I can’t remember a time when on assignment to photograph a client, I would think to myself, if I could only use one lens, which one would it be? It’s only been in the last few years that I discovered the brilliance of a lens that fits this description, Sigma’s 24-105mm F4 DG HSM | A.

©Judy Host 2017 Created with Sigma’s 24-105mm F4 DG OS HSM | A. lens at f 4.0 s 1/640 ISO 160 31.0 Focal Length Manual mode, Natural light and hand held.

We sent Sigma Ambassador Jack Fusco one of the first samples of the 40mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art lens that arrived here in the US, and he quickly put it to great use, capturing this incredible shot of Comet 46P / Wirtanen, along with his girlfriend, Rachel, and their dog, Kona, in the Anse Borrego Desert State Park in Southern California.

On November 3, 2018 Sigma Corporation of America celebrated the opening our Burbank Facility. A West Coast presence has been a long-time goal. Realizing this goal has been made possible by the overwhelmingly positive reception and momentum of our Cine line.

This new location gives Sigma the opportunity to not only showcase products but also to interact and contribute to the Motion Picture Industry in Los Angeles. Boasting nearly 11,000 sq feet, the venue includes a product showroom—the first of its kind in the US— administrative and meeting spaces, private theater with 4K projection, full cine service department, and warehouse facilities.

We at Sigma Corporation of America want to show our appreciation for our loyal customers and supporters. This holiday season we’ve decided to put together the Season of Sigma Holiday Giveaway on Instagram and Twitter. 3 lucky winners will be chosen each Friday in December to win a free Sigma swag kit!

Free Sigma swag kits include: Sigma hat, Sigma t-shirt (size of your choice), Sigma tote bag, Sigma draw-string bag, Sigma water-bottle, Sigma milk glass, Sigma reusable straw, 2 Sigma notebooks ,and 2 Sigma pens, Sigma mini flashlight

What is the perfect camera lens for my new Canon EOS Rebel camera for travel? What camera lens should I pair with my Nikon D7100 for family photography? What is the ultimate long-reach zoom lens for wildlife photography, that also fits in a carry-on bag? Here at Sigma, we hear questions like this every day. Here’s some of our top tips for choosing the perfect lens for the photographers on your gift list! With over forty lenses in our lineup, from Fisheye to Supertelephoto and everything in between, we’ve got the right lenses!

Completely updated for the 2018 Holiday Season!

The Two best standard zoom lenses you can buy for your Canon EOS Rebel series or Nikon DX-format Cameras

The Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM

Sigma’s 17-50mm F2.8 DC OS HSM

The Sigma 17-50mm F2.8 EX DC OS HSM is a fast-aperture standard zoom with incredible image quality, plus Optical Stabilizer, offered at a truly fantastic Holiday Season Instant Savings price.

The Best Lens for the Aspiring YouTube Star

The Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM | Art lens is the world’s first F1.8 zoom lens for APS-C cameras, and is a fan favorite among both still photographers and YouTube videographers. The super-fast maximum aperture allows for available light and low-light photography, with incredible focal plane sharpness and gorgeously blurred backgrounds. Pairing fast-aperture prime performance with zoom convenience, this lens will serious level up your video work.

Looking for an incredibly compact high zoom ratio all-in-one plus macro for your Rebel or Nikon DX-series camera? The 18-200mm F3.5-6.3 DC OS HSM | Contemporary lens offers 11x zoom, plus 1:3 macro in a lens that’s just about the same size as the basic kit zoom, while offering waaaaaaaay more creativity!

The specially designed cam of the 18-200mm offers smooth, well-damped zooming, and also curbs zoom creep when the lens is pointed skyward or downward for creative angles.

As the new year draw closer, many people begin looking for new calendars for the home and office. With many fine photographs of your own on-hand, have you considered creating your own calendar?

Well, now’s the time! Below is advice from pros who have worked on calendars for years, useful links to calendar printers, and a host of options to consider as you create your first masterpiece.

Walter Arnold uses a variety of Sigma lenses to produce the texture-rich images of deserted places and objects. These form the basis for his annual self-published calendar, “The Art of Abandonment.” Photos © 2018 Walter Arnold. All rights reserved.

Jared Ivy at PhotoPlus 2018

Trade Shows and Dealer Events are a great resource for photographers.  Not only do they get a chance to demo gear from multiple manufacturers under one roof, but they get to pick the brains of factory representatives.  There are three common questions that I get asked at every trade show I work:

I have tested the Sigma 60-600mm Sports lens out on my Roamin’ with Roman workshop in the Grand Tetons for three days and wanted to share with you my initial thoughts on the sharpness, performance, as well as build quality and compare it to the Sigma 150-600mm Sports lens.

Sigma 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3 Sport on a Canon 1Dx body at 600mm and f/6.3 for 1/160th of a sec. at ISO 2500 handheld and OS1

Upon opening the box, I immediately noticed a few distinct differences. The first was the hood. The Sigma 150-600mm Sports (bottom lens in image above) has an all-metal hood while the new Sigma 60-600 Sports has a carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) which is very strong but lighter weight. As you can see in the iPhone image above, the new Sigma 60-600mm lens comes with an Arca-Swiss style foot built in. My Sigma 150-600 has the TS-81 tripod foot accessory added. The length of the Sigma 60-600mm Sports was also about an inch shorter, which was surprising. Most other physical differences were less apparent but worth mentioning.

We sat down with Timur Civan, Sigma Corporation of America’s first Cine Pro, to learn more about his career, what inspires him and what things he’s looking forward to working with Sigma.

Born and raised in New York City, Timur Civan has always seen the world through the eyes of an artist. He began pursuing his creative passion as a contemporary sculptor, incorporating video images into some of his works and exploring a variety of innovative art forms, including photography. Becoming a Director of Photography was therefore a natural progression.
After much experimentation with moving images during his brief professional art career, Civan came to the realization that painting an image with light to tell a story was the medium that best expressed his artistic vision. His techniques in cinematography are at the cutting edge of creative imaging, bolstered by his explorations with new and classic lenses, innovative lighting styles, and a deep dive into the latest technologies. Given his naturally inquisitive nature, fascination with science, and acute artistic sensibilities, he is drawn to technically complex commercial and experimental shooting assignments and is highly adept at in-camera special effects, high speed, tabletop, motion control, and macro work.
Sigma: How long have you been working as a cinematographer?

Timur: 12 amazing years.

What inspired you to pursue a career in cinematography?

I was initially a working sculptor.   Through some very fortunate and somewhat unusual circumstances, I wound up somehow the “DP” of a commercial project I had no business shooting.   I had never been on a professional set before, and I got through the day because of the kindness of the gaffer and director, who thought it better, to just help the severely green kid get through the day, than to try to find a replacement.  By the end of the day, I was asked back the next week for a different project.  As I learned and trained under other DP’s, along the way, I developed an affinity for the challenging balance of creativity, practicality, problem solving and leadership.  After a year or two, I stopped making art, and pursued cinematography full time.

The announcement by Sigma that the Art series of prime lenses would be offered in Sony E mount definitely put a smile on the face of this user of Sony cameras. While I tend to use camera bodies from several manufacturers, I have been finding several aspects of the Sony system are better fitting the needs of my current clients. And while my Sigma lenses perform great using the Sigma MC-11 Adapter, offering lenses in Sony E mount, to me, means recognition as well as commitment by Sigma for the growing number of Sony shooters. To put an even bigger smile on my face, I had the privilege to use four of the E mount Art primes this summer.

While zoom lenses tend to get the most use in my newspaper and aviation work, a prime lens just seems to scream “creativity” to me. A prime lens slows me down a bit so I can feel the photograph I see coming together in front of me. It feels more deliberate. To many, a prime lens might relate to extreme sharpness, shallow depth of field when shot wide open and beautiful bokeh- but to me it also means I don’t just stand in one spot and zoom, but have to physically move in or out to align the image in my imagination with the reality in front of me.

I found that especially true when asked to take some outdoor portraits of my friend Anneliese. With the new E mount Sigma 85mm f1.4 Art lens on a Sony A9 camera, I set out to photograph her with the concept of shallow depth of field so the concentration went to her sharply focused eyes. To do that, I used not only continuous AF, but also eye-AF on the camera. I like that continuous AF is always compensating for little movements by the subject. And eye-AF is a Sony setting that allows the camera to lock in on Anneliese’s eye and stay in focus despite the movements of her head or my movements to reframe the composition. One of the advantages of the new Sigma E mount primes is they officially support continuous Auto-focus as well as quicker eye-AF. I like shoot in silent mode and with the new lenses, there is no searching noise.

Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens- ISO 500; f1.4 at 1/2000 second.

Putting these attributes to work on a real newspaper assignment, I took the 85mm Art lens on a Sony A9 to photograph a local music festival. I chose the 85mm again because I prefer staying tight on the action or subject. I was amazed at the fast continuous auto focus under extreme lighting conditions. And the sharpness blew me away.