Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 Review: A Game-Changing Lens | Fstoppers

The Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art lens is the first full frame mirrorless zoom lens with a constant f/1.8 aperture, offering photographers unique versatility and performance.

Coming to you from Gordon Laing, this insightful video reviews the Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 Art lens, highlighting its distinct advantages. Launched in June 2024 for around $1,350, this lens stands out for its bright, constant aperture and lack of direct competitors. The Canon RF 28-70mm f/2 comes close but is heavier, dimmer, and twice as expensive. The Sigma lens offers a balance of affordability, lightweight design, and high performance, reminiscent of the older Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 for cropped APS-C DSLRs. It promises to replace three prime lenses, providing a 28mm, 35mm, and 50mm focal length without the need to swap lenses.

The lens design is substantial, weighing just under a kilogram. Despite its heft, it’s narrower and lighter than its Canon counterpart. The video demonstrates the lens's practicality, comparing it to a set of three prime lenses.

Laing’s review also dives into the lens's controls and features, such as the aperture ring that ranges from f/1.8 to f/16, with options for click or smooth operation, a zoom ring that smoothly transitions between focal lengths without extending the barrel, and customizable focus hold buttons. The lens also includes a well-damped manual focusing ring and a large 82mm filter thread. Its build quality is robust, featuring dust- and splash-proof design and a rubber grommet at the mount.

Optical performance is where this lens shines. Laing tests the lens across various focal lengths, showcasing its ability to deliver sharp, crisp details from center to corners, even wide open at f/1.8. The lens performs exceptionally well in both single AF and continuous AF modes, making it a reliable choice for both still photography and video. The video also highlights the lens's minimal focus breathing, a crucial feature for videographers.

In practical use, the Sigma 28-45mm lens proves versatile for different photography needs. Laing demonstrates its effectiveness in portraiture, showing how it easily separates subjects with a beautiful background blur. The lens also handles macro photography well, delivering detailed images even at close focusing distances. The wide aperture allows for impressive bokeh, with smooth and pleasing out-of-focus areas.

For those concerned about the focal range, Laing explains that while the 28-45mm range is not the broadest, it is practical for many scenarios, especially video work. The lens' constant f/1.8 aperture sets it apart from typical zoom lenses, offering superior low-light performance and creative control over depth of field. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Laing.

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

There's a good thread of tests at the FredMiranda forums.

Worth noting: 45mm f/1.8 with an APS-C crop gives you 67.5mm f/2.8, so with a high resolution sensor, like an A1 or A7rV, it's much more flexible than I expected. I'm pleased with my copy.

There are so many focal lengths I've never shot at wide open at 1.8mm. This lens definitely seems intriguing.

This is a very interesting lens! At that price, it'd costs less than getting the equivalent first party Sony lenses, the 28mm f/2, 35mm f/1.8 and 50mm f/1.8 (had to take Sony for comparison because unfortunately Lumix S currently don't have a native 28mm prime).

The three lenses weigh in total 666g, so the Sigma is 50% heavier at 950g, but you don't have to change lenses.