Who says August is the ‘silly season’ when we don’t tend to see major new products unveiled? Sigma has marked World Photography Day by announcing the 200mm F2 DG OS | Sports lens and 12mm F1.4 DC | Contemporary lens for a range of mirrorless camera mounts.
Let’s look first at the 200mm F2 DG OS | Sports, which is bigged-up by Sigma as the world’s first 200mm F2 telephoto prime lens designed for full-frame mirrorless cameras
Aimed at sports photographers needing a long reach and fast focussing, as well as portrait and landscape shooters, it features the company’s HLA (High-response Linear Actuator) for accurate, high-speed AF, plus 6.5-stop image stabilisation. The lens is also dust- and splash-resistant.
Other key features:
• 19 lens elements in 14 groups (including 2 FLD and 2 SLD glass elements) to correct axial chromatic aberration and chromatic aberration.
• Nano Porous Coating and Super Multi-Layer Coating to suppress flare and ghosting.
• Two optical stabilisation modes: Mode 1 for general shooting, and Mode 2, designed to assist with panning shots, even when the camera is moved vertically or diagonally.
• The exterior of the lens body is coated with a thermal insulation paint to suppress heat absorption from sunlight (in other words, the lens stays cool even during a long, hot shooting session).
• A new tripod socket, featuring a longer base and wider spacing between it and the lens.
• AFL buttons in three different locations, a focus mode switch, a focus limiter switch, an OS switch (Mode 1/2), and a custom mode switch.
• 170cm minimum focusing distance.
• 11 rounded diaphragm blades.
• 105mm filter size.
• Dimensions: 118.9mm x 201mm.
• Weight: 1,820g.
The Sigma 200mm F2 DG OS | Sports is compatible with Sony E and L-mount cameras and goes onsale on September 4th for £2999.
The Sigma 12mm F1.4 DC | Contemporary
The second lens to be announced by Sigma is an ultra-wide-angle prime that the company claims offers the widest angle of view of any F1.4 lens for APS-C cameras on the market. This 12mm lens (equivalent to 18mm in 35mm terms) is relatively light and is particularly aimed at street photographers who work in low light and at night – but it should also appeal to astro shooters and landscape fans.
Key features
• Three double-sided aspherical lenses and two SLD glass elements for high optical performance when shooting wide open at F1.4. Sagittal coma flare is also well corrected, the company claims, ensuring clear starry night scenes.
• The placement of double-sided aspherical elements has also kept the lens relatively compact – it’s 69.4mm long and weighs 225g, despite the large aperture.
• An aperture ring; note the Canon RF Mount version has a control ring instead of an aperture ring, allowing functions to be assigned according to your preferred settings.
• A dust- and splash-resistant structure with a water- and oil-repellent coating.
• Nine rounded-diaphragm aperture blades.
• 17.2cm minimum focusing distance.
• 62mm filter size.
The Sigma 12mm F1.4 DC | Contemporary is available for Sony E, Fujifilm X and Canon RF mounts and also goes onsale on September 4th, this time for £519. Sigma’s Contemporary line-up for APS-C cameras now covers 12mm, 16mm, 23mm, 30mm and 56mm focal lengths.
