New year, new mount, new lenses—Sigma spent 2019 focusing on mirrorless, and more specifically on the L mount, as obliged by its participation in the L Mount Alliance. In terms of lenses, specifically, 2019 felt like a year of positioning for Sigma; readying this company to come out even stronger in the future with an updated plan to continue addressing numerous lens mounts, in addition to the one it uses for its own cameras.
Unlike any other manufacturer, Sigma holds the unique distinction of being both a first- and third-party lens manufacturer, best known for being a third-party lens manufacturer, producing lenses for Canon and Nikon SLRs, along with Sony E, Micro Four Thirds, and now Canon EF-M mirrorless cameras… and then, on top of all of this, Sigma makes its own (admittedly) niche-oriented cameras, and lenses for these cameras. Now that Sigma is part of the L Mount Alliance, along with Leica and Panasonic, rather than its own proprietary SA SLR mount, both Sigma’s cameras and lenses are going to be gaining even more attention over the coming years. A strong foundation has been built in 2019, with much room to continue expanding in 2020 and beyond.
At the beginning of 2019, Sigma ported over its entire catalog of Art-series primes to the L mount, much like the company did in 2018, by bringing these lenses to Sony E (and mirrorless in general). This lineup of 11 lenses—14mm f/1.8, 20mm f/1.4, 24mm f/1.4, 28mm f/1.4, 35mm f/1.4, 40mm f/1.4, 50mm f/1.4, 70mm f/2.8, 85mm f/1.4, 105mm f/1.4, and 135mm f/1.8—was originally designed for SLR cameras, but have been “integrally adapted” to suit the shorter flange distance of mirrorless bodies. Rather than using an auxiliary lens mount adapter, these dedicated lenses offer more rigidity when used with L-mount bodies, have improved autofocus and auto-exposure performance, and an overall more streamlined look. It’s also a quick way to add 11 highly desirable primes to a fledgling mount/system, so there’s a plethora of optics options right from the beginning.
Realizing this wasn’t the solution, Sigma also made sure to make it clear the company is going to be producing native mirrorless lenses, and midway through the year released its first three lenses specifically designed for full-frame mirrorless bodies (both Leica L and Sony E mounts). Compared to the versions of its existing Art primes, these new lenses have a shorter profile and are specifically designed for the shorter focal flange distance of mirrorless systems. The 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art, reviewed here by Allan Weitz, is a versatile wide-angle zoom featuring a bright constant f/2.8 maximum aperture.
One of my personal favorite lenses of the year, Sigma also launched the petite 45mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary, which I got to review, that mixes a really nice sleek form factor with impressive sharpness and overall subject rendering. And the final lens of the initial trio was Sigma’s statement piece of 2019: the 35mm f/1.2 DG DN Art. This beast of a lens, another one I got to review, sports a truly fast f/1.2 design, a wealth of specialized elements, and real character for such a familiar focal length.
While L mount cameras are the aim of this new trio, each of these three lenses—14-24mm f/2.8, 35mm f/1.2, and 45mm f/2.8—have also been designed for Sony E shooters.
Finally, 2019 also saw Sigma incorporate yet another lens mount into its stable, with the release of “The Three Mirrorless f/1.4 Primes” in Canon EF-M mount. These three lenses, the 16mm f/1.4, 30mm f/1.4, and 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary, are designed specifically for APS-C and Micro Four Thirds mirrorless bodies, and fit perfectly with Canon’s sleek EOS M cameras.
What are your thoughts on the Sigma’s lens releases of 2019? What lenses are you hoping to see from this company in 2020? Let us know in the Comments section, below.