Sigma 35mm F2 DG DN Contemporary Review

The compact, quality prime isn't dead. Photographers are easily wowed by images captured by big primes with exotic, bright apertures, but you don't always want to carry a heavy lens, especially when hiking or exploring a city. The Sigma 35mm F2 DG DN Contemporary ($639), available for Sony E and L-Mount Alliance systems, is part of the I Series, a lens family that sets itself apart with slim, light optics, and quality aluminum construction. It adeptly balances size, performance, and cost to please photographers with a tilt toward vintage lenses, without sacrificing autofocus and other modern conveniences.I Series The 35mm F2 DG DN Contemporary is part of the I Series, a family of mirrorless lenses with a few characteristics in common, including a slim design, strong (but not perfect) optics, aluminum construction, and an aperture control ring. The fit and finish is reminiscent of Leica M rangefinder lenses, but you'll enjoy modern conveniences, including autofocus. And it gets th...

The Sigma 35mm F2 DG DN Contemporary lens sets itself apart from others with aluminum construction, an aperture ring, and a light, slim build.

Light and compact; Full-frame sensor coverage; Premium aluminum finish; Strong optical performance; Quick, quiet focus

Not fully protected from dust and splashes; Visible focus breathing

Sigma 35mm F/2 DG DN Contemporary Lens for Leica L - Brand New review

Make no mistake, this is a beautiful lens that has a really strong performance. Unusually, the logic applied to the design of the optics seems to have fallen slightly less comfortably when we look at some of the minor, niggling, more general design issues.

Outstanding sharpness, Low central CA, Excellent flare resistance, All metal construction, Quality manufacture, Pleasant bokeh, 3-year guarantee, Dust-resistant and splashproof

Edge CA obvious, Caution needed with the magnetic lens cap, No A setting lock on the aperture ring, Click stops cannot be switched off, Filter size not consistent across I range, No depth of field scale

Sigma 35mm F/2 DG DN Contemporary Lens for Leica L - Brand New review

Of course if our assessment is to remain positive that kind of compromise must pay off - how does the situation look in the case of the Sigma C 2/35? We are pleased to say it looks well enough.

solid and metal casing,, excellent image quality in the frame centre,, very good image quality on the edge of the APS-C sensor,, good image quality on the edge of full frame,, moderate spherical aberration,, sensible correction of longitudinal chromatic aberration,, negligible lateral chromatic...

monstruous vignetting on full frame,, distortion could have been lower with such an angle of view.

Sigma 35mm F/2 DG DN Contemporary Lens for Leica L - Brand New review

The Sigma 35mm F2 DG DN is a great medium-wideangle prime lens for all types of photographers. While it has some fringing and a bit of distortion, it largely makes up for those with pleasingly smooth out-of-focus areas as well as excellent handling and build quality.

Weddings and events, travel, environmental portraiture

Architectural photographers wanting minimal distortion

Sigma 35mm F/2 DG DN Contemporary Lens for Leica L - Brand New review

The Sigma 35mm f2 DG DN is a mild wide prime lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras and available in Sony-e and Leica L-mounts. It becomes Sigma’s second 35mm to get me really excited about shooting this focal length, following the f1.2 ART.

Sigma 35mm F/2 DG DN Contemporary Lens for Leica L - Brand New review

Sigma 35mm F2 DG DN is a Fixed aperture Auto Focus (AF) Wideangle Prime lens with 35mm FF max sensor coverage, and it is designed to be used with L Mount cameras. What type of photography is the Sigma 35mm F2 DG DN lens good for?

Weather-sealed, Autofocus, Aperture Ring, Hood supplied, Full-time Manual Focusing, Fast Aperture, Covers Full-Frame Sensor, 9 Diaphragm Blades for Smooth Bokeh, Minimum focus distance of, 0.27m / 10.6 inch

Weather-sealed, Autofocus, Aperture Ring, Hood supplied, Full-time Manual Focusing, Fast Aperture, Covers Full-Frame Sensor, 9 Diaphragm Blades for Smooth Bokeh, Minimum focus distance of, 0.27m / 10.6 inch