Note: Sigma for Sony preorder at BHphoto (Click here)!
SLRgear (Click here) tested the new Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 lens. And the conclusion sounds really amazing:
The Sigma 18-35mm ƒ/1.8 DC HSM “A” lens packs a big punch in features and image quality without a big punch to the wallet. Shockingly sharp images at all apertures, even at ƒ/1.8, with excellent flatness of field and good control over chromatic aberration, distortion and vignetting make this lens a no-brainer for users of APS-C cameras looking to upgrade from their kit lens. Furthermore, the lens has excellent built quality with smooth zoom and focus actuation and a nice, hefty heft to it that brings to mind the feel of high-end professional-level zoom lenses. With a super-fast constant ƒ/1.8 aperture that produces surprisingly great images, packaged with excellent build quality, and at the same time having a price that dramatically undercuts the competition, the new 18-35mm ƒ/1.8 DC HSM “A” is sure to become a top seller for Sigma.
Again, this is an amazing lens for an incredible low price. Likely the best APS-C A-mount lens released the last 1-2years don’t you think?
Preorder at BHphoto (Click here)!
P.S.: More image samples at Digitalcamerareview. More new deals info at DealsRunner (Deal of the day is the Sony action camera discount).
79 Responses
What are the other Sony A-mount being announced this year? the 70-200?
New 2013 releases are so far the 70-400 GII, 18-55 II and 50 1.4 ZA. There may be a 70-200 GII.
Hopefully, they have plans to revise the 50/1.4 that the rest of us can afford.
Just get yourself a used Sigma 50mm f1.4
Will this one be also available for the NEX?
yes, via adapters 😛 the flange focal distance is too far compared to a NEX to make it a native NEX mount
well, its not “TOO FAR”, but it just seems kinda silly to because of all the wasted space
Looks good, but for my purposes I would rather have had a zoom 16-50 F2.8 with same quality. Hope that Sony will soon release their standard G zoom for NEX and cover 16-to as much as possible with say F2.8-3.5. that would suit me. Looking for a NEX variant of my Sony/CZ 16-80 for A mount. Smaller but as good or better.
Yeah I would prefer a 17-50 f2.8 from Sigma with updated optics and styling for $699 or $799. The old one is simply not sharp enough in the corners and the build is not that great. That lens could use an update, hopefully also with stabilization, USM and FTM.
Sonys 16-50 f2.8 is excellent. Use that.
No it’s not.
Er, it is universally accepted that it is…it’s a G lens without the G badge.
The 16-50mm f2.8 Sony lens is very good. Not perfect, but very good.
Am I the only one getting a bit tired of all this A-Mount stuff? Time for some more NEX rumours…!!
LOL, a month ago I read a comment where one readers was saying he was tired about the NEX news. Don’t worry, big NEX news coming soon.
I’m tired of all this Alpha and Nex stuff!!!
When are we going to get more RX info!
What I am tired of is the amount of people complaining about too much rumors on either NEX and A-Mount. Really guys stop being so selfish.
agree
tired of al this Sony stuff! Come up with something different!
this
+1
+1
Be happy about the development. Don’t want YOUR system scrapped? Probably not. The other system owners feel the same way. That applies to both A and E mounters. So STFU with the whining and be happy about both systems being developed and maintained. I guess as someone else poined out in another post – maybe the develpment team isn’t too big so they take turns in developing… making some periods more interesting for A-mounters and other for E-mounters.
the website is called sonyALPHArumours
it was rather odd when it was filled with mostly NEX stuff
Believe it or not NEX is an Alpha…
Alpha is the range/boutique brand under Sony (think of Qualia for another example) that encompasses both A and E mounts. It isn’t “sonyamountrumors.com”
Alpha is the range/boutique brand under Sony (think of Qualia for another example) that encompasses both A and E mounts. It isn’t “sonyamountrumors.com”…
NEX is not a professional camera. U cannot walk into a job wether it be a wedding or model shoot with a dinky camera. Sony is trying to be a respected name in pro photo and they aren’t going to do it with the NEX or rx1 or any other dinky camera I don’t care what the quality of photos are like.
It’s about time we hear more About new A Mount lenses and bodies for those people who are serious about photography and invested in those camera bodies especially those who make their living off of it and chose Sony and not canon or Nikon. They are depending on Sony to continue to grow their lineup of glass.
I shot 3 weddings, 5 major european magazine jobs (GEO, Figaro, Stern, Sunday Times, Guardian) with NEX 7, 5n, Zeiss 24m, CV15mm, CV 35mm, 50mm OSS.
Not one complain and plenty of return work.
Say what about NEX? You must be a chump.
Wow,dude..
Shooting professional stuff with nex is no surprise, but using CV15, how did you
manage to get rid of those nasty purple vignettes and its softness to meet pro
standard?
You must have actually used that lens for photography?! shocking. try marzipan next time. lol.
I had cv15 last time, and found the lens was too soft for landscape
Not to mention the nasty purple vignetting, cornerfix didnt help alot
i gave it to a friend for free.
So if you are saying you’ve been shooting pro grade with that combo,
either you are exaggerating, or your dick was too small that you use strap-on
everytime you do your b!tch
you let your equipment to define if you are a professional or not? instead of using your skills and knowledge to show you are a professional?
wow…
“I don’t care what the quality of photos are like”
that says it all really… You are no pro if you only care about gear and not the final results.
how does that make any sense? Of course i care about gear. Why wouldnt i ? If you dont care about gear why are you trolling a rumour site for sony gear? lol
i am a pro which is precisely why i have invested in sony’s pro gear and not their gadget gear to do my work. THAT says a lot. There is much more to being a photographer then the final image, if anyone is a pro then they know this. Granted you can take great pictures with the NEX, or RX1 but the fact remains these are consumer cameras, gadget cameras they are not professional cameras.
I would never hire a photographer to shoot my wedding if he was rolling in with is nex camera and lenses. not at all. neither would you. you would hire a pro with pro gear. this is what my whole point was. those who are getting ” tired” of hearing about A mount and want more NEX — you have a freaking adapter that lets you use A mount lenses with your NEX and you are still crying.
a professional camera is one that offers the quality that pros need for their work…It can be a NEX-5n or it can be a RX1. Usually people care about the final results, not how they look with their equipment. Your mind is too closed.
Gadgetographers believe the latest whizbang gadget will get their creative juices going and no one can take good photos with a mirror slapping around, without EVF, or without IBIS. I’ve given up talking sense into them. It’s no use convincing gadgetographers that you can make great results without the SLR flavor of the week from Sony. I guess I’m old school. I still believe you just need good lenses, good light, and a camera. Quaint, huh? I’m sure these gadgetographers will come in soon to tell me the true and tried DSLRs are dinosaurs and NEX is a consumer camera.
You are probably right but since I moved to the a77 and then the a99, my pics have improved a lot. Maybe it is just that I enjoy using these cameras so much that I get out and shoot more…
I probably have to disagree on this one. Although I only own A-mount… There’s times I wish I had an E-mount cam or RX. . o 0 O ( If only Ikelite could support E-mount with underwater housings…)
Marc’s an idiot. Sorry but he is.
i am not an idiot. youre an idiot. however, i would feel like an idiot for choosing sony, buying the alpha 900, the a77 and the a99 and all the glass i have instead of going with canon or nikon and then have sony put all their focus on a E mount for the nex series cameras, which are CONSUMER cameras. gimmick cameras.
only the A mount was around when i decided to trust in Sony, not he E mount. and i AM a pro photographer and the question i get asked most at my events by every single photographer i meet is ” why sony? ”
i wouldnt dare walk into an event with a gadget camera. i dont care what you say that does NOT look like a professional in my opinion when all the vast majority of Pro Photographers shoot nikon and canon all use DSLRS and NOT gimmick consumer cameras–it speaks volumes. As good as your photos turn out with an NEX camera–that only means it would have been even better with a pro camera and lens combo, idiot.
you guys are quick to yap without even considering the people who invested in the pro cameras and glass with sony. maybe you are all just frugal bastards and dont have the ass to buy the pro ziess lenses for a mounts…. you all sound like people that wish they could purchase these lenses and spend all your time discussing them based on results OTHER people got from using them.
or maybe you fancy the nex because it can fit in your purse…
I’m still waiting for something better. 2x zoom just isn’t enough. Even 3x isn’t enough.
This Sigma lens would really be a “must-buy” if it covered 18-85mm @ f1.8 (x4.7 zoom). I just can’t justify buying anything less than x4.5 zoom.
If I would buy only one lens, a good 18-85mm@f1.8 would be it. This range would cover 90% of my needs.
Then they could add another x5 zoom to cover 80-400mm, for those that really need the extra range. Lens would be long and heavy, but most lenses in these focal lengths are already big and heavy, without offering any zoom. Yes, I know there are x1.4 and x2 extenders, but those harm the picture-quality.
Most (good) zoom lenses are barely x3 zoom: 50-150mm, 24-70mm, 70-200.
Sure, they have great properties (Sharpness, CA, contrast, etc) – but I just can’t afford them. Even if I could afford buying several lenses, think about all the “bad” stuff:
– Changing lenses exposes your sensor to dust particles.
– Carrying several lenses requires a rather large bag, which will be heavy & uncomfortable to carry.
– Expensive!!!
Also, I think about the Sony RX1: Great camera, compact with great IQ – but stuck at a single focal length detracts many buyers…Not to mention its price. For that kind of money, Sony should have offered AT LEAST x3 (real) optical zoom.
“This Sigma lens would really be a “must-buy” if it covered 18-85mm @ f1.8 (x4.7 zoom).”
Not sure if serious.
Yes, very serious.
This lens is a step in the right direction, and kudos to Sigma for bringing it out to the masses for a relatively cheap price.
I can tell one thing: I carry my camera with me every day, and I’ve found out that for most “gotta get this shot” situations, a range of 18-85mm is a necessity.
Sometimes you don’t have enough time to switch lenses, sometimes you feel disappointed that your lens can’t reach that far (or close enough) to frame the shot like you wanted.
In any case, we really need a fast zoom, so 18-85@f1.8 is probably the sweet spot between a good range, large enough aperture and physical size/weight.
Any larger range – the lens would be too heavy and too expensive.
Any larger aperture (e.g. f/1.4) – the lens would be too heavy and too expensive.
Have you seen the size of the 18-35mm f1.8?
Expecting an 18-85mm f/1.8 is completely unrealistic. It would be HUUUUGGE, very heavy and very expensive. It will not happen.
This lens, when announced, was believed to be legitimate by almost no-one, simply because of the difficulty of producing a 1.8 18-35.
And then when it was official, it was expected to be twice the cost it is because of how impressive the engineering is.
So essentially, what I’m trying to say is, don’t hold your breath for an 18-85mm that is f/1.8 throughout.
18-85 f1.8 are you kidding! that thing would be huge ! you’d need a horse and carriage to carry it around! big sensor and big aperture and big zoom range equals big lenses. and this sigma IS big for a 18-35.
Cheap, high image quality, flexibility, quality build. You can pick only two.
(if you want one of them to be “cheap”)
If this lens were 18-85/F1.8 with the same IQ as the 18-35/F1.8 then it would need to weigh about 1.5 kg due to diameter of the glass to provide 85mm/F1.8. It would also need to cost more than $2,000.
There is a good reason why this lens covers only 18-35 *and* only cropped APS-C format. This allows the design to be manageably small (900 g) which translates into relatively low price.
For anything that is a telezoom that you want i.e. 80-400 *and* is high quality *and* of reasonable fixed aperture e.g. F4 you need to pay many thousands of dollars.
For example (different mount) the new and excellent Canon EF 200-400mm f/4 L IS USM Extender 1.4x is about $12,000. And it is still 2:1 only zoom + a built in extender.
The prices escalate expotentially when you start adding these little additional requirements like e.g. constant aperture, excellent IQ, etc.
In comparision with the Canon, the Sony A-mount 70-400/F4.5-5.6 looks like a bargain if you pick up the older generation one lens. They sell new for about $1,600 on ebay.
“”In comparison with the Canon, the Sony A-mount 70-400/F4.5-5.6 looks like a bargain if you pick up the older generation one lens. They sell new for about $1,600 on ebay.””
Canon do a 100-400 that comes in at $1499 at B&H compared to $1800 for the Sony with the reliability issues with Sony products good luck buying a Hong-Kong import. You pay for speed especially at telephoto end.
I can’t even imagine the engineering effort to make a 18-85 f1.8. Huge amount of glass, weight and cost with certain sacrifice to image quality somewhere in that equation.
When are we going to hear about the upcoming REX 1?
Ooops 🙂 That hasn’t been leaked yet, has it?
REX 1
REX-1, 6months from now. REX-1R, 12months. Patience R(equired). be patient..
Kudos to Siggy for really coming on strong here. Just checking B&H, they have 190 lenses for sale, smashing all 3rd party competitors in sheer volume and variety. Tamron better step up their game. Is Tokina dead? BTW, I’ve never been a Sigma fan. My experience has been very unreliable and yellow color. But it seems they deserve another look with recent commitment to unique developments. Bravo Sigma!
List of B&H offerings:
Bower (32)
Canon (126)
Kenko (1)
Kowa (1)
Nikon (147)
Olympus (19)
Panasonic (2)
Pentax (31)
Phoenix (19)
Rokinon (47)
Samyang (43)
Schneider (11)
Sigma (190)
Sony (36)
Sunex (2)
Tamron (67)
Tokina (19)
Vivitar (9)
Voigtlander (8)
Zeiss (30)
Good listing – kudos to you for showing how Sigma dominates the lens market by shear volume of offered lenses. It’s been my experience over the last couple years that Sigma is now producing lenses that outperform canon, nikon, schneider, zeiss, etc.
Canon lens aficionados know it, too. There’s even a thread on CR right now that addresses Sigma’s impressive lenses with a good measure of canon geeks clamoring for more and more sigma.
Trust me, it goes much further than just sigma killing their lens sales. DSLR’s are slowly losing their draw.
I’m liking Sigma’s quality, build & pricing. A lot.
Without a comment the listing is rather unfair to Nikon and Canon. Each of them has essentially one mount to cover not counting the few lenses available for their recent half-hearted EVIL cameras. It’s a little more complex for Canon as EF-S lenses cannot be used on FF cameras, but EF lenses can be used on both FF and cropped.
On the other hand, the Sigma range covers at least 6 mounts: Canon, Nikon, Signma, Sony A-mount, Sony E-mount, m43 and probably other mounts. So, their range is not as exhaustive as the number 190 suggests.
Chris – You’re right! Canon makes the most Canon lenses. Same thing goes for Nikon… they make the most Nikon lenses.
But, I have to respect a company that’s fully capable of producing quality, top of the line lenses (today) that outperform and out-spec canon, nikon & sony. That’s not even accounting for the value (half the price to purchase) and technical lead (this lens).
What I’d like you to consider is the fact that Sigma is doing all of this for completely different manufacturers & systems. If this was happening in the world of racing and Sigma was kicking out this quality of tire, 360 sigmas would barely be enough for one race, regardless of the race team.
I welcome the new Sigma direction with their excellent Art lenses at reasonable prices, their USB dock, improvements in quality, service and general responsiveness. I wish them well. We need more competition, at least to keep the other vendors honest and put pressure at their often outrageously high pricing. $1,500 for a standard 50/1.4 prime by Sony/Zeiss is ridiculous.
Here, here! 🙂
It’s another awesome “new generation” Sigma lens ( new in both design technology and price…! ). I just hope they soon bring a replacement for the FF 24-70/2.8 EX DG HSM, which is quite overdue ( although excellent ). Tamron’s new SP 24-70/2.8 Di USD seems yo be the best 3rd party on that range.
We don’t need super sharp lenses!
Since most sar readers agree we don’t need more than 24mp or 36mp cameras this whole new generation of super sharp lenses are a waste of money. No one makes a sensor good enough to resolve what these lenses are capable of. Sony does not appear to have any plans to make really high resolution cameras so don’t waste money on really high resolution lenses.
The old lenses are good enough for the kind of pictueres most photographers take so don’t buy any new lenses.
Yawn… Here we go again…
The idea that lens and camera must be “matched” in terms of resolution is a myth. You can get more resolution by upgrading either one, but depending on what camera and lens combo you are looking at it will vary. Sometimes upgrading your lens will make a bigger difference per dollar, sometimes upgrading the camera body will be a more affordable option (and it improves ALL of your lenses, nice if you have a big collection already).
Guys like Wheelus and others have pointed out how foolish I am every time I have asked for a higher resolution camera.
One of thier consistent arguments is that thre are no lenses that can resolve higher resolutions (thier argument not mine) .
Since I would be foolish to want a higher resolution camera I would therefor be foolish to want a higher resolution lens. In fact I am so foolish I can’t even understand why these people who are so against higher resolution cameras are so in favor of higher resolution lenses.
Perhaps they can explain it to me so I can become a wiser photographer.
Tim I actually share your views. My comment is intended to challenge others, not to discourage you.
All sigma need is a body with sony sensor…
The foveon sensor in the SD 1 at its native ISO kicks everything butt. Its just not good at beyond that.
Indeed, let’s say what if Sigma has a rebadged/ rebranded Sony A77 camera (Sigma A77), that might made Canon/ Nikon and even Sony users to have a sleepless week to decide which one (body) to choose…
They have Foveon, one of the best sensor, at base ISO. I wish I can flip sensors inside a camera, Foveon for ISO100 – Exmor for high ISO, video.
The results at base ISO on the sigmas is excellent but beyond that it sinks like a brick. It doesn’t help that they put the sensor in some of the poorest performing bodies on the market.I tried out the Sigma DP2 Merrill the base ISO shots are amazing but I could not live with the many failings of the camera.
Admin, Any news on the update for a77?
“Likely the best APS-C A-mount lens released the last 1-2years don’t you think?”
Definitely NOT! Your post is rubbish like the slrgear.com review.
1) It’s not A-mount but Canon. We have no idea how this lens works on a Sony.
2) It’s an alpha lens. There’s no indication how the final lens will act like.
3) Have you looked at the flickr example images? Blurry, hefty CA, distortion, unreliable AF, white glow … OK, it’s a alpha firmware. But how do you know it will change?
4) It’s a Sigma 😉
To talk about the best APS-C A-mount lens since 2 years is totally exaggerated and far from reality. I rather go with the Tamron 17-50 which has better IQ, a lower price tag and has a larger zoom area to work with. If you really need f/1.8, go for a fixed prime.
1) Since the optical formula is the same, it is still a good indicator of how well the lens will perform on the Sony (with exception to the AF).
2) True, but as mentioned above the optical formula is the same.
3) What examples are you referring to? All the ones I have seen look promising. Are you sure you are not looking at examples from the older Sigma 18-35mm F3.5-F4.5? There are tons of examples on Flickr with that lens which exhibit the issues you describe.
4) When is the last time you used a Sigma lens? The newer ones and their more expensive lenses are pretty nice. I haven’t had any issues with my Sigma 24-70mm F/2.8 DG EX HSM.
As for your Tamron comparison, there are sharper lenses in that range than that.
Looking at the two on SLRGear, the Sigma is sharper at F/1.8 than the Tamron is at F/2.8. The Sigma is even sharper if you stop it down to F/2.8. The Tamron has to be stopped down to F/4 or smaller to come close to what the Sigma is showing at F/1.8. Also remember that F/1.8 is 1 1/3 stops brighter than F/2.8, giving it an advantage when shooting in low light (at the expense of a shallower depth of field). Plus, the Tamron is screw drive focus, which doesn’t make it ideal for those that plan to do any video recording.
The only thing the Tamron has over the Sigma is a longer reach.
I’m looking at the real-world sample images provided by SLRGear: http://www.flickr.com/photos/97470426@N06/sets/72157634112760550/
And I’m especially looking at those images:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/97470426@N06/9037365864/in/set-72157634112760550
http://www.flickr.com/photos/97470426@N06/9037385166/in/set-72157634112760550
http://www.flickr.com/photos/97470426@N06/9035153457/in/set-72157634112760550
All are done with f/5.6 and IQ should be best. But it’s not.
Howsoever, you say “indicator”, “promising”, “good” … I’m not denying that. It’s maybe a nice lens. But it’s far away from “best lens ever” like SAR hypes it.
Concerning the Tamron, it’s just a quick example which came to my mind of an cheaper lens with better IQ than what I saw here. Don’t nail me down on that one.
Oh the irony.. Now, two years later. It’s quite amusing how wrong you were 😛 The lens is basically super fantastic on my A77II.
Now I just hope that Sigma releases a more “portraity” lens. Like a 35mm~70mm F1.8 (even F2). If they could “stretch” it a little like a 35mm~85mm it’d be even more amazing!
If only it was an “E” mount lens! 🙁 sniff….
> Pats Tex on head <
"Chin up little guy, some day we'll be riding all over the place without those dumb training wheels on our nexes."
😉