Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art (1st Post): A Further Lens Consolidation.
A while back, I traded a a few lenses for a zoom lens.
Traded these two lenses…
…for this one.
All was well… for a while.
But then something happened. I stopped using it. Another lens took its place. A prime.
A large lens for the focal length, but I preferred it over the Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8. The reason is the IQ and light gathering.
IQ Examples.
Light-gathering examples.
I simply like it better than the Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8. But… I still wanted more. For pics like this one…
…where there was no space to move back or forth, a zoom would have been nice. Then I realized something. There was a lens that split the difference between the Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8 and the SIGMA 35mm f/1.4 Art. And while I was at it….
I also took this as an opportunity to clean house and trade other underutilized primes of varying specs from wide to normal. Fine lenses all. But Viltrox put them all on a shelf. But that is another story altogether.
So, back to the task at hand. A fast prime and zoom mash-up? For full-frame? Nonsense.
SIGMA made an APS-C lens to this spec.
Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM.
And I owned one…
…briefly. Unfortunately, a known Pentax incompatibility had me send it back. AF would only work in live view mode and was always inaccurate through the OVF. And I still wanted it… But it had to go back.
Then, in 2024, there was another. This time, full frame.
The Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art.
I was intrigued. But a few things kept me from considering it when released.
- Expensive new.
- Large and heavy.
- Limited focal range.
But with time came a change in perspective.
- Expensive.
- Large and heavy.
- I had grown accustomed to the 1.5 lb. 35mm f/1.4, so a 2.1 lb. zoom does not sound so bad.
- Limited focal range.
- It has a focal range with little sacrifice (2/3 of a stop, I believe) in light.
Along with some additional revelations after some additional research.
- Test charts show sharpness better than Art primes.
- Wow.
- Top notch AF speed and accuracy.
- Top notch IQ.
For that last bullet, I must admit something. I like Tamron lenses. Sincerely. I do. Great value. And with the Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8 amazing flexibility. But if given a choice, I will choose SIGMA Art IQ every time.
All great in theory. But will it pan out in the real world?
Well, lucky for me, the day it arrived, I had the perfect test.
A concert.
Had already done the headshots for the program.
I was also tasked with the closing concert solo. Singing… …my other outlet/distraction/therapy.
Well, I was also asked to capture the gifting of scholarships during the intermission. The mayor of Durham was in attendance. So, my evening went sing in the baritone section a bit, take photos, sing a bit more in the baritone section, solo.
Low-light event hall cave lighting. A perfect test for the Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art. And it performed flawlessly.
Perfect.
Every bit as good as the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 Art in low light conditions.
The focal range came in handy. What cannot be seen in these photos is that the stage had steps and obstructions, such as sound monitors, that made “zooming with my feet” impossible. In this quick test, I was able to test the full range, from 28mm to 45mm. And it was appreciated.
So this seems to be a good time to go back to the size and weight thing. This one lens functionally covered the focal range of three slightly faster Art lenses.
Also addresses the price thing. Whether new or used, one Art lens will be less than three.
After playing around with it, I also found that this was a great lens for close-up pics.
I also found that the AF speed and accuracy was as good as I have experienced with any lens on Sony. Which is to say, excellent. Being an Art lens IQ was top notch. Bokeh was excellent. It is good at all of the things.
Here are some additional sample images, followed by closing thoughts.
Product pics.
Thoughts.
The main questions.
Did it successfully replace the Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art megathruster LX GT GP LMNOP…?
Yes.
And then some.
Traded 2/3 stop of light, a 50% increase in weight and size, and an increase in price for one lens that replaces three.
IQ is comparable between the two which makes sense for two Art lenses.
Did it successfully replace the Tamron 20-40mm f/2.8?
Yes.
Traded an increase in weight and size, 20mm at the wide end, and an increase in price for more than a stop of light increase and further reach of 45mm at the long end.
While the Tamron is no slouch IQ wise, the Sigma Art lens is noticeably better, which should not come as a surprise to anyone.
And while it was at it, the Sigma zoom easily outshone the cluster of wide to normal primes I also let go of as a part of the trade.
To summarize, this is not a lens for everyone.
If that extra 2/3 of a stop between f/1.4 and f/1.8 is a must, then this is not the lens for you.
If small size and weight are a must, then this is not the lens for you.
But if, like me, you are looking for a wide to normal zoom as good IQ wise and as bright as a small bag of primes, then Sigma has you covered.
Happy capturing.
-ELW
Eric L. Woods 