Lens Guides

Hands-on reviews, technical information, and advice on SIGMA Art, Sports and Contemporary lenses for DSLRs and mirrorless cameras.

Seeing the Light with the Sigma 17-70 F2.8-4.0 DC OS HSM | C

The Sigma 17-70 F2.8-4.0 DC OS HSM | C is the first lens in the Contemporary line originally announced last September. This fast aperture standard zoom is a serious step up from the bundled kit zoom that covers a similar…

Exercise your Creativity with Prime Lenses

More and more I find my self shooting one of three Sigma prime focal length lenses in the studio… the 50mm f/1.4, the 85mm f/1.4 and the 150mm f/2.8 OS macro. I noticed that zooms were making me a bit lazy. Hey! It’s a lot easier to twist a zoom ring that it is to move a 300 pound studio stand even if it is on wheels. So why do I do it? A couple of reasons. Perspective, perspective, perspective. I shoot full frame Canon cameras. Their normal focal length is almost 50mm. That’s about the same angle of view as we see with our eyes. I use the 50 mainly for full length photographs.

Macro Photography: How Sensor Format Affects Image Depth of Field

One of the biggest challenges with macro photography is working with a limited depth of field or DOF. When I am shooting macro I am always trying to make sure the subject and elements in the frame appear sharp by adjusting the aperture and making sure the important elements in image fall on the plane of focus by adjusting my angle of view. But there is another important element that has a huge effect on DOF that most people don’t even know about, how a different sensor format can and will effect the depth of field in your image. Moving to a smaller sensor format at the same apparent magnification will give you lots more DOF to work with in your macro images.

The Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art: Another Look at this Amazing Lens

It was just about a year ago that the Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art lens was announced at Photokina 2012 as part of the Sigma Global Vision. And what a year it has been for this amazing wide, fast prime! This lens quickly won the hearts of both technical reviewers and creative photographers around the world for its amazing optical performance even wide open at F1.4, its design and build, and of course, its incredibly competitive street price.

Why the New Lens Mount Conversion Service is Great for Photographers

Many times I’ve been asked on Facebook and elsewhere if it is possible for a photographer to keep their favorite Sigma lens and get a lens mount swap after making the decision to switch from one camera to the next, and now, finally, I can answer them with the answer they (and I) want to hear! As of September 2, 2013, owners of lenses in Sigma’s line of the Sigma Global Vision lenses: Art, Sports, and Contemporary, can now send their lenses in for a mount swap. This is a paid service, and lenses will be shipped to our Aizu, Japan factory for the mount conversion

Sigma 120-300mm F2.8 DG OS HSM | Sports: Hands-On

There’s so much to love about the new Sigma 120-300mm F2.8 DG OS HSM | Sports lens, the third iteration of this unique fast-aperture telephoto zoom lens that pairs the performance of a 300mm F2.8 with the versatility of a constant-aperture zoom for quickly adjusting the composition.

Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM | Art: First Impressions

We’ve just announced the world’s first F1.8 constant aperture zoom lens, the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM | Art lens, and I’ll readily admit, we on the Sigma Corporation of America team have been just as excited about this lens leading up to launch as photographers have been since it was officially announced in the wee hours of April 18th. And now that I’ve spent some time with my hands on a preproduction version of the lens paired with my Sigma SD1, I, truly cannot wait ’til this lens starts shipping and I can share high-resolution end result photos! Today we’re going to focus on what we can talk about–the hand feel, build quality, and such of this brand new lens designed specifically for APS-C DSLRs.

SIGMA Optimization Pro and USB Dock: Screencast Demo

The Sigma USB Dock paired with Sigma Optimization Pro software brings lens customization to an entirely new level. Photographers can now personally update the firmware of Sigma’s new Global Vision lenses and make performance enhancements including multi-zone microfocus adjustments of +/-20 from the factory default settings.

First Look: SIGMA 30mm F1.4 DC HSM | Art

The Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM | Art lens replaces the very popular 30mm EX DC HSM lens as the fast, standard prime designed exclusively for DLSRs with APS-C sensors including the Sigma SD1 Merrill, the Canon EOS Rebel, 60D and 7D and a number of Nikon models including the D7100, D90, and D5100. And based on the updates and upgrades, the 30mm F1.4 Art lens is going to make a lot of photographers very happy.

Sigma DP3 Merrill for Amazing Close-up Details

The Sigma Dp3 Merrill is the newest member of the DP family, and the fourth camera in the Sigma line built around the amazing Merill Generation Foveon Direct Image Sensor. The Dp3 Merrill is fitted with a 50mm F2.8 DP prime lens that equates to 75mm on the APS-C stacked image sensor. And, in a first for the DP lineup, it offers 1:3 macro magnification.