Finding the right gift for the special photographer in your life can be pretty daunting, and even buying gear for yourself can be overwhelming with all the options out there. Thankfully, our team of SIGMA Ambassadors is here to recommend some of their favorites!
What is your go-to lens for your area of expertise?
Liam Doran – Action Sports, Landscapes & Wildlife
My go-to lens recently has been the SIGMA 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary. The compact size and light weight combined with optical excellence make this lens a great choice for adventures both near and far.
Meg Loeks – Portraits & Lifestyle
The SIGMA 35mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art has always been my go-to lens specifically for environmental portraiture which I tend to shoot most often. This lens works beautifully in tight spaces within my home, allowing me to include a lot of important storytelling details in my work.
Jim Koepnick – Photojournalism & Aviation
The SIGMA 70-200mm F2.8 DG OS HSM | Sports lens is definitely the go-to lens in my camera bag. Sharpness, speed and versatility are three of the main features I love about this lens. I use it for all of my air-to-air aviation work, I use it for the majority of my indoor sports photography, and it is my go-to lens choice for events and portraits.
Anabel DFlux – Portraits Concerts, Pets & Branding
The SIGMA 35mm F1.2 DG DN | Art is my absolute favorite! The wide aperture is superb for utilizing any location in front of you. The shallow depth of field can transform even an unflattering spot into a beautiful mix of texture, color, and blur. Plus, the lens is extremely sharp and very durable.
Michelle Harris – Weddings & Portraits
I’m obsessed with the SIGMA 40mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art. Hands down, the sharpest, fastest lens in my arsenal. It’s the perfect focal length between the 35mm and 50mm, and it almost never leaves my camera anymore.
Jack Fusco – Astrophotography
The new SIGMA 20mm F1.4 DG DN | Art is definitely the lens I’m most excited about. This lens was built for astro and every feature of it shows. The new Manual Focus Lock, which allows you to lock in your focus without worrying about the focus ring shifting, is an astrophotographer’s dream feature.
Marla Michele Must – Portraits & Dance
The SIGMA 105mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art is my go-to lens for both portraits and dance photography. It brings out the best in my subjects and has the dreamiest bokeh ever… which is why it’s referred to as the bokeh master!
Heather Larkin – Portraits & Macro
The SIGMA 85mm F1.4 DG DN | Art is easily the most-used lens in my collection right now. Not only is the autofocus fast — which works perfectly with my Sony camera body — but the bokeh is absolutely magical!
Martina Abreu – Wildlife & Portraits
I love the SIGMA 500mm F4 DG OS HSM | Sports lens. It features a large aperture for fast shutter speeds, and it easily captures moving wildlife in most lighting conditions. Fast, accurate and sharp focusing allows for easy capturing of moving subjects.
What SIGMA lens is next on your wish list?
Martina Abreu
I want to try the 200-500mm F2.8 APO EX DG. I would LOVE to use this lens for astrophotography. With the larger aperture and range it would take astrophotography to the next level!
Anabel DFlux
I must admit I already have it, but I love the SIGMA 85mm F1.4 DG DN | Art! This beautiful telephoto lens offers brilliant subject compression for all the dog photography, fantasy photography, and music photography I do. The sharpness is superb, and the small stature of the lens makes it very easy to take anywhere with me.
Liam Doran
I can’t wait to shoot more with the SIGMA 16-28mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary lens for moments when the scene needs a wide-angle perspective. I’ve tried it, and it’s a keeper!
Jack Fusco
The SIGMA 60-600mm DG OS HSM | Sports lens is definitely outside of what I use on a day-to-day basis, but I have so many ideas! It’s such a huge focal range to cover with one lens! I’m hoping to try one sometime in the coming year.
Michelle Harris
The SIGMA 20mm F1.4 DG DN | Art, recently redesigned for mirrorless, because of its ability to capture wide landscapes, plus its fast aperture and improved sharpness. The original 20mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art for DSLRs changed my photography forever, and the new version is even better!
Jim Koepnick
I love the SIGMA 105mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art lens. Not only does this lens have incredible sharpness, but such a beautiful bokeh when shot wide open. It gives my portraits a special look, and I plan on putting it in my lens rotation soon.
Heather Larkin
The SIGMA 105mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art… magical and impressive.
Meg Loeks
The SIGMA 105mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art is a favorite lens of mine. It transforms the most mundane moments into something magical. The bokeh is smooth and beautiful and the lens itself is tack sharp wide open.
Marla Michele Must
When I’m shooting dance portraits, I frequently need to go a little wider. For years, my go-to wide lens has been the 24-35mm F2 DG HSM | Art, but after trying the 35mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art and 40mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art, I might have to work a prime lens into the mix, especially when the light is fading during golden hour.
What SIGMA accessories or other products would you recommend?
Anabel DFlux
For EF lens users switching to Sony E-mount, the MC-11 Mount Converter is a must have! I have some EF lenses that I’ve easily converted to my Sony cameras with this nifty accessory.
Heather Larkin
I love the SIGMA fp L combined with the 105mm F2.8 DG DN Macro | Art for relaxing outdoors, taking high-res macro shots of my favorite flowers.
Jack Fusco
The SIGMA fp is not-so-quietly flying under the radar as a super versatile camera with a really small footprint, great for both stills and video.
Liam Doran
I highly recommend rounding out the Contemporary lens trifecta (16-28mm & 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN | C) with the 100-400mm DG DN OS | Contemporary. It’s a versatile, high-quality set that is light enough to go almost anywhere.
Jim Koepnick
For anyone shooting with a DSLR, then the SIGMA USB Dock is a must. It is so easy to not only update firmware, but also to fine tune the lens to your specific camera.
Meg Loeks
The SIGMA USB Dock. It’s not something I use often, but extremely useful, especially when updating camera bodies and dialing in my lenses.
If you were to plan a photographic “outing” with anyone in history, who would it be?
Michelle Harris
Gabrielle Union and Dwanye Wade. I would love to shoot their love because it’s so authentic and real and goofy. I would love to capture that. They do what they feel is best for their family and do not let the outside world dictate their actions.
Meg Loeks
It would be with Norman Rockwell. I’m incredibly inspired by his storytelling and attention to detail. He went to extreme lengths to find the right models and environments which were photographed for his paintings.
Martina Abreu
My father, Mariano Abreu. He is blind and if I could wish for anything, it would be to give him sight. I would love to show him the natural beauty of this world captured through my SIGMA lens.
Marla Michele Must
Ansel Adams, but I would capture it all in color 😉
Liam Doran
Oh, I think the photographer I’d most like to shoot with is Galen Rowell. His work in the 70s and 80s chasing athletes, landscapes and wildlife around the world was a huge inspiration to me.
Jim Koepnick
My first choice would be David Kennerly because he was my inspiration (particularly his book Shooter) when I started my career in photojournalism.
Jack Fusco
I’d love to take a photo of Bruce Springsteen standing under the stars. I grew up in Jersey and got into photography while playing music. Even though I played in punk bands, I often had Springsteen playing in my headphones. I’d love to say thanks for the countless hours of music with a photo.
Heather Larkin
Vincent van Gogh. I think he’d be enchanted by the idea of a light gathering clicky box that makes pretty pictures.
Anabel DFlux
I love the photographic work of Philippe Halsman. He has been my favorite since I was 13 years old and discovered his photographs of Salvador Dali. I just love the creative mind he has, and the fact that all of his work is done with practical in-camera effects. I think it would be incredible to go back in time on a photographic outing with him, and really get back to the roots of creating incredible works of creative art in-camera.
My go to lens as of late for live music photography has been the Sigma 65mm f/2.0 , I series Contemporary, then the Sigma Art 28mm f/1.4 at f/1.4 on the Sony e mount.
I also am shooting the Sony 24mm f/1.4 and 20mm f/1.8 a ton for video and live music photography.
I wish I had the Sigma i in series Contemporary versions of these two focal lengths. I’ve looked at the images from them and they also render light sources the same as to the Sigma 65mm f/2.0 and Sigma 90mm f/2.8 that I also have been using for live music photography.
I purchased the 90 f/2.8 just for interviews with the artists and how it renders the background lights similar to the 65 I’ve been using in the past for the interviews.