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A Deep Dive into Sigma Lenses
A Deep Dive into Sigma Lenses
by Keenan Hursh
When it comes to camera lenses there are more offerings and options than ever before. All of the big camera manufacturers produce their own high-quality lenses that work great with their respective systems, but many third-party manufacturers have captured a large part of the market as well often offering slightly less expensive alternatives.
Companies like Sigma, Tamron, Rokinon, Lensbaby, and countless others produce lenses that are compatible with most big camera manufacturers and if you’re operating on a bit of a budget, you can find some great offerings from these manufacturers. Many photographers and experts may complain that the optical quality of these lenses is marginally lower than lenses produced in-house by Canon, Sony, and Nikon but it’s also worth noting that for some of these third-party companies, their optics and overall quality have drastically improved over the years and perhaps they’re starting to become more competitive. That’s a conversation for another day.
Regardless of your reasons, it’s definitely worth taking a look at companies like this if you’re considering purchasing a new lens. I’ve owned several third-party lenses and I have yet to regret purchasing any of them. I’ve managed to save some money and capture some great photos.
In today’s article, we’re going to focus on one of these lens manufacturers specifically. Sigma has been around for quite some time now and it’s a name that almost all photographers are familiar with. They offer lenses that are compatible with many popular camera manufacturers and have found much success in offering less expensive lens alternatives while maintaining optical quality. Sigma also manufactures camera bodies and accessories but today we’re just focusing on lenses.
So, let’s take a deep dive into everything Sigma. What types of lenses do they offer? How do they classify their offerings? What systems are they compatible with? And much more.
Companies like Sigma, Tamron, Rokinon, Lensbaby, and countless others produce lenses that are compatible with most big camera manufacturers and if you’re operating on a bit of a budget, you can find some great offerings from these manufacturers. Many photographers and experts may complain that the optical quality of these lenses is marginally lower than lenses produced in-house by Canon, Sony, and Nikon but it’s also worth noting that for some of these third-party companies, their optics and overall quality have drastically improved over the years and perhaps they’re starting to become more competitive. That’s a conversation for another day.
Regardless of your reasons, it’s definitely worth taking a look at companies like this if you’re considering purchasing a new lens. I’ve owned several third-party lenses and I have yet to regret purchasing any of them. I’ve managed to save some money and capture some great photos.
In today’s article, we’re going to focus on one of these lens manufacturers specifically. Sigma has been around for quite some time now and it’s a name that almost all photographers are familiar with. They offer lenses that are compatible with many popular camera manufacturers and have found much success in offering less expensive lens alternatives while maintaining optical quality. Sigma also manufactures camera bodies and accessories but today we’re just focusing on lenses.
So, let’s take a deep dive into everything Sigma. What types of lenses do they offer? How do they classify their offerings? What systems are they compatible with? And much more.
History
Sigma was founded by Michihiro Yamaki in 1961 in Setagaya, Japan, and was initially known by the name SIGMA Research Institute. This once-small company wanted to change the world of optics and camera lenses and they set off to do just that. Towards the end of 1961, they released the industry’s very first teleconverter and offered lenses with interchangeable lens mounts, both of which made quite a splash. In 1965 they moved into an office building in Tokyo and were off to the races. Following that they released a wide range of lenses and in 1970 officially changed their name to the current SIGMA Corporation. In 1976 they released their first ever single reflex 35mm camera and in 1979 they released the world’s first wide-angle zoom lens. Following this they expanded internationally and drastically increased the number of products they sold.
It goes without saying, but Sigma has played a very significant role in the progression of photography worldwide. They have developed some truly groundbreaking products over the years and remain very relevant today. Now that we have some background on this company, let’s take a look at what they produce in the present and break down their current offerings.
Sigma was founded by Michihiro Yamaki in 1961 in Setagaya, Japan, and was initially known by the name SIGMA Research Institute. This once-small company wanted to change the world of optics and camera lenses and they set off to do just that. Towards the end of 1961, they released the industry’s very first teleconverter and offered lenses with interchangeable lens mounts, both of which made quite a splash. In 1965 they moved into an office building in Tokyo and were off to the races. Following that they released a wide range of lenses and in 1970 officially changed their name to the current SIGMA Corporation. In 1976 they released their first ever single reflex 35mm camera and in 1979 they released the world’s first wide-angle zoom lens. Following this they expanded internationally and drastically increased the number of products they sold.
It goes without saying, but Sigma has played a very significant role in the progression of photography worldwide. They have developed some truly groundbreaking products over the years and remain very relevant today. Now that we have some background on this company, let’s take a look at what they produce in the present and break down their current offerings.
Lens Classifications
Sigma has divided its lenses into specific classifications, each dedicated to a different style of photography and videography. I find it quite nice that their lenses are dedicated to unique styles and this makes finding the correct lens for your needs even easier. These classifications or product lines are Art, Sports, Contemporary, and Cine. For the sake of today’s article, we’re just going to look at the first three as most of our readers probably aren’t too interested in their cine lenses. So, what do these classifications mean and how do they differ from one another? Let’s get into it.
Art:
As Sigma states, these lenses are “designed with a focus on sophisticated optical performance and tremendous expressive power, our Art line delivers high-level artistic quality.” The art line includes standard lenses, large-aperture prime lenses, wide and ultra-wide-angle lenses, macro lenses, and fisheyes. These offerings are intended for photographers who focus on capturing landscapes, portraits, still-life, close-ups, and studio photography. They may not be light and compact, and they may not zoom in to capture the action, but they have exceptional optics and sharpness and are very well suited for these styles of photography. If you want some of the best resolution, detail, and sharpness from Sigma check these out.
Sports:
Sigma has this to say about their Sports line: “Offering sophisticated optical performance and expressive capabilities our Sports line lenses deliver high action-capture performance, enabling photographers to get exactly the shots they want.” This line includes telephoto, telephoto zoom, super telephoto, and super telephoto zoom lenses. If you’re a wildlife photographer or focus on shooting sports and want to get up close and personal with fast-moving subjects, then the sports line is for you. These lenses also have improved weather sealing as they are designed to be used outdoors in a variety of conditions.
Contemporary:
These lenses are high-performance, yet compact and lightweight. They are designed to be truly versatile. As Sigma puts it: “Featuring the very latest technology, and combining optical performance with compactness, our high-performance Contemporary line covers a wide range of needs.” If you don’t primarily focus on a single style of photography or if you want something small and lightweight, then there are some great options in the Contemporary line. These offerings include standard zoom lenses, telephoto zoom lenses, high magnification zoom lenses, and more.
Now that we have a better understanding of the way Sigma classifies their lenses, let’s look at their specific offerings and compatibility.
Sigma has divided its lenses into specific classifications, each dedicated to a different style of photography and videography. I find it quite nice that their lenses are dedicated to unique styles and this makes finding the correct lens for your needs even easier. These classifications or product lines are Art, Sports, Contemporary, and Cine. For the sake of today’s article, we’re just going to look at the first three as most of our readers probably aren’t too interested in their cine lenses. So, what do these classifications mean and how do they differ from one another? Let’s get into it.
Art:
As Sigma states, these lenses are “designed with a focus on sophisticated optical performance and tremendous expressive power, our Art line delivers high-level artistic quality.” The art line includes standard lenses, large-aperture prime lenses, wide and ultra-wide-angle lenses, macro lenses, and fisheyes. These offerings are intended for photographers who focus on capturing landscapes, portraits, still-life, close-ups, and studio photography. They may not be light and compact, and they may not zoom in to capture the action, but they have exceptional optics and sharpness and are very well suited for these styles of photography. If you want some of the best resolution, detail, and sharpness from Sigma check these out.
Sports:
Sigma has this to say about their Sports line: “Offering sophisticated optical performance and expressive capabilities our Sports line lenses deliver high action-capture performance, enabling photographers to get exactly the shots they want.” This line includes telephoto, telephoto zoom, super telephoto, and super telephoto zoom lenses. If you’re a wildlife photographer or focus on shooting sports and want to get up close and personal with fast-moving subjects, then the sports line is for you. These lenses also have improved weather sealing as they are designed to be used outdoors in a variety of conditions.
Contemporary:
These lenses are high-performance, yet compact and lightweight. They are designed to be truly versatile. As Sigma puts it: “Featuring the very latest technology, and combining optical performance with compactness, our high-performance Contemporary line covers a wide range of needs.” If you don’t primarily focus on a single style of photography or if you want something small and lightweight, then there are some great options in the Contemporary line. These offerings include standard zoom lenses, telephoto zoom lenses, high magnification zoom lenses, and more.
Now that we have a better understanding of the way Sigma classifies their lenses, let’s look at their specific offerings and compatibility.
Compatibility
As I previously mentioned, Sigma has found its niche in producing lenses that can work with a wide range of camera manufacturers and systems. Need a wide-angle prime lens for a Canon EF mount, Sigma has one. Maybe you just upgraded to a Nikon Z series mirrorless camera and want to save some money on your first telephoto, Sigma has an option for you. And that’s not all, they sell lenses for Fujifilm, Sony, Canon, Nikon, Sigma, Leica, and Panasonic. Perhaps they don’t make every lens offering available for all of these systems, but chances are you can find a great lens at a great price for whichever system you’re using, and you can always purchase an adapter to mix and match if you so desire.
As I previously mentioned, Sigma has found its niche in producing lenses that can work with a wide range of camera manufacturers and systems. Need a wide-angle prime lens for a Canon EF mount, Sigma has one. Maybe you just upgraded to a Nikon Z series mirrorless camera and want to save some money on your first telephoto, Sigma has an option for you. And that’s not all, they sell lenses for Fujifilm, Sony, Canon, Nikon, Sigma, Leica, and Panasonic. Perhaps they don’t make every lens offering available for all of these systems, but chances are you can find a great lens at a great price for whichever system you’re using, and you can always purchase an adapter to mix and match if you so desire.
Offerings
Of course, we can’t cover every single lens in Sigma’s product line, that would be quite a long article, but what I can say is that if you need it, Sigma probably makes it. Beyond their Art, Sports, and Contemporary lines Sigma also classifies their lenses in several other significant ways. If you look at any Sigma lens you will see of course the focal length and aperture but you’ll also notice some seemingly random letters immediately after. This may seem like a big confusing jumble off the bat, but it’s really not that complicated. These letters simply indicate specific features of the lens. Let’s break them down.
When read left to right you will first see the focal length, followed by the aperture of the lens. That’s the easy part. What follows is a bit more complicated. The next set of letters you’ll see indicates the type of sensor or frame size the lens is designed for. DG means the lens is designed for a full-frame camera and DC is for crop sensor cameras. After that, you might see a DM which denotes a mirrorless camera format. If you don’t see a DM this lens is probably designed for a DSLR camera. After this, you might see the OS designation which indicates that a lens has built-in optical stabilization. Some Sigma lenses include an HSM designation which means they have a hypersonic motor ensuring that the autofocus is accurate, silent, and super-fast. And then after all of this, you will see the last set of digits which are numbers that indicate the thread size of your lens. This is important if you want to use filters. I know this is a lot of information but if you want a more in-depth breakdown view this blog post!
After going over all of this it becomes very apparent that Sigma produces a massive range of lenses compatible with many different types of cameras. Whether you need a super telephoto zoom lens to photograph tiny and fast hummingbirds at a distance or a stunning wide-angle prime lens to capture the night sky or perhaps an extremely versatile, compact, and lightweight offering to capture all kinds of subjects while you’re on the move, Sigma probably has what you’re looking for and usually at a great price.
Of course, we can’t cover every single lens in Sigma’s product line, that would be quite a long article, but what I can say is that if you need it, Sigma probably makes it. Beyond their Art, Sports, and Contemporary lines Sigma also classifies their lenses in several other significant ways. If you look at any Sigma lens you will see of course the focal length and aperture but you’ll also notice some seemingly random letters immediately after. This may seem like a big confusing jumble off the bat, but it’s really not that complicated. These letters simply indicate specific features of the lens. Let’s break them down.
When read left to right you will first see the focal length, followed by the aperture of the lens. That’s the easy part. What follows is a bit more complicated. The next set of letters you’ll see indicates the type of sensor or frame size the lens is designed for. DG means the lens is designed for a full-frame camera and DC is for crop sensor cameras. After that, you might see a DM which denotes a mirrorless camera format. If you don’t see a DM this lens is probably designed for a DSLR camera. After this, you might see the OS designation which indicates that a lens has built-in optical stabilization. Some Sigma lenses include an HSM designation which means they have a hypersonic motor ensuring that the autofocus is accurate, silent, and super-fast. And then after all of this, you will see the last set of digits which are numbers that indicate the thread size of your lens. This is important if you want to use filters. I know this is a lot of information but if you want a more in-depth breakdown view this blog post!
After going over all of this it becomes very apparent that Sigma produces a massive range of lenses compatible with many different types of cameras. Whether you need a super telephoto zoom lens to photograph tiny and fast hummingbirds at a distance or a stunning wide-angle prime lens to capture the night sky or perhaps an extremely versatile, compact, and lightweight offering to capture all kinds of subjects while you’re on the move, Sigma probably has what you’re looking for and usually at a great price.
Conclusion
Wow!! That was a lot of information… But I hope that this article has brought some clarity to the wide range of lenses available from Sigma and that readers have a deeper understanding of the products they offer and how they classify them. Sigma has been around for a while now and they continue to grow and evolve within the everchanging world of photography. They offer many high-quality lenses for a wide variety of platforms and cameras that are often priced very reasonably. If you’re in the market for a new lens and want a nice balance between performance and affordability, be sure to check out Sigma before making any final decisions.
Wow!! That was a lot of information… But I hope that this article has brought some clarity to the wide range of lenses available from Sigma and that readers have a deeper understanding of the products they offer and how they classify them. Sigma has been around for a while now and they continue to grow and evolve within the everchanging world of photography. They offer many high-quality lenses for a wide variety of platforms and cameras that are often priced very reasonably. If you’re in the market for a new lens and want a nice balance between performance and affordability, be sure to check out Sigma before making any final decisions.
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AUTHOR
AUTHOR
Keenan Hursh is a Photographer, visual designer, and creative story teller based out of Bozeman, Montana. He draws inspiration from his frequent excursions into the natural world and always brings his camera along to capture whatever adventures he finds himself in. Keenan is passionate about documenting and sharing fleeting moments from the natural world and focuses primarily on wildlife, landscape, and adventure photography.
When it comes to gear, he primarily shoots digital with his Canon EOS R5 and EOS 6D mark ii but also has several 35mm film cameras that get out every now and then.
At a very young age, Keenan started bringing a camera along on his excursions and immediately fell in love with the art of photography. He started out with his parent’s cheap point and shoot and has continuously improved his craft and gear refining his shooting style and producing more compelling and intriguing images.
Growing up in the foothills of Boulder, Colorado, surrounded by mountains and wilderness, Keenan has developed a deep passion for many outdoor activities. When he’s not out on a shoot or using his camera, Keenan enjoys skiing, climbing, hiking, backpacking, cycling, whitewater rafting, and paragliding. If he’s outside, away from the distractions of society and civilization, he’s in his happy place.
Keenan studied Emergent Digital Practices at the University of Denver while minoring in Marketing and Entrepreneurship. Since earning his degree in 2019 he was worked with a wide range of clients, companies, and organizations throughout his career. Apart from photography he specializes in content creation, writing, brand development, and graphic design.
You can view Keenan’s portfolio on his website at www.keenanhurshphoto.com
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"Backcountry Journeys offers guests the unique opportunity to explore our natural world from behind their own lens. We run a selection of hand-crafted Photo Tours, Workshops & Safaris connecting passionate people to exceptional experiences. Locations worldwide.
All Images & Content are property of Backcountry Journeys Photography Tours, Workshops & Safaris LLC - Copyright 2024
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Download our Trip Catalog for detailed information on our many destinations for photography tours, workshops, and safaris.