Liam Doran Tests the Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 Art Lens in Portillo, Chile!
Sigma’s brand new 24-70 f2.8 A lens arrived at my doorstep, the morning before my departure to Portillo, Chile, to shoot southern hemisphere skiing for a variety of editorial and commercial clients at one of the premiere winter sports destinations in the Andes. For the past few years my go to “all around” lens had been the Sigma 24-105 F4 A. I was intrigued by the new 24-70 f2.8 A for its increased maximum aperture speed and also its weather sealing and wondered how it would compare.
It felt great in my hand with similar look and style to all of Sigma’s Global Vision line zooms. I was happy to see a rubber weather sealing gasket where the lens connects with the camera. The price is right and crushes the competition being nearly 1,100 LESS than Nikon’s version. That’s enough savings to fund a few weeks of trekking in Nepal, or even another Art lens!
When I get a new lens, and am testing it out I put it through the paces in real world shooting situations. No cat photos here, no shooting test charts and no pixel peeping for tetchy nuances mostly visible only when chasing tiny zebra striping on an ISO chart. What I care about is its ability to lock on focus and to track focus in servo mode. I care if it is sharp shooting wide open and I care about how it handles backlit situations. Can it handle a snowy wet ski slope one minute and shoot portraits indoors the next? The bottom line is will this perform flawlessly in a professional situation where quality is paramount and my reputation is on the line? Let’s see….
During our shoot, the Sigma 24-70 f2.8 A OS HSM was called upon to shoot a huge variety of subjects from action and landscape to travel and portraits and lifestyle. The images were sharp and clean and the HSM motor kept up with speeding athletes moving through deep snow with excellent accuracy. This is a true workhorse lens that any pro photographer would do well to have in his or her bag for any shoot for the most demanding commercial and editorial clients.
Being an outdoor sports photographer (mountaineering, skiing, climbing) my requirements regarding my gear are strong and I can’t accept any compromise. The cameras and lenses I climb with have to be lightweight, easy to handle, balanced and ready for the toughest conditions without any compromise on the image quality. The first thing I look for…
The premiere of the short film "Sven: Life in Front of the Lens" showcases skier Sven Brunso's career, filmed primarily with SIGMA lenses by director Gabe Rovick, emphasizing their performance and durability in challenging conditions.