In this video, photographer, Christopher Frost, takes a look at the new (and very exciting) full-frame Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art lens for Sony E mount and Sigma/Leica and Panasonic L mount.
After reviewing the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art (see here) Frost is taking a look at the new 24-70mm f/2.8 offering by Sigma for FF mirrorless cameras (At the moment there is no Nikon Z or Canon RF mount versions for this and other lenses in that series but we will not be surprised in some time along the road we will get versions for those mounts as well).
This new lens has 19 elements in 15 groups including Six F Low Dispersion (FLD) and two Special Low Dispersion (SLD) elements and 3 aspherical elements, 11 aperture blades, both super multi-layer, and Nano Porous Coatings but unlike the DSLR version – no optical image stabilization (but most of the Sony and Leica bodies have on-sensor IS). The Front element is big and the filter thread is 82mm.
The lens isn’t super light like the popular Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 which weighs only 1.2 lb / 550 g compared to the Sigma’s 1.84 lb / 835 g. Both lenses do extend so keep this in mind. The Tamron is much more “plasticity” compared to the metal build of the Sigma.
Built quality seems great overall including some sealing and a zoom lock. The focus ring is smooth and so is the zoom ring. The lens has a quiet and fairly fast AF (although not the fastest in the category apparently).
Just like the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art, the 24-70mm f/2.8 is very sharp wide open across the frame even on a 42MP camera like the A7RII (we shall test it on our A7R IV soon to see how it handles 60MP+), the very extreme edges might need a stop or two down for maximum sharpness if you are shooting landscapes though.
This focal length doesn’t make much sense on an APS-C body although it is less expensive than the Sony E 16-55mm f/2.8 G for APS-C so if you are O.K. with the far narrower field of view and the 300g+ weight we guess you can use it for that as well.
There is very little flare with this lens (but like the 14-24mm f/2.8 it has a lot of barrel/pincushion distortion (which is corrected in-camera or in post). Close-up focus distance is great at 7.09″ / 18 cm (at 24mm) with pretty sharp results – if you want to use the 70mm you will need to move further away and close down to about f/8 to get the max sharpness.
As for pricing, the Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN currently sells for around $1100 (prices fluctuate a bit so keep a close eye). We hope to test it ourselves soon and share some more insights on this very attractive offering by Sigma.
Update bonus video: Gerald Undone comparing the Tamron/Sigma/Sony 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses
You can find many more previews and reviews on our Photography review section here on LensVid and you can find more of Frost’s videos here on LensVid.
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