SIGMA 24-35mm F2 DG HSM | Art

[Zoom] Wide-zoom | Standard-zoom | Tele-zoom | High-zoom  
[Fixed-focal] Wide angle | Standard | Telephoto | Macro

The lens I am going to report is the SIGMA 24-35mm F2 DG HSM | Art for Canon EF Mount. I repeat. The zoom range is "24-35mm." I guess SIGMA lens lovers already know that it inherits the DNA of the world’s first F1.8 constant zoom lens, the SIGMA 18035mm F1.8 DG HSM | Art released in 2013. In the same way, this lens is the "world’s first" F2 constant zoom lens for full frame and SIGMA made no compromise designing the lens with 18 elements in 13 groups including FLD and SLD glasses as well as aspheric lenses. And, because of the superior optical performance and power of expression, it can replace three fixed-focal lenses of 24mm F2, 28mm F2, and 35mm F2. Particularly, the performance at the 24mm wide-end and the 35mm tele-end qualifies to be released as the fixed-focal lenses for their Art line. I can spend hours just talking about the specifications but I think I should show you the sample shots first.

( Photography : Z II / Text : Rica )

The 24mm wide-end at F5. There’s almost no distortion in the high buildings. The sharp straight and delicate lines draw the metal, glass, and concrete materials with a great reality. And, even the shadow that appears to be clipping has rich tonal information. Also, this lens doesn’t know how to be affected by backlight.

Another shot with the 24mm wide-end. The focal peak is wonderfully sharp and it resolved the fine patterns of the mosaic tiles minutely. While some lenses over-resolve to the point it looks unnatural, this one does it very naturally.

Shooting indoors with minimal light that is bright enough for people to relax. It wonderfully reproduced the texture of the European style furniture and decorations and the image quality makes me want to enlarge the image to see more detail. And, the sharp and wet rendition speaks about the long history of this building structure. In addition, the outside view doesn’t have clipping and have a good detail.

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It drew the father’s hairs very naturally and the ripple texture of the summer kimono looks realistic. The point light sources in the lively background look round and brilliant, thanks to the round-shape diaphragm. I shot around 26mm and truly appreciated that I could make the minor adjustment of composition by zooming.

The 35mm tele-end, wide open. The rendition of the ice and water expresses the cold temperature. The bokeh increases smoothly towards the back shows the depth of the location.

A girl was heading to the festival in the evening wearing a summer kimono and she made a perfect subject for this seasonal shot. The 35mm tele-end is great for street photography and the F2 speed assists shooting in lowlight situations. The tightened belt in vivid red has a 3D pop. Also, it perfectly resolved the stone pavement and leaves.

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The water surface was shining and the trees were wavering. The realistic rendition makes me imagine the sound of water and the smell of the wind. The color reproduction is calm rather than gaudy, which is welcome. And, the potential of this lens is high enough to resolve the scene with high frequency subjects without difficulty. I shot at 28mm/F5.6 utilizing the pan-focusing effect.

The 28cm minimum focus distance and the 1:4:4 maximum magnification sound a little modest, but you can still get close enough to the subject. Plus, you can enjoy the big and round bokeh realized by the round-shape diaphragm. And, you can produce decent images even in adverse conditions.

The imperious sunflower reminds me of my loneliness felt in the summer evenings of my childhood. It expressed the presence of the subject even against the backlight. An, without the F2 max aperture, I couldn’t use the bokeh to emphasize the subject.

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3 fixed-focal lenses in 1 lens. Irresistible performance.

As we can expect from the high performance, it weighs 940g, which is pretty heavy. However, the image quality is so clear that someone has peeled one vinyl layer. In addition, the narrow zoom range contributed to the sharp rendition throughout the range and the high optical performance including the F2 speed liberates photographers from changing lenses. Zooming always helps composition and this lens lets you use the three focal lengths more than when you carry the three lenses. And, it even teaches us that we can now expect fixed-focal image quality from a zoom lens. The 24-35mm range is just one small step, but it is one giant leap opening the door of the new world.

( 30.07.2015 )