GEAR MINI TESTS
SIGMA 70-200MM F/2.8 DG DN OS SPORTS £1499/$1499 sigma-imaging-uk.com
Certain filmmakers swear by a prime lens and manual focus, while others love the convenience of autofocus zooms. If they come from a photo background, the ‘holy trinity’ of a wide-angle, standard and telephoto zoom is usually found lined up in the kitbag, maybe with a fast AF prime for wafer-thin depth-of-field. For native Sony E mount, then, the only matched trio was from the manufacturer’s own range. They are all great, but definitely a pricey option. While third-party brands offer mirrorless-mount AF zooms in wide and standard zoom ranges, there hasn’t been any 70-200mm f/2.8 designed for mirrorless until now. Unsurprising for a company that offers everything from cine primes to AF primes and zooms, Sigma has been the first to step up with a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens to square up against the might of Sony’s own 70-200mm f/2.8 G Master II – often heralded as the king of lenses in this range. The new Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG DN OS Sports has finally arrived at £1499/$1499, which is much cheaper than the flagship £2599/$2798 Sony version. In fact, both lenses are virtually the same size, with the Sigma just 5mm/0.2in longer. However, the Sigma weighs almost 30% more at 1335g/2.9lb compared to 1045g/2.3lb. The Sigma is designated as a Sports lens so features a unique floating focus system. Two focusing groups – each using an HLA (High-response Linear Actuator) motor – move in opposite
TOUGH MUDDER
Sigma’s sporty zoom has great performance and can handle hard conditions
by the camera to 15fps. While that’s still fast, it feels like Sony is trying to twist your arm into buying an official lens to get the most out of the camera. For video, we detected no difference. When it comes to optical performance, it’s a similar story of the Sigma performing just as well as the premium-price Sony. The Sigma actually has a more advanced optical construction of 20 elements in 15 groups, but the performance is eerily similar to the Sony. Both lenses are not quite parfocal, though aren’t far off, so you can zoom during a shot without much change to the focus. When using continuous AF, it’ll adjust for the tiny differences as you zoom, making it barely noticeable. It’s only truly apparent in crash zooms from one extreme of the focal range to the other anyway. The two brands also share some similarities in focus breathing, though with Sony now including its in-camera focus breathing tech to its latest launches, chances are that might give it the edge on a supported camera. The cameras we used aren’t in that group. Our tested Sigma proved very sharp right across the frame, with pleasingly smooth bokeh and very natural, bold colours and good-looking flares. Both lenses are excellent at avoiding colour fringing, with the Sigma appearing to be marginally on top. The Sony seems a tad better at minimising vignetting. However, it’s only in controlled, back- to-back tests these minor differences are visible. In optical performance,
directions when focusing. This reduces internal movements by half, says Sigma, for speedy and accurate AF when shooting fast-paced subjects. It certainly does perform; we tried it with a Sony A1 and A7S III on various subjects, from a dog running around to a muddy motocross race, and the AF is excellent. As we often use the Sony G Master II and know it very well, the performance felt identical, which is a feather in Sigma’s cap. It works great for video and stills, performing exactly like a native Sony mount. The only difference is in fast- frame stills using active tracking. The A1 can rattle through shots at 30fps with own-brand lenses, but any independent-brand optics are limited
SIGMA ON ALPHA The newest 70- 200mm f/2.8
lens is ideal on an A7S III
70
PRO MOVIEMAKER
Powered by FlippingBook