Sigma 402965 16 mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary Sony E Lens - Black

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That being said, there are, of course, no focus scale or distance engravings, so you’ll be entirely reliant on in-camera focus assists such as peaking. Across much of the frame, the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary lens is sharp. Sharpness does fall off a bit when you look toward the extreme corners of the frame, but even then, if you are stopped down, sharpness and resolution remains good. I shoot with a wrist strap and was able to handhold & carry my setup around for a while without any hand fatigue. A bright prime lens is the ideal way to experience the essence of the art of photography. Simply select a focal length that matches the image and enjoy complete control of the depth of field.

The lens can focus to just under 10 inches (25 centimeters), which provides a maximum magnification ratio of 1:9.9. This is clearly not a lens well-suited for macro photography. However, this close focus distance is sufficient if you want to utilize close foreground elements in landscape images or capture close-up portraits. As I expected, the out-of-focus area had a nice creamy feel. Please take note, you Micro Four Thirds naysayers, this is smooth, creamy bokeh and a shallow depth of field achieved with a wide-angle lens! Did the Images Stand Up to Inspection? I’ll toss a few wide “macro-ish” shots below. I’m not a macro photographer by any means, but I thought these turned out nice especially considering they were shot on an ultra-wide. AstrophotographyWater-repellent, Antistatic type. Protector is developed to protect the lens surface from dirt and dust as well as scratches. It is an ideal filter for regular use as it is completely colorless so does not affect color reproduction. With Sony’s brand new 15mm F1.4, does this older Sigma still have a place in the market? (spoiler: yes)

That means you’re getting low magnification (something like .10x I believe). However, close focus distance is actually pretty good at about 10in (25.4cm). For weight, it comes in at about 14.3oz (405g). This heavy-ish weight, combined with the large size, made it feel slightly off-balanced, if I must admit, on my a6400. Illumination is also quite even from center to edge, a big plus for a bright lens. At f/1.4 and f/2 the corners lag behind the center by -1.1EV, which gives photos a very slight, natural vignette. At narrower f-stops the difference is about -0.8EV, which is barely noticeable in images. Weighing in at 405g and measuring 9.23cm in length, the Sigma 16mm F1.4 DC DN C is quite a compact lens given its fast f/1.4 aperture. As seen in the photos below, it complements a camera like the new Panasonic G9 very well. I personally love manual lenses, but I know most people prefer the convenience and reliability of autofocus, so it definitely serves a limited market.

Barrel distortion measures -0.08%, virtually perfect drawing. Whether this is because of the high level of correction of the lens or because of basic processing in camera that is integral to the system and cannot be switched off is impossible to say, but the result is in any event excellent. Size-wise, it measures a fairly long 3.63in (9.2cm) and it even gains an extra 1.5in (4cm) when the lens hood is attached. On a slightly unrelated note, the Sigma 16mm F1.4 has also gotten some love from the astrophotography community. The optical design and stepping motor deliver smooth autofocus during video shooting. The lens design fully accommodates the Fast Hybrid AF of Sony E-mount cameras for super-fast autofocus functionality. Using face recognition AF results in consistent autofocusing on faces, even as the subjects move.

Like the 30mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary, the 16mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary features SIGMA's latest design technologies to offer F1.4 brightness while minimizing optical aberrations. Physically, there is no significant difference between this Fujifilm X version and other versions of the lens that we have seen, aside of course from the mount. It has the same simple, elegant design that Sigma adopted almost a decade ago. There is minimal text and branding on the barrel, with just a simple small chrome badge with the letter ‘C’ denoting that this is part of the Sigma Contemporary lens line. There are no buttons either, just a very large focusing ring with a ribbed texture. Unlike most of Fujifilm’s lenses, there’s no aperture ring, so to change this setting you have to use a dial on the camera body. Autofocus It’s also worth noting that although these lenses are designed for APS-C cameras, you can also use them with full-frame bodies, like the Nikon Z6 II, with the camera automatically switching to crop mode if you do. You might therefore consider it a good alternative to the Nikkor Z 24mm f/1.8 S lens, which costs more than twice that of the Sigma.The nice thing, in that regard, is that while the lens is fairly large, it can still comfortably fit in bags. The Sigma 16mm F1.4 DC DN C ships with a good quality plastic circular-shaped lens hood. It accepts 67mm filters.

I am impressed by how the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 performs with respect to vignetting. Even when shooting wide open, there is not a lot of vignette and in many real-world situations, it would not be noticeable. What little vignette there is can be dealt with by stopping down a few stops, but exposure falloff is not a concern with this APS-C lens. Another night shooting situation proved slightly challenging for the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 lens. You can see that the lens produces some comatic aberration when shooting the night sky. This was not restricted solely to the corners either and was prevalent across much of the frame. If you pixel peep to the extreme, you may find a marginally sharper image around the edges of the frame, but seriously, F1.4 is almost as sharp. The Sigma 16mm F1.4 DC DN C lens has a very wide focus ring. There are no hard stops at both ends of the range, making it more difficult to set focus at infinity. Polariser users should be pleased that the 67mm filter thread doesn't rotate on focus. SIGMA fp L will be supported by updating to firmware Ver.2.00 scheduled to be released in the near future, and SIGMA fp will be supported by updating to firmware which is scheduled to be released in April.Lens flare is very well-controlled when dealing with the sun. Even shooting straight into the sun, the Sigma lens handles it well. Artificial light when shooting at night is less well-controlled, however. Sell the kit you’re not using to MPB. Trade in for the kit you need to create. Buy used, spend less and get more. Buy. Sell. Trade. Create. Get the latest photography news straight to your inbox by signing up to our newsletter. Newsletter Signup Do not power OFF the camera and ensure the USB cable is properly connected during the data transfer. Like the 30mm version of this lens I reviewed recently, it is not weather- or dust-sealed. That may or may not be a consideration for you when buying this lens, and it will depend upon the conditions in which you photograph. As I said in my review of the 30mm, it is a deal-breaker for me. After all, I am often shooting in harsh environments. However, most photographers are not, and generally, cameras aren’t used on a wind-swept beach being sprayed with seawater, as I tend to use them.