Lens Guides

First Look: SIGMA 45mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary Lens

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.

An orchard orb-weaver spider and its web glisten in early morning mist. A nice little study in depth of field and bokeh. 1/160, F4, ISO 640.

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.

Nice shallow DOF at F2.8, focused just a few feet from the lens on this little birdhouse. Very nice edge to edge brightness. 1/50, F2.8, ISO 64

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.

I stopped down to F4 for a tiny bit more depth of field on the front hibiscus which is close-focused near the edge of the frame. You can see the lovely background blur characteristics here. 1/320, F5, ISO 640
A tiny golden slug explores a fallen log in a sliver of filtered sunlight. 1/160, F4, ISO 640
I stopped down to F5 to get a little more of the log round sharp here. This lens is bright and crisp edge to edge! 1/125, F5, ISO 640
This lens rocks! Cutting-edge optical design in a compact, lightweight, rock-solid lens for mirrorless full-frame systems is a winning combo. 1/500, F5.6, ISO 640

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.

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