Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art Sony E Mount 578965

Product Information

What really matters is Sigma's new 24-70mm Art E-mount lens really delivers the goods and is terrific value at the price. The Tamron 28-70 2.8 G2 still wins the weight competition at 1.2 lbs, but the Tamron also isn’t quite the same focal length as the 24-70 2.8. You’ll lose 4mm at the wide end, but if weight and price is a greater priority, this is the lens you’ll want. Unfortunately, despite the dramatic number of points the appearance of the sunstars is quite diffuse. If you are a landscape photographer looking for sharp, clean and dramatic sunstars you may want to look elsewhere. Longitudinal / lateral chromatic aberration (fringing) Closest focus distance is 0.34m (13in.) with a magnification of 1:3.8 at 70mm focal length and manual focus. At the wide end the new Sigma even goes down to 1:2.6 which is quite good but you have only 2cm (0.8in.) of working distance at minimum focus distance. At 70mm focal length the working distance is at least 16cm (6.3in.) which is much more usable. A magnification of 1:10 is achieved at 0.76m (2.5ft.) giving a working distance of 0.55m (1.8ft.) with lens hood attached. The Tamron is quite similar to the Sigma while the other lenses in this comparison produce their largest magnification of around 1:4 at 70mm focal length. [+] These images are all the same images as above, just our perspective now shifts to the upper right-hand corner. This is the toughest place to be consistent with zoom lenses, and adding into that equation the different methods by which the camera sensors read and adjust to the lenses means that what is the absolute corner of these images is pretty different from lens to lens, and camera to camera. This is a lot less clean to look at, but that’s edges of a zoom lens for you.

Stopped down, it improves incrementally, peaking at around f/8. I don’t do much landscape work personally, but I tried my hand while travelling through Austria and the lens performed amazingly. Although it has slightly worse AF and sharpness than the Sony, it’s not a big enough concern for me to care. From the side the Sigma 28-70 is pretty straightforward. A short angular throw on the zoom ring gets you from the wide to the long-end with the barrel extending by 23mm. There’s only one switch on the barrel which toggles between manual or autofocus, while at the end is a smooth motor-assisted focusing ring. There’s no optical stabilisation, so anti-shake has to be provided by your body. Of course, on the L-mount you don't have Tamron's offerings to consider, but it's a similar story to the G Master when comparing to the Panasonic 24–70mm F2.8, and even more so against the even pricier Leica lens. Distortion is mild throughout the range although it’s most visible at 24mm, which is common for a 24-70 zoom. Vignetting is noticeable wide open, but minor and easily fixed in post-processing.But we all know that center sharpness doesn’t mean anything if your edges are bad. So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at an edge, shall we? Edge Sharpness If you’re a professional and using one of these camera bodies, it might be worth it to upgrade. Weight difference For L mount there’s only one alternative from Panasonic but in case Sigma manages in the future to adapt their new lens for Canon’s EOS R and Nikon’s Z system too I’ve included the native 24-70mm zoom lenses from both manufacturers. Most of these alternatives are from 2019: The images below were all captured within 15 minutes of one another on a tripod at 24mm, 35mm, and 70mm at both f/2.8 and f/8. The shutter was on a 2-second delay to remove any chances of camera shake from my finger hitting the shutter button. All the cameras were set to center point, single AF mode and focused on the exact same space in the frame. All lenses are in “like new” condition and provided to us directly from each manufacturer. We didn't notice any improvement in corner sharpness from placing the focus point in the corner of the image at either the wide or telephoto ends of the zoom range. All things considered this lens is very capable resolution-wise, turning in a performance that should prove a match even for high-res bodies. Bokeh

Although alternatives to the Sigma 24–70mm F2.8 DG DN Art lens differ depending upon whether you're an E-mount or L-mount shooter, it's a very solid offering for either mount. Its pricing simply blows manufacturer offerings from Sony and Panasonic out of the water, and despite its high-end build and performance, it's not a whole lot more expensive than consumer-grade offerings for either mount. It’s especially useful for photographers who shoot with the Sony A1, A9ii or A7iv. These camera bodies will focus slightly faster with native Sony lenses, and that means more photos in focus than 3rd party lenses. The 24-70 zoom range is something that every serious photojournalist, event photographer, or travel photographer should own, and both of these lenses are excellent. If you’re using the A7iv, you’ll also notice less focus breathing, but hopefully that feature will come soon to the Sony A9. Another reason to upgrade is if you’re coming from the previous Sony 24-70 2.8. This older lens isn’t bad, but it has an older AF motor, and isn’t nearly as sharp as most other 24-70 lenses on the market (ie Canon, Nikon, Tamron, Sigma). The build quality and handling of Sigma’s new 24-70mm Art lens for mirrorless cameras is top-notch. It feels really robust without being overly heavy, and has refined handling in every area, from the smooth-action zoom and focus rings to the various buttons and switches. Autofocus is super-fast, deadly accurate and virtually silent.The zoom is equipped with internal sealing against dust and moisture. There is also fluorine coating on the front of the lens to repel water and oil. Overall, this lens held up like a champ while shooting in a light rainstorm. Canon 5D Mark III with Canon 100mm f2/.8 – 1/160 sec, f/7.1, ISO 400 Image quality Returning to the f2.8 image and heading into the far corner shows a very mild drop in sharpness and minor darkening from vignetting, but it’s still a great-looking result especially as again it was focused in the middle. As you gradually close the aperture, any darkening will lift and you’ll gain some extra sharpness on the far corner. At the other end of the zoom, here’s the lens at 70mm f2.8, again from its closest focusing distance, which at this focal length is 30cm; from this distance I could reproduce 104mm across the frame. The blobs are much larger and there’s some faint concentric patterns within, but the elongation is milder, and essentially eliminated as you begin to close the aperture down. The Mark II lens can not only focus closer than its predecessor, but thanks to the floating focus group, delivers much crisper results at short distances as you’ll see in my sample images in a moment. If you need the sharpness lens, you won’t be disappointed with the new Sony 24-70. This lens is sharper than any other 24-70 2.8 lens available. It’s not sharper by leaps and bounds, but it’s quite crisp, even at the corners with minimal vignetting.