GEAR MINI TESTS
SIGMA 35MM F/2 DG DN LENS £549/$639 sigma-imaging-uk.com
One of the founding ideals of mirrorless cameras was that they could be small and light, as they didn’t need the space or extra faff of a moving mirror inside. And a whole new mount would allow fast, but smaller-sized lenses to match. It seems that has gone out of the window in recent years, with everyone rushing to make super high-quality, superfast primes and zooms. Most are big, heavy and pricey. Sigma has bucked the trend with its more compact and affordable lenses to suit full-frame cameras. Its new series of primes come in 24mm, 35mm, 45mm and 65mm focal lengths – and are designed for Sony E-mount and Leica L-Mount. The lenses smack of old-school quality and size, as they are solidly built and use a compact, all-metal body with a brass mount. There is a ribbed, manual aperture and fly-by-wire manual focus rings, but the lenses are autofocus. The ribbed design carries through to the included lens hood, and the lens cap is machined and metal, fastening on by magnet. However, if you have the hood on, it’s very difficult to get your fingers in to take it off. We tried the 35mm lens on the Sigma fp L camera, which packs
SPECIFICATIONS Mount: Sony E, Leica L Aperture range: f/2-22 Optical construction: 10 elements in 9 groups, 1 SLD and 3 aspherical lenses Aperture blades: 9 rounded Close focus: 27cm/10.6in
Filter size: 58mm Dimension (lxd): 70x65.4mm/ 2.8x2.6in Weight: 325g/0.72lb
61 megapixels, so there is nowhere to hide when it comes to ultimate quality. The lens also suits the pocket-sized camera – and it’s pretty light at 325g/0.72lb, which is good for the largely metal construction. The lens performs very well, with fast focusing from its stepper motor. It’s not designed as a sport lens, but with the new phase detection of the Sigma camera, it is reasonably quick. Certainly fast enough for the wide-angle use a 35mm lens will get. In terms of image performance, it’s a solid, decent lens, if not
spectacular. It’s certainly very sharp across the frame at medium apertures. After all, it isn’t a £2k masterpiece that’s three times the weight and bulk. There is a tiny bit of distortion and vignetting, despite the built-in camera profiles to counter this, but it’s nothing too much to be worried about. There is also some fringing and barrel distortion, although this is only noticeable when blowing up the shot on the computer. But perhaps the biggest niggle for filmmakers is that there is focus breathing that isn’t great when pulling focus. However, when wide open, it produces very nice bokeh – and if you provoke the prime lens, it will flare quite nicely. Overall, there is a lot to like. It’s well built, and the right size and price for most mirrorless users. For video, it also delivers, with pleasing bokeh and flaring. Just avoid lots of focus pulls from very near to very far, and you will undoubtedly love this solid lens. PROMOVIEMAKERRATING: 8/10 A good-sized, solidly built and affordable 35mm lens
HOT STUFF The 35mm
lens is ideal on the tiny Sigma fp L camera. Flare and bokeh (below) are pleasing to the eye
Pros: Build quality, size, price Cons: Not the best optically
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