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amazon Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN Art reviews
When I reviewed the first Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 Art lens, I noted that it was only the second lens built on Nikon’s 2007 model. It’s Sigma, and it’s one of the best wide-angle zooms you can buy. So, if it’s not broken, what do you do? Less than two years have passed since I shot the Art DG 14-24mm F2.8, and Sigma has launched a new one, this time with the “DN” domain name. That stands for mirrorless.
Unlike the brilliant but unwieldy Sigma 35mm F1.2 DN Art, the DN 14-24mm feels like it was built for mirrorless cameras. That is not just a restoration of the original lens; it’s a complete rethink of it. It sheds nearly a pound but uses more glass elements, more iris blades, the same f/2.8 aperture, and remains weather-sealed.
Whatever wizardry goes into this design, it doesn’t have to be expensive. At $1,399, the DN version is just $100 more than the original’s starting price. That is the new super fast to beat, but there is a caveat. If you don’t own an E-Mount or L-mount camera, you’re out of luck.
That is also the first time that E-mount and L-mount photographers can use the 14-24mm without an adapter. The non-DN version, unlike some other Sigma DSLR lenses, was never released in a native mirrorless frame.
How did Sigma build it?
The fast wide-angle is known for in large numbers – it’s just the price you pay for wanting it all. The wide field of view combined with the large aperture presents a technical challenge that requires many glasses to meet. The Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8G, Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 G2, and Non-Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 Art weighs more than 2 pounds (Sigma over 2.5).
But Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 DN Art? £1.75. It is also narrower and shorter than the others, making it more comfortable in hand. It still feels heavy upfront attached to the miniature Sigma Fp, my test camera for this review, but it seems the perfect size for the larger Sony A7 or Panasonic Lumix S series.
You still have to struggle with the bulb front element, which means there’s no screw-in filter, but the plate filter holder is built into the rear of the lens.
The optical design is new, using 18 elements in 13 groups, compared to 17 elements and 11 groups in the original 14-24mm Art. Several low dispersion glass elements and three aspherical elements work to ensure minimal chromatic aberrations and flare, and Sigma says that the new lens is designed to be less susceptible to issues arising from a strong backlight.
It also uses an 11-blade aperture diaphragm, up from nine in the old lens.
But Sigma’s new design seems to be about delivering comparable performance to a smaller form factor rather than delivering a breakthrough leap in image quality. Given how good the first 14-24mm was, that’s not a bad thing.
In terms of performance, Sigma touts the speed and silence of its autofocus stepping motor, but the Fp’s contrast-detect autofocus isn’t the best test of that. On Sony or Panasonic cameras, AF will probably be faster.
Image quality
I can’t say if the 14-24mm F2.8 DN outperforms the original without testing them side-by-side. As far as I can tell, both lenses perform at the top of their class, and there’s no obvious optical downside to the DN’s smaller size. So impressive.
The distortion is present but not unacceptable and easily corrected. It’s a similar story with vignetting, with f/2.8 showing noticeably dark corners from the center at both 14 and 24mm, but it’s nothing out of the ordinary. The vignettes drop when the aperture is stopped, and even f/4 makes a big difference.
Sharpness is excellent across the frame, with only minor chromatic aberration appearing near the edges. If the sharpness falls off the center, I can’t detect it in any real-world settings, though I can’t say if that’s still true on higher resolution sensors.
The move to 11 aperture blades is interesting, as ultra-wide lenses are not known for bokeh. A shallow depth of field is possible with this lens if your subject is close enough, but I had to test further to determine if the aperture shape makes much of a difference from the original 14-24mm.
I would say background blur is different between the two lenses for other reasons. The non-business version showcased many out-of-focus areas into out-of-focus areas, an effect that didn’t show up in my testing of the new lens. That is a subjective difference, and I don’t think it isn’t good, but it’s safe to say that DN lenses are more natural.
To achieve this kind of quality from a smaller, lighter lens and almost the same price as the original is a great achievement. But, if you’ve shot your first Sigma 14-24mm, don’t expect to be blown away with the huge gains in image quality.
The 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN Art is a rare example of a Sigma lens offering improved, or at least equal, performance and improved practicality. While other Sigma Art lenses, even mirrorless models like the massive Art 35.2 F1.2, were ordered in bulk to achieve their image quality goals, the 14-24mm DN did just that opposite.
That it’s still affordable makes it all the better.
It’s still a niche lens that not everyone will use, with a somewhat limited 2X zoom, but no better value at the wide-angle zoom, f/2.8 for mirrorless cameras.
where can you get a Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN Art online
Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN Art Lens for Leica L: Buy it now
Sigma 213965 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN Art for Sony E Mount, Black: Buy it now
Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG DN Art Lens for Sony E Mount with Advanced Photo and Travel Bundle: Buy it now