Sigma 24mm f3.5 DG DN Contemporary First Impressions:
As I said in another post, I am currently testing the three new I Series lenses from Sigma. I already posted a first impressions of the 65mm f2, which you can find here, and I will finished up the full review for it soon. You can also find my 45mm f2.8 review here. But for now, let’s talk about the widest focal length that you can get in the I Series (for now, at least), the 24mm f3.5 DG DN Contemporary lens. Here’s my first impressions of it.
In terms of build, the 24mm f3.5 is very similar to the other I Series lenses in that it’s an extremely well made lens. It has a similar appearance to the other I Series lenses, and like those, the barrel is an all metal design. There’s also a brass bayonet, and a manual aperture ring, which I love. The aperture ring is one feature that I would like to see on my native SL lenses. There is also rubber sealing incorporated in the mount’s design making the 24mm f3.5 weather and dust resistant. Overall, the build definitely inspires confidence because it’s a very solid feeling lens.
↑ The Panasonic S5 with the Sigma 24mm f3.5 DG DN Contemporary lens attached.
Out of all the current I Series lenses out right now, the 24mm f3.5 DG DN Contemporary lens has the smallest maximum aperture but the trade off is well worth it, in my opinion, because this lens is very compact. I think there are a lot of people including me that prefer more compact wide angle lenses, and are willing to sacrifice larger maximum apertures because these are the types of lenses that you’re going to do street photography with or landscape where you’ll be walking around a lot. I know that for these types of situations, I want something that is easy to carry around and also discreet (for street). For the type of photos I take with wide angles, I almost always stop them down to f5.6 or f8, and I imagine there are a lot of people out there that do the same. So, I don’t think an f3.5 maximum aperture is really a bad thing for a wide angle. As you can see, even Leica makes an 18mm, 21mm, and a 24mm with similar maximum apertures.
↑ Here’s a shot of the WTC taken with 125 ISO, and the lens set at f8.
↑ Here’s a shot of the New York Stock Exchange taken at f8 with 250 ISO.
As I said, walking around with this lens is great. It really makes the perfect travel companion. I’ve been shooting the 24mm with the Panasonic S5, which I am also reviewing right now, and as some of you know, it’s also a compact full frame camera. This combo has been downright awesome together. In addition to the 24mm being compact, it’s worth noting that it is also light. It weighs just 225 g.
↑ Here’s a shot of the Brooklyn Bridge that I took right under the FDR Drive. The settings were 100 ISO and f8.
↑ Here’s a view of some buildings around the Wall Street area. The settings were f11 and 250 ISO.
To top it off, the autofocus is very fast and efficient as well. It uses a stepping motor, which is both smooth and near silent. I’ve been testing the 24mm mainly on the S5, and there really hasn’t been a hiccup yet. In other words, no drama at all. I have also tried face detection with the 24mm, and it works great.
↑ This was taken right around the Oculus area. I always love the shadows here. I keep telling myself I’ll do a shoot here one day but I haven’t done it yet. The settings were f8 and 125 ISO.
↑ This was taken around the Wall Street area. The settings were f11 and 400 ISO.
I’m also happy to say that the 24mm f3.5 DG DN Contemporary lens impresses with it’s image quality. It’s a very sharp lens even at f3.5 that renders colors and contrast beautifully. It’s worth noting that I have been finding this lens highly resistant to flare as well (we’ve had a few very sunny days here in NYC recently). Bokeh is very smooth but only if you can get it. With a 24mm lens and a maximum aperture of f3.5, you’d have to be pretty close to your subject to get any significant shallow depth of field. Luckily, the minimum focus distance is 4.25″ with a maximum magnification of 1:2. This might come in handy and give you a unique close up perspective considering it’s a wide angle lens.
↑ Here’s another photo of the WTC. I thought it was kind of cool to add the Park sign in the photo. The settings were f8 and 320 ISO.
↑ Here’s one more photo of the Sigma 24mm f3.5 DG DN Contemporary lens attached to the Panasonic S5.
Overall, the Sigma 24mm f3.5 DG DN Contemporary lens has been a great lens to use. It’s light, easy to carry around, the autofocus is brilliant, and the lens produces great images. The price is just $549 too, which in my mind, is completely reasonable. For those who are currently using say a Super Elmar 24mm f3.8 ASPH, and want something with autofocus, this might be a nice replacement. Expect my full review very soon, and thanks for stopping by!
For those interested in purchasing the Sigma 24mm f3.5, you can check out the link below:
Thanks for the locations, not familia with the Oculus area, where is that
Hi Bernard,
Glad to help. It’s right next to the World Trade Center.
Best,
Patrick