Sigma 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary First Impressions:
A 35mm f2 lens is a popular choice among photographers because first off, the focal length is great for a variety of subjects. Second, f2 is a pretty large maximum aperture, which translates into a lens that is more versatile. A 35mm f2 is also usually compact or at least, more manageable than an f1.4 version. However, there aren’t a lot to choose from in L mount form, especially an autofocus version. So, it made sense that Sigma recently released the 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens, and it’s not only compact, it comes in at just $639. Here’s my first impressions of it.
A 35mm f2 lens is a popular lens because it’s great for so many things like landscape, environmental portraits, travel, and of course, street photography. So, you want something compact, light, and easy to live with, especially if you plan on spending a whole day shooting with it. I’m happy to say that the 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens fits this criteria perfectly. It is probably the perfect 35mm in terms of size for the L mount system, at least for me. It’s such an easy lens to use, and weighing in at just 325 g, it’s also a lightweight.
↑ The Panasonic S5 with the Sigma 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens attached.
To top it off, the build is also excellent. Like the other I Series lenses, the barrel is an all metal design. The bayonet is brass, and there’s even rubber sealing incorporated in the mount’s design making it weather and dust resistant. What I particularly like about the 35mm f2 is it also comes with a manual aperture ring. Overall, this is a very solid feeling lens that seems to be designed to last.
↑ Here’s a photo of the Brooklyn Bridge that I took under the FDR Drive. The settings I used were 100 ISO and f8.
↑ This was taken at the Oculus and WTC area. The settings were 100 ISO and f5.6.
↑ This was taken somewhere around the Lower East Side of Manhattan. The settings were f5.6 and 100 ISO.
As for the autofocus, the 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens uses a stepping motor, which is both smooth and near silent. The autofocus is also fast and drama free. I’ve been using the 35mm f2 with the Panasonic S5, and I haven’t encountered any issues so far. It’s worth noting that the face detection in the Panasonic works great with the 35mm f2 as well. I did have a chance to schedule a shoot, so I’m hoping I’ll have the edits done by the time I post the full review of this lens.
↑ Here’s a photo I took around Chinatown in Manhattan. The settings were 100 ISO and f4.
↑ This was taken around the Battery Park City area in Manhattan. The settings were f5.6 and 125 ISO.
↑ This was taken around Chinatown using f4 and 400 ISO.
Let’s now talk about the image quality, which by the way, is the icing on the cake. I’mm truly impressed with what I’ve been getting from the 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens. For one, I’m finding this lens to be razor sharp even at f2. Color and contrast rendering are very similar to the other I Series lenses that I’ve been testing as well in that they are beautiful. I’m also happy to report that the bokeh is ultra smooth and inviting.
↑ Here’s a photo of the Manhattan Bridge taken under the FDR Drive. The settings were f8 and 100 ISO.
↑ Here’s an example of the bokeh at f2. ISO used was 100.
↑ Here’s one more shot of the S5 with the Sigma 35mm f2. This is such a great combo.
As some of you know, I am not a fan of the 35mm focal length in general. I just don’t like it, and prefer a 50mm or even a 40mm but I have to admit, this lens is seriously growing on me. It reminds me of my Summicron-M 35mm ASPH in my M days before I switched to the SL system. It’s just so compact, light, and easy to use, and it also has autofocus but there doesn’t seem to be any real sacrifice because the image quality is also excellent. Best of all, the price is just $639. I rarely use a 35mm lens, so the only 35mm I use now on my Leica SL2 is either my M Summicron or my Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-90mm. I have to say, I am very tempted by this lens because it is certainly smaller than my Vario-Elmarit, and it has autofocus unlike my M Summicron. It’s also worth noting that it is not only significantly cheaper than the APO-Summicron-SL 35mm ASPH but also more compact. In my opinion, this is something the L mount system really needed, and I’m glad someone stepped up, and made it. Expect my full review soon!
For those interested in purchasing the Sigma 35mm f2, you can check out the link below:
