Sigma
Worthy winners? ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE Sigma has received its fair share of nominations in this year’s PN Awards, but is this impressive trio worthy of your votes? We take a closer look to help you decide
Far andwide Perhaps something that’s evenmore widely enjoyed than Sigma’s camera bodies are the brand’s lens offerings, serving as equally ideal companions for native cameras, like the fp, or even third-party systems. One of the biggest draws of the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DGDNArt is obvious. On a full-frame camera, this particular range of focal length is incredibly versatile, offering lots of potential for those shooting landscape, street, travel, astrophotography and more. In all of thesemediums, it’s certainly a user favourite against the wider field of optics. Nicely light and compact at 131mm in length and under 800g inweight, the 14-24mmproduces outstandingly sharp images, evenwide open at its fast maximumaperture of f/2.8, thanks in part to its large front element. Great care has been put into the optical construction of the lens. This is evident in features such as its nano porous coating. This advanced design helps ensure quality images, even in harsh incident lighting and when capturing backlit subjects. Its autofocus performance is just as strong, with fast and accurate results, courtesy of the lens’ steppingmotor. Externally, the 12-24mm really excels as well, with an AFL button that can be used for its intended purpose or customised to fulfil a host of requirements. Moving to the Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DGDNMacro Art, it’s safe to say things are just as impressive. With a 1:1magnification ratio and aminimum focusing distance just shy of 30cm, the 105mm really is a true macro lens, but to consider it only in
SIGMA IS A REAL frontrunner in the worlds of cameras and independent lenses. Its lenses are beloved by users of countless third-party systems, and the company has a strong hand in producing its own bodies, too. The Sigma fp has been nominated in the category for Best Enthusiast Full-frameMirrorless Camera, while the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DGDNArt is up for BestWide-angle Lens and the Sigma 105mm f/2.8 DGDNMacro Art is in the running for the Best Macro Lens category. But what exactlymakes When the Sigma fp was announced, much of the fanfare surrounded the camera’s tiny size andmassive video specs. As the smallest and lightest full-framemirrorless on themarket, at just 112.6mm in length, weighing 422g (with battery and card) and with Raw 12-bit CinemaDNG video recording among other impressive features, it’s no surprise. them so special? Littlewonder Of course, the fp’s size is a draw for photographers and video shooters alike, but that aside, many of the camera’s impressive stills qualities have been overlooked. In truth, it’s actually a real hybrid piece of kit. To get right to the heart of it, the Sigma fp features a backlit full-frame 24.6-megapixel Bayer sensor, which works towards supreme image quality and strong low-light performance. For those seeking even greater levels of sharpness, the sensor’s lack of a low-pass filter is a pleasing extra touch. The fp’s autofocus performance is also just as relevant to stills shooters as those working primarily with video. The camera’s 49 AF points offer lots of potential, with fast and accurate results. Face and eye priority are there for those who need it, and its all-round performance remains strong, even in low light. The fp is packed with features specifically designed for stills shooters, and it’s here the camera becomes a tempting proposition.
that role does it a real disservice. The mid-telephoto focal length is ideal for macro work, but it also lends the lens perfectly to shooting landscapes, portraits, nature, weddings andmuch more. This makes it truly versatile. Unsurprisingly, image quality is exactly what you would expect from Sigma. The results are incredibly sharp and the bokeh is beautifully soft. Once again, this is thanks to superior design and construction. For a fast and constant f/2.8 lens at 105mm, the Sigma is impressively light, weighing just 710g at 133.6mm in length. There are a number of other nice physical attributes, too. Namely, an aperture ring that can be set to de-click or lock, a focus limiter switch, an AF/MF switch and a customisable AFL button. The Sigma fp, the 14-24mm f/2.8 DGDNArt and the 105mm f/2.8 DG DNMacro Art all offer good levels of resistance to the elements, opening themup to evenmore potential for users. Both lenses are available in L-Mount and Sony E-mount. Across the board, this is a very impressive bunch indeed. “Great care has beenput into the optical constructionof the lens”
The camera’s sensor offers a number of very neat tricks. First, electronic image stabilisation allows the user to shoot four frames in just a split second. Subsequently, the fp compares all of these frames and creates a smooth composite. A similar process takes place inHDR shootingmode, too. A bracket of three different exposure levels is captured. This is then combined in-camera for a superbly natural shot with great dynamic range.
Elsewhere, there are 13 colour modes to choose from, adjustable over 11 increments, offering real creative control. Tone curve can also be controlled in-camera, so you can shape the images to an impressive degree. Looking at the bigger picture, these functions amount to the same thing: more time with your camera in hand and less time behind a screen. There are 20 native L-Mount lenses offered by Sigma – certainly enough to cover virtually any need.
18 Photography News | Issue 83
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