3/1/2024 0 Comments Sigma lens sale 2021I’ve even reviewed some great inexpensive manual focus lenses from brands like 7Artisan and TTArtisan this year. I’ve been lamenting that Sony APS-C shooters have been somewhat left out in the cold as of late, but so far 2021 has been a great year for APS-C shooters due to third party offerings from Tamron, Samyang, and now Sigma. The reasonable price point of $549 USD makes this an attainable lens for many who simply can’t afford a lens costing a thousand dollars or more. I could see this being the first upgrade for many photographers, and it could easily be their only lens, too. Colors were good, and I was generally happy with the images I got during my review. The wider maximum aperture gives you more creative options for depth of field than kit lenses or something like the Sony E 18-135mm OSS. The close focus abilities will help it to be a good lens to mount on a gimbal or slider for video work, as on the wide end you essentially can’t exceed the focus limit. You can see from this chart how much smaller and lighter the Sigma is than its competitors. It’s been a winning formula for Tamron, and I suspect that more people will care about having a lightweight, compact lens than will care about a missing AF/MF switch or focus hold button. It has no Optical Stabilization (Tamron 17-70mm does), no AF/MF switch or Focus Hold button (Sony 16-55mm does), but Sigma has instead gone with the early Tamron on Sony route – less premium on the outside to focus on making something premium on the inside while keeping things smaller and lighter. The 18-50DN falls somewhere in the middle it has a nice degree of build including some basic weather sealing, but is rather short on features. At one point it meant “cheaper” in build and price, but Sigma’s recent iSeries lenses falls under the Contemporary line, and they are beautifully made. The 18-50DN will be part of Sigma’s “Contemporary” line, a designator that I’ve complained for years is pretty much meaningless. Sigma 18-50DN Build, Handling, and Features As always, this is a completely independent review. Thanks to Sigma Canada (Gentec) for sending me a pre-release loaner copy of this lens. Does Sigma’s approach to this equation resonate with you? Should the Sigma 18-50DN (as I’ll call it for brevity in this review) get shortlisted as your next lens? You can check out my thoughts in the long format definitive or standard video review below…or just keep reading.įollow Me Patreon | My Newsletter | Instagram | Facebook | DA Merchandise | Flickr | 500px The Sigma’s disadvantage compared to competitors is that it has a slightly constricted zoom range relative to other options, but I do think it compensates by being extremely compact relative to the competitors, and it also retails for a very reasonable price of $549 USD, which dramatically undercuts, say, the Sony 16-55mm F2.8 G. This requires the lens to be versatile, though, a jack-of-all-trades. Lenses like this are a staple for many photographers and can, for some, be their only lens. Despite being beautifully compact, Sigma has packed some excellent optics into this lens. It is only 62mm in diameter, 76.5mm in length, and weighs only 290g. This made for a great slot for Sigma to slide into with their new Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN lens, as it covers this popular zoom range while delivering excellent image quality, a constant F2.8 aperture, and at an extremely compact size and weight. This is, frankly, bigger than what many people are looking for. Yes, Sony does have a premium zoom in this space, but the Sony 16-55mm F2.8 G lens costs a whopping $1400, which is more than what most of the Sony APS-C mirrorless cameras cost! Tamron more recently released an excellent 17-70mm F2.8 VC lens, a lens I reviewed very favorably, but it is also very much on the large side of things at nearly 120mm long and weighing 525g. Ironically, however, while Sony mirrorless cameras have quickly proliferated with more lens options than I’ve ever seen before, one of the basics missing was this very popular zoom and aperture combination that allows APS-C shooters to upgrade their kit lenses. Low light photography, shallow depth of field shots, and that more professional look where the subject is more isolated from the background. Yes, the price was more expensive, and yes, the lens was a little heavier, but the constant F2.8 aperture opened up so many more photographic possibilities. Before long I ended up where many photographers of that era did – with a Tamron or Sigma zoom that covered a similar zoom range but with a constant F2.8 aperture. It was clunky in operation, had a very slow and limiting maximum aperture range, and was uber-cheap in construction. I entered the world of DSLRs back with Canon T1i, which came with a kit 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 IS lens.
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