Sigma is the successor of Sigma’s mythological 18-35 mm zoom lens for 17–40 mm F/1.8DC art crop-sensor cameras. It has been a long time and in a mirrorless era actually stands as a professional APS-C zoom lens, where APS-C zoom often targets early and enthusiasts than early and enthusiastic professionals. But does Sigma’s latest survive to their legacy?
editor’s Note: We apologize for delay in this review. The initial sample of the petpeixel (which was an early-wheel lens) showed some issues with sharpness. After obtaining a second unit, the petapixel retained and was able to finalize the review.
As a camera reviewer, I get to see all the latest gears, and it is impossible to deny that the full-frame equipment creates the vast majority of new release. Sometimes, ignoring APS-C cameras and lenses when making recommendations or identifying the latest exciting new gear is even easier. Because of this, when a major lens manufacturer like Sigma announced a new professional APS-C zoom lens, you immediately take notice. I had not seen a general-extended pro zoom lens for APS-C at some time, and given that 17-40 mm f/1.8 DC is part of the iconic art chain, I was expecting big things.
Sigma 17-40 mm F/1.8 DC Art Review: How does it feel
The Sigma Art Series Lenses are always incredibly well built and completely weather-cousin. In front of the lens, we have a iconic lens hood design with both a soft-touch rubber collar and a push-button locking mechanism. This lens accepts 67 mm filter and is relatively lighter, weighs 525 grams (18.5 ounces). I tested the lens for the e-mount, but the canon is also available in RF-Mount, Nikon Z-Mount and Fujifilm X-Mount.
The smooth-turning manual focus ring as well as a couple of adaptable buttons, and the lens has an MF/AF selector switch. If your special version comes with an aperture ring – all do not mount – the aperture options ranges from F/1.8 to F/16. There is also a switch to set the aperture ring on step or stepless movements. Finally, I like smooth metalwork and overall beautiful design on Sigma Art Lens which is now famous for Sigma. It is a premium -looking lens that does not leave on decorations.
Sigma 17-40 mm F/1.8 DC Art Review: How it shoots
The first thing I wanted to test was the flare resistance. Sigma uses excellent coatings that effectively manage any washed areas. Therefore, imagine my surprise when I first assumed that I was provoking an image from the sun in the opposite direction. It turns out that the flare resistance is excellent, but this lens has a fair amount of ghost. At f/1.8, the ghost is so soft that it is mixed in a large, flare -like area. Cleaned the image in this case by stopping the lens, focusing ghosts in small but more colored areas within the image.
If you are in sunstar and want to catch some dramatic sunset or twinkling city lights, Sigma 17–40 mm works an excellent work. The quite round 11-blade aperture still distributes a dramatic-looking sunstar with decent sharpness. Tej Sunstar is good, but what about the overall acuity of the lens?
While examining our test chart, I noticed that the 17 mm end of the lens usually performs excellent center sharpness. The overall result is opposite and has great expansion. Staying down for F/4 had a very minor advantage contrast. I got a lot of similar results at the end of 40 mm.
There is a proper deformation in the corners and also a tenderness at f/1.8. It is beneficial to stop the lens to F/4, and I have seen this result in both 17 mm and 40 mm range. We have a lens that I use on a slightly tight aperture whenever possible if the corner sharp is important. However, do not make any mistake, as F/1.8 shots are perfectly usable for many applications, and I will also be happy with the sharpness of the center on the Fujifilm 40-megapixel sensor.
The role of 17–40 mm f/1.8 is to give a versatile 26-60 mm full-frame equivalent lens with the depth of the region that will give a full-frame f/2.8 zoom. The bokeh on this lens is clean, but a noticeable soap-bubble shows the effect, resulting in a slightly rigorous looking rendering of the background. I still feel that this lens does a good job of providing pleasing tenderness in out-of-focus regions, and I was happy with the total results.
However, there is some longitudinal chromatic aberration to be worried. This Loka makes the color cast in out-of-focus regions and is very difficult to remove later. Sigma 17–40 mm suffers from something Loka, which creates a strong blue/yellow color division in the areas of Stark contrast. Stopping the lens will help eliminate this Loka, but again, this is another reason for moving away from shooting at F/1.8.
The Sigma 17–40 mm lens will definitely excel as an easy video lens, thanks to its steepless aperture ring and compact ratio that makes it ideal for gimbal work. The lens breathing is also very well cured, almost no breathing in the 40 mm range. Even at 17 mm, there is not too much lens breath to deal with it, and let’s keep in mind that many video camera platforms still shoot in the Super 35 format. There are not many good APS-C zooms for video work, so I think Sigma fills a very important interval.
Sigma 17-40 mm F/1.8 DC Art Review: Beautiful but not right
The new sigma should be obtained 17–40 mm art f/1.8 well. The fact that we get a versatile general-purpose zoom in four lens mounts, the APS-C is very important in the world. Also, keep in mind that a lens with this sharp f/1.8 aperture is really rare.
However, I was a little surprised by some optical issues that the sample testing we did appeared. This lens has a fast f/1.8 aperture, but there are some agreements to consider during broad shoots. Nevertheless, there are many situations where rapid aperture is still very usable and easy. If you need a decent normal zoom with good light-accelerated abilities, Sigma will take good care of you.
What are the options?
There are many general-purpose APS-C zoom on the market, but all of them have a slow f/2.8 aperture. This new 17-40 mm has also improved a lot at the old DSLR-A 18-35 mm f/1.8, which can be adapted. One of the main powers of this lens is its lack of competition.
Should you buy it?
Yes. The performance of this lens is decent and provides access to a sharp f/1.8 aperture when needed. Sigma stands on her own until someone else makes the same optic.
