3rd party doesn’t mean 2nd rate, especially where Sigma are concerned. This multiple award-winning brand is the world’s leading independent lens designer and even offers a 3 year warranty on all UK lenses.
All Sigma’s lenses are made to the highest standards in Japan in their own factory. In fact, they are one of the few manufacturers whose products are solely made in Japan and they never outsource to cut cost. Even their moulds and parts, with the odd unavoidable exception, are made in Japan and production takes place under a single integrated production system. This is just one way that they maintain consistently high quality products.
Lenses are one of the most important parts of your kit. First of all, you can replace your camera but still use your lenses going forward. Secondly, as the fundamental element of photography is light, how the light is affected as it passes through the lens to the sensor is a crucial factor to consider, with regards to the final image.
Lenses increase in price for a variety of reasons. In theory, the amount you pay for a lens should reflect its optical performance. How important the optical performance is to you will depend on your budget and the type of photography you do.
When comparing lenses within a single brand, the more expensive the lens, then generally, the better it will be. As an example: for a Canon L series pro lens compared to an entry level lens, you aren’t paying hundreds of pounds extra for a red band and the letter “L”. You are paying for a better build, better quality elements, higher precision optics and coatings all designed to capture the light with as little deterioration as possible. This lens hierarchy is present in every brand of lenses, whether Canon, Nikon, etc. or a 3rd party manufacturer such as Sigma.
Choosing whether a lens made by Sigma, Canon or Nikon is the “best” lens can’t be determined by price or brand name. Some Sigma lenses actually out-perform leading brands’ own, some offer low-cost alternatives and some simply cannot be compared, because Nikon, Canon, etc. haven’t made a similar lens. Examples of this are the Sigma DG 150-600MM F5/6.3 "S" OS HSM, a super telephoto lens covering a wide range of focal lengths in one lens, which simply doesn’t exist in Canon or Nikon. Or, the extremely high quality prime lens, the Sigma 50mm F1.4 DG HSM | A.
Sigma produce lenses which find solutions to a problem. Whether the problem is budget or demand for a lens that currently doesn’t exist. These solutions are an excellent reason to look beyond your DSLR brand and consider investing in a Sigma lens.
Sigma Global Vision
In 2012 Sigma announced Sigma Global Vision, aimed at simplifying the lens selection process for photographers and in turn enabling them to get the most out of their DSLR.
All the latest lenses fall into 3 classes:
The Contemporary line strikes a balance between optical performance, convenience and affordability.
These lenses incorporate the very latest technology and keep size and weight to a minimum, without compromising their advanced optical performance or utility. High-performance, versatile, compact and superbly portable, these lenses will be largely comprised of standard zooms, telephoto zooms and high-magnification zooms for an array of photography, including landscape and travel photography, and casual portraiture.
Examples:
18-300mm F3.5-6.3 DC
17-70mm F2.8-4 DC Macro OS HSM
The Art line concentrates mainly on very high quality, fast lenses from wide angle to classic focal length primes.
These lenses are developed with an emphasis on artistic touch and are designed to meet the expectations of users who value a creative, dramatic outcome. Along with landscapes, portraits, still-life, close-up and casual snaps, these lenses are perfect for the kind of photography that unleashes the inner artist. Ideal for studio photography, they offer just as much of an expressive scope when capturing architecture, starry skies, underwater shots and many other scenes. This category will be comprised of many focal lengths and designs, such as large-aperture prime lenses, wide-angle lenses, ultra wide-angle lenses, and macro and fisheye lenses.
Examples:
35mm F1.4 DG HSM
50mm F1.4 DG HSM
The Sports line is aimed at sports and wildlife photographers and includes super-tele-photo lenses designed to be used in the toughest, most challenging conditions.
With their high-level optical performance and expressive power, these lenses can capture fast-moving subjects, even at distance. This line also offers a variety of functions to aid the photographer in challenging conditions and scenarios. Besides sports photography, the lenses are also ideal for nature shots featuring birds, wild animals and other creatures, and for the capture of aircraft, trains, race cars and more. The Sports line is also unique in that users can adjust the lenses’ focus speeds and the focus limiters via a button on the lens. The Sports category will be comprised of telephoto lenses, telephoto zoom lenses, super telephoto lenses, super telephoto zoom lenses, and more.
Examples:
120-300mm F2.8 GD OS HSM
150-600mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM
Understanding Sigma Lenses
Every manufacturer has different names and abbreviations for the lens coatings, image stabilisation systems and sensor size. Here is a key to the Sigma system:
DG – Optimised for digital cameras, featuring the latest multi-layered lens coatings for the best light capture
DC – Lenses designed for APS-C or Crop Sensor lenses. In Nikon this would be a DX lens, and in Canon an EF-S lens. Not compatible with full frame cameras, as the image circle is too small. Remember to take into account crop factors when thinking about the focal length. (1.5 x for Nikon / 1.6x for Canon) i.e. Sigma DC 18-300mm F3.5/6.3 Macro OS HSM | C would give the equivalent focal lengths of 27- 450mm on a Nikon APS-C DSLR (i.e. D3200, D7100) and 29-480mm on a Canon APS-C DSLR (i.e. EOS 100D, EOS 750D).
HSM – Hyper Sonic Motor. Used in Sigma’s newer lenses this auto-focus motor is virtually silent and very quick. Only available in Canon and Nikon fit lenses. Similar to Canon’s USM feature, and Nikon’s AF-S. As with Nikon’s own AF-S system, certain older models cannot be used with HSM lenses. Please check that your Nikon DSLR is compatible or you will lose Auto Focus functionality with these lenses.
OS – Optical Stabilizer (sic.) – built-in stabilisation feature allowing hand held shooting with shutter speeds up to 4 stops faster. Equivalent to Canon IS and Nikon VR.
WR – Water Resistant – refers to Sigma filters with the WR rating. These filters feature the new nano coating, also seen on some of the Sigma Global Vision Sports lenses, providing water, oil and dust repellence.
DN – DN lenses are lenses for mirrorless or compact system cameras. The range is currently (as of August 2015) available in Micro-four thirds for Panasonic Lumix G and Olympus PEN and OM-D sand Sony E-mount for Sony’s mirrorless Alpha range (formerly known as NEX).
Macro
– a lens with close focus ability and a large reproduction ratio. Sigma offers more lenses with macro capabilities than any other lens or camera maker.
C – Contemporary
A - Art
S - Sport
Example: 18-300mm F3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM | C Nikon Fit
This is therefore a Sigma Global Vision Contemporary line lens designed for APS-C, offering an equivalent focal length of 27-450mm on a Nikon DSLR, with macro capabilities, image stabilisation and a fast, silent autofocus motor.
