Used Sigma 20-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DG Contemporary Lens for Sony E

2025-12-04T08:30:50

When I heard about this lens I thought there was no way Sigma could put this much range into one lens and still keep the images sharp. Not in a 10x zoom. I thought this might make an acceptable travel lens and nothing more. But I was wrong. This lens far exceeded my expectations. My prior "go to" lens was the Sony 24-105 G which I've had for years and loved. So when I got this lens I did multiple comparisons, taking the exact same shots with the two lenses on my Sony A7Rv. To my surprise, the sharpness of the Sigma exceeded the Sony at every focal length. Even before correction in Lightroom, distortion between the two lenses was virtually identical and very acceptable. The Sigma does produce a slightly warmer tone to its images compared to the Sony, which I happen to like. For further comparison I borrowed a Sony 24-70 GM II lens and did the same tests in the limited focal range offered by the 24-70. As expected, the images taken with the GM were sharper but the difference was only noticeable at 100% magnification. If you're a pixel peeper or regularly print 6-foot images, you probably won't like this lens. But for me, at a cost two and a half times more than the Sigma, the GM is just not worth it. And compared to the 24-105, this lens is sharper, has more FOV on the wide end, and a lot longer reach at the tele end. This is more than a great travel lens. It's a great lens. Period.

THOMAS E.