If you’re like me, you’re always hunting for the perfect one-lens solution. Whether you don’t like carrying around primes, or you enjoy being able to quickly cover a scene — a lens that’s good at everything pays dividends on set. It’s ideal to have something with a fast aperture, solid wide angle capabilities, and some reach for punching in tight. For full-frame users, that lens is usually a 24-70mm 2.8. Unfortunately, for crop sensor users, a 24-70 is a bit too narrow to qualify as a one-lens solution. It ends up being more like a 38mm, which is hardly what one would consider “wide.” Well, crop sensor users rejoice because Sigma now has you covered with the new Sigma APSC 18-50mm 2.8 Contemporary Lens.
Tiny form factor
It’s the smallest and lightest crop sensor mirrorless zoom on the market. This thing is truly tiny. At just 10.2 ounces, its only four ounces more than my iPhone X. On top of this being a great walk-around lens for stills, its tiny form factor and versatile zoom range make it an awesome option for gimbal work. This gave me an idea for this week’s test.
Testing it out
As a New Yorker who rarely gets to spend time in a real jungle, one of my favorite places to escape is the conservatory at the New York Botanical Garden. It’s lush greenery from all over the globe truly makes you feel like you’re in a tropical jungle. It’s typically busy, so the only time I really go is the hour before it closes. As there never seems to be enough time on set, I thought I would give myself a one hour time frame to see just how versatile this lens can be. I also wanted to see how fast it would allow me to cover the shots I needed.
This really was the perfect lens for the job. With just one hour to set up my gimbal, balance for this lens, and capture all my footage, there’s no way I would have had the time to be switching lenses every few shots. I didn’t feel like I was making a compromise when it came to optical quality either. With 13 elements in ten groups, one SLD, and three aspherical lens elements, the Sigma 18-50mm lens is super sharp even wide open. I was impressed with the shallow depth of field capabilities, even with my camera in APSC mode. When opened up to f2.8, its seven-blade aperture design allows for truly beautiful bokeh. Another feature that impressed me was its close-focusing distance. With a working distance of just over an inch, I was able to get some super tight detail shots.
High-quality build
You can tell the designers at Sigma knew this was going to be a workhorse of a lens. Right when you take it out of the box, you can tell it has the same build quality as the rest of Sigma’s Contemporary line. This body is made of a thermally stable polycarbonate composite and feels every bit as solid as a metal lens. The dust and splash resistant brass lens mount fits snugly to the camera and adds to that feeling.
Accurate auto focus
In addition to being lightweight and a versatile focal length, the most important feature a great gimbal lens needs is accurate auto focus. Fortunately, the Sigma 18-50m lens is constructed with a stepping autofocus motor and it’s performance leaves nothing to be desired. Even on white flowers, it was able to hold focus for the entirety of the push-in shot. To say I was impressed is an understatement. Although, I do wish Sigma included a manual focus on/off switch. Personally, I think this lens will be used in auto mode most of the time so it won’t be a major issue for most users.
From its lightning-fast auto focus to its fast aperture, Sigma really knocked it out of the park. Finally, it’s a great option for APSC shooters looking for a rock-solid, no-compromises, f2.8 zoom lens. Whether you’re a gimbal shooter, nature photographer, or documentary filmmaker, nearly any kind of shooter will find this Sigma 18-50m lens an invaluable addition to their line up.
The new Sigma APSC 18-50mm 2.8 Contemporary Lens is available for preorder at Adorama for $549. To learn more, check out this video about the Sigma 18-500m lens from AdoramaTV:
