone carry its weight for any number of hours.

Thankfully, however, the relatively decent price tag still puts this one-of-a-kind lens within reach of anyone who is serious enough to be willing to commit to it. If you’re a serious, passionate nigthscape photographer, then the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art is indeed your new dream lens.

Check Pricing & Availability

The Sigma 14mm f/1.4 DG DN Art is currently available, and priced at $1,599. At the time of writing it was only released within the last year, so we do not have any information about common rebates yet. Just keep an eye out for the potential of a rebate around the holidays, of course!

(B&H | Adorama | Amazon)

Spoiler alert: The Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8 is about as sharp as any flagship option, but at just under $900, (and just under 1 lb!) it’s an incredible value for photographers who are serious about creating stunning wide-angle photos or videos. It’s a perfect lens for many things, from landscape and Milky Way photography to vlogging and wedding photojournalism.

Hands on Sigma 16-28mm Video

Sigma 16-28m f/2.8 Specifications

• FOCAL LENGTH & ANGLE OF VIEW: 16-28mm (107° to 75.4°)
• LENS MOUNT(S): Sony E-mount, (FE full-frame) Sigma/Panasonic/Leica L-mount (full-frame)
• APERTURE & RANGE: 9 rounded-blade aperture
• STABILIZATION: No
• AUTOFOCUS: Yes, stepper motor, internal focusing
• MANUAL FOCUS: Yes, electronic, linear and non-linear support
• OPTICAL CONSTRUCTION:  16 elements in 11 groups
• MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION: Metal & plastic; weather-sealed
• MAGNIFICATION & FOCUS DISTANCE: 9.8″ / 25 cm, 0.18x
• FILTER THREADS & HOOD: 72mm, plastic, rubber-gripped hood
• SIZE: 3 x 4″ (77.2 x 102.6mm)
• WEIGHT: 15.9oz (450g)
• PRICE: $899
  (B&H | Adorama | Amazon)

Sigma 16-28m f/2.8 Review | Who Should Buy It?

The Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8 DG DN C is a full-frame mirrorless wide-angle zoom made for the Sony E-mount and the Sigma/Panasonic/Leica L-mount. Any photographer or videographer who is looking for a wide-angle full-frame lens should consider this as one of their best wide-angle lenses, and I don’t make that blanket statement lightly! Here’s why almost every photographer should consider it:

• It delivers professional optical results at an affordable price.
• It is built to last, mechanically, with weather sealing and strong mostly metal construction.
• The fast f/2.8 aperture makes it excellent for working in low-light conditions, from weddings to nightscapes.
• Its compactness and portability make it perfect for photographers who travel a lot and will use this lens frequently, as well as other photographers who may not use the lens very often and want to save space in their bags for other specialty lenses, such as portraiture or wildlife.

As you can see, that pretty much covers all the bases! With that being said, if we had to pick just two or three categories for which this lens is truly optimal, we’d have to say those categories would be as follows…

Landscape & Nightscape Photography

This is the best choice on the market for adventurous landscape & nightscape photographers who need to travel light but can’t give up the fast f/2.8 aperture for astro-landscape scenes.

Vloggers & Videography

The Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8 is also optimal for vloggers and videographers who need a wide-angle, fast-aperture zoom lens that is lightweight (balances well on a gimbal) compared to most 14-24mm and 16-35mm f/2.8 lenses. There are a lot of other options on the market, of course, but many are significantly heavier, and/or far more expensive.

Another advantage of the 16-28mm for vlogging/video is that its zooming is internal, which minimizes changes in weight distribution.

Wedding & Portrait Photography

Wedding & portrait photographers may not need to go wider than 28mm very often. However, when they do, they’d usually prefer to have access to f/2.8 for low-light work on a dance floor, or portraits of a couple at sunset or even under starlight.

It’s also just a convenience, as they (we) are likely pairing a wide-angle lens with a 24-70mm f/2.8 or 28-70mm f/2.8. On that note, I want to say that as a wedding photographer I am really excited to pair this 16-28mm f/2.8 with my other favorite Contemporary lens, the Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN C. Both lenses are incredibly lightweight and compact, which is a truly delightful experience as someone who photographs a lot of very long wedding days, sometimes 14-16 hours hour more! Not having to lug around those massive, hefty 16-35mm f/2.8s or 24-70mm f/2.8’s is really something I appreciate.

Sigma 16-28m f/2.8 Review | Pros & Cons

Let’s dive into the specific details about this lens that make it excellent for many types of photography/videography. I will also try to find any little detail to nitpick or complain about, too!

Image Quality

Sharpness

The resolution of the Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8 C is nothing short of Art-series performance. That is to say, it’s stunning. It stood up to my most demanding test, which is wide-open nightscape images of the stars in the sky. (More on that later; see the coma/astigmatism section.) At f/8 for landscapes, the level of detail even at the edges/corners is just stunning.

Simply put, even wide-open at f/2.8 there is plenty of sharpness throughout most of the image frame, at all focal lengths. Only in the extreme corners, and only when working at f/2.8 or f/4, will you see a minimally noticeable loss of detail. When stopping down to f/5.6 or f/8 for landscapes, sharpness is truly impressive all throughout the image frame.

Bokeh

With its 9-rounded-blade aperture, the background blur (bokeh) is beautifully soft. Of course, the depth of field is not very shallow from 16mm to 28mm unless you get rather close-up to your subjects, however, the closer you get, the softer and more prominent the blur gets!

Colors & Contrast

Overall color and contrast is excellent, as with most all modern lenses with advanced optical coatings. Once again, at a glance, you’d be hard-pressed to guess whether this was from a Sigma “Art” or “Contemporary” lens.

Vignetting & Distortion

My usual complaint about distortion and vignetting applies to this lens, just like almost all other modern mirrorless lenses: Sigma has opted to use a significant amount of “correction” to make its images look so good. There is a built-in lens profile that fixes optically warped lines so that they appear straight, as they should, and a significant portion of the vignetting

Sunstars & Flare

As you can see in the example above, flare dots are minimal, and sunstars are quite beautiful from f/11 and onward. Basically, you’ll only see any nasty flare issues if you put the sun in the frame and are stopping down quite a bit. Even then, you’ll only see one or two aberrations.

Color Fringing, Aberration, Coma & Astigmatism

The Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8 makes an excellent nightscape and astrophotography lens, despite its compact size and the lack of a giant, bulbous front element. The optical formula and glass coatings Sigma is using for their Contemporary lenses are clearly doing an excellent job, roughly on par with what I’d expect if this were an Art lens.

You might get a bit more perfection out of the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8, however, that lens is definitely a different beast, considering its price and weight.

Macro & Close-Up Photography

When focusing very close-up, although this lens doesn’t exactly have a good macro reproduction/magnification, you do get beautiful glimpses into a miniature world. Even when focused at the closest-possible distance, sharpness is still superb.

Design & Durability

Physically, this Sigma Contemporary lens feels professional. The mount and likely most of the lens’ mechanical “guts” are metal, and other barrel components are what Sigma calls a “Thermally Stable Composite” material. Whatever fancy words they’re using to avoid saying the word “plastic”, I don’t mind, I think this is a perfect combination. In fact, in my experience, I’ve found that “high-grade plastic” generally makes a better frontmost part, (where filters are usually attached) because it will absorb and dissipate impacts better than all-metal lenses do.

Ergonomics & Portability

This is where the 16-28mm f/2.8 really becomes valuable, in my opinion. There just aren’t very many full-frame wide-angle lenses that reach 16mm and f/2.8, don’t weigh a ton, and accept filters.

The Sigma is impressive in this regard; it weighs less than a pound and accepts 72mm filters.

Autofocus Performance

If I had to mention one issue that seems to come up with Contemporary lenses, it’s this: Sigma seems to be putting slightly less powerful autofocus motors in their “C” lenses compared to their “A” and “S” lines. It’s understandable that the “Sports” series lenses get the most powerful, cutting-edge technology when it comes to autofocus, but I also find that low-light AF with this 16-28mm f/2.8, and with the 28-70mm f/2.8 C, have just a slightly higher “miss” rate than Art/Sports lenses, and certainly compared to a Sony GM or G-series lens, if you’re using the E-mount.

Is this a deal-breaker? Not for me, because I know I can still get enough perfectly in-focus images if I try. However, it may be a frustration, or a deal-breaker, for pixel-peepers who demand that every single photo be perfectly in focus.

Manual Focus Performance

For landscape and astro-landscape photography, I am pleased to report that the electronically controlled manual focus has smooth operation and good precision. The Sigma 16-28mm also offers my preferred configuration of focus and zoom rings; the zoom ring is closer to the camera and the focus ring is in front.

Features & Customizations

One feature that I am glad Sigma decided to put on even its C series lenses is an AF/MF switch. Other third parties (and some name brands, too) either completely omit switches, or have an annoying custom function switch.

The Sigma C series lenses don’t have a physical aperture ring, but that’s okay for me because I’m interested in this lens for its portability and simplicity. Other minor things of note are the fact that  the hood has a nice bit of grippy rubber on it,

Value

With flagship name-brand lenses costing well over $2,000, I don’t think I need to say much about what a good value this $899 lens offers. It’s really this simple: If you’re okay with the 16-28mm focal range, then it’s the best value by a huge margin.

Having said that, I do understand if you’re either used to, or shopping for, a wide-angle zoom that has a bit more range. If you’re looking for 14mm on the wide end, then you won’t have to save up too much more to get the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art, which is also an excellent value at $1,399. More on that lens, next.

Alternatively, if you’re looking for 35mm on the long end, then a 16-35mm might have caught your eye, but again, those name-brand options (or similar) are always very pricey. Personally, I find this to be the perfect balance of value in terms of zoom range, optical performance, and portability.

Sigma 16-28m f/2.8 Review | Compared To The Competition

In the recent past, there was only one main type of wide-angle f/2.8 zoom: the 16-35mm f/2.8. It was big, heavy, and expensive. Early models weren’t even very sharp, either; 35mm was often downright un-usably soft! If you’re thinking of adapting an old DSLR version of one of these, just skip it.

Then came the 14-24mm f/2.8 lenses, and they were a whole lot sharper, but they got massively heavier and even more expensive! Again, if you’re looking at a DSLR version, it will be so massive that your mirrorless lens mount adapter will have undesirable flex. Skip ‘em.

Only very recently have we seen compact, lightweight, f/2.8 ultra-wide (full-frame) mirrorless lenses. With that in mind, the primary competition for this Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8 is as follows…

• Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 ($799) …the original in this new category
• Nikon 17-28mm f/2.8 ($996) …using Tamron’s formula
• Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 ($699)

And that’s it! If you want f/2.8 on full-frame, there just aren’t many other options out there in this category of lightweight, portable, sub-$1,000 options.

You could, of course, opt for an f/4 zoom instead, and you’d usually gain a bit more zoom range on either the wide-end and/or the long end, but you’d have to pay a few hundred dollars more in each case:

• Canon RF 14-35mm f/4 L IS ($1,399)
• Nikon Z 14-30mm f/4 S ($1,146)
• Sony FE 16-35mm f/4 G ($1,098)
• Sony FE 20-70mm f/4 G ($1,098)
• Panasonic Lumix S Pro 16-35mm f/4 ($1,197)

Alternatively, if you’re an astro-landscape photographer who is looking to photograph the Milky Way more than any other subject in dim conditions where f/4 is unacceptable, then you’ll certainly do well to keep saving up (and working out) to get the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 Art. It is hands-down our favorite choice, on the Sony E-mount and on the Sigma/Panasonic/Leica L-mount. However, it’s significantly bigger and heavier, so it’s a commitment to lug it up a mountain, and it’s not very practical at all for portraits or weddings.

Last but not least, there are a few others that have a variable aperture and a slightly different zoom range. The Panasonic 14-28mm f/4-5.6 is a very portable and affordable ($797) option, but its aperture is two stops darker at 28mm.

The bottom line is this: There is literally no other 16-28mm f/2.8 lens on the market, specifically for full-frame mirrorless. Tamron’s 17-28mm f/2.8 is the next-closest thing, and I think the Sigma is just a bit sharper overall. Plus, personally, I find that the difference between 17mm and 16mm is worth it to call the Sigma my best wide-angle zoom lens.

Sigma 16-28m f/2.8 Review | Conclusion

All in all, the Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8 gets my coveted title of a “dream lens”. As a hiker/backpacker who does a lot of astro-landscape photography in extremely remote areas, the holy grail for me is a lens that is un-compromisingly sharp, and yet still lightweight and compact. The Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8 C is absolutely my top choice in that regard.

There is some stiff competition from other lenses, but they are bigger, heavier, and more expensive. Oppositely, the few lenses that meet the criteria for portability and affordability don’t have the exact same zoom range as this Sigma.

Therefore, I can give my highest recommendation to anyone who is interested in this overall category of lenses. Don’t be fooled by its compact size or its price tag, and don’t think that just because it has a “C” on it instead of an “A”, it’s any less capable of professional results! The Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8 could be exactly the lens you’ve been looking for.

More Sample Photos of the Sigma 16-28mm

Check Pricing & Availability

The Sigma 16-28mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens is available for the Sony E (FE) mirrorless mount as well as the Sigma/Panasonic/Leica L-mount. It is currently available for $899, without any “instant savings” type deals.

(B&H | Adorama | Amazon)

What about normal, even modest lenses, though? Is it possible to improve on the simple “kit” lens, to make it faster, sharper, and better quality? Also, is it possible to take a high-end flagship lens, and make it smaller and more affordable? Judging based on this Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary review, the answer is yes, to both questions at once!

This seemingly modest, affordable lens might be exactly what many entry-level photographers have always needed, and what many experienced, even professional photographers have thought “would be nice to have”.

That is, a mid-range f/2.8 zoom that is relatively “tiny” and portable, yet still performs to a very high professional standard. Not to spoil this whole review, but, (okay I’m spoiling the whole review) yes, this lens is exactly that–it’s compact, lightweight, affordable, and yet delivers professional results at a professional aperture. This is the kit lens that a pro would reach for if they didn’t want to lug around their traditionally enormous, heavy f/2.8 zoom, such as a 24-70mm f/2.8.

The Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 “C” delivers sharp, beautiful images, and is well-built with fast, reliable autofocus. Could you ask for more? No, because if you want “better”, it already exists with this lens’ older sibling, the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art. (Which only costs $270 more, by the way!)

Now that I have set the stage, let me tell you what types of photography this lens might be perfect for, which photographers might choose something different instead, and of course, we’ll closely inspect just how well it actually performs. Let’s begin!

Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary Specifications

• FOCAL LENGHT & ANGLE OF VIEW: 28-70mm (75.4° to 34.3°) 2.5x zoom ratio
• LENS MOUNT(S): Sony E, (full-frame) Leica L / Sigma / Panasonic (full-frame)
• APERTURE & RANGE: Constant f/2.8, 9-blade rounded aperture
• STABILIZATION: No
• AUTOFOCUS: Stepper motor, near-silent
• MANUAL FOCUS: Electronically controlled, focus distance displayed on camera
• OPTICAL CONSTRUCTION: 16 elements in 12 groups, 3 aspherical, 2 FLD, 2 SLD
• MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION: Metal & plastic, (brass mount) weather-sealed (extends when zooming)
• MAGNIFICATION & FOCUS DISTANCE: 1:3.3 magnification, 7.5″ focus distance (at 28mm)
• FILTER THREADS & HOOD: 67mm, rubber-grip bayonet hoood
• SIZE: 2.8 x 4″ / 72.2 x 101.5 mm
• WEIGHT: 470 g (1.04 lb)
• PRICE: $799 (or $899 when not on sale)
  (B&H | Adorama | Amazon)

Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN C Review | Who Should Buy It?

Almost every type of photography could use a lens like this! The question is, what is your creative style, and what are your practical preferences? For most photographers, the idea of a full-frame mirrorless f/2.8 zoom being this compact and affordable is very attractive.

The biggest question you’ll have to ask yourself will be, simply, is the zoom range and aperture right for you? Because, quite honestly, f/2.8 is unprecedented for a kit-sized lens like this, but of course the zoom range is relatively modest.

Wedding Photography

Wedding photographers usually fall into one of two categories: You either like primes, or you like zooms. If you’re a wedding photographer who likes zooms for their versatile range with a decently fast f/2.8 aperture, you may still dislike them for how big and heavy they are. This could be your dream lens!

Personally, for my wedding photography work, I could not be happier to kiss goodbye the big heavy 24-70mm f/2.8, and trade it for a lightweight option such as this. After a long (12-14 hour) workday, my wrists are really thanking me.

Alternately, what if you’re a wedding photographer who likes prime lenses? You may still want to add a lens like this to your camera bag for emergencies; it makes an excellent professional backup, one that you might not have considered because of the size, weight, and expense of most 24-70mm f/2.8’s.

I am in the latter category: I do enjoy a good 35mm or 85mm prime, but when I need a zoom, it’s nice to have one available that doesn’t take up too much extra space in my camera bag.

Portrait Photography

For many types of portraits, the focal range of 28-70mm is quite ideal. Pair this lens with a telephoto zoom or prime, and you’ve got all your bases covered!

Alternately, just like with wedding photography, maybe you prefer to capture most of your portraits with a 35mm, 50mm, or 85mm prime. Even then, especially as a paid professional, you ought to have a backup, and you ought to be able to cover the bases, and a compact yet high-performance lens such as this is an excellent choice.

Candid & Street Photography

In many candid environments, having a compact, unobtrusive lens is valuable in allowing your subjects to relax, or even forget you are taking their picture. Whether you are casual or serious, the Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 is not just an excellent choice, it is basically the ultimate lens for the genres of candid portraits, everyday life, and having maximum image quality in a go-anywhere package!

Landscape Photography

A landscape photographer may not need f/2.8, however, they do often pixel-peep the corners of their images at f/8, and if they do a lot of hiking or traveling to far-off destinations, having a lightweight lens that delivers maximum image quality is invaluable.

Needless to say, this diminutive Sigma lens is truly impressive when stopped down to f/5.6-8, and its portability is unmatched. The only thing a landscape photographer might want to add to their bag is, of course, a dedicated wide-angle lens, in which case the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art is one of the best compliments to this Contemporary lens, and the Tamron 17-28mm f/2.8 is a lightweight, portable choice.

Nightscape & Astrophotography

Again, you may prioritize a wide-angle zoom for this type of work, and in that regard, the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art is the current champion. If you don’t mind switching to that ultra-wide zoom whenever you need 24mm, you can pair the two lenses together for one of the most flawless optical performances that an astro-landscape photographer could ask for!

Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN C Review | Pros & Cons

I know I have already spoiled most of this review with my praise of this lens, but it really is that simple: here is a near-perfect miniature of a popular flagship optic.

Sigma created an excellent balance of compactness with durable build quality and impressive images, at a fast aperture within a modest zoom range. That’s it!

Image Quality

Since the zoom range isn’t that broad, (a mere 2.5x) it should be no surprise that this $800-900 lens is optically impressive, despite its small size. If you would like to skip over the technical details, here is the basic analysis: The lens is impressively sharp, without any soft spots at a particular focal length, even when the aperture is wide open at f/2.8.

Other aspects of image quality are impressive and beautiful, from the overall look of images and bokeh, to the technical stuff like aberration and astigmatism. Distortion and vignetting are a bit of a can of worms, however, if you leave the in-camera corrections turned on, you probably won’t be bothered.

Sharpness

Sharpness is essentially perfect, from 28mm to 70mm, even at f/2.8. Only when you look in the extreme corners do you see a faint loss of sharpness, and even then it is barely noticeable. Below, see a comparison between the Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 and the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 G2; both are impressive, though not flawless:

Stopping the aperture down, and even the extreme corners get nice and sharp, as expected. I tested this lens’ sharpness on a “mere” 24-megapixel camera body, however, based on the overall level of detail, I can say with much certainty that those with 40-60-megapixel camera bodies will also be impressed, even if the extreme corners look a tiny bit softer.

Bokeh

Soft background blur is delivered quite easily, especially when focusing up-close and at f/2.8. Even the most “busy” backgrounds are rendered smoothly. In other words, don’t be fooled by the “Contemporary” label on this lens, the images sure look like they came from an “Art” optic!

Colors & Contrast

As with pretty much all modern lenses, the clarity of color and contrast coming through the glass in this lens is just beautiful. If there is any faint warm or cool color cast to this lens compared to a name-brand optic, I can’t detect it in real-world shooting conditions.

Vignetting & Distortion

As I mentioned in my Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 G2 review last week, pretty much all modern mirrorless lenses are hiding some unfortunate levels of distortion and vignetting “under the hood” when you look at a raw file that has in-camera corrections turned on.

In reality, there is quite a bit of vignetting and distortion in this lens. However, you will likely only notice if you ever decide to turn off the in-camera corrections, which I don’t recommend except for certain specific circumstances.

The vignetting correction profile doesn’t seem to be totally perfect, however, which means that if you are really over-editing your images of a clear blue sky, with lots and lots of Dehaze, you may notice a faint residual vignetting pattern. Just don’t over-cook your raw images, though, and you should be okay.

Sunstars & Flare

Flare dots are minimal, and the warm wash of aesthetically pleasing flare is nice. Unfortunately, sunstars are a bit soft and dull, even when stopping down to small apertures like f/11. You can still get a decent starburst effect, however, as with most all Sigma lenses, the “spikes” of your starburst will be open-ended and fuzzy compared to older lenses (without rounded aperture blades) or the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 G2, which has impressive spike-type sunstars.

Color Fringing, Aberration, Coma & Astigmatism

Partly due to excellent optical coatings and partly due to the fact that there are both in-camera and Adobe corrections for things like chromatic aberration and color fringing, the Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 has virtually zero artifacts and only minimal color fringing. If you look in the extreme corners of high-contrast scenes, you’ll see some blue color fringing, however, it is easily removed in post-production. Even for the highly demanding subject of astro-landscape photography, image quality is quite impressive in terms of pesky aberrations.

Macro & Close-Up Photography

This is one of those zoom lenses that has a different minimum focus distance when you zoom in or out, and interestingly, you’ll get slightly better macro capability when working at 28mm. Regardless of your focal length, though, focusing up-close will yield impressive image quality, though I do recommend stopping down to f/4 or f/5.6 for both sharpness and depth of field.

Design & Durability

Moving on from image quality to the physical, mechanical merits of the Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary,

Autofocus Performance

These days, exotic, expensive lenses are starting to require two motors to focus swiftly, and that only makes the lens even bigger and heavier! In this case, Sigma only needs one stepper motor, and it is smooth, fast, precise, and virtually silent. The days of third-party lenses having loud, slow, inaccurate autofocus are definitely well behind us, thankfully!

Manual Focus Performance

Another complaint that now seems to be a thing of the past is manual focus precision for electronically controlled focus rings. Just a few years ago, only the most expensive, high-end name-brand mirrorless lenses could boast smooth and precise manual focusing, and even then it wasn’t as good as a mechanically coupled focus ring of an older DSLR/SLR lens, in my experience.

Now, the electronics inside the Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 make it really easy for you to perfectly nail focus manually for things like video or nightscape photography.

Other Features & Customizations

The Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 does have an AF/MF switch, which I found to be a very welcome feature after using so many Sony and Tamron E-mount lenses that lacked this basic feature. Honestly, switching from autofocus to manual focus is just so much easier when it is on a physical switch on the lens instead of a button-plus-dial configuration on so many Sony and other mirrorless kits.

Other than that, however, the lens is minimalistic. There is no customizable function button, and there is no customizable aperture or Fn ring. These are features that are becoming common on Sony, Canon, and Nikon mirrorless lenses, but I personally don’t miss them too much.

NOTE: At present, Sigma’s mirrorless lenses don’t have USB dock compatibility for at-home firmware updates. This may change in the future, and we’ll be sure to update you!

Value

At just $799, (a common and current discount) or its MSRP of $899, either way, this lens is an absolute bargain. As I said, it’s a miniature version of a pro lens!

Sony’s own ultra-compact kit zoom, the Sony FE 28-60mm f/4-5.6, is nearly $500, and yet offers a 1-2 stop slower/darker aperture, worse image quality, and less zoom range. With that in mind, the $800-900 price tag of the Sigma becomes highly attractive, even as an entry-level choice.

Yes, it does cost quite a bit more than a cheap plastic 28-80mm or 18-55mm (APSC) kit lens that you might have considered or owned in the past, however, the Sigma is absolutely worth the investment. It’s a kit lens that you won’t outgrow even if your passion for photography is just about to skyrocket.

Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN C Review | Compared To The Competition

There are two categories of competition with this lens. Just ask yourself this simple question: Are you happy with 28mm, or would you prefer 24mm?

Let’s say, for example, you’re looking at 28mm lenses because you want something compact and portable, and are willing to forfeit 24mm to save a little money and a few ounces/grams… This Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 is the smallest option I would recommend because it is an excellent optic that doesn’t compromise.

Oppositely, the Sony 28-60mm f/4-5.6 is even smaller but has a slower, variable aperture and overall worse image quality. Even if you get one of these lenses “for free” with your Sony A7C, I’d still recommend trading it for this Sigma!

Going back even further in Sony E-mount history to where some truly sub-par lenses reside, the Sony 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 (which seems like a bargain at under $400) is a poor performer overall, period. Save up the extra money for the Sigma!

Indeed, the only excellent alternatives I would consider are the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 G2, if you want a constant f/2.8 zoom, or the Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 if you’d rather have a “superzoom” with more range on the long end.

The “G2” Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 really is quite impressive, in fact, it is optically near-perfect just like the Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8. However,  I do prefer the Sigma because it is even smaller, and has the AF/MF switch that I like, instead of the Fn button on the Tamron.

What if you’re quite sure that 28mm isn’t wide enough, though? Unfortunately, you’re not going to escape carrying around a slightly larger lens. The good news is, compared to the DSLR-oriented Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 HSM Art, the new mirrorless (DG DN) version is actually decently portable, and the price tag isn’t much higher either.

[Related: Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art Review | A Flagship Pro Lens For Half The Price!]

Alternately, if you want even more zoom range, Sony’s 24-105mm f/4 G is a good choice, especially if you’re more likely to be photographing landscapes or cityscapes at f/8 than you are likely to be photographing candids and portraits indoors at f/2.8, of course.

NOTE: I should mention that if you are not a Sony camera owner yet, and are still shopping for a full-frame mirrorless body, you can consider the brand-new Nikon Z-mount 28-75mm f/2.8 which was just announced for Nikon’s impressive Z-mount lineup. Canon, on the other hand, does not have a compact, lightweight f/2.8 RF-mount lens; they have the incredibly slow (aperture) 24-105mm f/4-7.1 RF.

All in all, the Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 is really quite unique because of its compact size. It looks like a miniature version of a flagship lens, almost as if you’d mounted an APS-C lens by accident. So, if portability is important to you, this is simply the best mid-range zoom I’ve ever gotten my hands on.

Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary Review | Conclusion

At a glance, you might think this was the $199 kit lens you got at a garage sale, or paired with an old Canon Rebel camera. Actually, nothing could be further from the truth! The Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary is the epitome of everything that is good about full-frame mirrorless: You get a bright, constant f/2.8 aperture, impressive image quality, in a compact, affordable package. This is exactly the type of lens that I had wished existed many years ago when full-frame mirrorless first came into existence!

The 2.5x zoom range is modest, sure, but then again, this lens is about as portable as many compact primes today! 

For those DSLR photographers who always wanted your switch to mirrorless to involve lightweight, compact “miracle” lenses, here you go. For those of you who are buying your first mirrorless and/or first full-frame camera, this should be your first lens, too!

If you’re looking for a high-quality mid-range zoom, this is my current top choice. for anyone who values portability.

Check Pricing & Availability

The Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN C is available for either $799 or $899 depending on the active discount:

(B&H | Adorama | Amazon)

Indeed, the Sigma FP is not your average full-frame mirrorless camera. It is unmistakably more like a miniature cinema camera, with a very compact, boxy design, and overall ergonomics that are clearly designed for the camera to be operated as part of a “video rig”.

The highlight is one simple fact: gorgeous image quality for both photo and video, thanks to the universal DNG raw file format that both stills and RAW video are recorded in, and the truly incredible 24-megapixel BSI, dual-ISO, CMOS sensor.

(Yes, that’s right, this camera’s RAW 4K video capability saves individual frames as GND files in 4K resolution. This means you can “color grade” your video footage in Lightroom as if it were any other raw image workflow!)

Other than that, the Sigma FP is pretty minimalistic as a camera. There is no electronic viewfinder, and the rear LCD does not articulate. Indeed, for maximum utility of this camera, you will probably want to invest in an external monitor and/or recorder.

For those who want to record raw video as Cinema DNG files in 12-bit, you can do so via an external recorder, too, at up to UHD 4K30p, or FHD at 120 FPS.

If you’re looking for a truly pocket-sized full-frame mirrorless camera, one that focuses on quality video footage and “gets the job done” in terms of still photos, you should definitely consider the Sigma FP. It is one of the most affordable ways to record video in RAW, period, and even after 1.5 years on the market, it is still one of the only full-frame cameras that can record any type of RAW video internally!

Is it perfect? No, in fact, there are a handful of things we would love to see improved, either in a firmware update or in a next-generation camera. Still, the FP shows tons of promise, and could be precisely the type of camera you were hoping to see on the full-frame mirrorless market!

Sigma FP Specifications

• SENSOR: Full-frame, back-illuminated, (Bayer pattern) 24 megapixel CMOS sensor
• LENS MOUNT: Leica L-mount (full-frame)
• STILL IMAGES: 6000 x 4000 JPG & DNG raw, 14-bit
• VIDEO (INTERNAL): H.264
  4K UHD (3840 x 2160) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p)
  Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p/59.94p/100p/119.88p
  
• VIDEO (EXTERNAL): 4:2:2 12-Bit
  UHD 4K (3840 x 2160) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p
  Full HD (1920 x 1080) at 23.976p/25p/29.97p/50p/59.94p/100p/120p
• ISO: 100-25600Dual ISO (100 & 3200)
• AUTOFOCUS: Contrast-Detection AF system, 49-point
• SHOOTING SPEED (FPS): 12 FPS continuous, 18 FPS burst
• SHUTTER SPEEDS: 30 sec to 1/8000 sec & bulb mode, fully electronic shutter
• METERING RANGE: -5 EV to 18 EV
• STABILIZATION: No
• VIEWFINDER: No
• LCD: Fixed, 3.15-inch, 2.1M dot touchscreen LCD
• CONNECTIVITY: HDMI D (Micro), USB Type-C (USB 3.0)
• STORAGE: Single Slot, SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-II)
• BATTERY: Sigma BP-51 Lithium-Ion, 7.2 V, 1200 mAh
• BODY CONSTRUCTION: Metal, weather-sealed
• SIZE: 4.43 x 2.75 x 1.78 in. (112.6 x 69.9 x 45.3 mm)
• WEIGHT: 14.89 oz / 422 g (w/ battery and SD card)
• PRICE: $1,899 (B&H | Adorama | Amazon)

Sigma FP 4K RAW Sample Footage Demo Reel

The above video was made entirely on the Sigma FP using 4K RAW DNG internal recording. All of the video clips were batch-processed in Adobe Lightroom Classic.

Sigma FP Review | Who Should Buy It?

Let’s cut right to the chase here: The Sigma FP is a very specialized, but highly capable, video-centric camera. In other words, if you don’t shoot video, then right off the bat, the FP is simply not going to be very friendly or attractive to you. From the actual features and specs to the physical interface, this camera is made to serve one main purpose: capture very high-quality video.

With that in mind, this entire “who should buy it?” section is going to be aimed at videographers. Of course, if you’re just looking for a truly TINY, ultra-portable full-frame camera, but you do focus more on stills or time-lapse work than video, you can still consider the FP! More adventurous types of landscape photographers, for example, might really appreciate that the Sigma FP is not only the smallest and lightest full-frame camera body on the market but is also still weather-sealed with a metal frame!

Movie Makers

If you’re an aspiring movie-maker/filmmaker/cinematographer, then the Sigma FP could be your gateway to quite literally making your first film! From the physical user experience and features, (remember, you’re definitely going to want to use some sort of external monitor, and use the camera on a gimbal or other support “rig” system!) …to the video image quality itself, the FP is ready to produce a Hollywood/Sundance-quality film, on an extreme budget.

Wedding & Portrait Videographers

If you’re a working wedding videographer, you probably want a little more versatility in your setup. The Sigma FP might be right for you, if you’re approaching your wedding jobs as a cinematographer, who always takes the extra time to set up a slider, and manage your rig’s accessories like an external monitor and a full audio setup, however, most wedding video shooters are going to want a more versatile system, with face/eye-tracking autofocus, in-body stabilization, dual card slots, and of course a massive array of lenses that fit any and every price range.

In short, it’s likely that the Sigma FP might be a little too niche for what you do, and a Sony or Panasonic video system might work better, however, the Sigma FP is still a winner if you value image quality more than a beginner-friendly, versatile user experience.

Vloggers & Youtubers

If you’re going to be making Youtube videos, you probably fall into one of these two categories: The vlogger who uses a GoPro, phone, or another compact, portable camera to create truly “homemade” content, or, of course, the vlogger who is into creating cinematic masterpieces with high-end gear, even if it’s just your review of the latest fancy coffee beans you just tried.

In other words, if you’re a more casual, simple vlogger, then the Sigma FP is at the wrong end of the spectrum for you, but if you love quality output, and you actually love the process of filmmaking, period, then the Sigma might just offer a delightful spark of creativity that inspires you to obsess over things like “shutter angle”…

Action Sports & Wildlife Videographers

If you’re making video of anything high-speed, then you have to ask yourself two questions: First, do you need extremely reliable, class-leading autofocus that can track subjects like glue? If so, then Sony should be your first choice, plus Canon and Nikon are now offering solid choices as well, with reliable face, eye, and wildlife/animal detection & tracking modes, even when shooting video.

Second: Do you need a lot of options with extremely high frame rates? You won’t get 4K 60p out of the FP, and to get to 120p (119.88p) RAW video you’ll still have to use an external recorder.

Having said that, there are plenty of wildilfe/nature scenarios where the Sigma FP will still perform amazingly well! (See the above full-length Youtube demo reel for more!)

The bottom line is this: with a max 4K framerate of 30p, (29.97p) and “average” or “decent” autofocus tracking capabilities, the FP may not be a high-speed or slow-motion video camera, but it sure delivers beautiful results if you can make it work for you.

Landscape & Time-Lapse Photo/Video

Last but not least, here is where the Sigma FP can really and truly shine: Situations where 30p is plenty, autofocus demands are not extreme, and of course, where image quality is everything.

If you’re making nature videos of landscape scenes, and especially if you’re mixing video, photo, and time-lapse work within the same final content, the Sigma FP is a dream camera because of its universal DNG file format for everything. You can capture 30p video of a scene one second, and then switch to time-lapse the next, …and edit the files exactly the same way in Adobe Lightroom and LRTimelapse! It truly is a beautiful thing…

It is also a refreshing comfort to know that the FP is also weather-sealed, and the whole frame of the camera is a solid-feeling “block” of metal! Most full-frame mirrorless cameras only seem to get bigger and heavier as they get better and better weather-sealing. (Looking at you, Sony!)

If you’re a wilderness adventure time-lapse photographer, pair the Sigma FP with an external dummy battery that you can charge via solar power, and you’ve got one of the most ultralight full-frame kits available for landscape video+time-lapse.

Sigma FP Review | Pros & Cons

There’s a lot to love, and if you want what the Sigma FP offers, I would recommend it without hesitation. However, a few minor things are either just plain quirky or downright limiting, and depending on what type of video you want to capture, I might recommend either going with a different option or, quite honestly, that you wait and see what a “mark 2” version offers if I didn’t immediately need this type of camera!

PROS:

• Impressive still image quality
• Impressive video image quality
• Rugged physical build quality
• Excellent (and silent) heat dissipation among raw-capable video cameras
• Lightest & smallest full-frame camera body available
• Numerous highly unique video features/tech (shutter angle, waveform
• Extremely versatile L-mount lens arsenal (Sigma, Panasonic, Leica)
• Versatile, powerful external recording options (USB-C & HDMI)
• DNG raw video is an interesting take on RAW, resulting in “color grading” familiar to Lightroom users
• Incredible value for RAW video shooters

CONS:

• No articulated LCD display, no EVF
• Minimal physical controls
• Interface & menus could be more user-friendly
• Battery life not very impressive, charges slowly via USB-C, not USB-PD
• Battery/camera cannot operate directly from USB power (dummy battery required)
• Battery life meter not available as a percentage
• ISO not displayed at all in some situations, only displayed after exposure is locked in “Auto ISO”
• Cannot dedicate a physical button to change ISO (It’s in the “Quick Menu”)
• For a “rig” style camera that is supposed to be all about external output recording, a medium or full-sized HDMI cable would have been preferred

Image Quality

Image quality can be summed up very easily: This 24-megapixel sensor is on par with all the other full-frame 24-megapixel sensors out there. That is to say, it is incredible. Whether you’re shooting at ISO 100 or ISO 10,000, you’ll be pleased with the raw images’ dynamic range, low noise, and colors. There is no horrible color cast or banding pattern to be revealed when you “dig deep” into the shadows.

In terms of video image quality, the full-sensor width 4K frames are beautifully detailed whether shooting RAW, or another format. Dynamic range and colors are truly impressive and versatile as well.

Again, we cannot overstate the bonus that is DND video frame editing. For anyone who has photography experience in Lightroom or another raw editing software, the editing of video frames from the Sigma FP will feel second-nature compared to the advanced skill (and high-powered software, and high-powered computer) required to process those raw video files.

Autofocus Performance

AF is quite impressive, more than adequate for most subjects. However, when the action gets truly high-speed and/or erratic, the acquiring and tracking of subjects does leave a little to be desired, compared to, say, a Sony A7S III or a Canon EOS R5.

The question is, to all you amateur movie makers out there: are you even trusting an AF system, or are you “pulling focus” manually?

Overall Performance

The overall responsiveness and speed of the camera is actually quite impressive. From the obvious speed-related specs such as the FPS and the shooting/shutter lag times to the quickness of menu browsing and changing settings, the camera does feel snappy and professional.

For video shooters in particular, we have to give a huge nod to the overall category of “performance” because of the sheer versatility of the camera, but we’ll talk more about that when it comes to features & customizations, next.

Features & Customizations

The Sigma FP feature set is truly unique among most cameras in its price range, and even among all full-frame mirrorless cameras. Waveform, the “histogram of video”, is a delightful feature to have, and the ability to set a shutter angle, instead of a shutter speed, makes it much more intuitive to change your camera’s video framerate without worrying about sub-optimal shutter speeds.

Additionally, there are numerous subtleties that make the camera both professionally capable, and fun to shoot with. There are in-camera curves adjustments for highlight and shadow management of (non-raw) video files, and very versatile zebra exposure monitoring/warning.

In terms of customization, though, there is a little (well, maybe quite a bit) left to be desired. Right off the bat, I discovered that I couldn’t reprogram any of the buttons to control ISO, I had to go into the quick menu to do that. Having said that, the “QS” button itself winds up being the de facto ISO button, and it’s not that bad unless you frequently need to change a lot of the other quick menu settings.

Honestly, there’s just not as many buttons on the camera, period, to be customized. Compared to a Sony A7-series, with four “C” buttons and nearly full customizability of quite a few other buttons, or even the Canon and Nikon button customizability, …the Sigma FP feels like there’s not much real customization you can do.

Having said that, there is extensive customizability built into the video features themselves. Physically, there are buttons dedicated to TONE and COLOR. In the menus, you’ll find extensive customizations for things like zebra stripes and focus peaking.

Oh, and for those who do shoot both stills and video, the FP offers quite a few separate customizable settings so that when you flip that convenient, simple switch from “CINE” to “STILL”, you don’t have to take still photos with some of those more specialized video-centric customizations dialed in.

Battery Life & Charging

One area where the Sigma FP could unquestionably be improved is, the battery life and charging/power protocol. Unfortunately, with a mid-2019 release, direct USB power, or the USB-PD protocol, were not yet par for the course, and are absent from the Sigma FP.

The battery life on the FP is just barely good enough that you’re not swapping batteries incessantly unless, of course, you’re shooting 4K RAW video and have the LCD brightness turned all the way up in bright sunlight.

Either way, we highly recommend that all-day shooters get a dummy battery so that they can plug their FP into an external battery pack, and not worry about swapping batteries on a camera rig.

It would have been nice, though, if the FP could have been directly powered via its USB-C port. Now that USB-PD is becoming more common, maybe there will be adequate enough power in that new standard to fuel the camera’s energy consumption needs even when shooting 4K RAW video. Hopefully, we’ll find out in a “Sigma FP mk2”!

Design & Durability

We can’t knock the camera for missing a big grippy grip and a plethora of customizable buttons, or an EVF, and ignore the fact that we’re also praising the camera for being the smallest and lightest full-frame mirrorless camera that still has extremely rugged physical construction.

In other words, you probably already know whether the FP’s design and ergonomics are what you’re looking for, or at least you would know after spending just a short time holding and working with the camera.

Value

As far as 4K RAW-capable video cameras are concerned, the Sigma FP is an incredible value, period. If you want the look that a full-frame sensor (and fast aperture lenses) can provide, there is no competitor in this price range that offers as diverse an output.

Sigma FP Review | Compared To The Competition

It would take numerous articles just to list the different specifications between all the great video-capable and video-oriented cameras out there, so we’ll skip the exact side-by-side comparisons of all the framerates, bitrates, and other video specs. Suffice it to say, the Sifma FP has one of the most extensive video capabilities around, if you include external recording options. It’s not a speed demon, but it sure is an overall image/video quality champion.

Instead, we’re going to focus on the individual advantages and disadvantages of the Sigma FP, and help you decide which camera is right for you based on real-world factors of usefulness and practicality.

With that in mind, first and foremost, if you’re looking for a camera that you can raise to your eye, look through a viewfinder, and work with like it’s a “photography camera”, then the FP is going to be hard to recommend compared to any of the similarly priced full-frame mirrorless cameras from Sony, Nikon, Canon, and Panasonic. They’re all much better cameras for general photography.

So, what if you do shoot mostly video, and care more about video quality than things like autofocus speed, or even “video speed”, AKA framerate? Well, the Sigma FP quickly becomes an attractive option, considering its price and the 4K RAW spec, let alone the plethora of additional video specs when recording externally. By comparison, two of the hot new full-frame cameras from 2020 that can capture 4K RAW video, the Canon EOS R5 and the Sony A7S III, cost ~$3,900 and ~$3,500, respectively.

If you’re getting into any sort of filmmaking, then you could buy TWO FP cameras for about the same price as the Canon or the Sony. (Oh, and the Panasonic S1H is $4,000)

Honestly, though? Remember, also, that truly high-end video cameras can cost tens of thousands of dollars, and/or be truly enormous cameras. The fact that you’d even think of comparing the $1,900,  422g FP against a Canon C-series cinema camera, or let alone a RED, is testament enough to what an attractive value the Sigma offers.

Sigma FP Review | Conclusion

What’s the bottom line here? It’s the simple fact that the Sigma FP is one of the most promising video-oriented cameras we have ever come across. For 4K RAW, it’s easy to love Sigma’s DNG approach. For any serious video shooter, even if you don’t need raw options, it is easy to appreciate Sigma’s unique features that allow the camera to behave more like a very high-end filmmaking tool.

Indeed, the FP has enough quirks and drawbacks that we’re excited to see what comes next, but the fact that we’re dying to see what Sigma replaces the FP with should tell you everything you need to know about how capable this first-generation camera is. With an external monitor, and/or an external recording device,  the FP becomes a truly high-end, even exotic, professional video tool. It shows a lot of promise, and is indeed already well worth the investment.

Check Pricing & Availability

The Sigma FP is available for $1,899 (and is often on sale for $1,799, by the way) as a body-only, or for $2,199 as a kit with the Sigma 45mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary.

B&H | Adorama | Amazon

Were those Sigma Art lenses worth it? Yes, they were flawlessly sharp, if that’s what you’re asking. However, they were almost more trouble than they were worth, especially to any photographer who expected primes to be a portable, lightweight alternative to their big heavy full-frame zooms.

However, with their new lenses that are made specifically for mirrorless platforms, Sigma is changing all that. They’re shedding weight from some of their most impressive lenses, and even more exciting is this fact: The new mirrorless lenses are just as sharp, or even sharper!

Enter the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art, made exclusively for mirrorless mounts–Sony’s E-mount plus of course the Leica/Sigma/Panasonic L-mount. Yes, it is more than a POUND LIGHTER than its DSLR-made predecessor. Yes, it is just as sharp, or sharper! And yes, the images are gorgeous and full of character, too.

That basically sums up this review in a nutshell, for those who are already on the edge of your seat, ready to click “buy”: The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art, at a mere $1,199, is hands-down the best mirrorless portrait prime that we’ve reviewed. Don’t believe me? Read on, and I’ll prove it.

Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Specifications

• FOCAL LENGHT & ANGLE OF VIEW:  85mm (28.6°)
• LENS MOUNT(S):  Sony E, Leica L (Panasonic, Sigma)
• APERTURE & RANGE:  f/1.4 to f/16, 11 rounded blades
• STABILIZATION:  No
• AUTOFOCUS:  Stepper motor, optimized AF algorithm
• MANUAL FOCUS:  Electronically controlled, no distance markings
• OPTICAL CONSTRUCTION:  15 elements in 11 groups, 5 Special Low Dispersion, 1 Aspherical, Super Multi-Layer Coating
• MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION:  Metal & high-grade plastic
• MAGNIFICATION & FOCUS DISTANCE:  0.12x, 2.79′ (85 cm)
• FILTER THREADS & HOOD:  77mm, locking rubber-gripped hood
• SIZE:  3.26 x 3.78 in. (82.8 x 96.1 mm)
• WEIGHT:  1.38 lb (625 g)
• PRICE:  $1,199 (B&H | Adorama | Amazon)

Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Review | Who Should Buy It?

An 85mm f/1.4 prime is a classic portrait lens. Some people may find that they prefer a 50mm or a 105mm instead, but it is a pretty safe bet to consider an 85mm if you do any type of portrait photography. Families, kids, couples, fashion, you name it. Having an 85mm prime is a good idea.

Portrait Photography

When it comes to choosing which prime (or zoom) is perfect for you as a portrait photographer, I used to only recommend investing in the one focal length you would use the most, so that you can get a high-end f/1.4 or f/1.2 prime, and then “fill the gaps” with more affordable, portable f/1.8 or slower primes.

(In other words, if you’re REALLY a 35mm f/1.4 or 50mm f/1.2 kind of portrait photographer, for example, then to cover 85mm you might only need a compact, affordable f/1.8 option.)

However, with the decently compact size and weight of the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art, (especially if you leave the hood at home, although I usually don’t recommend it) …you can go ahead and buy a really nice lens like this, especially if you are shooting professionally and want gear that can be a workhorse for many years.

Wedding Photography

The same goes for wedding photographers: If you’re going to be holding a camera and lens to your eye literally all day long, (yes, I have photographed many Hindu weddings that started before sunrise, and went until very late at night!) …you’ll want a decently lightweight choice, but one that doesn’t compromise on image quality or build quality, either.

In the past, for any type of all-day work, I wouldn’t recommend getting a big, heavy, expensive f/1.4 prime. Instead, I’d recommend getting a modest, portable, and sub-$1K 85mm f/1.8 prime, even more strongly than I’d recommend it to a photographer who is just doing 1-2 hour portrait sessions. Your wrist will thank you at the end of each wedding, and your money can be saved for whichever lens you use the most!

Now, at just under $1,200, and with a decently lightweight form factor, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Sigma 85 1.4 DN whether 85mm is your absolute favorite wedding portrait & candid lens, or it’s just a lens you pick up when the conditions require it.

Candid & Street Photography

If it’s good for portraits and weddings, it’s probably great for candid & street photography, and all types of event journalism. You might want a 105mm or 135mm prime instead, if you find yourself not being able to “reach” your subjects with an 85mm, however, if your camera has more than ~40 megapixels, you can easily switch your camera into APS-C crop mode, and still have plenty of resolution (and plenty of shallow depth at f/1.4!) …which gives you a ~125mm prime. Not bad!

Action Sports Photography

In the past, f/1.4 primes weren’t as popular for low-light sports as a simple 70-200mm f/2.8, partly because a zoom lens is more useful for telephoto action, of course, but also partly because big primes with a lot of glass just weren’t that “snappy” to focus on high-speed subjects.

The latter issue is no longer a problem with modern highest-end mirrorless AF systems, such as on the Sony A9-series and even the crop-sensor A6600. Their AF systems, combined with the powerful stepper motor and the decently lightweight optics of the Sigma 85mm 1.4 DN, make low-light high-speed action photography a possibility, as long as 85mm is right for what you’re doing; it may very well be that you’re better off with either a 70-200mm f/2.8, or a longer lens like the Sony 135mm f/1.8 GM.

Landscape & Nature Photography

You might not need f/1.4 all the time, in fact, you might spend most of your time at f/8 or f/11. However, if you’re a landscape photographer who also shoots nightscapes or any type of creative nature work with shallow depth and selective focus, then you’ll be happy to know that the Sigma 85 1.4 DN isn’t just a wide-open top-performer, it’s also truly flawless when stopped down to f/8-11. The lighter weight and more compact size also mean you might prefer it over any other 85mm prime, for its rugged durability that you can trust in inclement weather.

Nightscape & Astrophotography

Last but not least, yes, this new Sigma mirrorless lens is up to the challenging task of astrophotography. It exhibits minimal issues with things like color fringing or coma/astigmatism, even wide open at f/1.4. (See below for image quality samples!)

For those who are able to stop down to f/2 or f/2.8, whether there is moonlight illuminating a nightscape or you are doing deep-sky work on a tracker, the pin-point sharpness of stars at those apertures is truly phenomenal.

Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Review | Pros & Cons

Spoiler alert: I can’t find anything substantial to complain about. If you’ll recall, I had some complaints about Sigma’s other flagship full-frame mirrorless prime, the 35mm f/1.2 DG DN Art. (Unlike this 85mm, it was massively oversized, and also, the aperture ring was annoyingly bumped from “A” to f/16.

Read on; maybe I’ll come up with some petty nit-pick, but honestly, that’s all it would be–a petty nit-pick.

Image Quality

Looking for the quick-and-dirty verdict? This is one of the most optically impressive 85mm primes we have ever tested. If you’re a casual photographer then it may come down to splitting hairs in terms of sharpness or other, more subtle image characteristics, however, if you’re a highly discerning photographer, whether you’re printing giant prints of portraits, or photographing deep space, you’ll definitely notice that “optically impressive” advantage with this Sigma mirrorless lens.

Sharpness

The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art is one of the sharpest 85mm prime lenses we’ve ever reviewed. At f/1.4, it matches or beats all of the competition on the Sony E-mount. In fact, I was more reminded of the ultra-sharp Nikkor Z 85mm f/1.8 S, and the $2,700 Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L, in terms of the level of image detail I was seeing from this lens.

When we can get our hands on 40-60 megapixel cameras for the main three full-frame mirrorless mounts, we’ll publish a side-by-side comparison so that you can see how this Sony E-mount lens stacks up against not just its E-mount competition, but also the Nikon Z and Canon RF mount competitors, too.

Bokeh

One of the biggest reasons you buy an 85mm f/1.4 prime is for all that creamy bokeh. The Sigma absolutely does not disappoint, delivering it a balance of incredible sharpness: incredibly soft background blur.

It’s easy enough to share beautiful shallow depth sample images captured in ideal lighting and subject conditions, however, to really test the bokeh of this new mirrorless Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art, we went straight to the most “nasty” test conditions possible, dead twigs, and we still found the bokeh to be quite good.

We published a side-by-side comparison of the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 versus the Rokinon/Samyang 85mm f/1.4 HERE, in case you’re interested.

Colors & Contrast

Sigma Art lenses have sometimes exhibited a faint warm color cast to them, but if there is such an issue present with this mirrorless 85mm, it is either negligible and/or pleasing and actually beneficial to the overall character of the images. In short, these days with Sony and Adobe playing more nicely together, it’s nothing but good news in terms of colors and contrast, even from a third-party lens and an .ARW raw file!

Vignetting & Distortion

Distortion is virtually nonexistent thanks to the in-camera profile correction, and vignetting is surprisingly low even when that in-camera correction is turned off! Turn the in-camera vignetting correction on, of course, and overall there is very little to be noticed, even when over-processing images at f/1.4.

This is an impressive departure from many of the other mirrorless lenses we have reviewed lately, which almost always exhibit imperfect vignetting corrections at almost all apertures when your editing gets too heavy-handed.

Sunstars & Flare

Sunstars are noticeable by f/5.6, and beautifully well-defined by f/8, thanks to the fast wide-open aperture, however, the 11 rounded blades usually result in 22-point, open-ended sunstars, instead of needle-point sunstars of older manual focus lenses.

It is worth noting, however, that on occasion, at f/14 exactly, gorgeous ~11-point sunstars may appear if the light source is truly pin-pointed, and is shielded in just the right way. (See below)

Flare is almost never a problem if the sun is not in the frame itself. If you do put the sun in the frame and stop down your aperture, you will indeed see a few flare dots.

Color Fringing, Aberration, Coma & Astigmatism

All of these more obscure but pesky aspects of image quality are minimal or nonexistent. In fact, just out of curiosity, in Lightroom, I turned OFF the default “Remove Chromatic Aberration” tool that works so perfectly well. Even without any correction, there was STILL virtually zero color fringing or aberration! Truly impressive, Sigma, well done.

Macro & Close-Up Photography

At close distances, the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art does not lose much, if any, of its sharpness. (Thanks to how ultra-shallow depth gets at such close distances, you’ll want to stop down anyways!) Of course, by f/2 or f/2.8, it is downright incredible again.

Design & Durability

With a metal mount, weather sealing, metal barrel parts, plus some high-grade plastic here and there, I have to give a nod to Sigma for achieving such a rock-solid build quality in such a decently portable package. Also, while I never personally had an issue with nasty weather, it was a long-standing footnote to Sigma’s Art class of lenses that, although they were solidly built, they had virtually zero weather-sealing. That is no longer the case!

All in all, we can tell that it’s not quite Sony GMaster status in terms of the physical “indestructibility”, however, it’s definitely built to stand the test of time and be a heavy-duty workhorse for many years to come.

Also, as you can see, there is not only an AF/MF switch, a customizable AFL button, and a click/de-click switch to go with the aperture control ring, but also, on the other side of the lens, there is even an aperture ring LOCK switch! This was something we really wanted on the Sigma 35mm f/1.2 Art; we kept accidentally bumping the aperture from “A” to 16 very often, which as you might imagine can really mess up your photos if you were previously shooting at f/1.4-2.8!

All in all, bravo to Sigma for covering virtually all the bases with this lens.

Autofocus Performance

Autofocus reliability for fast-aperture primes was previously the bane of both mirrorless and DSLR setups, especially when the light got truly poor. In pitch-dark conditions, a DSLR would just “give up” and hunt back and forth; even though the brightness of the f/1.4 aperture aided the optical phase-detect AF systems, the AF motors and the “large chunks of glass” that had to be pushed back and forth just weren’t optimal.

With modern full-frame mirrorless camera bodies, and the powerful AF motor combined with “modest” sized glass elements in this Sigma, you get the opposite effect- incredible low-light accuracy, with pin-point focus even at f/1.4. As long as your subjects aren’t sprinting erratically towards or away from the camera, you’ll get almost all perfectly tack-sharp in-focus shots.

Manual Focus Performance

Electronically controlled, manual focus is extremely precise with the Sigma, and even at f/1.4, thanks to the incredible “bite” that the sharpness has, you’ll have no trouble nailing focus on your subjects as long as they’re holding still! Even stars in the night sky, one of most challenging subjects to nail, are effortless to focus on.

Value

When a $1,200 lens shows up a $1,800 lens in even one way, you know it’s a good value. If you’re serious about portraits, or low-light photography of any kind, then you should invest in this $1,200 Sigma. It is absolutely worth it! We’ll talk more about the competition next, but suffice it to say, we recommend this lens over both the Sony GM and the Rokinon/Samyang AF 85mm primes.

The only other lenses that are a value worth considering are significantly different-the Rokinon/Samyang AF 75mm f/1.8 FE, a $399 lens, and the Tokina ATX-M 85mm f/1.8 FE, a $499 lens.

Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Review | Compared To The Competition

With the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art being at the price point of just under $1,200, there isn’t a truly direct competitor. To get right to the point: the Sony FE 85mm f/1.4 GM is almost $1,800, and the Rokinon/Samyang AF 85mm f/1.4 FE is “just” about $700. (Or the Roki-Yang is on sale for under $600 sometimes.)

With the Sigma right in between, you have to look at the overall value in order to decide which one is best for your needs.  I can tell you right now, again, the Sigma is the best value. It is built far more rock-solid than the Roki-Yang, and is noticeably sharper. On the higher end, the Sigma is also sharper than the Sony GM, and is built with almost the same impressive durability as the flagship Sony portrait prime.

In fact, the impressive resolving power of the Sigma leaves us wondering if a “GM mk2” of the Sony 85mm f/1.4 will need to appear soon, especially considering the jaw-dropping sharpness of the much newer Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 GM, FE 24mm f/1.4 GM, and FE 35mm f/1.4 GM. Of course, if such a Sony GM lens ever does arrive, it will probably cost nearly $2K. Just like we would expect a “Sony FE 50mm f/1.2 GM” to cost! (NOTE: we do not have any insider information, there are no rumors/leaks; we are just speculating!)

Honestly? If you really like 85mm, whether for serious portraits, low-light journalism, or just casual artistic imagery in general, get this lens to go on your Sony E-mount body, or your Sigma/Panasonic/Leica L-mount body. You won’t regret it.

What if you know you love 85mm, but you also want something even more lightweight and portable, or downright tiny even? You can always put a Rokinon/Samyang 75mm f/1.8 in your camera bag as well, to compliment this flagship-grade 85mm. The Rokinon/Samyang 75mm is so tiny (and affordable) that you’ll be happy to have two options that approximately cover your favorite focal range. (And, in professional situations, you need a backup of whatever your bread-and-butter gear is!)

Alternately, if you’re looking for extremely rugged build quality, incredible sharpness, and are on a budget, the other lens you should consider is the Tokina 85mm f/1.8 ATX-M, at a mere $499. It may be f/1.8 as opposed to f/1.4, however, its sharpness and bokeh make it a perfect choice for those who want a serious 85mm prime in a more compact yet still professionally capable package. At a fraction of the price, (less than half!) …we even rank the Tokina 85mm as a better overall value than the Rokinon/Samyang and even the Sony GM!

But, enough about the competitors. What if you already own an 85mm prime from your DSLR and are using it on an adapter? This is going to sound obvious, but if you’re happy with what you’re getting from an adapted setup, then stick with it! However, if you’re anything like me, you strongly dislike adapters in general, from their clumsiness when using multiple lenses to their compromise in autofocus performance, and of course, the front-heavy nature of a big heavy DSLR lens on an adapter is just terrible on one’s wrist. So, even if you’re content with the overall image quality you’re getting, you’ll likely still appreciate upgrading to the Sigma mirrorless 85mm.

Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Review | Conclusion

I think many of us were beginning to lose hope that high-end mirrorless full-frame lenses would ever get significantly lighter or more compact than their DSLR-made equivalents. Sony’s f/2.8 GM zooms, and their 85mm f/1.4 GM, are all rather hefty.

Also, when Sigma “goes for broke”, and creates a lens like their DSLR f/1.4 primes, or their Sony E-mount 35mm f/1.2 DG DN Art, the results are, well, massive. Because of this, I was fully prepared for an obnoxiously big and heavy 85mm f/1.2 prime, or even an oversized 85mm f/1.4 prime.

Thus, I am delightfully surprised that the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art is not just optically phenomenal, but also a pound lighter than its DSLR-made predecessor. It balances amazingly in-hand, and overall performance is reliable in terms of the mechanics, and beautiful in terms of the results. For $1,199, you can’t go wrong!

Check Pricing & Availability

The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art is available for $1,199 for both the Sony E-mount (FE full-frame) and the Sigma/Panasonic/Leica L-mount.

(B&H | Adorama | Amazon)

In short, this is an awesome, high-performance flagship piece of glass. The bar has been raised high enough that I find myself flat-out recommending this Sigma Art lens, for just $1,100, instead of Sony’s own 24-70mm f/2.8 GM, a lens costing exactly double the price, at $2,200. Across the board, period. Get this Sigma!

It really is that good. I might even use the word “flawless” once or twice in this review, I’m not sure yet. It has literally everything going for it, from being smaller and lighter than its DSLR predecessor to being flawlessly sharp. (One!) It is also built like a tank, and just about the only thing missing is optical stabilization, a feature that only Canon’s full-frame mirrorless 24-70mm f/2.8 has, (in conjunction with their sensor-based stabilization, too!) …while on Sony’s GM flagship 24-70, you are restricted to IBIS.

The bottom line is, we’ve got another winner on our hands, folks!

Oh, by the way, there’s one twist: This particular copy of the lens we’re reviewing is a Leica L-mount lens, reviewed on the Sigma FP and the Panasonic S1; it is NOT a Sony E-mount version, so I’ll be comparing it to not just the Sony GM competitor, but more so the Panasonic 24-70mm f/2.8, which bears a prestigious Leica badge. Spoiler alert: The Sigma holds its own, in every regard, and since that Lumix lens also costs ~$2,200, we’re going to reach the same verdict: buy the Sigma!

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art Specifications

• FOCAL LENGHT & ANGLE OF VIEW: 24-70mm, 84.1° to 34.3°
• LENS MOUNT(S): Sony E, Leica L (Panasonic & Sigma)
• APERTURE & RANGE: f/2.8 to f/22, rounded 11-blade
• STABILIZATION: No
• AUTOFOCUS: Stepping motor (virtually silent)
• MANUAL FOCUS: Electronically controlled
• OPTICAL CONSTRUCTION: 19 elements in 15 groups, 6 FLD, 2 SLD, 3 Asph
• MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION: Metal mount & barrel, fully weather-sealed
• MAGNIFICATION & FOCUS DISTANCE: 0.34x (7.09 in.  / 18 cm)
• FILTER THREADS & HOOD: 82mm, click-lock hood w/ rubber grip
• SIZE: 3.46 x 4.84 in. (87.8 x 122.9 mm)
• WEIGHT: 1.84 lb (835 g)
• PRICE: $1,099 (B&H)

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art Review | Who Should Buy It?

A 24-70mm f/2.8 lens is a must-have for many types of photographers. If you own a full-frame camera, then you’ve undoubtedly at least strongly considered a 24-70mm f/2.8 at least once or twice, if you don’t already own one.

Casual hobbyists buy them, even though they’re usually massive, hefty beasts to be lugged around all day on your family outings or random walkabouts or tourism.

Serious professionals rely heavily on this mid-range constant f/2.8 zoom, of course, for virtually everything from portraits and weddings to commercial work and real-estate photography. Simply put, it’s a versatile lens that could be responsible for the bulk of what you do.

So, in this “who should buy it?” section, we’re not going to focus too much on the WHO; instead, we’re going to talk about why you might consider this lens either compared to its competition or compared to alternatives such as prime lenses.

(NOTE: Thanks to the extraordinary circumstances of 2020, I was unable to bring the mirrorless Sigma 24-70 2.8 to a wedding or portrait session. However, the general advice given below is based on 15+ years of experience as a wedding & portrait photographer, using literally every 24-70mm f/2.8 on the market in all manner of shooting conditions. STAY TUNED, for additional comparisons between this lens and others, in terms of things like low-light autofocus reliability on a wedding reception dance floor, hopefully coming later this year!)

Wedding Photography

Wedding photographers almost all fall into two categories: Those who absolutely love a good 24-70mm f/2.8, and those who loathe such a lens, and opt for primes instead. If you’ve ever photographed a wedding, then you might already know whether you love or hate this zoom range.

If you’re a photographer or videographer who does weddings on either Sony or Panasonic/Leica/Sigma full-frame bodies, this is hands-down the best choice for those of you who already know you like a 24-70mm f/2.8. Period!

If you have usually preferred primes for weddings, though, you have to ask yourself these questions now that this Sigma is on the playing field: first, did you “hate” 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses because they weren’t sharp at one end? Unlike the 24-70mm’s of yesteryear, this Sigma is razor-sharp at all focal lengths, even wide open at f/2.8. If you were a prime shooter who usually stopped down to f/2.8 for sharpness anyway, then you can put those primes away and get this Sigma zoom.

Also, if you previously hated 24-70mm’s because they were just big and heavy, you might also want to consider this new Sigma, because it is smaller, lighter, and better balanced, thanks to the shorter flange distance of mirrorless, plus an overall more compact design.

Oppositely, if you found yourself always turning to primes because you specifically wanted or needed to work at f/1.4 or so, then, of course, you may still choose to use a prime very often. However, in wedding photo/video work, sometimes you still need a good zoom for when the action gets just way too dynamic for a prime to handle. In the past, you might not have been able to own a native E-mount or L-mount 24-70mm f/2.8, due to the price tags that are well over $2K; maybe you “settled” for a bulky old DSLR lens on an annoying mirrorless adapter. Now, you can pick up the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art for half the price, and if your Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L II or Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 VR was in great condition, you might even come out ahead when selling those lenses on the used market!

Portrait Photography

For portrait photographers, all of the above discussion applies, with one caveat. You probably already know whether you prefer an f/2.8 zoom, or primes, for your mid-range portrait photography. You might love a 35mm, 50mm, or 85mm prime a lot more than you love 24-70mm, whether it’s for the faster aperture, or the weight savings and significantly lower wrist strain you get from using an f/1.8 prime instead of an f/2.8 zoom, or even an f/1.2 or f/1.4 prime.

The one caveat, of course, is that in portrait photography, you often have a lot more control over your subjects and shooting conditions, therefore, you might have even less of a need for a zoom lens, if you prefer primes.

Having said that, a lot of more versatile portrait photographers, especially if you do family portraits or any portraits involving active children, could probably still use a mid-range zoom because it allows them to quickly switch from capturing an official wide-angle group photo to snapping candid close-up moments of individuals or smaller groups.

Either way, whatever your style, if you’re looking for a 24-70mm f/2.8, this is the one to get.

Videography & Cinematography

As we’ve already said, a good 24-70mm f/2.8 is a workhorse lens for many different types of photography. So, that makes this lens even more exciting for one reason: Now you have a flagship-grade 24-70 2.8 for the Sigma FP, the only full-frame camera to shoot 4K RAW DNG video! (Doing your video “color grading” in Lightroom is a thing of beauty, folks! Stay tuned for our full Sigma FP review coming soon!)

Simply put, whether you use autofocus or manual focus, whether you’re using one of the video powerhouse full-frame cameras from Sigma, Panasonic, or Sony, …this lens could be an absolute must-have.

Editorial, Commercial, & Real Estate Photography

High-end portraiture, product photography, real estate…virtually all other types of professional photography can often depend heavily on a good 24-70mm f/2.8. Not only that, but they also probably care a lot more about the nuances of image quality, whereas a more “informal” portrait photographer might care most about things like autofocus reliability and bokeh, but not much else.

Whatever your profession, whatever your shooting style, if you need a 24-70mm f/2.8 workhorse, the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN is up to the task. It is wicked-sharp, all the other aspects of image quality are impressive, and just as importantly, the lens is built very sturdy, for years of reliability as a workhorse.

Candid, Everyday, & Street Photography

As a casual everyday lens, the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 may not be the most ultra-compact mid-range zoom around; that honor still goes to the Sony E-mount Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD, at just 550g versus the Sigma’s 835g.

Having said that, even for “casual” walk-around photography, let alone travel/vacation, cityscape, …basically everything, there is a huge difference between 28mm and 24mm, indeed!

Considering that the Sigma and Tamron aren’t that far apart in price, ($880 versus $1,100) …if you don’t mind the weight of the Sigma, you should definitely choose it as your go-to everyday mid-range lens. Unless you want something totally different, of course, like the Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6.

Action Sports Photography

Action sports of any kind are, by their very definition, going to involve fast action that you’ll want to track with good autofocus. This is aided by a bright f/2.8 aperture compared to slower aperture lenses, of course, however, oftentimes third-party lenses aren’t as good as name-brand options, especially when they get optically robust and have to push a lot of glass back and forth.

Of course, before you buy a 24-70mm f/2.8 for action sports, you’ll probably want a good flagship 70-200mm f/2.8 first, like the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Sports, a $1,500 lens.

[Lens Review: Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Sports]

Anyways, we weren’t able to use this Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN on a flagship Sony like the Sony A9 II, or even a budget-friendly, current-gen body like the Sony A7 III, however, we feel confident enough that Sigma’s latest-and-greatest AF technology is up there with Sony GM, in terms of focus speed, precision, and consistency/reliability.

On the Panasonic S1, and the Sigma FP, which use rather different AF systems, the Sigma DG DN Art lens was excellent in terms of AF speed, precision, and reliability. Since Sony’s electronic communication protocols are open, it’s safe to say that this will be a flagship-level experience overall, indeed.

Wildlife Photography

Even more likely to happen in dim lighting conditions, sometimes, wildlife photographers crave that f/2.8 aperture just as much as, or more than, action sports photographers. Once again, the Sigma is a great choice because not only is it very sharp wide-open at f/2.8, but the AF tracking, including for both human and animal eyes on the latest Sony cameras, should be phenomenal; on-par with name-brand Sony (and Panasonic) flagship lenses.

To speak to autofocus performance any further, of course, you’ll have to wait for us to publish an updated review of how Sigma autofocus is handling on Sony bodies overall, compared to Sony GM f/2.8 lenses and Tamron’s own f/2.8 “holy trinity”. We’ll likely wait to publish such content until we’ve got a 70-200mm f/2.8 (or similar) from Sigma for mirrorless; although we have no word or even rumors yet, surely such a lens will be here in the next year or two!

Landscape Photography

If you photograph landscapes, then you don’t care much about autofocus or f/2.8. You only care about one or two things: maximum sharpness/resolution at f/8-11, and usually rugged durability plus portability. The Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 delivers maximum results in these regards, being an impressively portable lens as far as flagship quality is concerned, and as we’ve mentioned already, the lens is virtually flawless in its sharpness. Unlike many other Sigma “Art” lenses, you’ll find this mirrorless 24-70mm to be fully weather-sealed, too!

Nightscape & Astrophotography

If you photograph astro-landscapes, then you care about coma, astigmatism, vignetting, and field curvature. The Sigma is very impressive on all counts, which we’ll get into soon when we break down the image quality. Suffice it to say, whether you’re shooting at 24mm or 70mm, at f/2.8, these are some of the best 24-70mm corners we have ever seen, with only a faint quirkiness to the field curvature and builtin vignetting/distortion correction. (See our coma & astigmatism test below!)

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art Review | Pros

As we already mentioned, this lens has virtually everything going for it, and the only drawbacks are either subtle nuances that we complain about for virtually all modern mirrorless lenses, (such as quirky lens correction profile behavior) …or the omission of optical stabilization.

Besides that, you could skip this entire section, just look at the pretty pictures if you want, and rest assured: this lens is amazing, and if you can afford its price and weight, then it is my top choice for all mirrorless 24-70mm f/2.8’s.

Image Quality

Sharpness

We’ll let the sample images speak for themselves here. Also, just for fun, we’ll compare the Sigma 24-70 against the Panasonic Lumix S-Pro 24-70mm f/2.8, which is a $2,200 lens compared to the $1,100 Sigma:

In fact, this lens is so sharp at f/2.8, that if you don’t focus perfectly on your subject you will clearly notice that the plane of focus is a little bit off. In the above scene, we had to re-focus on the two different subject zones in order to achieve maximum sharpness with such shallow DOF.

In the test crop below, we specifically focused at the extreme, extreme corner, just to see how sharp it is. In reality, there is a faint amount of field curvature, so unless you specifically set focus here, you might not see this same level of sharpness.

As you can see above, even when compared to the Panasonic 24-70mm that costs twice as much, (Yes, the Sigma would probably *destroy* the much older Sony GM lens) …sharpness is truly incredible, with only the slightest visible difference being at f/2.8 and in the extreme, extreme corners.

Likely thanks to the optical formula that is perfectly tailored to full-frame mirrorless cameras with their shorter flange distance, the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art is just that good, not just at 24mm, but it also doesn’t “slump” at any other focal length or aperture; it holds its own very well.

Bokeh

Bokeh is beautifully smooth, despite the “clinical” level of sharpness. In terms of both foreground and background blur, (see above) there is not much that can create a “busy” look in your out-of-focus backgrounds.

Achieving beautifully smooth bokeh isn’t as easy as you’d think, by the way, when you’re also trying to achieve such good optical integrity overall. So, it really is impressive that the lens is this sharp, and yet delivers aesthetically beautiful results, too.

Colors & Contrast

Colors, contrast, and the overall “pop” of images coming from this lens are all beautiful. If there is any color cast to this Sigma lens compared to others, it might be a faint, faint warm look, which is usually welcome for most photographers.

Vignetting & Distortion

Vignetting and distortion are two of the things that software can attempt to fix perfectly, however, it’s still good to have these issues at a minimal level before the profile is applied, otherwise, it can harm the sharpness of the image corners.

Thankfully, as far as modern mirrorless lenses are concerned, the Sigma 24-70 2.8 DN is actually one of the best we’ve seen; even when turning the in-camera profile corrections off, distortion and vignetting are minimal, and with them turned on there is virtually no sign of either.

(NOTE: see our con about extreme cases of vignetting correction, below.)

Sunstars & Flare

Even when shooting into really tough light, images stay surprisingly clear and crisp until the last minute, when the sun is getting close to entering the frame. And when it does, most of the flare is a beautiful warm wash of backlighting, without any “flare dots” that cause real problems, usually.

Sunstars are the typical Sigma Art style- not very “pointy” but still well-defined by f/11 or f/16.

(NOTE: want to see something cool? Look closely at the 70mm center star photo below. Yes, that’s right, this lens can make faint sunstars even wide-open at f/2.8, when shooting at 70mm!)

Color Fringing, Aberration, Coma & Astigmatism

We’ll let the above 100% crop star photos speak for themselves!

For the most discerning photographers who do things like photograph nightscapes or deep-sky astrophotography, the Sigma mirrorless 24-70 2.8 offers a lot: virtually zero color fringing or other aberrations, including minimal coma & astigmatism, at both 24mm and 70mm!

Macro & Close-Up Photography

One of the common flaws of 24-70mm lenses in the past was that they were very soft when focused extremely close up. I remember an old DSLR 24-70mm that required I stop down to f/5.6 or f/8 before images got sharp at the closest focus distance!

The close-up magnification is definitely not dedicated macro lens territory, however, it is impressive that the lens stays so perfectly sharp even when you get as close as you can to your subjects.

PRO: Design

Sigma is “going flagship” with its latest full-frame mirrorless lens designs, that’s for sure. Whether for the L-mount of the E-mount, there is a full complement of useful physical features, such as a click-able hood with a grippy surface to it, an AF/MF switch, a customizable L-Fn button, and a zoom lock switch.

(Stay tuned for our full review of the Sigma E-mount 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art coming soon, too!)

Just about the only thing missing would be a focus distance indicator, something that no other mirrorless 24-70mm f/2.8’s have except the Nikon Z-mount 24-70mm f/2.8 S, with its controversial all-electronic display window, or of course, the L-mount Panasonic 24-70mm f/2.8, which actually has physical focus markings. (Although, honestly, we’re usually not a fan of the clutch mechanism for activating manual focus.)

Durability & Weather Sealing

Sigma Art lenses have always been built “hefty”, but early on they weren’t necessarily “indestructible”. In other words, despite their solid feel when you first pick them up, they often were not weather sealed and could be prone to damage after a year or two of heavy use.

The mirrorless Sigma 24-70 2.8 is not only fully weather-sealed but also seems built rock-solid enough to withstand years of abuse.

Autofocus Performance

We were only able to test the speed & precision of this lens’ AF system on the Sigma and Panasonic camera bodies, but it was truly impressive! Fast, accurate, and silent. So, we’re left to assume that on a camera like a Sony A7R IV or A9 II, the autofocus is going to be just as good as, or better than, the “getting old” (almost) FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM. Unlike DSLR lenses,

Manual Focus Performance

Manual focus is controlled electronically, as with essentially all native mirrorless lenses, aside from Panasonic, and is very smooth and precise.

Of course, as with all native Sony E-mount lenses, there is no focus distance scale on the lens, so you cannot manually set the lens to infinity or anything without the camera being on. Also, the camera may not perfectly remember its focus position when it is turned off or when it sleeps. But, again, these are mostly quirks of the camera system, not the lens itself.

Value

As we’ve mentioned before, this lens is as good as, or better than, other lenses costing twice as much. If you want a mid-range f/2.8 zoom, this is your best choice of any full-frame mirrorless system. (It’s a real shame that Sigma has not yet figured out Canon RF and Nikon Z mount protocols, but surely they’ll get around to it in the next year or two!)

A name-brand flagship lens might last a little longer if you heavily abuse your lenses year after year. Then again, with the build quality of the Sigma, we have every reason to believe it will prove to be just as durable, or more, in the long run.

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art Review | Cons

No Optical Stabilization

To be fair, most people will be happy to have a slightly smaller, more compact, and affordable lens, and just rely on IBIS, that is, in-body sensor-based stabilization. However, for those who are truly pushing the envelope in terms of low-light photography, it needs to be said: Optical stabilization still can do a slightly better job of stabilizing an image, sometimes, and better yet would be two stabilization systems that work simultaneously. So far, only Canon’s RF full-frame mirrorless system offers this, however.

In comparison, Sony’s own FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM also lacks OSS. The Nikon Z 24-70mm f/2.8  also is un-stabilized, although Nikon’s in-body VR is allegedly a bit better than Sony’s. (We’re still testing this, across as many lenses as we can test; stay tuned!) Canon is the only full-frame mirrorless system that not only offers a stabilized 24-70mm f/2.8, but also combines that IS with its sensor-based stabilization, for truly impressive low-light hand-hold-ability.

If you’re still not yet heavily invested in a full-frame mirrorless system or are willing to switch, you might be interested in considering a Canon EOS R5 or EOS R6, and the RF 24-70mm f/2.8 L IS, if you know you are going to constantly be pushing the extreme, darkest types of shooting conditions. Otherwise, just get this Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 for your Sony, Sigma, or Panasonic/Leica camera!

Portability Versus Sony, Tamron & Others

While this mirrorless Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 is a decent amount lighter than the DSLR Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG HSM, (the Sigma mirrorless 24-70 is 185g lighter) …it’s not that much lighter than the Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM. (It’s just 51g lighter.)

By comparison, the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8, thanks to its plastic-and-metal construction and overall minimalistic design, (not to mention the less-wide zoom range) is a whopping 285g lighter. That’s 10 ounces; more than half a pound. There’s also the difference in filter sizes; the Sigma (and Sony, and all other modern 24-70mm f/2.8’s) use 82mm filters, whereas the Tamron is a svelte 67mm.

The bottom line is, if you want an extremely portable lens, the Sigma isn’t going to live up to the expectations that some people may still have about mirrorless cameras. Having said that, this is still the lightest 24-70mm f/2.8 on the market, if you absolutely need 24mm, not 28mm.

Quirky Built-In Lens Vignetting & Distortion Correction Profile(s)

I am going to just keep mentioning this in probably every single mirrorless lens review until SOMEBODY listens, and does a better job of this:

If you heavily edit images of a very smooth surface, such as an empty blue sky or an overcast grey one, then you’ll see weird artifacts revealed by the vignetting correction profile. Usually, simply put, the built-in profile never does a truly perfect job of correcting vignetting. Then, when you try to make up for any discrepancy manually with the sliders in Lightroom, you can never get it quite perfect.

In the sample below, look closely in the upper left and right corners, and note the unevenness in tone. (NOTE: The image is heavily edited; with nearly +100 Dehaze and Clarity applied.)

Distortion correction can also mess up image quality in weird ways, too. Again, it’s almost impossible to see, unless you’re heavily editing your photos.

In both cases, the visibility of these issues is minimal for the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8, and you’re unlikely to ever run into this problem unless you’re the type of person whose creative style involves cranking the “Dehaze” slider towards +100, or you do advanced layer stacking for astrophotos in Photoshop.

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art Review | Compared To The Competition

We’ve already talked about the competition quite a bit. In terms of value, the Sigma is half the price of its closest competitors, the Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM, and the Panasonic Lumix S Pro 24-70mm f/2.8. And yet, it’s just as good, in pretty much every way, from physical build quality to actual image quality.

If you’re willing to give up some of the wide end, in favor of saving a little money and a decent bit of weight, then the Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 Di III RXD is the only other truly native Sony E-mount option, and isn’t even available for those of you with Sigma/Panasonic/Leica bodies. (At least, not yet, at the time of this review’s publication.)

If you have one of the latest DSLR 24-70mm f/2.8’s, then you might get just as good image quality and rock-solid build quality, however, you’ll have to fiddle with an adapter, and put up with a significantly more front-heavy kit and the slight autofocus shortcomings that may come with using an adapter.

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art Review | Conclusion

All in all, if you want a 24-70mm f/2.8 for your mirrorless camera, then save up the just over $1K for this Sigma. Even if you have an existing DSLR 24-70 2.8, you’re better off selling it for nearly $1K, or whatever its worth, and then pitching in to get this Sigma.

What else can we say except, again, we can’t wait for Sigma to make this lens for Canon RF and Nikon Z mounts! The price is just too attractive, the performance is just too good. In the meantime, we could use the TechArt adapter for Sony E-mount to Nikon Z-mount, however, autofocus isn’t nearly as reliable, in our long-term testing, and of course, that’s just not an option for Canon mirrorless shooters.

So, there you have it. This is our top recommendation to all photographers who use one of the two full-frame mirrorless mounts this lens is available for, and in fact, it’s even a reason to consider joining, of switching to, one of these mounts!

Check Pricing & Availability

The Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 is available for Sony E-mount and the Leica (Panasonic and Sigma) L-mount; both options will set you back just $1,099 on B&H.

Why would you want such a large, heavy, fast lens? There are many reasons, and we’ll talk all about them in this review. However, there are also plenty of reasons why you might want to avoid it, too. We’ll expand on those reasons, too.

To spoil the ending, here’s the biggest thing you need to ask yourself when deciding whether or not this lens is right for you: Do you absolutely need an aperture e that is just ONE HALF of a stop faster than f/1.4? Because if not, there are innumerable 35mm f/1.4 primes out there that would really suit you much better.

Make no mistake, the Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DN Art is incredible, and has almost everything, going for it when you use it at f/2.8, or f/2, or wide-open… Honestly? Besides a little bit of pixel-peeping at f/1.2 , it’s a phenomenal lens all around!

But again, there are just so many other 35mm f/1.4 and 35mm f/1.8 primes out there, many of which are extremely high-quality, too. Even Sigma’s own 35mm f/1.4 Art is an incredible lens, and significantly lighter, smaller, and more affordable than this f/1.2 Art.

So, that’s why it really all comes down to this: “How badly do you really want f/1.2?”

So, without any further ado, let’s dive in! This review is about an f/1.2 prime. If you’re not here for the big one-point-two, you have been warned! This lens is heavy, huge, and very expensive. Let’s find out who might be interested in it, and why…

Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DG DN Art  Specifications

• FOCAL LENGHT & ANGLE OF VIEW: 35mm (63.4°)
• LENS MOUNT(S): Sony E-mount (FE full-frame)
• APERTURE RANGE: f/1.2 to f/16
• STABILIZATION: No
• AUTOFOCUS: Yes, ultrasonic ring-type
• MANUAL FOCUS: Fully electronic, no distance or hyperfocal scales
• OPTICAL CONSTRUCTION: 17 elements in 12 groups, 3 aspherical, 3 “SLD” elements
• MECHANICAL CONSTRUCTION: Metal, some weather-sealing, Fn button, Aperture ring (de-clickable)
• MAGNIFICATION & FOCUS DISTANCE: 0.19x magnification, 11.81 in (30 cm)
• FILTER THREADS & HOOD: 82mm filter threads, plastic, gripped hood with click-lock mechanism
• SIZE: 3.46 x 5.36″ / 87.8 x 136.2 mm
• WEIGHT: 38.45 oz / 1090 g
• PRICE: $1,499 (B&H)

Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DG DN Art Review | Who Should Buy It?

This bears repeating: You must REALLY want f/1.2 if you’re thinking about buying this lens. The competition from f/1.8 and f/1.4 primes is just too good for there to be any other reason to buy the Sigma DG DN Art.

In fact, the competition is often much more well-suited for many types of photography, too, if portability and compactness matter at all to you. Here are the reasons you might want this lens for certain types of photography…

Portrait Photography

Portraits are all about shallow depth, (to many photographers at least) and sometimes you can never have enough of that smooth, creamy background blur, AKA, bokeh.

While you might feel like f/2.8, f/1.8, or f/1.4 offer more than enough background blur at focal lengths like 70-200mm, 85mm, or 50mm, here’s the thing: Once you get to 35mm, due to the wider angle, depth of will appear less shallow. In other words, a 35mm f/1.4 prime has effectively less shallow depth (DOF) than a 50mm f/1.4 prime does.

That is why f/1.2 at 35mm will allow you to achieve a whole new level of blur, one that really gives viewers a unique experience. Simply put, at a wider angle that can capture a whole scene, people just aren’t used to seeing this much blur, so it looks really interesting when you do achieve it…

Above you can see a comparison between the shallow depth, and bokeh, of the common apertures: f/1.8, f/1.4, and f/1.2. Note that not only does the blur increase in significance, (that’s the DoF) but also, the actual character of the blur itself can appear softer or harsher, too. (That’s the bokeh) With softly lit, smooth-shaped subjects, bokeh can appear homogenous, but in the harsh sun, and with complex textures or spectral highlights, you can often notice that some bokeh characteristics are distracting, while others are flattering.

With that in mind, the Sigma 35mm f/1.2 Art exhibits not just extremely shallow depth, but also flatteringly smooth bokeh even when facing challenging light and textures.

So, if you do a lot of portraits and you love to work with EXTREMELY shallow depth, and you also like to capture a wider scene than most traditional “portrait lenses” allow, you might consider this lens to be a holy grail.

Having said that, there is a huge caveat: achieving sharpness on more than one face at f/1.2 is extremely difficult, even when you’re doing full-body portraits from a distance. So, if you do family or group portraits, you’ll find yourself shooting from a tripod and very carefully lining up everybody in a single row, otherwise, some faces will be out of focus. Of course, when you get even closer, you might not even get both eyes of one subject in focus, so, beware! A lot of group portraits just aren’t practical to be captured any faster than f/4.

Wedding Photography

With wedding photography, on the one hand, there is often a need to work in extremely low light where every fraction of a stop of extra shutter speed you can coax out of your camera & lens combination is helpful.

On the other hand, though, many of the candid and portraiture situations on a wedding day are not practical or feasible at f/1.2. Many times, you’ll need more depth of field than f/1.2. Also, you’ll often be trusting your lens to nail focus on active subjects in such terrible light, which this Sigma is unfortunately not the best at, comparatively speaking. Lastly, each big, heavy lens you have in your bag at a wedding means you’re getting closer to spending the entire 10-12+ hour wedding day with that much weight and strain on your back, neck, shoulders, arms, wrists, and/or fingers.

Personally? At weddings, the whole reason I reach for a 35mm prime instead of my 24-70mm is that I’m sick of hand-holding such a heavy f/2.8 zoom for hours on end. In fact, if I could, I’d photograph the entire wedding with just a 35mm f/1.8 and an 85mm f/1.8, and only reach for a 24-70mm or 70-200mm when I absolutely need the additional range.

To be honest, I don’t actually need to go THAT much faster than f/2.8, either. So, as much as I love bokeh, I’m happy with f/1.8 primes in most situations, and certainly with f/1.4 primes.

Plus, having a “tiny” prime lens allows you to get more personal with shy subjects, whether adults or children, and the 35mm f/1.2 is certainly the exact opposite–it is an intimidating, conspicuous piece of glass to stick in anyone’s face, especially during an intimate, emotional moment.

But, what about those really dark churches or the pitch-dark reception halls? Well, I wanted to be able to say something definitive about this, so I actually went and looked through a few thousand photos from my archives that a few different photographers at our wedding photography studio captured with various 35mm primes over the last few years. And you know what? Virtually all the images I saw revealed a clear truth: The light levels aren’t really that low. Most churches are actually decently lit. Therefore, F/1.4 or even f/1.8 are certainly more than enough, at least 99% of the time.

Fashion & Editorial Photography

You might not need to shoot at /f1.2, but if you like big, impressive-looking lenses that make a statement, and give you incredible image quality at all apertures, you could certainly consider this lens.

You’re more likely to be working at apertures from f/4 to f/8, though, for more commercial types of portraits, because ultra-shallow depth is usually less desirable for many types of work, and to be quite honest, by the time you get to f/4 or f/5.6, the sharpness of this lens is virtually indistinguishable from some of the incredible modern zooms, such as the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 Art, or even the modest but near-perfect primes such as the Sony 35mm f/1.8 G.

[Related Reading: Sigma 40mm 1.4 Art | Hands-on Review]

Candid & Street Photography, Vacation & Travel Photography

You could not pick a more conspicuous, intimidating 35mm prime for anything resembling casual or candid photography. This is not an everyday walk-around lens, it is not even an ideal once-in-a-lifetime family trip to Disneyworld lens.

Do you want your subjects to be at ease, even when you’re getting closer to the emotional moments and faces you’re capturing? Go with a much more modest lens like the Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 G, or the new Rokinon/Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE. They’re very sharp even wide-open at f/1.8, and they’re much better suited to such work with their diminutive size that will let you click away almost unnoticed.

Action Sports & Wildlife Photography

Sometimes, speed is the name of the game. Shutter speed, that is. And a faster aperture can help you get that faster shutter speed, especially if your ISO is already as high as you feel comfortable going.

So, if you need every last bit of shutter speed you can possibly muster, then you might be tempted to go with as fast a lens as possible. However, going all the way to f/1.2 could be a mistake, because the shallow DOF it renders is going to be very unforgiving in most action sports scenarios. You’re very likely to have trouble when pre-focusing and nailing the shot right as the subject passes through your plane of focus, or when tracking a moving subject with autofocus.

All in all, our opinion is, don’t invest in this lens for any type of action photography purely for its aperture speed, unless you really know what you’re doing, such as, trying to photograph or film wildlife or sports by moonlight or something.

Landscape Photographers

Landscape shooters typically spend most of their time at f/8 or f/11 for landscapes, of course, and don’t need f/1.2 at all. However, sometimes the fastest primes are also the sharpest when stopped down. Unfortunately, this is not entirely the case with the Sigma 35mm f/1.2, although it’s pretty close.

Long story short, you’re going to see equally sharp images (and actually slightly sharper extreme corners) with the Sony “G” alternative, or the Tamron SP 35mm f/1.4 which has the sharpest corners of any 35mm prime we’ve ever seen.

Nightscape & Astrophotographers

A moonless night with a starry landscape is one scene where f/1.2 can really come in handy. Whether you’re capturing still images and avoiding star “movement” due to the earth’s rotation, or you’re actually filming video by moonlight at 1/30 sec or so, the Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DN Art could very well be your holy grail.

NOTE – To All Types Of Photographers & Videographers:

If you’re going to be doing any type of photography at f/1.2, then for bright daylight conditions you might want to buy a neutral density filter. Most cameras’ lowest native ISO is 100, and their highest shutter speed is usually 1/8000 or 1/4000, therefore, you flat-out won’t be able to expose lighter-toned subjects in full sunlight at f/1.2 with those constraints.

Let alone, if you want to do flash photography at your camera’s max sync speed, such as 1/200 sec or 1/250 sec, or shoot video, with shutter speeds around 1/60 sec. you’ll DEFINITELY need to get a neutral density filter.

We recommend a variable ND filter in the range of 2-5 stops like the PolarPro Peter McKinnon VND ($299, B&H)  for most types of still photography, or a “super dark” or a variable ND in the range of 5-10 stops like the Syrp 82mm Super Dark VND ($209, B&H) if you’re hoping to film video in bright conditions at 1/25 or 1/30 sec shutter speeds.

Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DG DN Art Review | Pros & Cons

Let’s outline the pros and cons right away, and then dig just a little deeper for the ones that aren’t self-explanatory. Well, actually, they’re all pretty self-explanatory…

Pros

• It’s f/1.2!
• Incredible image quality
• Solid build quality
• Decent autofocus speed, good precision
• Customizable Fn button
• De-click-able Aperture ring

Cons

• Size & weight make it the most unwieldy 35mm prime available
• Copious glass means autofocus speed & precision slightly less than the competition
• Aperture ring does not have a lock switch
• 82mm filter threads
• Price/value compared to other 35mm primes

Simply put, aside from the complaint of the aperture ring being easy to bump away from “A”, (and then you’re suddenly shooting at f/16 instead of f/2 or whatever) …the entire list of cons basically hinges on this one issue: do you care if a lens is rather large, very heavy, and/or twice the price of competitors that offer just as good image quality at equal apertures besides f/1.2?

Because, if you don’t mind the weight and you have the money, and you really want f/1.2, then there’s not much else holding you back. That is, unless you want to pixel-peep in the extreme corners of the image when using it for astrophotography.

Of course, if you’re already a fan of Sigma’s fastest, most exotic lenses, then you’re probably no stranger to shockingly oversized optics. Sigma made heads turn when they debuted their 105mm f/1.4 Art, which was so big it required a tripod foot, had 105mm filter threads, and a style of clamp-on cylinder hood that is normally reserved for giant 300mm f/2.8 “big gun” super-telephoto lenses.

Whether or not you decide it’s worth it is going to come down to whether or not you’re truly pushing the envelope of what is possible with photography. Maybe you’re already at the highest ISO you feel comfortable using, and the slowest shutter speed you can afford to choose without risking blur, and yet you still need even more light. Or, maybe you’re just totally obsessed with ultra-shallow depth.

Either way, f you’ve never felt these constraints, then you’re probably much better off going with a different option. We’ll get into alternatives below.

Image Quality

Let’s just lump every aspect of image quality all together into two categories: For virtually every kind of photography, image quality could be considered either very impressive, or downright perfect. Even wide open at f/1.2, most of the image is quite sharp, though not perfect. By f/2 and f/2.8, the sharpness is more than enough for a 60-megapixel camera, and probably ready for more. (For the center of the image, I didn’t even bother testing past f/2.8, it was so sharp!)

Colors, contrast, flare, sunstars–it’s all gorgeous and beautiful. Vignetting, distortion, color fringing, aberrations–it’s all minimal, or nonexistent, especially when you get to f/2 or so. Of course, you get some vignetting at the faster apertures, and it’s pretty significant at f/1.2, but it’s a gradual, pleasing look that most portrait shooters will appreciate, and is mostly corrected by the in-camera profile.

The only genre of photography where image quality needs to be scrutinized is astrophotography, where things like coma and astigmatism and extreme corner sharpness come into play. Because, unfortunately, the Sigma 35mm f/1.2 Art falls short of its nearest rival, the Tamron SP 35mm f/1.4 Di USD.

The Sigma, at f/1.2 through about f/2.8, has faint blooming of pin-point light sources, such as stars, even in the center of the image, plus, both coma and sagittal astigmatism in the corners until f/2.8. The Tamron, on the other hand, renders pin-point light sources surprisingly perfect wide-open at f/1.4, and has virtually no coma or astigmatism at f/1.4, and far less at f/2 than the Sigma has at f/2.8.

The bottom line is, if you’re shooting astro-landscapes, and thinking that f/1.2 might be really nice, you will be forfeiting a bit of crisp detail in exchange for the added half-stop of brighter exposure. The decision is up to you.

Design & Durability

Aside from the image quality, we almost don’t need to spend much time talking about the rest of the pros and cons of the lens. It’s built to Sigma’s professional-grade “Art” lens standards, meaning no compromises. The hood is a fancy click-lock one like on most flagship 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses. The side of the lens barrel is adorned with the AF/MF switch, a customizable Fn button, and an aperture de-click switch for video shooters, although there isn’t a fully locked option to keep the aperture in it’s “A” position, as I mentioned earlier.

Autofocus & Manual Focus Performance

Autofocus is fast, for an f/1.2 lens. However, there is just so much glass to push back and forth in such a lens, you’ll get more snappy results if you use a similarly cutting-edge optic with a smaller aperture, such as the Sony 35mm f/1.8 G. Either way, your decision on whether or not to buy this lens likely won’t hinge on autofocus precision; in other words, you know what you’re getting yourself into.

Size & Weight | So, Just How Big Is This Thing?

We’ve already made it clear that your decision to invest in this lens will hinge on whether or not you’re OK with the size and weight.

Long story short, the price and half-stop of aperture might not be worth it if one of the main reasons you like primes is to have a highly compact alternative to big heavy zoom lenses. This prime is literally the exact opposite of that.

So, just how big is this thing? Here are some comparisons. As you’ll see, we aren’t exaggerating: this thing is, in fact, one of the biggest, heaviest lenses ever to be made in the “normal” focal ranges…

Mirrorless/E-mount Lenses:

• Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DG DN Art = 1.09 kg (2.4 lb)
• Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art = 0.835 kg (1.84 lb)
• Sony FE 24-70mm f/2.8 GM = 0.886 kg (1.95 lb)
• Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art  = 0.795 kg (1.75 lb)
• Sony FE 135mm f/1.8 GM = 0.95 kg (2.09 lb)
• Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art = 0.625 kg (1.38 lb)
• Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art (Sony E) = 0.755 kg (1.66 lb)
• Rokinon AF 35mm f/1.4 FE = 0.645 kg (1.42 lb)
• Sony FE 35mm f/1.8 = 0.281 kg (0.61 lb)

DSLR Lenses (without adapters):

• Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG HSM Art (Canon) = 1.02 kg (2.24 lb)
• Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG NSM Art (Canon) = 1.15 kg (2.53 lb)
• Sigma 40mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art (Canon) = 1.2 kg (2.65 lb)
• Tamron SP 35mm f/1.4 Di USD (Canon) = 0.815 kg (1.79 lb)

That last lens, the Tamron 35mm f/1.4, is one of the sharpest lenses ever made in the 35mm focal length, (yes, it’s better at f/1.4 in the corners than the Sigma 35 1.2 Art stopped down to f/1.4) …despite being 0.8 lbs or close to 400g lighter.

Below, we’ll include a few more size comparison images and animations. So, to anyone who is thinking, “oh, they’re just complaining, it can’t be that bad!” …simply ask yourself if you’re ready to carry around a prime that’s actually heavier than your 24-70mm f/2.8!

Video & Vlogging Use | Can It Balance On A Gimbal?

Just to give you an idea of how heavy this lens is, here it is mounted on a Weebil-S gimbal. It’s pretty much the max for even this heavy-duty gimbal. Yeah, this 35mm f/1.2 is actually heavier than some of the 14-24mm f/2.8 and 24-70mm f/2.8 zooms out there; that’s hefty!

Value

In terms of value, it’s all about that aperture, once again. No other lens offers f/1.2, so if you want it, you have to pay ~$1,500. In that sense, the lens has value. However, if you’re not 100% certain you need f/1.2, all of a sudden you realize that the competition, at both f/1.4 and f/1.8, is very close in performance, and often half the price or less. We’ll talk about the alternatives at different price points next…

Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DG DN Art Review | Compared To The Competition

In order to talk about other options, we have to play the WHAT IF game. For example, what if you only want to “play around” with f/1.2, and you don’t want an enormous, expensive lens? That’s an easy hypothetical; you can get a cheap, almost “toy” lens like the SLR Magic Cine 35mm f/1.2 for just $299-399. Their image quality won’t even come close to matching that of the Sigma, but if you’re just looking to casually experiment with ultra-shallow depth and unique bokeh characteristics at 35mm, you could give these two (manual focus) lenses a try.

Alternately, what if you want f/1.2, and you really do care about image quality, but also still care about portability? You could see how good the Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.2 is, for $1999, although we’re quite certain the Sigma is still significantly better.

What if you want autofocus, though? What if, you want autofocus and are willing to forfeit f/1.2, but you still want good image quality? Some older 35mm f/1.4 primes have a lot of character, with beautifully smooth bokeh, like the Sony ZA (Zeiss) Distagon 35mm f/1.4, if you’ve got ~$1,600 to spend. There’s also a few other third-party alternatives, from the Rokinon/Samyang AF 35mm f/1.4 FE’s, ($499-799) …to the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art ($799-899), the former being “decently sharp”, and the latter being truly impressive.

Last but not least, if you’ve somehow stumbled into this review looking for primes that are both affordable and “tiny”, and you somehow haven’t stopped reading this review even though you already know it’s not the right lens, then, here are the actual lenses for you: A Sony FE 35mm f/1.8, for $749, or the new Rokinon/Samyang AF 35mm f/1.8 FE, for just ~$399. Both lenses are downright tiny by comparison to most all other primes, the Sony being just slightly larger and (as the price reflects) both sharper and more well-built, whereas the Roki-Yang 35mm truly is the tiniest, most portable (autofocus) 35mm prime around.

Oh, unless you want something even tinier, and aren’t going to scrutinize the image quality at all, in which case the Rokinon/Samyang 35mm f/2.8 is just $239 when it’s on sale down from ~$400.

That’s about it! There are a lot of other lenses, but at this point, I’m assuming that you’re still reading for at least one of a few reasons. You’re either determined to reach f/1.2, or you’re very interested in maximum image quality, and likely also autofocus.

Just as an exercise, here’s one more “what-if” scenario, because so far we’ve only been talking about 35mm prime lenses exclusively: Let’s say you don’t mind large lenses, and you also have exactly $1,500 to spend, BUT, you also don’t need f/1.2, AND you’re not necessarily attached to the idea of a prime lens.

Instead of this one 35mm prime, you could get BOTH a Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DN Art for $1,100, and the new Rokinon/Samyang 35mm f/1.8 for just $400. When you need “insane” image quality from f/2.8 onward, the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DN is both incredibly sharp wide-open and a bit lighter than the 35 1.2. Then, when you want to keep it casual and reach for a compact prime that allows you to jam your entire camera into a small backpack with all your other family outing necessities, the Rokinon 35mm f/1.8 is a truly tiny “nifty 35” size.

NOTE: Watch Out For APS-C 35mm Prime Lenses!

Other lenses such as the Rokinon/Samyang 35mm f/1.2 ED AS UMC CS lens are NOT full-frame lenses, they’re made for APS-C cameras such as the Sony A6600. There are a few other 35mm prime lenses out there which are APS-C lenses, so look carefully before you buy!

Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DG DN Art Review | Conclusion

[Related Reading: Sigma Art 105mm 1.4 Review and User Guide (Video)]

Sigma really loves outdoing themselves, and one-upping the competition too. In this case, they’ve done both. It’s almost as if they just made the 35mm f/1.2 DG DN Art as an homage to their first full-frame Art lens, the legendary 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art, a lens that despite being so old I want to add an “EX” to its name out of habit, is still one of the best 35mm primes today.

In other words, Sigma already accomplished a near-perfect 35mm f/1.4, a milestone in the history of full-frame DSLRs, so they had no choice but to make a 35mm f/1.2 as their first full-frame mirrorless 35mm prime.

Is it the right lens for most photographers? No, but it’s not supposed to be. “Most photographers” should absolutely stick with an f/1.4 or even f/1.8 prime.

Personally, considering how much lighter and smaller the new Sigma 85mm f/1.4 is, with an optical formula made specifically for mirrorless compared to its DSLR predecessor, (it’s a whopping 1.1 lbs or a half-kilogram lighter) …I find myself wishing that Sigma had just made a mirrorless-optimized 35mm f/1.4 instead, and made it smaller and lighter than its DSLR predecessor.

What about you? You know what type of photo/video work you do, and how much you like shallow depth, and/or how much you like to shoot in impossibly dim lighting. Hopefully, you’ve finally decided whether or not to get this lens.

Check Pricing & Availability

The Sigma 35 1.2 Art is available for $1,499 (unless it’s on sale, which it is regularly throughout the year!), and as of this writing, they are in stock on B&H for both Sony E-mount and Leica L-mount.