Choosing a lens is hard enough, but knowing if a third-party brand is right for you, makes the decision process even longer. Brands like Sigma have developed top-of-the-line lenses for quite some time now. In this article, we’ll show you the best Sigma Art lens options for each major camera brand and which lens would be the best fit for your bag.
What is Sigma?
Sigma has offered high quality lenses at a competitive price for years now and has maintained a solid reputation as a third-party lens producer — but they are no longer considered a secondary lens brand. Creators all over the world are committed to using these lenses because they rival the lenses of all the main camera brands on the market. Sigma is offering professional-level lenses, for an excellent price, without compromise.
Best Sigma Art Lenses
Canon:
- 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM ART Lens
- 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART Lens
- 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART Lens
- 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM ART Lens
Sony:
- 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art Lens
- 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Lens
- 50mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Lens for Sony E
- 105mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens
- 135mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art Lens
Leica:
- 20mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Lens
- 24mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Lens
- 35mm f/1.2 DG DN Art Lens
- 50mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Lens
- 105mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens
Nikon:
For Canon
Sigma currently has a number of useful lenses for Canon EF mounts. Though the company hasn’t developed lenses for the Canon RF series as of yet, Sigma lenses are compatible with RF mounts via Canon’s OEM adapter, EF-EOS R.
Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM ART Lens for Canon EF
This ultrawide zoom lens is excellent for landscape, cityscape and even astrophotography. The high standard lens features low distortion and excellent sharpness, especially when paired with cameras that have 45 megapixels or more. The 14-24mm is also coated with a splash and dustproof sealing, making it ultra-durable in all environments. It weighs 2.65lbs so it feels heavy in your hands. The only downsides here are lack of built-in image stabilization and the lens hood is not removable, meaning there is no filter thread.
Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART Lens for Canon EF
The Sigma 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM was one of the company’s first lenses in the ‘Art” lineup. Its primary purpose was to serve full-frame cameras, but it can also be used with APS-C sensors as well. The 35mm focal length makes it a versatile lens for all general forms of photography. This is an excellent lens for anyone wanting to take a walk through town and capture the city. It is also rugged enough to take into more wild environments when hiking or traveling. The Hyper Sonic Motor provides fast and quiet autofocus and the resulting imagery is crisp.
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART Lens for Canon EF
The Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art is a very high quality lens designed for full-frame bodies. The lens is built for portraiture and is ideal for intermediate and professional level creators. Its fast f/1.4 aperture creates sharp and bright imagery, and soft bokeh blurs the background. The 50mm will offer more depth and compression than the 35mm prime mentioned above. There is no shortage for 50mm lenses on the market, but this one comes at a great price for the quality it offers.
Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART Lens for Canon EF
For those wanting to expand their arsenal of prime lenses, the Sigma 85mm f/1.4 is an incredible addition that offers sharp resolution and ultra-compression. The lens is designed for portraiture, but could also be ideal for street photography or any scenario where low light might be a factor. The lens is one of the largest in its class and is quite heavy, which some photographers will like and some won’t. But the size and weight only showcase how durable this lens is and that it will last you a long time.
Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM ART Lens for Canon EF
The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 is an optically incredible lens, though it is a bit bigger and heavier than similar lenses in its class. This is a pro-level lens that offers silent and fast focusing and a super wide aperture, especially considering it is a zoom lens. Its zoom abilities along with its wide aperture make it completely unique on the market. It is the perfect landscape or astrophotography lens.
For Sony
Just a few short years ago, Sigma had no lenses for Sony full frame E-mount cameras. Now, you can find an assortment of premium level lenses with the Art name attached and you will never be disappointed in the quality.
Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art Lens for Sony E
The Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 Art lens is a bright, professional level lens for photographers with the Sony E mount. The lens is compatible with both full frame and APS-C camera bodies. It’s well suited for commercial photography and its focal length range makes it versatile enough to be the only lens in your kit for a day shoot. The lens provides sharp imagery for a competitive price point.
Sigma AF 35mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Lens for Sony E
The 35mm focal length is the industry standard for photography and cinematography. The Sigma AF 35mm f/1.4 is reasonably sized between its f/1.2 and f/2.0 counterparts. It has a minimum focus distance of 30cm that gives a magnification figure of roughly 0.19x. Street photographers and cinematographers would find this lens beneficial. The only complaint I’ve seen is a slight delay in the autofocus in fast-paced situations.
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Lens for Sony E
The Sigma 50mm f/1.4 ART makes the older HSM edition seem ancient. It showcases better handling, on-barrel aperture control, anti-smudging fluorine glass, and comes at a price half that of the Sony and Panasonic lenses. There can be some flare and focus breathing, but for the price, you really can’t beat this lens option. This lens is designed for portrait photographers who love the classic 50mm focal length.
Sigma 105mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens for Sony E
The Sigma 105mm hits right in that focal range that some portrait photographers love. It offers supreme compression, isolating your subject from its background with ease. Although in APS-C format, the focal length is closer to 168mm equivalent, it still hits a great mark. Having the ultra wide aperture is great, but that doesn’t mean you will always want to use that setting. Sometimes having it set to its most shallow depth of field will take away from its sharpness, but this lens is quite sharp even at a more narrow aperture.
Sigma 135mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art Lens for Sony E
A prime lens with a 135mm reach might be considered the ultimate portrait lens to some. The Sigma 135mm f/1.8 prime is an astounding lens. The outer lens barrel is metal, extremely sturdy, and is coated and protected from dust and splashes There is no optical stabilization, which may be a concern if you plan to have a slower shutter on a fast-paced shoot, but it isn’t a deal breaker.
For Leica, Sigma, and Panasonic
Sigma is a great option when looking to expand your Leica kit — but it doesn’t stop there. The L-Mount Alliance is a partnership between three prominent camera manufacturers: Leica, Sigma and Panasonic. Its a standardized lens mount system that can be used across all three brands’ full-frame and APS-C mirrorless cameras. Therefore, the lenses below can be used with a number of different cameras that accept L-mount.
Sigma 20mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Lens for Leica L
The Sigma 20mm f/1.4 is considered the world’s first 20mm f/1.4 full frame mirrorless lens. This lens is not only designed for landscapes, but is the perfect lens for astrophotography. This genre of photography is not only difficult based on environmental factors, but requires top of the line equipment to really nail those perfect shots. The lens delivers ultimate sharpness even at f/1.4 when focused at infinity. This lens feels good in your hands and looks even better on your kit.
Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Lens for Leica L
The Sigma 24mm f/1.4 ART is the successor to the company’s very well known HSM version for SLR systems. This lens sets itself apart with its high end weather-sealed build. This weather protection is comparable to that of Sony lenses and is a step above that of the Sigma 24mm Contemporary prime lenses. The lens also features a slew of controls on the barrel, including a manual focus switch and a function switch, minimizing any extra buttons on the camera body.
Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DG DN Art Lens for Leica L
This lens features the wide f/1.2 aperture only found in the most premium of photography lenses. This requires the lens to be a bit larger and of course heavier, but it is worth the extra stops of light that comes with it. On-barrel controls include a manual focus ring and an aperture control ring. Though the autofocus is quick, it is not entirely silent. Some users have found the noise appears in video if you use the camera’s internal microphone.
Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG DN Art Lens for Leica L
The Sigma 50mm f/1.5 DG DN Art lens is for those aspiring to purchase a bright lens without paying $2,000 for it. This lens is made for high-pixel sensors and has an extremely quick autofocus response. The autofocus is driven by an HLA focus motor and is quite silent when in use. Resolution is super sharp from f/2.8-5.6 range and is excellent in low-light conditions. Everyone needs a nifty-fifty and this lens would be the perfect one for Leica users.
Sigma 105mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens for Leica L, Black
Just as they do for other brands, Sigma offers a 105mm prime with a f/1.4 aperture. This lens is very well known for its crisp isolation and smooth bokeh. It creates a high quality background blur and quite a lot of it. This lens was built for photographing people and showcasing exceptional image quality, especially at f/1.4. Overall, this is a great focal length if you are looking for compression but want more wiggle room than a 135mm.
For Nikon
When it comes to quality and design, Nikon and Sigma tend to be right along the same level. Sigma DC and DN lenses can mount natively to the Nikon Z Mount cameras. Meanwhile, Nikon Z Mount cameras can mount Sigma DG and DC lenses via the Nikon FTZ adapter.
Sigma 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM ART Lens for Nikon F
While there are plenty of 14mm lenses on the market, none of them have an aperture as wide at f/1.8. That’s what makes the Sigma 14mm so special. This lens could be considered the best lens for astrophotographers currently being sold. It offers high-grade optical and build quality, combined with an ultra-wide, ultra-bright focal length. This isn’t just built for astrophotography. Landscape, cityscape and even real estate creators can benefit from having extra stops of light as well.
Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM ART Lens for Nikon F
Overall, the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 would be your go-to workhorse if you purchase it, especially for street and landscape photography. It has a versatile focal range, shallow depth of field, and produces great image quality. This lens is very similar to the Sigma 12-24mm f/2.8, just slightly less of a wide angle. The build quality is relatively the same. The main downside is its the inability to remove the lens hood: although, it does have a built-in rear filter holder for filters to be used.
Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM ART Lens for Nikon F
The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 was the world’s first constant f/1.8 zoom lens for DSLR cameras. With that constant aperture, this lens provides a good range to work for a variety of different shoots. It opens up the opportunity to shoot an ultrawide angle in very low light conditions.
Sigma 50-100mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art Lens for Nikon F
In this market, the 50-100mm focal length definitely seems awkward. But, with a f/1.8 aperture, it could be an amazing lens for anyone wanting a more versatile portrait photography lens. Like the rest of the Art series, this lens is extremely well built. If you factor in the 1.5x full frame multiplier for Nikon FX cameras (or FX crop mode on DX cameras), this lens is more similar to 75-150mm. This lens would be a great option for wedding photographers as it provides a versatile option for fast-paced shooting.
Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM ART Lens for Nikon F
The Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art lens is a compact, premium level lens that offers fast autofocus and sharp imagery. With professional and intermediate photographers in mind, the Sigma 85mm showcases a dreamy bokeh effect, especially in darker environments. Although a 50mm is a crowd favorite, if you are looking to expand beyond that focal length or are deciding between a 50mm and 85mm, you truthfully can’t go wrong with either.
Conclusion
Sigma has been considered a third party lens distributor for years now, but that label doesn’t really seem to apply to them anymore. I know plenty of creators who choose Sigma, and it isn’t just because of the stellar price points. This brand continues to reach new heights and are creating more premium-level gear that is constantly shaking the market.
