Sigma 24-70mm f 2.8 AF DG DN Art Review

A new standard zoom for full-frame mirrorless. Read our Sigma 24-70mm f 2.8 AF DG DN Art Review.

Mount L-Mount, Sony E

Full-frame: Yes Autofocus: Yes

Lens construction: 19 elements in 15 groups Angle of view: 84-34 degrees

Diaphragm blades: 11 Minimum aperture: f/22 Minimum focusing distance: 0.18-0.38cm Maximum magnification ratio: 0.34-0.22x

Filter size: 82mm

Dimensions: 88 x 125mm

Weight: 835g

Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8

AF DG DN Art

www.sigma-imaging-uk.com

1 A newly designed Nano Porous Coating on the front element helps to reduce ghosting and flare.

2 The zoom and focus rings are reversed compared with the DSLR-edition lens, so that the zoom ring is at the rear and the focus ring is larger and at the front

3 Build quality feels of a consummately professional-grade standard, from the brass mounting plate to the grippy rubberised hood. Several weather seals are fitted throughout.

Sigma put one over on Canon and Nikon with its 24-70mm f/2.8 Art lens, designing a pro-grade zoom that was as good (and arguably better) as own-brand optics at a much more affordable price. The company has now launched a 24-70mm f/2.8 Art lens for mirrorless full-frame Sony cameras, as well as for L-mount cameras made by Panasonic. Leica and Sigma. But it’s not just a tweak of the SLR-fit lens: this lens has been completely redesigned.

Sigma’s DSLR and mirrorless 24-70mm Art lenses both have 19 elements in total – but while the DSLR version incorporates four aspherical elements and three SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements, the new mirrorless edition really ups the game, with no fewer than six top-grade FLD (Fluorite Low Dispersion) elements and two SLD elements. The diaphragm blade count goes up from nine to eleven, ensuring that the aperture remains extremely well-rounded when stopping down.

The new lens omits the optical stabiliser fitted to the DSLR version, instead relying on in-body stabilisation featured in current and recent Panasonic and Sony full-frame mirrorless cameras.

Performance

Autofocus is very quick and essentially silent: it proved unerringly accurate in our tests of the Sony-mountlens. Manual override operates with smooth precision.

Sharpness and contrast are excellent throughout the entire zoom range. At f/2.8. however, vignetting is quite noticeable and there’s hefty, moustache-shaped barrel distortion at the short end of the zoom range. This makes it difficult to correct the distortion manually, but both peripheral illumination and distortions can be corrected in-camera and via raw file conversion.

Matthew Richards

Sharpness

Centre sharpness is outstanding at all focal lengths and apertures. Corner sharpness isn’t quite so impressive, but it’s consistently good at all apertures.

Fringing

Short 0.14 Long 0.2

Lateral chromatic aberration is impressively well- controlled across the board. You’re very unlikely to spot any fringing at any focal length or aperture.

Distortion

Short -3.1 Long 1.85

The Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Art produces moderate barrel distortion at 24mm, transitioning to pincushion at 50mm and beyond.

Verdict