GEAR MINI TESTS
SIGMA 24-70MM F/2.8 DG DN ART £1049/$1099 sigma-imaging-uk.com
SPECIFICATIONS Mount: Sony E-mount Aperture range: F/2.8-22 Optical construction: 19 elements in 15 groups Image stabilisation: No Aperture blades: 11 rounded Close focus: 18cm/7.09in Filter size: 82mm Dimension (DxL): 87.8x124.9mm/3.5x4.9in Weight: 830g/1.81lb
significantly, as well as being slightly smaller and lighter. Sigma’s Art range is picking up a reputation as offering very high quality, but this new lens isn’t just a rebadged version of the firm’s image-stabilised 24-70mm f2.8 DG OS HSM Art, which is for DSLRs like Canon and Nikon. The new Sigma – available in Sony E-mount as well as the new Leica full-frame L-Mount to fit Panasonic – has no image stabilisation and does not have a mechanically-coupled focus ring. It uses fly-by-wire electronics to adjust focus and has a programmable button that can be assigned various functions depending on the camera. And if you buy an E-mount version, you can have it converted to L-Mount – or vice versa – at a later date at extra cost. The Sigma lens has 19 elements, with six FLD elements, two SLD elements and three aspherical elements, plus Super Multi-Layer and Nano Porous Coatings to improve contrast and colour by suppressing lens flare and ghosting.
A constant-aperture f/2.8 lens in the 24-70mm zoom range has long been a staple for professionals who use full- frame cameras. Good for portraits at the long end, vistas at the short end and everything else in between, it’s a great all-rounder that gets lots of use. Especially as the wide f/2.8 maximum aperture allows you to keep shooting when light levels drop, and allows you to get good separation between subject and background when shot wide open. But for users of Sony full-frame cameras, the choice has been severely limited to the £1799/$2198 Sony 24- 70mm f/2.8 G Master lens, although Tamron recently also unveiled its own similar 28-75mm f/2.8 lens at a fraction of the cost. But this lens isn’t weather sealed like the Sony and Sigma and is definitely built to a lower price point. Coming in as a direct rival to the high-quality Sony is the new Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art, which aims to compete on quality and undercuts the home brand lens
The autofocus is fast, precise and quiet, which is important for video use. And the 11-bladed iris gives pleasing soft bokeh. Of course, you’re not going to get super-shallow depth- of-field with an f/2.8 lens, but it is fast enough for most general purpose use. At the wide-angle end, the minimum focusing distance is just 180mm/7.1in, which gives a magnification of 1:2.9 and is very useful for close-up subjects. At the telephoto end, the minimum focusing distance is 406mm/16in with a maximummagnification of 1:4.5. In use, the lens actually balances better on a mirrorless A7-series camera than the larger Sony lens. The zoom ring does turn the opposite direction, though. It produces a neutral and sharp image, certainly in the centre, although there is some softness towards the edge of the frame as you’d expect on a zoom of this range. However, close down a couple of stops fromwide open and it’s very sharp. At minimum focusing distance, it isn’t the sharpest, but save this for special effects and you’ll be fine. If you want ultra sharpness up close, you need a dedicated macro lens. The included lens hood, as well as the coating, fights flare very well, and any flare that’s produced is relatively pleasing, as is the bokeh. Overall, it’s a smaller, lighter and less expensive rival to Sony’s own 24-70mm f/2.8 lens that offers similar performance. So that makes it a winner. AD PROMOVIEMAKERRATING: 9/10 Every filmmaker should own a general-purpose, fast 24-70mm f/2.8 lens and the newSigma is a great one Pros: Good AF, lightweight, optical quality Cons: No image stabilisation, not super sharp at close focus
BELOW The Sigma lens produces a neutral and sharp image
“Good for portraits at the long end, vistas at the short end and everything in between, it’s an all-rounder”
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PRO MOVIEMAKER SPRING 2020
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