When it comes to lenses, I’m the kind of person who wants to have their cake and eat it too. I want something with a versatile focal range that’s light enough to carry with me everywhere, and is capable of producing beautiful bokeh. In other words, I love an f/2.8 zoom lens. While these lenses may not be as great in low light or as sharp as primes, they are my favorite one-lens solution for most kinds of photography—that’s why the new Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 Contemporary lens caught my eye.
Testing out this Sigma 28-70mm felt like the perfect opportunity to capture the new, grittier persona NYC has taken on since the start of the pandemic. On paper, f/2.8 zoom lenses are perfect for street photography. The only trouble is that they are traditionally quite heavy— until now.
Even with its fully metal construction, the Sigma 28-70 f/2.8 Contemporary is actually the smallest and lightest full-frame f/2.8 zoom lens available for mirrorless cameras. At just 16.6 ounces, it’s almost one pound lighter than Sigma’s 24-70 f/2.8 Art lens. So while you do lose a couple of millimeters on the wide end compared to its bigger brother, the Contemporary’s compact size makes that a worthwhile comprise for me.
Stellar Image Quality
Where you don’t have to compromise is image quality. Even though this lens is part of Sigma’s Contemporary line, it has Sigma Art level performance all through the focal range. Even wide open at 28mm, I didn’t notice any sort of vignetting, and there was minimal distortion.
Accurate, Speedy, and Silent Autofocus
Another feature that makes this lens awesome for street photography is its stepping AF motor. The autofocus was totally silent and felt faster than anything I’ve used before. It had had no trouble grabbing focus at a moment’s notice on both photo and video mode.
One unexpected perk of this lens is its pretty impressive macro abilities. At 28mm, the minimum focus distance is only seven centimeters, so you’ll have no trouble getting awkwardly close to any of your subjects. Unlike some other zooms I have used recently, Sigma has included a manual focus switch on the side of the lens. While this is a pretty standard feature on most lenses, I only realized how useful it really was when I had to go without one.
Speaking of manual focusing, I was really surprised to find that I loved the focus ring on this lens. Unlike a lot of mirrorless camera lenses out there, this one is dampened perfectly and won’t have you constantly hunting for focus.
An All-In-One Lens that’s Portable and Precise
I think the big question for most people looking for a full-frame 2.8 standard zoom lens will be deciding between this and Sigma’s 24-70 2.8 Art series. I have used the latter many times, and it is a beautiful thing to behold. It is however a bit on the large side for an everyday walk-around lens. If you’re on a bit of a budget, and value and portability are important to you, and you won’t miss the extra 4mm on the wide end, this Sigma 28-70 2.8 Contemporary might be the ticket for you.
The Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 lens is available for preorder for
Feature image by Cooper Naitove
