Sigma 14-24mm f / 2.8 DG HSM Art: lens test

Content:

Design, ergonomics, management
Lens in work
Image quality
conclusions

At the beginning of 2018, Sigma announced the release of a full-frame wide-angle zoom lens with an extremely low level of aberration. In the manufacturer’s terminology: “almost zero distortion”, and more specifically: the distortion level is less than 1%, and “minimal transverse chromatic aberration, glare and ghosting”. In simple terms, the lens almost does not distort the geometry of the image during wide-angle shooting, unlike “class” lenses with close viewing angles. So, get acquainted - Sigma 14-24mm f / 2.8 DG HSM Art. Learn Price Sigma 14-24mm f / 2.8 DG HSM Art

Design, ergonomics, management

The first thing you pay attention to when taking the lens in your hands is its weight: 1.2 kg. If you add a camera and additional accessories, the total weight of the kit may exceed 3 kg. It turns out that this is a lens for serious work. Obviously not for idle walks around the city. The lens gives the impression of a quality and reliable product. The ribbed surfaces of both rings prevent the hands from slipping during operation. The zoom ring travels a little less than a quarter of a revolution and is moderately tight and smooth - setting the desired focal length is easy. The focus ring rotates with the same effort, and its travel from lock to lock also amounts to a little more than a quarter of a revolution. This is quite enough not to intercept the ring when focusing in manual mode and precisely control the shooting object in the field of sharpness. The metal mount allows you to not be afraid of damage to the connection when changing lenses. All communication with the camera is carried out electrically - through a group of contacts. The lens is available in Canon EF and Nikon F mounts. When zooming, the external dimensions of the lens do not change. Although a slight extension of the front lens occurs when adjusting the focal length, it does not go beyond the dimensions of the lens hood. The hood is not removable, but this does not interfere with the storage and transportation of the lens, thanks to a special cover that is put on the hood without latches and does not slip during vertical transportation thanks to a velvet lining on the inside. Perhaps with regular use, this pad will be erased. However, during the test, the lid did not slip and held tight. The hood is petal, but in the company service center it can be replaced with the original round one. This will be appreciated by videographers who shoot material to create virtual reality. Due to the large radius of the front lens sphere, filters can only be used on this lens with an external mounting system. Sigma made sure that bad weather does not become an obstacle to work: the Sigma 14-24mm f / 2.8 DG HSM Art lens has dust and moisture protection. It is well balanced and, despite its large weight and dimensions, it is comfortable to work with it. The angle of the field of view varies from 114.2 to 84.1 degrees. This allows you to get photos with the unusual transmission to the naked eye of the human space (perspective).

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Installations: ISO 100, F13, 13 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

A wide angle allows you to photograph the whole skyscraper, standing at its foot.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F8, 1/60 s, 14.0 mm equiv.

Lens in work

When you look into the viewfinder for the first time, the picture just takes your breath away: where does so much space and detail come from in one frame ?! A world very unusual for the human eye opens up to a photographer shooting on this lens, especially in a short-focus position.

Shooting at the minimum focal length.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F8, 1/800 s, 14.0 mm equiv.

Shooting at maximum focal length.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F8, 1/320 s, 23.0 mm equiv.

In one frame, you can fit what was previously placed only after stitching a panorama of several frames.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Installations: ISO 100, F8, 25 s, 16.0 mm equiv.

You can choose a non-standard angle for the artistic effect, having received an unusual effect on the photo.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F8, 1/160 s, 14.0 mm equiv.

Autofocus speed pleasantly surprised. I didn’t hope that his work would be so quick: I expected to see a slow, slow autofocus with a lot of mistakes and mistakes. In fact, the focus worked quickly, accurately and predictably! Another sign of a professional lens. In tandem with the camera’s tracking autofocus, the Sigma 14-24mm f / 2.8 DG HSM Art manages to catch even a fast-moving camera object.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F3.5, 1/1000 s, 14.0 mm equiv.

Sigma 14-24mm f / 2.8 DG HSM Art is not equipped with a stabilization system. But, thanks to its rather considerable weight, which is added to the weight of the camera, the system has sufficient inertness. This made it possible to shoot handheld at shutter speeds of the order of 1 / 20-1 / 25 seconds with a camera with a sensor resolution of 20 megapixels.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Installations: ISO 100, F22, 1/25 s, 21.0 mm equiv.

Image quality

The main characteristic of the lens is image quality. In the Sigma 14-24mm f / 2.8 DG HSM Art model, distortion is almost completely corrected, which is especially valuable in architectural and interior photography.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F6.3, 1/160 s, 14.0 mm equiv.

In the photographs there is practically no “barrel” or “pillow” that is inherent in many other wide-angle lenses. However, in other genres, the absence of geometric distortions will be a plus. The lens design uses an optical scheme with 17 elements in 11 groups, which includes three aspherical lenses and six low-dispersion glass lenses created by precision molding of glass under pressure: three SLD lenses and three FLD lenses with fluorite-like optical properties.

Optical design of the Sigma 14-24mm f / 2.8 DG HSM Art lens

Prospective distortions caused by tilting the camera, if necessary, are very easily compensated in a graphics editor or converter, however, due to a small loss of the coverage angle.

No correction.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F8, 1/640 s, 14.0 mm equiv.

With correction.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F8, 1/640 s, 14.0 mm equiv.

14 mm

Image sharpness, even at the open aperture of F2.8, is quite high across the entire field of the frame, but not yet maximum. Vignetting is clearly visible in the corners of the frame.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F2.8, 1/1600 s, 14.0 mm equiv.

When you close the aperture to F4, the picture literally “rings”, but the darkening at the corners does not decrease.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F4, 1/1000 s, 14.0 mm equiv.

Further, at aperture values ??of F5.6 and F8, sharpness remains at a stable high level.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F5.6, 1/500 s, 14.0 mm equiv.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F8, 1/250 s, 14.0 mm equiv.

A slight decrease in sharpness begins only when the aperture is closed stronger than F11: no one canceled the diffraction phenomenon. At the same time, after F11, vignetting, which is noticeable on more open diaphragms, practically disappears.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Installations: ISO 100, F11, 1/125 s, 14.0 mm equiv.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F16, 1/60 s, 14.0 mm equiv.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Installations: ISO 100, F22, 1/30 s, 14.0 mm equiv.

24 mm

At the long end of the zoom, the same picture with sharpness is observed. Photos are quite sharp already with the F2.8 aperture.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F2.8, 1/1600 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F4, 1/1000 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F5.6, 1/500 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

Similarly, after F11, sharpness decreases slightly. However, there is no vignetting starting with an open aperture.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F8, 1/250 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F11, 1/125 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F16, 1/60 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F22, 1/30 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

Another feature of the lens was the fact that in the case of lateral illumination, for example, at night from lamps or lanterns or during the day from the sun, color flares of various shapes may appear on the photo.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Installations: ISO 100, F8, 10 s, 14.0 mm equiv.

This feature of the lens must be taken into account by everyone who will work with it, for example, in a city where a large number of different light sources fall into the frame. A huge plus, in my opinion, is the use of a 9-blade aperture in the lens design. The effect of this is especially noticeable when shooting on covered diaphragms at night. Around the point light sources appear beautiful diverging rays, as from the use of a star filter. In total there are 18 of them - this is the doubled number of aperture blades.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Installations: ISO 400, F22, 15 s, 14.0 mm equiv.

When shooting against the sun, the image contrast practically does not fall, the lens holds backlight very well, allowing you to get a good result without using HDR processing.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Installations: ISO 100, F11, 1/320 s, 14.0 mm equiv.

Chromatic aberration in the images is difficult to find, as stated by the manufacturer. But if color ghosting still appears, then the camera will help to remove them: the lens is compatible with Canon's chromatic aberration and diffraction correction function.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F4, 1/800 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

The Sigma 14-24mm f / 2.8 DG HSM Art lens has a f / 2.8 aperture over the entire focal length range. With a minimum focusing distance of 26 cm and a maximum scale of 1: 5.4, this zoom is unlikely to be used for macro photography. However, close-ups of small objects are convenient for them to shoot. The background is blurred very softly, without ghosting and contrasting spots.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F2.8, 1/200 s, 24.0 mm equiv.

conclusions

Sigma 14-24mm f / 2.8 DG HSM Art is a high-quality wide-angle and fast zoom lens designed primarily for professional photographers who shoot with full-frame SLR cameras. Of course, he may be interested in advanced amateur enthusiasts. However, its price, size and weight will not suit all potential buyers, especially if they do not clearly understand the scope of this lens.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Settings: ISO 100, F8, 1/60 s, 14.0 mm equiv.

The main advantage of the Sigma 14-24mm f / 2.8 DG HSM Art is its almost zero geometric distortion (distortion) at very wide viewing angles. It is difficult to find chromatic aberration in the images. Other optical characteristics are also on top: the lens provides very high sharpness and detail throughout the field of the frame, in the entire range of focal lengths and aperture values. Thanks to f / 2.8 aperture, it allows you to confidently shoot in low light conditions. Sigma 14-24mm f / 2.8 DG HSM Art also justifies the prefix in the name - background blur is very smooth, plastic.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II / 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art 018 Installations: ISO 100, F5.6, 1/250 s, 18.0 mm equiv.

Given that the focus of the Sigma 14-24mm f / 2.8 DG HSM Art is extremely fast, and the body is protected from dust and moisture, we can confidently say: Sigma engineers managed to create a truly outstanding lens! He is subject to a lot of subjects (architecture, interior, reporting or landscape), which can be shot even in extreme conditions. So this is a serious tool in the hands of the photographer.

Pros:

high sharpness and detail throughout the range of apertures at all focal lengths;
lack of chromatic aberration;
lack of a drop in contrast when shooting with side and back light;
fast and accurate autofocus;
high aperture;
soft blur the background;
dust and moisture protection.