Sigma 65mm f2 DG DN Contemporary Lens Review

Sigma 65mm f2 DG DN Contemporary Lens Review:

For those looking for new L mount lenses, Sigma has been releasing quite a few lately.  One lens in particular, which is part of the new Sigma I Series, is the new 65mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens.  I’ve been wanting to try this lens for a while now because my favorite focal length is a 50mm, and the Sigma is just a little bit longer.  Therefore, it may have certain benefits that are good for my type of work, which is fashion and boudoir.  I’ve had the pleasure of using this lens for quite a while, and here’s what I think of it.

Sigma 65mm f2 DG DN Contemporary Lens Build Quality:

Let’s start off with build quality, which I have to say, is excellent.  The 65mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens is a very solid feeling lens thanks in part to the barrel being made out of all metal.  There’s also a brass bayonet mount, and rubber sealing at the mount to make this lens dust and weather resistant.  Furthermore, the focus ring feels nice, and smooth when you rotate it.  Plus, there’s even an aperture ring, which I’m particularly fond of, and it clicks in third stops.  I used to be an Leica M user before I switched to the SL system, and the native SL lenses just don’t have aperture rings.  It’s something I miss from my M days.  Overall, I’m impressed with the build of the 65mm f2.  It feels really nice in the hands, and like something that is made to last.

↑ The Sigma 65mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens attached to the Panasonic S5.

To top it off, the 65mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens is also very compact considering its focal length and features.  The dimensions are 2.8 x 2.9″ / 72 x 74.7 mm, and it uses a 62mm filter.  It also weighs just 405 g, which is a nice weight for this lens.  It’s light enough to carry around all day yet it has a good heft to it that makes it feel like a quality product.  It also feels nicely balanced when mounted on a camera.

I’ve been using this lens with the Panasonic S5, which as some of you know, is already a very compact full frame camera.  The combo was just about perfect.  I couldn’t ask for more.  In my opinion, these are the lenses that we need more of in the L Mount Alliance.  This is definitely a lens designed to be more carefree and easy to live with in general.  This is something you can travel with or use for street photography while staying discreet.  For those worried image quality might suffer a bit as a trade off, wait till you read below.  Trust me, it doesn’t :).  What you do sacrifice for the sake of more portability is a larger aperture lens but f2 is still plenty fast.

↑ This photo is just to show you the I Series lenses are very compact.  From left to right: my Summilux-M 50mm f1.4 ASPH, the Sigma 24mm f3.5 DG DN Contemporary lens, the Sigma 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens, and the Sigma 65mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens.

So, build and portability are excellent, and in addition, you also get a metal lens hood, and a magnetic lens cap along with the snap on one.  The lens hood works great; it’s a simple twist on, and lock type but truthfully, I left it at home most of the time.  I found the 65mm f2 to be highly resistant to issues like flare.  As for the magnetic lens cap, it is very cool.  It’s metal, and the inside part is felt lined, so you won’t scratch your lens.  It sticks on perfectly, and is such a great idea.  You can also purchase the Sigma CH-11 Magnetic Cap Holder to hold the cap when it’s not in use.

↑ The lens hood is made of metal.

↑ The 65mm f2 comes with two caps.  One is a snap on and the other is a magnetic type, which is pictured above.  The inside is felt lined.

↑ The magnetic cap on top of the 65mm f2.

Sigma 65mm f2 DG DN Contemporary Lens Autofocus:

In terms of the autofocus, the 65mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens uses a stepping motor that is near silent and fast.  It has also been very accurate.  I’ve been using it mainly with the S5 I mentioned earlier, which I am also reviewing, and I haven’t had any real issues with the autofocus.  It’s been drama free for the most part, and I’ve tried it in many different types of conditions and lighting.

It’s also worth noting that the 65mm f2’s autofocus worked great with the face detection in the S5.  I took the 65mm f2 to one of my professional model shoots, and I was very happy with how immediate the focus felt.  It was able to keep pace with the constant changes in poses by the model.  I even did a few boudoir shots in some difficult lighting where I was playing around with shadows and harsh light; the 65mm f2 had no trouble keeping up.

The only issue I think some might have is the minimum focus distance is 1.8′ / 55 cm.  This was not a problem for me at all; I never have to shoot closer than the specs, especially with a 65mm lens but I just wanted to mention this in case others take issue with this trait.

Sigma 65mm f2 DG DN Contemporary Lens Image Quality:

As for image quality, let me put it to you this way: if I had a lens of the year, the Sigma 85mm f1.4 DG DN Art lens (review here) would be it for 2020.  The 65mm f2 might just be my lens of 2021.  The year is still young, and there are plenty of lenses out there to try but to me, it’s really that good.  This lens really spoke to me, and I found the image quality to be superb.

↑ Here’s a shot taken around the Lower East Side with the Panasonic S5 using 100 ISO and f5.6.

↑ This was taken somewhere in Chinatown at f8 with 200 ISO.

↑ Here’s one of Michelle (Instagram) shot at f2 taken with 100 ISO.

Let’s first take a look at sharpness, which I found to be impressive.  I don’t do any scientific test benching when I review gear but just out of all the images I took with the 65mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens, I feel this has to be one of the sharpest lenses I’ve used.  Sharpness is excellent at f2.  It’s so sharp at f2, you can clearly see dust on eyelashes.  You can see fine strands of hair.  Stopping down does improve sharpness a bit with f5.6 to f8 producing what I feel are the sharpest images; however, this lens performs brilliantly throughout the aperture range, so feel free to use it at any setting.  It’s not like you’ll see much of a difference in sharpness as you rotate through the different settings (minus depth of field) because this lens is really that good.

↑ Here’s a photo taken at f2 with 100 ISO.

↑ Here’s a 100% crop of the photo above.  Look at the crazy detail at f2.

↑ Here’s a photo of St. Pauls Chapel of Trinity Church taken at f5.6 with 125 ISO.

↑ Here’s a 100% crop of the photo above.

↑ This was taken using 100 ISO and f8.

↑ Here’s a 100% crop of the photo above.

As for other traits, contrast and color rendering are excellent.  Images have such a beautiful depth to them.  The 65mm f2 produces that 3D pop we all love from good lenses.  Vignetting hasn’t been a major issue, and of course, stopping down a bit gets rid of it.  I also didn’t really experience any flare or ghosting issues under normal shooting conditions meaning not purposely trying to make the lens flare for the sake of it.

↑ I used 640 ISO and f4 to capture this image.

↑ This was taken in Chinatown with 100 ISO at f5.6.

↑ This was taken with 100 ISO and the lens set at f5.6.

The lens’ optical characteristics are just superb, and because of that, it may look like it’s one of those lenses that is chasing that technical perfection.  However, I don’t feel it’s just clinical.  I know a few of you follow me on Instagram, and you probably know my go-to lens is my Summilux-SL 50mm f1.4 ASPH.  Leica was chasing f1.4 perfection with it but there’s more to it than just technical perfection.  It has a unique look to it, and this Sigma 65mm f2 has it’s own unique look as well.  Yes, it’s sharp and all that good stuff but I just love how this lens renders.  To me, it feels a bit special.

↑ This was taken in Bay Ridge with 100 ISO and f5.6.

↑ I used 800 ISO and f5.6 here in this photo.

↑ This was taken with 100 ISO with the lens set at f2.

Plus, I think this is a pretty unique focal length for photographers at least.  The 65mm f2 is a normal focal length that is just a bit longer.  I’m a 50mm kind of guy, and so I really enjoyed the 65mm focal length.  It was a bit longer than what I am used to but not so long where I felt like I was shooting with a short tele like a 75mm or a 90mm.  At the same time, I get a bit more compression, which is nice for portraits and people photography in general.

↑ Here’s a street shot I took with the lens set at f4 nd the S5 set at 320 ISO.

↑ Here’s a photo I took at f11 with 400 ISO.

↑ This is just a quick snap I took at f2 and 100 ISO.

The icing on the cake is probably the bokeh from the 65mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens, which is also fantastic.  I’ve reviewed a lot of Sigma lenses, and one of the main characteristics that I feel they all share (at least the ones that I have reviewed) is the excellent bokeh.  This lens has a 9-blade rounded diaphragm, which helps contribute to ultra smooth and inviting bokeh.  If you look at the images below, you can see that the backgrounds are just buttery smooth.  It’s a more modern look but it’s still a beautifully creamy look.

↑ Here’s a photo taken at f2 and 100 ISO.

↑ Here’s another of Michelle (Instagram) shot at f2 taken with 100 ISO.

↑ Here’s another wide open shot taken with 100 ISO.

↑ Here’s one more taken at f2 with 100 ISO.  As you can see, the bokeh is very nice and smooth.

Sigma 65mm f2 DG DN Contemporary Lens Pros And Cons:

Pros:

• Well built.
• Compact and light.
• Metal lens hood and magnetic lens cap (in addition to the snap on lens cap)
• Quick autofocus that is accurate.
• Superb image quality.
• Beautiful bokeh.
• Great focal length.
• Great price.

Cons:

• No image stabilization but even then, I don’t look at this as a real con.

Sigma 65mm f2 DG DN Contemporary Lens Verdict:

Simply put, the 65mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens is one of my favorite lenses to come from Sigma so far.  I was looking forward to using this lens when it was first announced, and now that I had the chance to test it, it’s better than I ever imagined.  For one, the build is excellent, and to top it off the overall size is just about right, which is something I also feel is much needed in the L Mount Alliance.  I love all the reference level large aperture lenses out there but at the same time, I also feel we need more compact offerings as well for a more complete system.  Credit definitely goes to Sigma for stepping up, and making the I Series for us L mount users.

↑ Here’s a photo taken at f2 with 100 ISO somewhere in Chinatown.

↑ Here’s a photo of the Manhattan Bridge that I took under the FDR Drive using f8 and 100 ISO.

The best thing is even though the 65mm f2 is compact, I don’t really see much sacrifice made to the image quality that it produces.  Basically, if you don’t mind sacrificing a bit in the maximum aperture department for something that is more compact but still offers the image quality you would expect from a top lens, this 65mm f2 is probably right for you.  I am very impressed with the 65mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens.  I simply love what it produces, and having such a unique focal length is just an added bonus.

↑ This was captured with 100 ISO and the lens set at f2.

↑ Here’s one last photo of the Sigma 65mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens attached to the Panasonic S5.

Overall, I feel this is an excellent buy, especially for the price that it currently retails at, which is $699.  The price isn’t cheap but at the same time, I think it’s very reasonable.  This is definitely something I would add to my own kit that I use professionally for my shoots; that’s how much I love this lens.  This, to me, is a top tier optic, and one that I highly recommend to anyone.

Thanks for taking the time to read my review!  If you’re considering purchasing the Sigma 65mm f2, and my review helped you decide, please help support this site by purchasing from the links below or any mentioned in this review.  It will not cost you anything extra. Thank you for your support!

65mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens at B&H Photo

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