Sigma is set to announce three new prime lenses very soon: a wide-angle and a standard prime for full-frame L- and E-mount cameras, along with a 35mm equivalent for APS-C bodies.
Once considered to be a budget brand with budget lenses, Sigma now makes some of the best third-party lenses using top-quality glass, a high-end finish and incredibly impressive lab results at a fraction of the cost of first-party lenses. And we could see this trio of new optics as soon as the CP+ 2023 expo in Japan this week.
• What is a prime lens and why would you want one instead of a zoom?
Canon and Nikon might have effectively banned certain lenses from being licensed to third parties, but that hasn't stopped Sigma. Since the launch of its Art and Contemporary ranges, the manufacturer has completely transformed its brand image – and now it looks like three new lenses are to be added to its already impressive offering.
According to a report by Mirrorless Rumours, one of the lenses Sigma will announce is a 17mm f/4 DG DN Contemporary lens for full-frame cameras. Made up of 9 elements in 8 groups, with a minimum shooting distance of 120mm and weighing just 225g (or 220g for the E-mount version) it’s an extremely portable wide-angle lens perfect for shooting anything from architecture to interiors to landscapes to still life.
It will also release a brand new standard prime, the Sigma 50mm f/2 DG DN Contemporary lens. It might not be as fast as the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens, but at just 350g it's considerably lighter – and an aperture of f/2 is still great for achieving a shallow depth of field and shooting in low light. The Sony E mount version is just 6g lighter and it will be made up of 11 elements in 9 groups, with a minimum focus distance of 45cm, a maximum magnification of 1:6.9 and a filter diameter of 58mm.
Finally, ensuring that cropped sensor users aren’t left out, Sigma will launch a 23mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary lens for Leica / Panasonic / Sigma L mount, Sony E mount and Fujifilm X mount. With a 1.5x crop the effective focal length is actually 34.5mm, making it the perfect accompaniment for the best cameras for street photography or travel. It features 13 elements in 10 groups, has a minimum focusing distance of 250mm and only weighs 340g – so it’s fast and compact.
There has been no official word from Sigma about when the announcement will be made, or how much each lens will cost, but with CP+ 2023 taking place soon we may not have to wait long.
