Sigma 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary Lens Review

Sigma 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary Lens Review:

The Sigma I Series is still relatively new but with the focal lengths that are out so far, they cover a decent amount of ground.  These are also compact lenses for photographers who just don’t need those large maximum apertures, and instead, just want something that’s more compact, and still optically excellent, fast, and easy to operate.  The focal lengths in this series so far are a 24mm, a 45mm, and a 65mm.  I’ve reviewed all of those, which you can find here.  Another lens in this series is the Sigma 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens, which is what I’m reviewing here.

Sigma 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary Lens Build Quality:

Like the rest of the lenses in the I Series, the 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens feels great in the hands because of its excellent build.  The barrel is made of all metal, there’s a brass bayonet mount, and there’s also rubber sealing at the mount to make the 35mm f2 dust and weather resistant.  Moreover, if you choose to focus manually, the focus ring feels nice, and smooth when you rotate it.  Plus, there’s an aperture ring that clicks in third stops, which I love using.  It reminds me of the days when I was a Leica M user.  Since switching to the SL system, I haven’t had this experience because I don’t really use M mount lenses as much anymore.  I mostly use my native SL lenses, which don’t have aperture rings.

↑ The Panasonic S5 with the Sigma 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens attached.

In terms of size, the 35mm f2 is just about perfect when you consider its build, autofocus, and image quality, which I will get into later.  This isn’t an f1.4 lens but in my book, f2 is still plenty fast, especially for a 35mm.  The trade off also meant that the Sigma 35mm f2 is only 2.8 x 2.6″ / 70 x 65.4 mm in length, and 11.5 oz / 325 g in terms of weight.  In my opinion, that’s fantastic considering what many users will use this lens for like street photography, candid or landscape just to name a few.  Another 35mm f2 that comes to my mind in the L mount system is, of course, the Leica Summicron-APO 35mm f2 ASPH, which is superb.  There’s no question about it.  It’s probably perfection but with that said, it doesn’t seem to fit what I think a 35mm f2 should be in terms of size.  It’s still a compact lens but it’s definitely not like this Sigma.

↑ 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.

I grew up during the days of film, and I was a Leica M fanatic.  When I picture a 35mm f2, I think of the 35mm Summicron-M…pretty much any version.  It’s something I’m going to snap on my camera, I’m going to get great shots because the image quality is exceptional, and it’s going to be compact, so I can be discreet.  The 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens fits this mold in my eyes.  It definitely has the image quality going for it, which I’ll talk about later but you’re also getting something that is very compact and light, so it’s easy to use.  It’s going to be discreet as well.  It’s something that you can have on your camera 24/7 because not only is the focal length versatile enough for a variety of subjects but that compactness and lighter weight just makes it easier to leave it on the camera all the time just like the Summicron-M for an M camera.

So, I really love the size of this lens, and I found it just so easy to carry around all day.  It’s not heavy, and it’s not sticking out of the camera conspicuously, so I’m able to just walk around and take street shots.  In addition to street photography, I can see people using this lens easily for landscape and travel.  This is also a great lens for candid shots or just hanging out with friends and loved ones.  It’s not f1.4 but truthfully, I don’t miss that in a 35mm, since I stop down a lot with this kind of a focal length anyway.  I feel a 35mm f2 is a nice area to be in when you consider size of the lens, weight, and also light gathering power, which it still has in most situations.

I tested this lens with the Panasonic S5, and as many of you know, that’s a compact L mount camera.  I have to say, the S5 and these I Series lenses make such a great compact set up.  If I were in the market for a compact system, my first instinct would’ve told me to look in the APS-C area before something like these lenses and the S5 but I have to tell you, these lenses would make the decision a bit more difficult now.  The S5, for example, isn’t much larger than my Fuji X-T3 (an APS-C camera), and with these I Series lenses mounted on it, I don’t feel like I’m at such a huge weight, and size disadvantage vs. something in the APS-C world.  For some, the full frame allure might be worth it.

To top all of this off, the 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens does come with a metal lens hood, and a magnetic lens cap along with the snap on one.  The lens hood is a simple twist on type that works great but I left it at home most of the time.  I didn’t have any issues with flare.  As for the magnetic lens cap, it’s a neat little feature.  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 Sigma 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens with its lens hood attached.

↑ Here’s the magnetic lens cap.

↑ It attaches perfectly to the lens.

Sigma 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary Lens Autofocus:

As for autofocus, the 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens uses a stepping motor like the other I Series lenses.  The autofocus is not only fast and silent, it’s also accurate.  It’s been pretty much drama free for my work.  In other words, I haven’t experienced any major issues with the autofocus.

I also did bring this lens with me on one of my professional shoots, and it worked beautifully with the face detection.  Focus was always quick and accurate.  It kept up with the pose changes by the model, and never broke the rhythm of the shoot.  I also tried some boudoir shots in difficult lighting where there were heavy shadows and highlights.  The lens kept up, and didn’t have an issue getting those eyes sharp even at f2.

Sigma 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary Lens Image Quality:

Now that we’ve talked about the build and autofocus, let’s turn our attention to the image quality, which I have to say, is fantastic.  Let me start out by saying that I am not a fan of the 35mm focal length in general.  I don’t even own a 35mm L mount lens.  I just have my Summicron from my M days which I haven’t even used in years haha.  However, this lens really produces some great images, and I’m actually considering one myself.  In fact, I did a majority of one of my professional shoots with it, and I was extremely happy with the results.  I may post those images at a later date when I have the time to edit them in either a separate post or/and add some here.

↑ This was taken somewhere around the Lower East Side of Manhattan.  The settings were 100 ISO and f5.6.

↑ Here’s another taken under the FDR Drive using the same settings as above, which were 100 ISO and f5.6.

↑ The Sigma 35mm f2 makes such a great street lens.  It’s compact making it discreet, and the autofocus is fast.  This was taken using f4 and 100 ISO.

Anyway, let’s start off with sharpness, which is excellent.  I found the 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens to be tack sharp even at f2.  Of course, stopping down brings up the resolving power but feel free to shoot at f2 all the time.  As I said, I brought this lens to my shoot, and I was shooting at f2 with no issues.  The eyes were always tack sharp.  If you’re after optimum performance, I’d say f4 to f8 is the area that you want to be in but like every other good lens out there, this lens can be used throughout the aperture range to produce fantastic results without any issues.

↑ This was taken using 100 ISO and f8.

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

↑ Here’s a photo taken at f8 and 100 ISO as well.  This was taken around the South Street Seaport area in Manhattan.

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

↑ This was taken around using 200 ISO and f8.

Other features of this lens include excellent color and contrast rendering.  Like the other I Series lenses, images have a nice pop and 3D depth to them.  Images looks so nice and crisp.  A little vignetting was visible at maximum aperture but as you stop down, it goes away.  Nothing out of the ordinary.  This lens was also highly resistant to flare.  Basically, unless you’re purposely aiming at the sun to make it flare, you probably won’t have an issue with it because I definitely didn’t.

↑ Here’s a shot under the FDR Drive taken using f8 and 100 ISO.

↑ This was taken when I was walking around the Wall Street area.  The settings I used were f4 and 100 ISO.

↑ Here’s a photo of the Manhattan Bridge taken under the FDR Drive.  The settings were f8 and 100 ISO.

↑ This was taken at the Oculus and WTC area.  The settings were 100 ISO and f5.6.

As for shallow depth of field, you should have no problems getting some with a 35mm f2 lens.  The quality of the bokeh from the 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens in particular is beautifully smooth and inviting thanks in part to its 9 rounded diaphragm blades.  Sigma lenses produce great bokeh in my opinion, and this one is definitely no exception.  It’s a more modern look but I love it.

↑ Here’s a wide open shot from a distance to give you an idea of how the bokeh looks when you’re shooting further away from your subject.  I used 100 ISO.

↑ Here’s a 100% crop of the photo above.  Notice how you can read the words on the bike.

↑ Here’s another shot taken at f2.

↑ Here’s another example of the bokeh at f2.  ISO used was 100.

Pros And Cons:

Pros:

• Well built.
• Very compact and light – exactly what I feel a 35mm f2 lens should be like.
• Metal lens hood and magnetic lens cap (in addition to the snap on lens cap)
• Fast autofocus that is accurate.
• Excellent image quality.
• Beautiful bokeh.
• Great price.

Cons:

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

Sigma 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary Lens Verdict:

Quite frankly, I was surprised at how much I fell for the 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens.  I say this because I’m not a 35mm kind of guy, and so I was expecting to just not really enjoy using this focal length as much as the other I Series lenses.  However, this lens certainly has its charms.  Like the other three out so far, its build is excellent, and the image quality is superb.  I particularly enjoyed the images from that model shoot I mentioned earlier.  I was really impressed with what it produced, and so was the model.  I really need to get editing, so I can post some of those images here for all of you.

↑ This was taken around the Battery Park City area in Manhattan.  The settings were f5.6 and 125 ISO.

↑ Here’s a photo I took around Chinatown in Manhattan.  The settings were 100 ISO and f4.

↑ This was taken somewhere around the Lower East Side of Manhattan.  The settings were f5.6 and 100 ISO.

In addition to the those qualities, this lens just really fits the mold of what I think a 35mm f2 lens should be like.  I can’t help but consider this like a modern day 35mm Summicron-M lens.  The Sigma 35mm f2 is compact, and light yet built well, and produces great images.  It’s like the perfect modern day “everyday lens”.  Yes, I know there is the APO-Summicron-SL 35mm f2 ASPH, which is perfect optically in every way, and as many of you know, I love Leica but it’s not quite the same in terms of size and weight.  Plus, it’s $5,195 versus what Sigma is asking for, which is $639.  For a guy like me who doesn’t even use a 35mm as much, it’s difficult to justify letting go $5-6k of my money for one when I can pick up the Sigma for less than a $1k (This, of course, is my own situation).  If we’re talking about say the Sigma 35mm f1.2 DG DN Art lens (my current favorite 35mm and my review here), that’s a bit different in my book because with that f1.2 aperture, it’s a specialty lens, and therefore, I can justify it being huge and heavy.  That I would buy specifically for my work, for instance.  But for a 35mm f2 lens, which to me is like an everyday lens that I can use for work, and just to shoot around in general, I want it to be as compact as possible.  Trust me, you’re still getting some great image quality out of the Sigma as well.

↑ 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 around Chinatown using f4 and 400 ISO.

↑ This last shot was taken using 100 ISO and f8.  This was taken around the South Street Seaport area in Manhattan.

So, if you’re looking for a great 35mm for your L mount camera or even Sony, since this also comes in E mount, you should definitely consider this lens.  I had a great experience with it, and highly recommend it!

Thanks for taking the time to read my review!  If you’re considering purchasing the Sigma 35mm 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!

35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary lens at B&H Photo

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