6.19.2015

Sigma 24-35mm f2.0 lens. An exciting product announcement for full frame users.

If you shoot with a full frame camera from any company I thought you'd like to know about this particular lens. I think it's both amazing and exactly what I wanted to fill a hole in my collection of lenses. I wouldn't have taken Sigma so seriously if I had not been shooting with their 50mm Art lens on the D810 for the last month or so. It's wickedly good and its performance sets me up to want to rush out and buy one of these.

I see myself as mostly a portrait photographer and I have a lot of good lenses that cover the 50mm to 200mm focal length range. I have a lot of good choices when it comes to do a nice, tight portrait but I fumble a bit at the wide end. I have the Nikon 25-50mm f4.0 and it's fun and can be really good but using it for finicky commercial stuff is slow and I always feel that I should be in live view to make sure the focus is on the money. I've also got the 24-85mm f3.5 to 4.5 Nikon Zoom and while it's a very, very good step up from a kit lens it's not "ultimate" in image quality at any one focal length. Nor is it particularly fast (as in wide aperture).

I've recently toyed with the idea of getting the new crop of Nikon f1.8 wide angles; the 35mm, 28mm and 24mm but the thought of paying for all three (nearly $2,000) and carrying all three around and changing between them in a dusty environment gives me pause. Then this comes along and it replaces all three of the Nikon options in one swoop.

The Sigma 24-35mm is an f2.0 optic. Amazing. Wonderful; especially if it's sharp and geometrically well-behaved. This is one of Sigma's Art series lenses and the vast majority of user reviews and reviewer reviews say that pretty much every lens in the Art line is superb. Sigma states that, in the focal lengths covered, this lens is the equal to their own individual, prime lenses when it comes to imaging performance.

The lens is also usable with their USB dock which will help micro adjust any focusing discrepancies for users.

I haven't seen a price on it yet but if it's under $1,500 I'll take it. If it's around $899, like the rest of the lenses in the line up I'll take it and be thrilled. I'll wait to see how the smart people review it before I actually spend the money but I'm impressed with Sigma for the recent spate of fun innovation.

How fun!


7 comments:

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Jon Porter said...

This would be a dream lens for event photography, where you always want to shoot groups of people with the narrowest lens possible to avoid exaggerating folks on the edges of the frame. In those situations even a few millimeters makes a big difference.

Anonymous said...

WANT. BAD.

Mr said...

i tweeted sigma and asked for a 35-50/2, and a 85-135/2
id love that!

Cab said...

Just a minor point, the new Nikon f/1.8 primes are 20, 28, 35. The 24 f/1.8 is conspicuous by its absence. On the other hand, there is Sigma's 24 f/1.4 Art, which is a thing that makes me go hmm... I agree with you, though, if this zoom comes in <$1500, it makes it a very interesting option.

Kirk, Photographer/Writer said...

Hmmmm. I've been told by a couple retailers and industry people that the Nikon 24mm is forthcoming. I may be misinformed. Based on my experience with the Sigma 50 I'd get the Sigma 24 in a head to head. Rather have the zoom.

Anonymous said...


Kirk,
Where did your neighbor rant go? It was entertaining to read, as in
thank goodness I don't have that next door to our house.