Camera
Field review: Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN
Introduction
The Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens is a very compact, lightweight standard zoom lens for full-frame and APS-C mirrorless cameras. It boasts a constant F2.8 maximum aperture across its zoom range and is available for both the Sony E-mount, as well as for Leica, Sigma and Panasonic cameras from the L-mount Alliance.
It’s aimed at photographers and videographers who want a bright walkaround zoom and the bokeh possibilities that a wide aperture brings but who don’t want the size, weight and cost typical of many F2.8 zooms. Travel and landscape photographers in particular will find its modest size and weight appealing, and it also offers potential as a portrait lens or for video capture.
Available now, the Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary carries a list price of $899.
All images edited in Adobe Camera Raw 13 with adjustments limited to white balance, exposure, highlights, shadows, white and black levels. Sharpening and noise reduction at ACR defaults.
Key specifications:
- Mount: E-mount (Sony) or L-mount (Panasonic, Leica, Sigma)
- Focal length: 28-70mm (42-105mm on APS-C bodies or with APS-C crop)
- Aperture range: F2.8 – F22
- Stabilization: None
- Filter thread: 67mm
- Close focus: 0.19m (7.5″) wide / 0.38m (15.0″) tele
- Maximum magnification: 0.30x (wide) / 0.22x (tele)
- Diaphragm blades: 9
- Hood: Included
- Weight: 470g (1.04 lb)
- Optical construction: 16 elements in 12 groups (2 FLD, 2 SLD, 3 aspherical)
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| ISO 100 | 1/320 sec | F8 | 36mm | Panasonic S1R Photo by Barney Britton |
There are several alternatives to the Sigma 28-70mm F2.8, although only one of these is available for both the E-mount and L-mount: The Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art. It’s priced $200 higher, is 21.4mm (0.8in) longer and fully 75% heavier.
For the added cost and heft, the Sigma 24-70mm Art offers even better image quality and includes an 11-bladed aperture. It also provides a little extra wide-angle coverage and full weather sealing. If you can stretch your budget a little further, we find it’s a worthwhile choice.
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| ISO 100 | 1/500 sec | F5.6 | 42mm | Panasonic S1R Photo by Barney Britton |
Sony E-mount shooters also have access to the more affordable Tamron 28–75mm F/2.8 Di III RXD. It’s just 16.3mm (0.6in) longer, weighs 80g (2.8oz) more, and gives you a fractionally more powerful 75mm telephoto than the Sigma 28-70mm. It also offers full weather-sealing versus the mount-only sealing of the Sigma 28-70mm F2.8.
Yet despite coming in lighter and smaller than the Sigma, it’s $100 less expensive. But if portability is your primary concern and you don’t need all-weather shooting capability, then the Sigma’s length and weight savings are certainly enough to be noticeable.
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The deep-pocketed and less size/weight-conscious may also want to consider the Sony FE 24-70 mm F2.8 GM ($2099.99) for E-mount or the Panasonic Lumix S PRO 24-70mm F2.8 ($2199.99) for L-mount. Both are not only significantly pricier but also just a little larger and heavier again even than the Sigma 24-70mm Art.
Compared to…
| Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN | C | Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Art | Tamron 28–75mm F/2.8 Di III RXD | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price (MSRP) | $899 | $1099 | $799 |
| Mount(s) | Leica L and Sony E | Leica L and Sony E | Sony E |
| Optical construction | 16 elements, 12 groups | 19 elements, 15 groups | 15 elements, 12 groups |
| Aperture diaphragm | 9 blades | 11 blades | 9 blades |
| Weather sealed | Yes, mount-gasket only | Yes | Yes |
| Minimum focus distance / max magnification | 0.19 m (7.5″) / 0.30x | 0.18 m (7.1″) / 0.34x | 0.19 m (7.5″) / 0.34x |
| Filter size | 67mm | 82mm | 67mm |
| Diameter x Length (no hood) |
L-mount: 72.2mm x 101.5mm (2.8″ x 4.0″) E-mount: 72.2mm x 103.5mm (2.8″ x 4.1″) |
L-mount: 87.8mm x 122.9mm (3.5″ x 4.8″) E-mount: 87.8mm x 124.9mm (3.5″ x 4.9″) |
73mm x 117.8mm (2.9″ x 4.6″) |
| Weight | 470g (16.6oz) | L-mount: 835g (29.5oz) E-mount: 830g (29.0oz) |
550g (19.4oz) |
Handling
As you might expect, the featherweight Sigma 28-70mm F2.8’s body is predominantly constructed from polycarbonate, although it does still have a metal mount and build quality is good. And while it isn’t fully weather-sealed like its nearest rivals, the mount still includes a seal that should help protect your camera body from the elements, if not the lens itself.
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And since it is so lightweight, balance is very good. Regardless of the mount variant you choose, it shouldn’t feel front-heavy on any body you might want to pair it with.
With no built-in image stabilization, there are only three controls in total: A pair of very nice, well-dampened zoom and manual focus rings and a focus mode selector switch on the left side of the barrel.
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Up front, you’ll find 67mm filter threads. That’s the same size as used by its Tamron rival, while the Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 opts instead for a larger 82mm filter thread.
Autofocus and focus breathing
Autofocus comes courtesy of a stepper motor that drives just a single lightweight focusing element, and the result is swift and silent AF. It takes just one second or less to fully rack the autofocus from the 19cm (7.5in) minimum focus distance to infinity. The linear motors in the Sony 24-70mm F2.8 GM or Canon’s RF 24-70mm F2.8L may be a tad faster, but for most use cases, the Sigma’s autofocus is more than fast enough.
Despite its fairly close focusing distance, this isn’t a true macro lens. The maximum magnification of 0.30x (1:3.3) occurs at wide-angle, and if you zoom to the 70mm position, you’ll need to move back to 38cm (15in) from your subject, resulting in a weaker but still respectable 0.22x (1:4.6) magnification at telephoto.
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| ISO 100 | 1/1000 sec | F2.8 | 61mm | Panasonic S1R Photo by Barney Britton |
In terms of video autofocus, the Sigma 28-70mm DG DN has the potential to be a really great option. Not only does it offer silent autofocus drive and very nicely-damped manual focus, but it also has well controlled focus breathing. There’s only a bit at the 28mm wide-angle end and very little at all by the time you zoom in to 70mm.
Image quality
Life is all about compromises. With a bright, continuous aperture and minimal size and weight being the key elements of its design, it’s not surprising at all that the Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN’s image quality can’t quite compete with larger, more expensive alternatives like Sigma’s own 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art.
That said, the 28-70mm F2.8 Contemporary still offers solid image quality. This is especially true if you’re willing to stop down a bit, don’t shoot with an extremely high-res body or don’t need perfection in the corners. Let’s take a closer look.
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| ISO 100 | 1/80 sec | F4.5 | 49mm | Panasonic S1R Photo by Barney Britton |
Sharpness
Shooting wide-open at F2.8 (which you’ll quite likely want to spend much of your time doing if you’ve bought this lens for its bright maximum aperture), sharpness is very acceptable in the center of the frame at 28mm and remains pretty good even once you zoom in to the 70mm telephoto.
Stopping down to F5.6, we see a slight improvement in sharpness at wide-angle and a bigger improvement at telephoto, since the lens is softer wide open at 70mm than it is at 28mm. You’ll appreciate this improvement in sharpness more if you’re shooting with a high-resolution camera. We tested with both the 42-megapixel Sony A7R III and 47-megapixel Panasonic S1R; with a 24-megapixel body, that difference would be much less noticeable.
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| ISO 100 | 1/500 sec | F2.8 | 58mm | Sony A7R III Photo by Chris Niccolls |
Sharpness drops off a little at the corners on the wide end at F2.8, but stopping down to F5.6 gives a relatively flat field of focus and improved corner sharpness. That said, focusing in the corner yields higher corner sharpness than focusing in the center and stopping down, indicating a curved field of focus. Focusing in the corner and stopping down yields even better corner sharpness, as expected. The not-so-flat field of focus, at least in part, contributes to the peripheral softness when focusing centrally.
This might be an issue if you like to shoot landscapes (or brick walls) wide open but, practically speaking, stopping down the lens will yield decent edge sharpness. Meanwhile, if you need optimal sharpness off-axis, simply use an off-center AF point (rather than using the ‘focus and recompose’ method).
Results at 70mm follow a similar pattern, but with softer results overall, particularly at close focus distances. Wide open, portraits can often look a little dreamy.
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| ISO 100 | 1/1250 sec | F5 | 61mm | Panasonic S1R Photo by Barney Britton |
For most practical purposes, however, the Sigma 28-70mm is easily sharp enough. For portrait shooting, just make sure you use an AF point over your subject for focus to overcome any issues with field curvature, as you should with any lens and modern autofocus system. And for wide-angle landscape shooting, stopping down to F5.6 will help, and by the time you reach F8 or F11, you’ll be really pleased with the results.
Vignetting and distortion
When it comes to distortion, we need to discuss the Leica L-mount and Sony E-mount versions of the lens separately. That’s because if you’re an L-mount shooter, distortion is corrected automatically in both JPEG and Raw files, but if you’re shooting Raw on the E mount variant on a Sony body and using Adobe software, there’s (currently) no correction applied for distortion.
Distortion isn’t an issue for the L-mount version thanks to automatic correction, but Sony E-mount variants show some barrel distortion at wide-angle and prominent pincushion at telephoto.
Shooting on a Sony A7R III body, our samples show some barrel distortion noticeable at wide-angle, which changes to become quite prominent pincushion by telephoto. By contrast, our samples shot on a Panasonic Lumix DC-S1R show practically no distortion, thanks to automatic correction. Raw shooters of any mount who use Capture One have more options here, as it can use the embedded distortion correction metadata to correct the image.
Distortion isn’t an issue for the L-mount version thanks to automatic correction, but the Sony E-mount variant shows some barrel distortion at wide-angle and quite prominent pincushion at telephoto.
ISO 100 | 1/2000 sec | F4 | Sony A7R III
Photos by Chris Niccolls
Vignetting is not a concern for the Sigma 28-70mm F2.8. It’s only really noticeable at telephoto, and even there is minor and easily corrected.
Bokeh
There’s both good news and bad news on the bokeh front. The Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN’s bokeh has a really pleasing, smooth look to it, with only minimal onion ring effect and smoothly-rounded, step-free edges even when stopped down to F4.
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| For the most part, bokeh is very pleasing, with only very slight onion ring and a nice, polygon-free shape even when stopped down to F4. ISO 100 | 1/200 sec | F4 | 70mm | Sony A7R III Photo by Chris Niccolls |
On the other hand, it’s quite prone to cat’s eye effect when shooting wide-open, giving the bokeh more of a football (or for non-Americans, rugby ball) shape the closer it gets to the corners. And that problem is not limited just to those corners but extends quite a long way towards the center of the frame.
While out-of-focus highlights start taking on a football-like shape fairly quickly away as you leave the central region of the frame, the good news is the effect is fairly modest until you reach the very edges and corners. Here, the effect is not so much cats eye as it is truncation of the optical cone due to mechanical obstruction (see the odd shapes in the image below).
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| Cat’s eye effect is quite noticeable when shooting wide-open and can appear quite a long way towards the center of the image frame. ISO 3200 | 1/80 sec | F2.8 | 70mm | Sony A7R III Photo by Chris Niccolls |
Stopping down helps significantly, though it doesn’t entirely solve the problem at the extremes of the image. To be fair, this is an issue with most 24-70mm F2.8 lenses.
Overall, though, we really enjoyed the Sigma’s thin depth of field and ability to yield soft backgrounds that help draw your viewers’ focus to the primary subject, especially for portrait shots. And the falloff from out-of-focus to in-focus and back again is also rather nice.
Flare, ghosting and sunstars
The Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 turns in a decent performance when it comes to ghosting. Even when shooting into the sun or with it in the corner of the frame, there was only a little ghosting noticeable in the far opposite corner. However, flare can be an issue, and you may see a noticeable loss of contrast when shooting with a bright light source in the frame.
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| ISO 100 | 1/1600 sec | F2.8 | 70mm | Sony A7R III Photo by Chris Niccolls |
Sunstars are relatively pleasing, with 18 rays thanks to the nine aperture blades. They’re not as tight as they could be – each ray splits and diverges into two rays – and as expected stars on the wide end look better than those on the telephoto end where they can appear a bit ‘messy’.
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| ISO 100 | 1/40 sec | F16 | 28mm | Sony A7R III Photo by Chris Niccolls |
Lateral and longitudinal chromatic aberration (fringing)
We didn’t see any major issues with lateral chromatic aberration for this lens. There’s a truly minute amount of it, perhaps 2-3 pixels wide on a 42MP image (that’s a half a millimeter on a 40″ x 60″ print) that clears up easily if you enable CA corrections in-camera or in your Raw converter.
There’s just a little bit of longitudinal chromatic aberration, visible as color fringing, around high contrast edges of slightly out-of-focus regions, but as you can see in the sample below, it’s not really anything to concern yourself over. It disappears immediately upon stopping down.
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| A little bit of longitudinal chromatic aberration can be seen as magenta and cyan color fringing around high contrast edges in the image above. It’s subtle enough to be a non-issue for the most part, and goes away as you stop down the lens.
ISO 100 | 1/400 sec | F@2.8 | 70mm | Panasonic S1R |
Conclusion
| What we like | What we don’t |
|---|---|
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At the end of the day, it’s important to bear in mind the target customer when evaluating the Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary. Can more money get you an upgrade in the image quality department? Absolutely, as always. But it’ll also come at the additional cost of a significantly larger, heavier lens. If you’ve got to pack it for air travel or carry it with you while out hiking or roaming around town on foot, that added size and weight will be a disadvantage.
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| ISO 100 | 1/100 sec | F4 | 45mm | Panasonic S1R Photo by Barney Britton |
Sure, it has some caveats in the image quality department. Most notably, corner sharpness isn’t stellar at telephoto while wide-open; close-up telephoto shots wide open can have a soft dreamy look, and it’s also quite prone to cat’s eye bokeh effect. But honestly, depending on your subjects, those may not be major concerns for you. And image quality is otherwise solid, with very good sharpness across much of the focal range, pleasing bokeh, and good resistance to aberrations and ghosting.
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| ISO 100 | 1/13 sec | F4.5 | 49mm | Sony A7R III Photo by Chris Niccolls |
The Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 is also well-suited to video capture, with swift and silent autofocus and nicely-damped controls, as well as minimal focus breathing. Its only other significant shortcoming is the lack of full weather-sealing, something offered by all of its nearest rivals. If you expect to shoot rain or shine, that may be a deal-breaker, but if not, then it represents an opportunity to save some money while getting better portability.
If you prioritize outright image quality and durability over size, weight and cost, we’d recommend the fully weather-sealed Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art. And for E-mount shooters who are more size, weight and cost-conscious but who need to shoot regardless of the elements, the Tamron 28–75mm F/2.8 Di III RXD also offers a compelling alternative if you can live with its more distracting bokeh.
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| On the telephoto end the maximum magnification ratio is 0.22x. Close-up subjects shot at 70mm can appear soft and dreamy.
ISO 250 | 1/200 sec | F2.8 | 70mm | Panasonic S1R |
But if what you need most of all is portability and you understand the compromises necessary to achieve it, the Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN is hands-down the smallest and lightest of the bunch and still offers solid image quality.
It doesn’t hurt that it’s also among the most affordable F2.8 full-frame standard zoom options for the E- or L-mounts. For the size, weight and cost-conscious, it’s definitely worthy of consideration.
DPReview TV review
See what our team at DPReview TV has to say about the Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN | C.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year winners
The 11th annual International Landscape Photographer of the Year competition has announced the winners of its 2024 awards, showcasing stunning imagery from around the world. Photographers competed in various categories, including the coveted Landscape Photographer of the Year, requiring a portfolio of at least four images, and Landscape Photograph of the Year, recognizing the power of a single captivating shot.
This year’s competition saw Canadian photographer Andrew Mielzynski, an amateur with a deep connection to the natural environment, claim the top prize for his portfolio of stark images with simple color palettes. Ryohei Irie from Japan captured the Landscape Photograph of the Year award with a mesmerizing image of fireflies illuminating a forest.
Beyond the overall winners, the competition presented awards in specific categories, including Black and White, Aerial, Snow and Ice, and Forest, along with at-large winners. In addition to the overall and category winners, we’ve included several of our favorite photos from the 202 photographs recognized this year. You can visit the competition’s website to see all the winning images or to download its 2024 eBook.
Landscape Photographer of the Year: 1st place
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Photographer: Andrew Mielzynski, Canada
Subject and location: Cono de Arita in the Salar de Arizaro, Atacama Desert in Argentina
Description: The Cono is a perfectly cone-shaped volcano at 3,690 meters above sea level. It’s very graphic due to the contrast between the dark, perfectly formed cone and the bed of white salt that is found at its base.
Copyright Andrew Mielzynski / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
Landscape Photographer of the Year: 1st place
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Photographer: Andrew Mielzynski, Canada
Subject and location: Winter Cottonwoods, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Description: During the pandemic, I went out for a walk at a local park during a fierce winter storm. I ran across this scene. It seemed very chaotic, with many layers of trees. I loved how the snow, driven by high winds, was embedded into the bark of the trunks. The snow on the bark created a textural contrast that adds detail and interest to the trees. I took a few frames, trying to simplify the scene in front of me and settled on this one, loving the tones, the depth, the order and the minimalism. Even in a chaotic scene, there seems to be a sense of balance that feels orderly and pleasing.
Copyright Andrew Mielzynski / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
Landscape Photographer of the Year: 1st place
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Photographer: Andrew Mielzynski, Canada
Subject and location: Found in a roadside ditch near Heathcote, Ontario, Canada
Description: After a melt, we had a flash freeze with extremely cold temperatures and a clear blue sky. I was driving by a ditch on the side of a road that had been filled with water and had to stop and look (as we photographers do, can’t pass a ditch without investigating). This is what I found. Great textures and patterns, tones and flow, with lovely graphic lines creating a dynamic, abstract designs. I love this type of work – it’s so much fun, yet challenging to find just the right composition.
Copyright Andrew Mielzynski / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
Landscape Photographer of the Year: 2nd place
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Photographer: Ignacio Palacios, Australia
Subject and location: Pumice Field, La Puna, Argentina
Copyright Ignacio Palacios / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
Landscape Photographer of the Year: 2nd place
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Photographer: Ignacio Palacios, Australia
Subject and location: Seven Colors Mountain, Siloli Desert, Bolivian Altiplano
Copyright Ignacio Palacios / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
Landscape Photographer of the Year: 2nd place
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Photographer: Ignacio Palacios, Australia
Subject and location: Arita Cone, La Puna, Argentina
Copyright Ignacio Palacios / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
Landscape Photographer of the Year: 3rd place
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Photographer: Gheorghe Popa, Romania
Subject and location: Early Autumn, Vânători Neamț Natural Park, Romania
Copyright Gheorghe Popa / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
Landscape Photographer of the Year: 3rd place
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Photographer: Gheorghe Popa, Romania
Subject and location: Poisoned Beauty, Geamăna, Apuseni Mountains, Romania
Copyright Gheorghe Popa / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
Landscape Photographer of the Year: 3rd place
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Photographer: Gheorghe Popa, Romania
Subject and location: Whispers of the Sunken Trees Cuejdel Lake, Romania
Copyright Gheorghe Popa / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
Landscape Photograph of the Year: 1st place
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Photographer: Ryohei Irie, Japan
Subject and location: Traces of Light, Ichinomata, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan
Description: The Landscape Photograph of the Year Award went to Ryohei Irie of Japan. He likes the mysterious atmosphere created by the standing dead trees and firefly light. “I have been visiting this Subject and location for several years during the firefly season, and it is an interesting place because the intensity and length of the firefly light and the Subject and location where the fireflies fly vary greatly, depending on the year and time of day, resulting in completely different works, even when photographed in the same way.”
Copyright Ryohei Irie / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
Landscape Photograph of the Year: 2nd place
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Photographer: Justinus Sukotjo, Indonesia
Subject and location: Mother Care Framing, Walakiri Beach, Sumba Island, Indonesia
Copyright Justinus Sukotjo / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
Landscape Photograph of the Year: 3rd place
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Photographer: Himadri Bhuyan, India
Subject and location: The Flow, Sohra, Meghalaya, India
Copyright Himadri Bhuyan / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
The Black and White Award
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Photographer: J. Fritz Rumpf, United States
Award: The Black and White Award 2024
Subject and location: White Tie Affair. Death Valley National Park, California, USA
Copyright J. Fritz Rumpf / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
The Aerial Award
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Photographer: Benjamin Barakat, Switzerland
Award: The Aerial Award 2024
Subject and location: The Final Dune, Namibia
Copyright Benjamin Barakat / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
The Snow and Ice Award
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Photographer: Jeroen van Nieuwenhove, Iceland
Award: The Snow and Ice Award 2024
Subject and location: Isþyrlu – Ice Swirl, Scoresbysund, Greenland
Copyright Jeroen van Nieuwenhove / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
The Forest Award
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Photographer: Shirley Wung, Taiwan
Award: The Forest Award 2024
Subject and location: Fireflies flying in the Misty Mountains, Wufeng Township, Hsinchu, Taiwan
Copyright Shirley Wung / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
The Exciting Sky Award
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Photographer: Federico Delucchi, Italy
Award: The Exciting Sky Award 2024
Subject and location: Aurora, meteor shower and other cool stuff, Rocca la Meja, Italy
Copyright Federico Delucchi / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
Other top entries
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Photographer: Laura Bennet, United States
Subject and location: Sumba Island, Indonesia
Copyright Laura Bennet / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
Other top entries
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Photographer: William Preite, Italy
Subject and location: Pale di San Martino, Falcade, Dolomites, Italy
Copyright William Preite / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
Other top entries
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Photographer: Siegfried Makedanz, Germany
Subject and location: Sandfellsjökull Glacier Lagoon, Southern Iceland
Copyright Siegfried Makedanz / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
Other top entries
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Photographer: Sabine Weise, Germany
Subject and location: Moonscape Overlook, Utah Badlands, USA
Copyright Sabine Weise / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
Other top entries
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Photographer: Yuriy Vantowski, United States
Subject and location: Mount Bromo, East Java, Indonesia
Copyright Yuriy Vantowski / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
Other top entries
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Photographer: Tanay Das, India
Subject and location: Kistwa, Himalaya, Jammu and Kashmir, India
Copyright Tanay Das / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
Other top entries
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Photographer: Rajesh Jyothiswaran, United States
Subject and location: Texas, United States
Copyright Rajesh Jyothiswaran / The International Landscape Photographer of the Year
| Images: Canon, Nikon |
It wasn’t long ago that many of our reviews of APS-C cameras had to come with a warning: no matter how good the body was, you were almost certainly going to be limited by lens selection. This was especially true with Nikon and Canon’s mirrorless cameras. Sony has followed its longstanding tradition of letting third parties build out a healthy selection of lenses, and the selection for Fujifilm’s APS-C-only X-mount is second to none, but Nikon’s Z mount and Canon’s RF mount appeared to be almost completely locked down. As a result, you could count the number of APS-C lens options available on your fingers.
But things are changing. Over the past year, we’ve seen several APS-C lenses announced and released for Canon and Nikon cameras, filling notable gaps in the first-party lens lineups. But while the situation is improving, it’s clear that the two companies are still in control.
This week, Sigma released four APS-C primes for Canon’s RF mount, making good on its promise to release six licensed lenses for the system – earlier this year, it released the 10-18mm F2.8 and 18-50mm F2.8. Meanwhile, Nikon has allowed Sigma to release select primes for Z-mount – a trio of F1.4 primes at 16, 30, and 56mm. It’s worth noting the company’s 23mm F1.4 is the only one of its APS-C primes that it hasn’t brought to Z-mount; it likely isn’t a coincidence that Nikon’s only first-party APS-C prime lens is a 24mm F1.7.
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Sigma’s APS-C prime lens lineup is quite good, and now most of them are available for almost any mirrorless APS-C camera.
Image: Sigma |
However, Nikon hasn’t stopped companies like Viltrox and Sirui from releasing a slew of Z-mount APS-C prime lenses, complete with autofocus. If you pick up a Nikon Zfc or Z50II, you can get anywhere from a 13mm F1.4 (20mm equiv.) to a 75mm F1.2 (113mm equiv.) to go with it, as well as most of the classic focal lengths in between.
Your choices are no longer limited to a few first-party options, manual-focus only lenses, or glass meant for full-frame bodies
This is an important change for APS-C shooters. Even going back to the DSLR days, it’s felt like many manufacturers have viewed the format as a stepping stone to full-frame rather than something enthusiasts and pros might consciously choose. Neither Canon nor Nikon have been particularly prolific when releasing new APS-C glass. But with the gates being slightly opened, you’re no longer limited to a few first-party options, manual-focus-only lenses from third parties, or heavier, more expensive full-frame lenses. Now, there’s at least some selection of third-party lenses with autofocus to choose from, alongside Canon and Nikon’s offerings.
This isn’t to say that you can now buy any APS-C camera you want and be assured that all the lenses you want will be available – you are still at the mercy of what Canon and Nikon wish to allow. While plenty of primes are available for Z-mount APS-C cameras, no fast zoom lenses are available; Nikon’s all start at F3.5 and end at F5.6 or F6.3.
In fact, there are currently no third-party APS-C zooms available for Nikon Z-mount at all, despite the fact that two have made the jump from E and X-mount to RF – it also goes without saying that there are many others more available on Fujifilm and Sony’s systems. That’s a bummer for anyone looking to step up from the kit lens or wanting to shoot sports or birds in anything but ideal lighting without having to shell out for and lug around a full-frame 70-200mm.
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Tamron has promised to bring its 11-20mm F2.8 APS-C lens to Canon RF mount this year as well – no word on Z-mount, despite Tamron bringing some of its full-frame lenses to Nikon.
Image: Tamron |
RF mount at least has the two constant F2.8 zooms thanks to Sigma, with one more on the way from Tamron, though those are all at the wide end. However, there are far fewer autofocus primes available for Canon, as manufacturers like Sirui and Viltrox aren’t producing them. That’s not surprising; a representative for the latter once said that Canon had told it to stop producing products for RF mount. The 85mm F1.4 lens that Samyang announced for the system in 2020 also disappeared from the market not long after.
In a perfect world, these problems wouldn’t exist. Canon and Nikon would make the lenses that their APS-C cameras needed to stand on their own feet as a real alternative to full-frame options, and there would be robust competition from third parties, which would be allowed to make whatever lenses they want.
None of that seems particularly likely. However, at least those who choose to shoot with a smaller sensor in a Canon or Nikon body have gotten a wider choice of lenses, even if they’re still bound by the companies’ rules.
At the end of the day, that’s better for everyone interested in APS-C, because it means that cameras like the EOS R7 and Z50II are competitive with the Sony a6700 and Fujifilm X-T5 in a way that they wouldn’t have been with an extremely limited lens selection. With any luck, this trend will continue, and the APS-C landscape will become more competitive – even if Canon and Nikon aren’t giving it their full attention.
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The FE 28-70mm F2.8 GM, attached to the newly-announced a1 II.
Photo: Mitchell Clark |
Sony has announced the FE 28-70mm F2 GM, a zoom lens that trades 4mm at the wide end for an aperture that’s a stop brighter than the one found on a classic 24-70mm F2.8. It’s the company’s first constant F2 zoom lens for its E-mount cameras.
The lens’s optical formula consists of 20 elements in 14 groups, with three aspherical lenses, three super ED elements, and one ED element. It uses an 11-blade aperture. The front element has an oil and water-resistant flourine coating, and the lens is moisture and dust resistant.
It’s far from a compact lens, though it’s not as monstrously large as you might expect – it weighs in at 918g (32 oz) and is around 140mm (5.5″) long. It has an 86mm filter thread.
Sony makes it obvious what lens it’s competing with; highlighting that it’s 36% lighter and 11% smaller in diameter than Canon’s RF 28-70mm F2 L lens while claiming better corner-to-corner sharpness. The company also says the lens’s four linear motors can focus even when shooting at 120fps, and emphasized that they’re quieter than the older ring-type ultrasonic style motor in the Canon F2. In fairness, that lens was one of the original RF-mount releases, announced in 2018.
“Sony makes it obvious which lens it’s competing with”
The quieter operation should help when shooting video. Other pluses for video: it has an internal focusing mechanism which should make it easier to use the lens on a gimbal, the ability to switch the aperture ring into clickless mode and supports the focus breathing compensation mode included on some Sony bodies. You can also set the manual focus ring to have a linear response, which should make focus pulls easier.
The lens has a variety of switches and buttons. There are two customizable focus hold buttons, an Iris lock switch, the aperture click switch and a zoom smoothness switch that lets you adjust between “smooth” and “tight” torque settings.
It’s not the fastest zoom lens available for E-mount: at the time of writing, that prize goes to Sigma’s 28-45mm F1.8, though that model has substantially less reach on the tele end and only a 1/3EV increase in light-gathering ability.
The FE 28-70mm F2 GM will be available in mid-December and has an MSRP of $2,899.
Sony Electronics Announces Its First Constant F2 Aperture Zoom Lens: The Full-Frame 28-70mm F2 G Master™
The Unique Combination of a Versatile Focal Range, Large F2 Aperture, and Compact Form Factor
SAN DIEGO, Nov. 19, 2024 – Sony Electronics Inc. introduces the 28-70mm F2 G Master, the first1 Sony zoom lens with a constant F2 aperture and 77th lens in the Sony E-Mount lineup. This full-frame lens offers a versatile focal range from 28mm to 70mm while delivering prime-like2 bokeh with its constant F2 aperture. Despite its wide aperture and zoom range, the 28-70mm F2 G Master remains compact, lightweight, and well-balanced, making it ideal for both photography and video applications. This combination of zoom range, large aperture, and compact design makes this an innovative and versatile lens for portrait, sports, wedding, event, and video professionals.
“Our goal with the 28-70mm F2 G Master was to create a high-performing zoom lens that could be a strong single lens alternative to multiple primes,” said Yang Cheng, Vice President of Imaging Solutions, Sony Electronics Inc. “We prioritized a lightweight design during the engineering process as we knew that was a critical factor for real-life, practical use. And in a manner that only Sony can do, we were able to deliver a small, standard F2 zoom lens that does not sacrifice image quality. We’re proud to add this to our G Master series and believe it is one of the most innovative lenses ever offered to professionals.”
Sharp Imagery and Beautiful Bokeh
The 28-70mm F2 G Master produces extremely sharp corner-to-corner results throughout the entire zoom range, even while shooting wide open at F2. The high-resolution output is made possible by the three XA (extreme aspherical) elements and three aspherical elements built within the lens that minimize aberrations. The lens also features a floating focusing system that helps maintain internal stability. This focusing mechanism enables an impressive minimum focusing distance of up to 14.8 inches (0.38m) throughout the entire zoom range.
Staying true to the G Master lens lineage, the lens’ aperture up to F2 produces extraordinary bokeh, ideal for creating images that showcase a shallow depth of field. The 28-70mm F2 amplifies the G Master bokeh standards through a newly designed 11-blade circular aperture unit. Chromatic aberrations, which cause color fringing within photos, are effectively minimized with three Super ED (extra-low dispersion) elements and one ED element built within the lens. Additionally, Sony’s Nano AR Coating II reduces flare and internal reflections, ensuring clear images, even when strong light sources are present in the frame.
Compact, Lightweight Design Without Compromising Quality
The 28-70mm F2 G Master is one of the most advanced mirrorless camera lenses manufactured with a total 20 different lens elements arranged within 14 internal groups. Despite the advanced optical design, the lens remains compact at 3.6 x 5.5 inches (92.9 x 139.8mm) and lightweight at approximately 32.3 ounces (918g). The combination of imaging performance and a compact form factor offers an innovative solution that meets the demands of industry professionals.
Precise Autofocus Tracking with Instant Response
Reliable and responsive autofocus is delivered through the lens’ four XD (extreme dynamic) linear motors powered by advanced control algorithms. This smooth performance system provides accurate and quick focus tracking, often essential in many professional use cases like weddings and sports. This lens is fully compatible with Sony’s Alpha 9 III‘s high-speed continuous shooting capabilities of up to 120 frames per second3 with AF/AE (autofocus/autoexposure) tracking, even while zooming.
Designed for High-Performance Video Shooting
Along with its F2 aperture, the zoom range of the 28-70mm G Master provides a versatile video option that can cover standard field-of-view shots and tighter compositions up to 70mm. This lens minimizes focus breathing through its build and compatibility with the Breathing Compensation feature on various Alpha bodies4. Its high autofocus performance ensures reliable focus even when recording in high frame rates up to 4K 120p / FHD 240p5. Additionally, the XD linear motors and newly developed aperture unit operates silently, preventing any lens noise from being captured during filming.
The lens is ideal for gimbal use with a minimal zoom extension of approximately .68 inches. The compact form factor and short external zoom helps maintain gimbal balance, even at varying focal lengths.
Operability and Reliability for Versatile Control
Key control features include Linear Response MF for intuitive manual focusing, adjustable zoom ring torque, and an aperture ring with a click ON/OFF switch. The lens also offers two customizable focus hold buttons, an iris lock switch, and an AF/MF switch. The 28-70mm F2 G Master has an 86mm filter diameter and a convenient window on the lens hood for variable filter adjustments.
For durability, all buttons and switches are sealed with silicone gaskets, and critical areas are designed to resist dust and moisture6. This ensures reliability, even while using in challenging outdoor environments. Additionally, a fluorine coating on the front element repels contaminants for easy cleaning.
Pricing and Availability
The 28-70mm F2 G Master will be available in December 2024 for approximately $2,899.99 USD and $3,999.99 CAD. It will be sold at a variety of Sony’s authorized dealers throughout North America.
A product video on the new 28-70mm F2 G Master can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/7Y_O5YYQIl0
For detailed product information about the 28-70mm F2 G Master, please visit: https://electronics.sony.com/imaging/lenses/full-frame-e-mount/p/sel2870gm
Exclusive stories and exciting new content shot with the new 28-70mm F2 G Master and Sony’s other imaging products can be found at www.alphauniverse.com, a site created to inform, educate, and inspire content creators.
Sony FE 28-70mm F2 GM Specifications
| Principal specifications | |
|---|---|
| Lens type | Zoom lens |
| Max Format size | 35mm FF |
| Focal length | 28–70 mm |
| Image stabilization | No |
| Lens mount | Sony E, Sony FE |
| Aperture | |
| Maximum aperture | F2–20 |
| Minimum aperture | F2–20 |
| Aperture ring | Yes |
| Number of diaphragm blades | 11 |
| Optics | |
| Elements | 20 |
| Groups | 14 |
| Special elements / coatings | 3 aspherical, 3 super ED, 1 ED |
| Focus | |
| Minimum focus | 0.38 m (14.96″) |
| Maximum magnification | 0.23× |
| Autofocus | Yes |
| Motor type | Linear Motor |
| Focus method | Internal |
| Distance scale | No |
| DoF scale | No |
| Physical | |
| Weight | 918 g (2.02 lb) |
| Diameter | 93 mm (3.66″) |
| Length | 140 mm (5.51″) |
| Sealing | Yes |
| Colour | Black |
| Filter thread | 86 mm |
| Hood supplied | Yes |
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