Sigma 16 35 1.8 review năm 2024
When this lens was announced, I did the biggest double-take I think I’ve ever done in my career as a photographer. An f/1.8 zoom lens? Tis madness, I tell you! But no, this is the real deal. The first f/1.8 zoom for common DSLRs is here. Crop sensor DSLRs, that is. Show That’s the second thing that went through my mind. It’s for a crop sensor. While certain elitists are quick to dismiss crop-sensor lenses, I’m a lot more open-minded. To most photographers, a crop-sensor just means two things: portability and affordability. Of course if a lens is the very first to accomplish something, that isn’t necessarily a good thing. Often times in an un-crowded market with no competition, the pioneers are only of “passable” quality. So, how does this milestone lens perform? Watch the video, and read on! A big thank-you to the folks at Sigma for sending us this lens, it was a thrill to shoot with! You can purchase the Sigma 18-35 for $799 here: B&H Photo– Adorama – Amazon VerdictOkay, let’s just get the obvious stuff out of the way:
Who Should Buy ItNow we get to my favorite part of any review- what type of photography do you shoot, and should you consider this lens for it? At “only” 18-35mm, (roughly equivalent to 27-50mm on full-frame) this is definitely a specialized lens. So what is this lens best at?
Compared to Primes and ZoomsAs we already hinted a little bit, it’s hard to compare this lens to others because it goes in a completely new direction. While you might be tempted to compare the 18-35mm to “regular” 17-55mm f/2.8 mid-range zooms on a crop-sensor, in my opinion the Sigma compares better with primes. And as such, there simply is no single lens on the market that can compare; really you should be comparing the Sigma 18-35 against 2-3 primes. This introduces a whole can of worms- Firstly, there simply is no 18mm f/1.8 crop-sensor prime available. There’s the Sigma 20mm f/1.8, but it is pretty old and quite soft wide open. Next, the Canon / Nikon 24mm f/1.4’s are very pricey full-frame lenses, so they are once again not very practical for a crop sensor shooter. Thus, we are left with 28mm f/1.8 primes (both Canon and Nikon make them) …and of course the 35mm f/1.8 and f/1.4 primes that are made specifically for crop-sensors. (Nikon and Sigma make some) In this light, the Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 makes a whole lot of sense. I work as a wedding photojournalist, and as far as mid-range lenses are concerned I would definitely rather have this Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 plus a more versatile zoom like the Nikon 16-85, instead of a single f/1.4 prime and a 17-55mm f/2.8 zoom. If you’re having trouble wrapping your head around this whole comparison, just remember: Barely ~10-15 years ago people were having this very same discussion about f/2.8 zooms versus f/2.8 primes- f/2.8 zooms were finally becoming sharp enough that f/2.8 primes were becoming obsolete. Just some food for thought. Compared to Full-Frame OptionsSure, there are pretty slim pickings for crop-sensor primes, and if you’re planning on sticking with crop-sensor cameras then the Sigma will be reigning champion for many years to come. However, what about simply comparing the Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 against, say, a full-frame camera and 2-3 primes, or an f/2.8 zoom? The DOF (depth of field, aka background blur) on an f/2.8 zoom on full-frame is about the same as the DOF of an f/1.8 zoom on a crop-sensor. And of course if you throw an f/1.8 or f/1.4 prime on full-frame, you’re certainly going to achieve more shallow DOF and better low-light performance overall. At this point, the comparison becomes even more difficult. In my opinion however it is not fair to simply compare a single full-frame camera with one lens, and a single crop-sensor camera with one lens. You need to compare the systems as a whole. Indeed, the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 at $799 is not cheap, and you can probably buy 2-3 equivalent full-frame primes for the same price- Nikon’s 28mm f/1.8 G and 50mm f/1.8 G would set you back about $800, for example, if you took advantage of one of Nikon’s common rebates. However what most “FF fanboys” fail to do is, compare the entire system and overall long-term costs. And that way, any way you slice it, full-frame becomes more expensive than crop-sensors by $1,000-$3,000 or more. The bottom line, to me, is that sensor technology has improved quite a lot over the past few years, and nowadays a crop sensor is really all I need for a lot of the casual / outdoor photography that I do. And with every year that passes, I become less interested in what setup is the absolute champion on paper, and more excited about which setup is smaller, lighter, affordable, and yet still sharp and detailed enough to make big prints. The Ultimate KitIf I were a wedding / portrait photographer, the two lenses I would just love to have for a crop-sensor camera are currently the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 and the Sigma 50-150 f/2.8 OS. You just can’t go wrong with these two lenses. If I were more into landscapes and other ultra-wide photography, maybe I would consider adding an ultra-wide zoom to my kit, such as the Tokina 11-16 f/2.8. If I were really into portraiture I might add an 85mm to that kit instead, either the Nikon 85mm f/1.8 G or the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 EX. What Next From Sigma?I feel that I cannot properly conclude this review without also mentioning the one thing that many photographers talked about when the lens was firs announced- “I wish it were full-frame!” Sure, a full-frame 18-35mm lens would be incredible. It would certainly be much better suited for astro photography, night timelapses, etc. To some purists, this lens’ crop factor may be seen as a disappointment. To me however it is simply a proof-of-concept, and a foreshadowing of things to come. Don’t forget that Sigma has always had their full-frame f/1.8 trio, the 20mm, 24mm, and 28mm. So they clearly have experience designing lenses in this range. I think that while the rumors of a full-frame 24-70 f/2 are just wishful thinking, we may indeed see more f/1.8 or f/2 zooms from Sigma in the next ~6-12 months. Also receiving very high acclaim is the new Sigma 35mm f/1.4 EX, a full frame prime in their new “Art” series of lenses. If you ask me, based on the natural progression of f/1.4 primes from Sigma, (50mm, 85mm, 35mm) …it is obvious that they are creating a series of f/1.4 primes in order of popularity. What then comes next in such a lineup? A 24mm f/1.4. Again rumors are rumors and I never listen to them very much, but logic dictates that a 24mm f/1.4 or similar full-frame prime comes next from Sigma. For this, I am very excited. Would I still buy the 18-35 f/1.8 EX? You bet! (Vertical Panorama – Self Portrait)All in all, we absolutely recommend this lens. It is totally worth the price, and it is one of the rare lenses that could actually elevate your photography to a new level when used to its full potential. What is the Sigma 18Large f/1.8 aperture In terms of light gathering capabilities, the f/1.8 aperture is roughly equivalent to f/2.8 on a full frame lens. This makes the low-light performance of the Sigma similar to Canon's excellent 24-70mm f/2.8 for less money. Is Sigma 18Being a "DC" lens, the Sigma 18-35 f/1.8 is designed to cover the image circle of APS-C format cameras. But, this lens mounts and functions on full frame camera models. Requiring a larger image circle for full sensor coverage, these cameras will show vignetting when the 18-35 is mounted to them. When did the Sigma 18The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art lens is a fast, constant-aperture wide standard zoom lens made by Sigma Corporation. It was announced April 18, 2013. Focal length (35mm equiv.) Is Sigma 18Overall, sharpness results for this lens are nothing short of stunning. The Sigma does quite well in controlling chromatic aberration. As expected, we saw more CA at the wide-angle focal lengths, but it drops significantly in both the corners and across the frame as you zoom to 35mm. |