Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art Review
Summary Verdict
The Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art offers exceptional optical quality, delivering sharp results with minimal distortion and aberrations. Its wide F1.8 aperture boosts low-light performance and depth of field control, though its narrower focal length range may be limiting for some photographers accustomed to popular zoom lenses like a 24-70mm. Despite its premium price and solid build, the 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art's robust construction and versatile features, including customisable controls, make it an attractive choice for photographers looking for a high-quality, versatile alternative to a 35mm prime lens.
Score: 4.5/5
For
Constant F/1.8 maximum aperture
Excellent image quality
Weather-sealed
Against
Big and heavy for the focal length range
Limited zoom range
What is the Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art?
The Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN | Art is the first full-frame zoom lens to feature a constant maximum aperture of F1.8. It’s designed for use on mirrorless cameras and joins Sigma’s esteemed Art series of lenses in the L Mount (used by some Leica, Panasonic and Sigma cameras) and the Sony FE mount. Now that Canon has opened up its RF mount, perhaps Sigma will introduce it the Canon RF mount at some point in the future.
Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art Price and Availability Price and Availability
The Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN | Art’s price is £1299 / $1349, and it went on sale on 20th June 2024.
Read our Fujifilm X-T50 Review
Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art Specifications
Lens type: Wide-angle to standard zoom
Announced: 3rd June 2024
Format: Full-frame
Construction: 18 elements in 15 groups with 5 SLD and 3 aspherical elements
Maximum aperture: f/1.8
Minimum aperture: f/16
Number of aperture blades: 11
Minimum focusing distance 30cm / 11.9in.
Maximum magnification ratio 1:4 at f=45mm
Filter size: 82mm
Dimensions (D x L): L-Mount: 87.8mm x 151.4mm / 3.5in. x 6.0in. Sony E-mount: 87.8mm x 153.4mm / 3.5in. x 6.0in.
Weight L-Mount: 960g / 33.9oz, Sony E-mount: 950g / 33.5oz.
Supplied Accessories: Case, lens hood, front cap, rear cap
The L-mount version of the Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art weighs 960g while the Sony FE mount version shown here weighs 950g.
Features
The Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art is unusual in a couple of respects. Firstly, its focal length range is more limited than the popular 24-70mm range favoured as a workhorse optic by many photographers. And secondly, its maximum aperture is 1.3 stops larger than an f/2.8 lens and 2.3 stops larger than an f/4 lens. That makes it of particular interest to anyone who regularly shoots in low light or who wants to be able to blur backgrounds more heavily than is usually possible with a zoom lens.
The fact that the maximum aperture is F/1.8 through the 28-45mm zoom range means that the exposure settings don’t change when the focal length is adjusted.
Sigma constructs the 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art from 18 elements arranged in 15 groups with 5 Special Low Dispersion (SLD) elements and 3 aspherical elements. Those exotic elements help to maintain image quality across the frame throughout the focal length range. Sigma emphasises the lens' precise optical correction throughout the zoom range to minimise aberrations, ensuring high image quality comparable to prime lenses.
Sigma’s Nano Porous Coating and Super Multi-Layer Coating are also applied to some elements to reduce ghosting and flare, boosting image quality, especially with backlit subjects.
In addition, the lens is weather-sealed to protect against dust and moisture. The front element has a water—and oil-resistant coating, making the 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art suitable for outdoor use in less-than-perfect weather.
As part of the luxury associated with Sigma’s Art series lenses, the 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art has internal zoom and focus mechanisms. This means the lens stays the same length regardless of focal length or focus distance. That helps to make the lens feel more balanced and stable during handheld shooting and when using tripods or gimbals.
Sigma employs a High-response Linear Actuator (HLA) for fast and silent autofocus performance. That's ideal for both photography and videography. Also, a bi-wire driven focus ring provides smooth manual focusing with a customisable rotation angle between 90 and 720 degrees (with compatible cameras).
With a minimum focusing distance of 30cm at every focal length and a maximum magnification ratio of 1:4 at 45mm, the lens is well-suited for close-up photography, making it more versatile than your average zoom.
Further good news is that the lens has an aperture ring with a click switch and lock, alongside two AFL buttons that can be customised to activate specifics settings. The options available for customisation depend on the camera the lens is mounted on but you can expect to use the buttons to activate features such as the autofocusing and focus hold.
The Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art, shown here on the Sony A9 III, is weather-sealed and its front element has a coating to resist water droplets and grease.
Build and Handling
Having read the specifications and seen images of the Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art, I knew it was a large lens for its focal length. However, I was still a little surprised to see the Sony E-mount version, which measures (diameter x length) 87.8mm x 153.4mm, because it's longer than the Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG OS HSM (88 x 107.6mm) and Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II (87.8 x 119.9mm). The Sigma lens also weighs 950g (Sony mount) or 960g (L-mount), which is more than the Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II (695g). But let's not forget, the maximum aperture is significantly larger and that naturally has an impact.
When I was shooting with the Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art, several photographer friends thought I was using a new 24-70mm f/2.8. That's what the lens feels like when it's mounted on a camera. It's not excessively heavy or long, it's just bulky for a 28-45mm lens.
In keeping with Sigma's other Art series lenses, the 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art looks and feels great. It's a high-quality item. The broad manual focus ring towards the front element and narrower zoom ring around the centre of the barrel both have a pleasing feel, moving very smoothly and requiring just the right amount of effort.
The zoom ring requires a little less than a quarter turn to move through its full range, while the electronic control behind the manual focus ring means there are no physical endpoints to its rotation. As the zoom ring is at the lens's natural support point, my left hand instinctively goes to it, and I can quickly adjust the focal length to the setting I want.
The aperture ring is the closest ring to the camera, sitting just forward of the narrowest part of the lens, above its 'waist’; making it easy to find when you're looking in the viewfinder. The clicks are clearly discernable at every 1/3 stop when activated. Declicking the ring makes the movement smooth and silent.
Sigma has located the two button controls to ensure there's one within easy reach of your left thumb, whether the camera is in portrait or landscape orientation. Meanwhile, the AF/MF switch is conveniently positioned near the mount on the left side of the barrel as you hold the camera for use in landscape orientation. The click-switch is a the same point along the barrel but further round (down) on the left. Meanwhile, there's an aperture ring lock switch on the other side of the barrel to lock the ring to either ring or camera control aperture adjustment. If the ring is set to 'A', and the lock is engaged, the ring can't be moved to an aperture setting. Alternatively, if an aperture setting is selected on the ring and the lock is engaged, the ring can be rotated between the various aperture settings but not to the 'A' point.
As you’d expect with a Sigma Art lens, the Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art has a metal mount. Setting the aperture ring to ‘A’ puts the camera in charge of the aperture setting.
Performance
I tested the 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art on the 61MP Sony A7R IV and the 24MP Sony A9 III.
Sigma claims that the 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art is equivalent to a trio of prime lenses in one optic, and it delivers an impressive performance at every focal length and aperture setting. At 28mm and f/1.8, the central sharpness is very good, but if you pixel-peep you'll see a slight improvement at f/2.0. This sharpness is maintained extremely well up to f/11 (which is still very good), with only a little softening apparent by comparison at f/16, the smallest available aperture. The corner sharpness is also impressive and follows a similar pattern to the central sharpness.
At 35mm, 40mm and 45mm, I could not see any difference in the central sharpness when closing down from full aperture to f/2, f/2.8 or f/4, it’s extremely good wide open. Even when closing down to f/16, the softening impact of diffraction is minimal. The corner sharpness at 35mm and 40mm is also very good, but the best results are within the range f/5.6-f/11. And at 45mm, the corner sharpness is outstanding. In conclusion, I wouldn't avoid any focal length or aperture setting with the Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art, it's impressively sharp.
While it's by no means obvious, there's a little vignetting at the wider aperture settings. However, that's really nit-picking. At 28mm and 35mm, it's banished by closing down to f/2.8, while closing to f/4 does the job at 40mm and 45mm. In real-world shooting, you're likely not to spot it, and again, I wouldn't avoid any aperture setting because of it.
Curvilinear distortion is also controlled well with just a suggestion of barrel distortion at 28mm, switching to a slight touch of pincushion distortion at 35mm and beyond. It's unlikely that it would trouble anyone shooting architecture.
I found a couple of very minor instances of chromatic aberration in my high-contrast and backlit images, but they were dealt with in a matter of seconds using the 'Sample defringe' tool in Adobe Camera Raw. They were the sort of examples that many people wouldn't notice unless they were looking for it.
Sigma supplies a petal-shaped lens hood with the 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art, which does its job well. However, even without it, or when the sun is in the frame, the 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art flare is controlled very well.
With a maximum aperture of f/1.8, there's a lot of opportunity to blur the background in images. In addition, the Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art handles out-of-focus highlights extremely well. They're round and uniform, with no hard edges, onion rings or aberrations visible.
Further good news is that, as Sigma promised, the lens' focus mechanism is fast and silent. Furthermore, focus breathing is suppressed very well, and I could not see any change in the framing when moving the focus distance from the closest to the furthest point.
Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art Sample Images
Follow the link to see more full-resolution images shot using the Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art on the 61MP Sony A7R IV and 24MP Sony A9 III.
Image Credit: Angela Nicholson, This image was captured using the Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art at the 45mm end and F/5.6; compare the background with the background in the shot below taken at f/1.8.
Image Credit: Angela Nicholson. This image was captured using the Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art at the 45mm end and F/1.8; it shows the lens’s ability to separate a subject from its background.
Image Credit: Angela Nicholson. This image was shot on the Sony A9 III and benefits from its accurate eye detection AF.
Image Credit: Angela Nicholson. Although the focal length range initially felt rather limiting, the Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art proved to be a good lens for street photography. This was shot at the 45mm end and f/5.6.
Image Credit: Angela Nicholson. Shooting at the 45mm end of the Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art and using the maximum aperture helps make the main subject stand out from the crow here.
Verdict
The Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art impresses with its outstanding optical quality, delivering sharp, detailed results with minimal vignetting, distortion, and aberrations. Its large F1.8 aperture is useful in low-light conditions and offers excellent depth of field control, surpassing that of traditional zoom lenses. The lens's close focusing capability also enhances its versatility.
Built to a high standard, the Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art has a robust weather-sealed construction. It also has practical features like two customisable buttons, a de-clickable aperture ring with a lock, and an AF/MF switch.
It's a premium lens with a premium price, but putting that aside, some photographers may find the lens's size and weight challenging. While photographers accustomed to 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses may find it manageable, the narrower focal length range could be considered limiting. I know a few photographers who regularly shoot with a 28mm lens, but I would be more likely to reach for a 24mm or 35mm lens. I use the 24mm end of most 24-70mm lenses quite a lot, and I missed that extra width with the 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art. Conversely, during my testing, there were times when I needed a little more reach than the 45mm longest point offers. While this frustrated me initially, with more time spent with the optic, I came to see it as a 35mm lens with benefits. It's a lens likely to divide opinion, but I'm sad to send it back to Sigma after my testing.
