The new SIGMA 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art full-frame lens has an internal focus and zoom mechanism, is sealed against inclement weather, has an HLA autofocus system, 82mm front filter thread, distance minimum focus of 30cm and clickless aperture ring. Weighing 960g (33.9oz), the lens will begin shipping in late June 2024 for $1,349 for both the Sony E-mount and Leica L-Mount versions.
Today’s announcement marks the expansion of another limit, as the new SIGMA 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art is the fastest aperture full-frame zoom lens ever made.
The search for a fast zoom lens
Throughout the history and development of consumer and professional photography lenses, most manufacturers opted for the f/2.8 aperture as the fastest reasonable value for constant aperture zoom lenses. This value results in modestly sized and priced lenses that most customers will agree with. Anything below f/2.8 becomes mostly prime lens territory.
There have been some attempts to push this barrier further. As an example, we have seen some vintage SLR photography lenses from Angenieux that have an aperture of f/2.6 (28-70mm). Another example of the new mirrorless era would be the Canon RF 28-70mm f/2 L USM.
Then there’s SIGMA, which has also dropped below f/2.8 in its DSLR zoom lens product portfolio on several occasions. In 2013, the Japanese company released the “legendary” affordable Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art. This was followed in 2016 by the Sigma 50-100mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art. These two lenses, however, were designed for APS-C (Super35) sensors and do not fully cover full-frame sensors. Interestingly, the 18-35mm covers a little more than the APS-C, as I have used it on my BMPCC 4K with Speedbooster XL (1.3x resulting crop) without vignetting (between 21 and 35mm).
In 2015, SIGMA released a fast full-frame zoom lens: the 24-35mm f/2 DG HSM Art. The zoom range isn’t impressive, but it definitely counts. Fast forward to 2024 and today, SIGMA pushes the boundaries and announces a new modern mirrorless zoom lens with constant f/1.8 aperture. Let’s take a look at the new SIGMA 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art.
SIGMA 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art Lens – “bokeh over range”
As the company claims, the new SIGMA 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art was developed as a full-frame successor to the 18-35mm f/1.8 (full-frame equivalent of approximately 27-52mm), which I mentioned earlier. It has an 11-blade round diaphragm that provides aperture values between f/1.8 and f/16.
Regarding the optical structure, it consists of 3 aspherical elements and 5 SLD glass elements; in total, 18 elements divided into 15 groups. The company claims that the lens suppresses aberrations (focusing on axial chromatic aberration) and provides similar characteristics to SIGMA f/1.4 DG DN prime lenses.
To keep flare and ghosting to a minimum, it uses a nanoporous coating and SIGMA’s Super Multi-Layer Coating. According to SIGMA, this also helps produce clearer images in backlit scenes.
The minimum focusing distance is 30cm (11.8”) throughout the zoom range. The maximum magnification ratio of 1:4 is achieved with a focal length of 45mm.
Suitable for video work
SIGMA claims that in addition to photography, the lens is also suitable for video work. First of all, zoom and focus are completely internal, which generally provides two advantages:
- The lens will not drastically change balance when you change focal length, so there is no need to rebalance with a gimbal
- helps make it dust and splash resistant
Optical design minimizes focus breathing. Finally, there is a physical aperture ring that can be locked and also features a switch to add/remove clicks.
The focus ring is electronic (fly-by-wire), but for a better manual focusing experience, the lens offers linear operation with an adjustable rotation angle between 90° and 720°. However, this is only available with L-Mount compatible cameras.
Autofocus and physical specifications
When it comes to autofocus, the lens has an HLA (High Response Linear Actuator) system. In addition to being fast, the motor should also be quiet. This helps even more in video recording scenarios.
As for the physical specifications, the SIGMA 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art weighs 960g (33.9oz), the length is 151.4mm (6”) and its diameter is 87.8mm (3.5”). Sure, it’s not the most compact lens, but given its specs, it’s not too heavy either. For perspective, the Canon RF 28-70mm f/2 weighs almost 500g more. The front filter thread size is 82mm. Last but not least, there are two user-assignable AFL buttons on the barrel.
Price and availability
The SIGMA 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art will be available for Leica L-Mount and Sony E-Mount in the second half of June 2024. The price has been set at $1,349. Each lens will come with both caps, a lens hood (LH878-06), and a carrying case.
Do you use SIGMA lenses for your productions? What do you think of the new SIGMA 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN lens? Would you like to see faster zoom lenses? Tell us in the comments section below the article.
