Announced in early July 2019, and now available, the SIGMA 45mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary is a compact, full-frame prime lens designed for the L-Mount and Sony E-mount full-frame mirrorless systems.
With a ribbed metal lens hood and metal body, this lightweight, fast-aperture prime strikes a great balance between high-end performance and portability. I had a day with the Sony E-mount version, and the lens was paired with a Sony A7R II for this quick look.
The manual aperture ring, which clicks in at 1/3 stop increments, provides nice tactile feedback. Autofocus, via stepping motor, felt swift, smooth and concise. And through the viewfinder, it is nice and bright, and nice and sharp, edge to edge. F2.8 is still plenty fast enough a maximum aperture for many photographers for day-to-day usage, and the smaller physical size compared to a F1.4 at this focal length is a trade-off that many photographers may be willing to make.
The Sony A7RII is a compact full-frame mirrorless camera, and this lens feels very comfortable paired with this body. But I did find myself craving the SIGMA fp, and thinking about the potential this camera and lens combination will offer in terms of pint-sized, high-performance imaging!
Available in L-Mount and Sony E-Mount, the SIGMA 45mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary lists for $549.
