Sigma 45mm f/2.8 DG DN review by Opticallimits: “In terms of optical performance, the results are pretty impressive”

Opticallimits tested the new Sigma 45mm f/2.8 DG DN lens and they really like the lens a lot:

There are probably two camps of people out there when it comes to the Sigma 45mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary. One camp is surely asking what the fuzz is all about – after all it’s a comparatively slow speed and expensive lens – whereas the other camp is rather enthusiastic about it because the lens combines high product quality in a low-profile package – perfectly aligned to street photography for instance. In terms of optical performance, the results are pretty impressive. The center quality is very sharp at f/2.8 and the outer image field is pretty good, too. Stopped down to medium aperture settings, the center reaches superb levels and the border/corners improve to very good quality. Lateral CAs are quite negligible. However, the native vignetting, as well as image distortion, are relatively high for such a lens but then Sony’s image auto-correction will take care of this. The technical quality of the bokeh is decent albeit not perfect.
The mechanical quality of the lens is nothing short of outstanding and it puts much higher priced offerings to shame. The all-metal construction looks and feels great. And how often do we see a metal lens hood – and this one isn’t just a smooth barrel but a fluted one. The damped(!) focus ring, as well as the addition of an aperture ring,  is also something special. If you are nit-picky you may criticize the partial weather-sealing. The AF is fast and silent.
The biggest flaw of the lens doesn’t relate to its characteristic but to its name – it is just no “Contemporary” lens. It is ARTier than some designated ART lenses in Sigma’s lineup for sure (BTW, ART is not about speed only – e.g. the Sigma 30mm f/2.8 DN ART is/was just as fast). So regarding the “love it” or “hate it” group question, yours truly is certainly in the first group – thus highly recommended! Your mileage may vary though.
New  Sigma FE lenses:
Sigma 35mm f/1.2 FE at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon, FocusCamera, Henrys. In EU at Calumet DE, ParkUK, WexUK.
Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 FE at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon, FocusCamera, Henrys. In EU at Calumet DE, ParkUK, WexUK.
Sigma 45mm f/2.8 FE at Adorama, BHphoto, Amazon, FocusCamera, Henrys. In EU at Calumet DE, ParkUK, WexUK.


Sigma 45mm f/2.8 Lens for for Sony E Mount – Is it worth it?


Sigma 45mm F2.8 Hands-on Review

World fist review of the Tamron 20mm f/2.8

Marc Alhadeff from SonyAlpha.Blog posted the world’s first review of the new Tamron 20mm f/2.8 FE lens:

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The Tamron 20mm F2.8 Di III OSD M 1:2 (450 euros) is an excellent wide angle lens

It is part a set of new Prime lenses with all a short focusing distance , a 1:2 magnification ratio, a F2.8 aperture,  same length, same weight

If you compare it with the 24mm F2.8 (code F051) & the 35mm F2.8 (code F053) on A7RIV you maybe a bit disappointed as performances are less stellar

But if you compare it with all other primes around 18-21mm , the Tamron is one of the best available in term of sharpness, on par with a few others  but at a fraction of the price and its very short focusing distance allow it to provide the best bokeh/background blur among all of them

If you only have a A7III with only 24Mpix and have already the  Tamron 17-28mm F2.8 you  won’t see a lot the difference in sharpness, if you have a 42Mpix or 61Mpix , the upgrade is worth it

Highly recommended for wide angle shooter

Pros

  • Excellent sharpness on the entire frame as of F5.6
  • Very good sharpness in the centre wide open
  • Very good background blur and color rendition
  • Very short focusing distance allowing to reach 1:2 magnification
  • Very compact and light : discrete and going well for video on a Gimbal
  • Moderate price
  • Very Good resistance to flare
  • Very low chromatic aberrations

Average

  • Good build quality (but much lower than GM)
  • Vignetting is moderate (to be corrected in a future Lightroom Lens profile)
  • Corners are only good at F2.8 and require to be closed down to F5.6 to reach their max sharpness
  • Fast and reliable AF in photo but sometimes hesitation in AFC in the corners

Cons

  • Lot of distorsion (to be corrected in a future Lightroom Lens profile)
  • Noisy AF in Video and not regular

 

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All links to the new Tamron FE primes:
Tamron 20mm  f/2.8 at Adorama, FocusCamera and BHphoto.
Tamron 24mm  f/2.8 at Adorama, FocusCamera and BHphoto.
Tamron 35mm  f/2.8 at Adorama, FocusCamera and BHphoto.

New Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 Art FE Lens review by Cory Rice, Gerald Undone and Christopher Frost

Sigma 24-70mm FE lens at Amazon, BHphoto, Adorama, Calumet DE, FocusCamera. WexUK

Cory Rice (Click here) tested the new Sigma 24-70mm FE lens and concludes:

Sigma has proven again and again that is capable of producing third-party lenses that give proprietary Nikon, Canon, Pentax, and Sony glass a run for their money at a fraction of their costs. I found this lens to to be no exception. Will it cause me to ditch my trio of primes? Of course not. We’ve been through too much together to say goodbye now. Will I clear a spot for Sigma’s latest zoom in my “everyday” bag? I can’t help thinking that I might.

Gerald Undone and Christopher Frost posted these 24-70mm lens video reviews:

First samples show with the AIVASCOPE 1.5x anamorphic lens on the Sony A7sII

Here are three videos shot with the AIVASCOPE 1.5x anamorphic lens on the Sony A7sII

Here are the characteristics of the Aivascope 1.5x lens:
Designed for Full Frame systems.
Recommended taking lenses for full frame (16:9 aspect ratio) from 50mm to 90mm
Single focus From 80cm to infinity.
Non rotating front element.
Focus ring rotate 190 degrees.
Lens mounting clamp 52mm
Filter size 82mm
Weight 700 gr.
Integrated focus gear.
Price : 2 250,00 €

Aivascope facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/aivascope/