Sometimes, you have to go to Hell and back to get the story, and I did just that with the Sigma 15mm F1.4 DC Contemporary lens. Specifically, I went to Noboribetsu Jigokudani (Hell Valley) in Shikotsu-Tōya National Park on the island of Hokkaido, Japan, a geothermally active volcanic area where sulfur-scented steam clouds seep from the ground.

The Sigma 15mm F1.4 DC Contemporary is a fast, wide lens designed specifically for APS-C cameras. Since we had the RF-S mount version, I shot it on the Canon EOS R7, resulting in a 24mm full-frame equivalent field of view on Canon’s APS-C format.

In addition to taking the lens to Hokkaido, I also shot it around Tokyo and Yokohama, sometimes in very rainy conditions. It’s worth noting that I had this lens (and the R7) around my neck in the rain for a couple of hours straight at one point, almost dripping with water, and neither missed a beat, suggesting the weather sealing on both is pretty effective.

“Sometimes, you have to go to Hell and back to get the story”

While the X-mount and E-mount versions of this lens include an aperture ring, the RF-mount version has a control ring. It’s clicked, but I’ve never found a generic control ring to be a great substitute for a clicked aperture ring, particularly since it’s very easy to rotate inadvertently. It also offers the flexibility to assign different settings to the ring. From that perspective, it’s neither a pro nor a con, but something to be aware of if you’re considering the Canon version.

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