in blue English, en noir en Français
Thanks to Photogalerie.com , I had the opportunity to test the new Sigma 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN Art on the A7RIV
All photos , taken with Sony A7RIV are available in full size (61Mpix) in the following Flickr album : Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art
Grace à Photogalerie.com à Bruxelles, j’ai eu l’occasion de tester le tout nouveau sigma 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN Art sur le A7RIV
Toutes les photos de l’article, prises avec le sony A7RIV sont disponibles en pleine résolution (61Mpix) dans l’album flickr suivant : Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art
- Presentation
- Optical Performances / Performances Optiques
- Video
- Samples / Exemples
- Conclusion
1 Presentation
1.1 Introduction
The Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art is the second Zoom lens from Sigma, specially designed for mirrorless , it complements some other masterpiece like the
Le Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art est le second Zoom de Sigma spécialement conçu pour les hybrides, il vient rejoindre les autres excellents :
1.2 Specifications
- Weight : 830gr
- Price : 1200 euros
- Filter : 82mm
- Length : 124,9mm
- Diameter : 87,8mm
- 11 blades aperture
- Minimal focusing distance : 18-38 cm
- AF Lock button that can be customised
- AF/MF button
- Lock button to avoid lens extending when transported
- Petal lens hood
- Case
The build quality is top notch as good as the Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM
The AF is fast and precise and silent , I had no issue at all with Tracking on A7RIV or with eye AF
Later in this article I will compare it to the
- Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD (900 euros)
- Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM (2100 euros)
- Poids : 830r
- Prix : 1200 euros
- Filtre: 82mm
- Longueur : 124,9mm
- Diamètre : 87,8mm
- Diaphragme à 11 lamelles
- Distance de mise au point minimale : 18-38cm
- Bouton de maintien de mise au point personnalisable
- Bouton AF/MF
- Verrou pour empêcher l’optique de se déployer durant le transport
- Pare-soleil en tulipe
- Boite de transport
La qualité de fabrication est excellente et similaire au Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM
L’autofocus est rapide, précis et silencieux . Je ne n’ai aucun souci avec la fonction de Tracking AF du A7RIV ou l’AF sur les yeux
Une comparaison avec les
- Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD (900 euros)
- Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM (2100 euros)
est disponible plus loin dans l’article
AF Tracking / Suivi AF
2 Optical Performances / performances optiques
2.1 Sharpness / Piqué
The tests were made on a Sony A7RIV with its 61 Mpix, all photos at all aperture and all focal length are available here : Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art, here below I only included F2.8 / F8 aperture for illustration
- The Sigma show an impressive performance in the centre , with results becoming better and better as you increase the focal length
- Only the 24mm is weaker with a “very good” grade
- Corners however are max very good and only good at 50mm
An excellent performance for a zoom at that price
Les tests on été effectués sur un A7RIV, le plus exigeant de la gamme Sony avec ses 61Mpix. Toutes les photos centre et coins à toutes les focales et toutes les ouvertures sont disponibles ici : Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art, seuls les crop à F2.8 et F8 sont inclus dans l’article pour illustration
- Au centre les résultats sont impressionnants pour un Zoom avec des résultats s’améliorant au fur et à mesure que la focale augmente
- Seul le 24mm est un peu plus faible et n’atteint que la note “très bien”
- Les coins sont au max “très bien” et seulement bien à 50mm
Une excellente performance pour un zoom à ce prix
24mm Centre
24mm Corners / Coins
35mm Centre
35mm Corners / Coins
50mm Centre
50mm Corners / Coins
70mm Centre
70mm Corners / Coins
2.2 Vignetting / Chromatic aberrations / Distorsion / Flare / Sunstars
- Distorsion is visible in
- barrel at 24mm (strong) then
- barrel at 35 mm (low)
- pincushion at 50mm
- very low at 70mm
- Vignetting is moderate at F2.8 and disappears at F5.6
- Chromatic aberrations are very low and invisible except at 70mm in very difficult situation
- Resistance to flare is average (but on par with Sony GM and Tamron)
- Sunstars are not well defined most of the time
There is not yet a Lightroom lens profile but this should come in a future release of Lightroom to correct Distorsion and Vignetting automatically
2.2 Vignettage / aberrations chromatiques / distorsion / flare / effets d’étoiles
- La distorsion est visible en barillet
- en barillet à 24mm (importante)
- en barillet à 35mm (faible)
- en coussinet à 50mm
- très faible à 70mm
- Le vignettage est visible à F2.8 et disparait à F5.6
- Les aberrations chromatiques sont très faibles et invisibles sauf à 70mm dans des situations extrêmes
- La résistance au flare est moyenne (mais similaire au Sony GM et au Tamron)
- Les effets d’étoiles sont mal définis la plupart du temps
Un futur profil Lightroom permettra de corriger la distorsion et le vignettage automatiquement
2.3 Bokeh / Color Rendition – Bokeh / Rendu des couleurs
- The background blur is very smooth and creamy : better than the Sony and the Tamron
- The Bokeh Balls are very good at all apertures with no artifact and but in some occasion they can be truncated on the border (cat’s eye) : overall they are the best vs the Sony & Tamron
- The color rendition is very good on par with the Sony GM and better than the Tamron
- Le flou d’arrière plan est très doux et très agréable : meilleur que le Sony et le Tamron
- Les ronds de Bokeh sont très bons à toutes les ouvertures, sans artefacts visibles, dans certains cas particuliers ils peuvent être partiellement tronqués près des bords (cat’s eye). Globalement ce sont les meilleurs par rapport au Sony et au Tamron
- Le rendu des couleurs est très bon au même niveau que le Sony GM et meilleur que le Tamron
35mm : Background blur from F2.8 to F5.6 / Flou d’arrière plan de F2.8 à F5.6
50mm : Background blur from F2.8 to F5.6 / Flou d’arrière plan de F2.8 à F5.6
70mm : Background blur from F2.8 to F5.6 / Flou d’arrière plan de F2.8 à F5.6
24 to 70mm : Background blur from F2.8 to F5.6 / Flou d’arrière plan de F2.8 à F5.6
2.4 Alternatives
The 2 main competitors are the / Les 2 concurrents sont
- Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD (900 euros)
- Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM (2100 euros)
Sharpness / Piqué
In term of sharpness the Sigma is #1 globally particularly on the range 35-70, the Sony is #2 but leading for the 24mm focal length and the Tamron is a good #3
En terme de Piqué le Sigma est #1 globalement surtout dans la plage 35-70mm , le Sony est #2 mais 1er pour la focale 24mm, le Tamron est 3ème
24mm :
- Sony on the right is better,
- le Sony à droite est meilleur
50mm :
- Sigma is much better than the Sony in the centre but a little bit less good in the corner
- Le Sigma est bien meilleur que le Sony au centre mais un peu moins moins dans les coins
50mm :
70mm
- Sigma is much better than the Sony in the centre and a bit better in the corners
- Le Sigma est bien meilleur que le Sony au centre et un peu meilleur dans les coins
Bokeh / Background blur – Bokeh / flou d’arrière plan
- Sigma #1
- very creamy background blur and no artifact in bokeh balls (11 blades)
- flou d’arrière plan très doux et beau ronds de bokeh (11 lamelles de diaphragme)
- Sony #2 (9 Blades apertures / 9 lamelles de diaphragme)
- Tamron # 3
AF : no significant differences / pas de différences significatives
Distorsion / Flare : no significant differences / pas de différences significatives
Build quality / Qualité de construction: Sony & Sigma ex Aequo, Tamron #3
Price for quality / Rapport qualité prix: Sigma #1, Tamron #2 , Sony #3
Weight / Compactness – Poids / Compacité
- Tamron #1 118mm & 550g,
- Sigma #2 125mm & 830g
- Sony #3 136mm & 886g
3 Video
- AF is efficient in video
- Color rendition , sharpness and Bokeh are very good
- En vidéo , l’AF est efficace
- Le rendu des couleurs, le flou d’arrière plans et le Bokeh sont très bons
4 Samples of Photos / Exemples de Photos
- Sharpness performances in the centre is excellent to outstanding in most situations
- Top performance in the centre is achieved as from F4 at all focal lengths
- For architecture/landscape close down to F8 for max performance in the corners
- Le piqué est excellent à superbe au centre dans la plupart des situations
- Les performances optimales sont atteintes dès F4 à toutes les focales
- Pour l’architecture et le paysage il faudra fermer à F8 pour avoir des performances optimales sur tout le champ
focal length from 24 to 70mm
focal length from 24 to 70mm
24 mm – 1-250 s à f – 2,8 à ISO 100
5 Conclusion
The Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art (1200 euros) is an excellent standard zoom for the A7RIV.
Globally it is the best in its category for the A7RIV and the only one to resolve fully the 61Mpix sensor (only in the centre), its main weakness is the 24mm focal length where the Sony 24-70 F2.8 GM does consistently better
Pros
- Excellent to outstanding centre sharpness on A7RIV between 35 and 70mm
- Moderate price
- Excellent smooth blurry background
- Very Good Bokeh Balls with no artifacts and well rounded
- Very Good build quality and ergonomics
- Very good color rendition
- Weather sealed
- Short focusing distance
- Fast and reliable and silent AF
- Very Low CA except at 70mm (moderate)
Average
- Visible distorsion and moderate vignetting but that should be corrected in a future Lightroom Lens profile (not worse than the Tamron or the Sony)
- Resistance to flare is not a the level of what we have on Prime but Sony and Tamron have also same issue
- Weight 830g (but lighter than the Sony 886g)
- 24mm sharpness less good than Sony but roughly similar to Tamron at 28mm
- Corners sharpness only reaching very good levels max and good at 50mm
Cons
- None at this price point
For A7III I would still recommend the Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD (900 euros) as the extra gain in performance of the Sony and Sigma won’t be noticeable most of the time
For the A7RIII and mostly for A7RIV
- if your main usage is around 24mm or are looking for very good consistency centre to corners around 50mm go with the Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM
- otherwise the Sigma offers superior performance mostly in centre (e.g. for portrait at 50 & 70mm) and for 40% less cost
5 Conclusion
Le Sigma 24-70mmm F2.8 DG DN Art (1200 euros) est un excellent Zoom Standard pour le A7RIV
Globalement c’est le meilleur de sa catégorie et le seul à profiter pleinement des 61Mpix du A7RIV (bien que seulement au centre), son plus grand point faible étant la focale 24mm où le Sony est systématiquement meilleur
Pour
- Piqué excellent à superbe au centre sur A7RIV entre 35 et 70mm
- Prix raisonnable
- Superbe flou d’arrière plan très doux
- Très bon ronds de Bokeh bien ronds et sans structure
- Très bon rendu des couleurs
- Très bonne qualité de construction et ergonomie
- Protection tout temps
- Faible distance de mise au point
- Autofocus rapide , précis et silencieux
- Très peu d’AC sauf à 70mm (modérée)
Moyen
- Distorsion visible et vignettage visible qui devraient être corrigés dans une future version de Lightroom (performance similaire au Sony et au Tamron)
- Résistance au flare moyenne et pas au niveau d’une focale fixe (les autres 24-70 Sony et Tamron ne font pas mieux)
- Piqué à 24mm en retrait par rapport aux autres focales mais aussi bon que le Tamron
- Poids 830g (mais le Sony fait 886g)
- Piqué dans les coins qui n’atteint que la note “très bien” au max et seulement bien à 50mm
Contre
- Aucun à ce prix
Pour ceux qui ont le A7III je recommande le Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD (900 euros) car les gains supplémentaires de performance seront rarement visible sur un 24Mpix
Pour ceux qui ont un A7RIII ou RIV :
- si votre utilisation principale est aux alentours de 24mm ou que vous cherchez la consistance sur tout le champ à 50mm alors le Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM sera le meilleur,
- dans les autres cas le Sigma offrira de meilleure performances surtout au centre (ce qui est parfait pour des portraits entre 50 et 70mm) pour 40% moins cher
Categories: Lenses, Sigma, Sigma Zoom
Hi. Thanks for such a detailed review. It seems to me that at 24mm the sigma is wider than the Sony, do you agree? I don’t know about the angle of view at 70mm. I’m just worried about light transmission being less than let’s say T-3.0. Did you have the chance to compare light transmission performance against the GM?
I can’t check anymore i-as i sold my GM before receiving the sigma!
Hi Marc, what about the AFC capacities? Can stand the A9/A9II for action?
As mentioned in the article no issue at all with tracking mode of a7rIV so it should show no issue on a9 which has similar tracking mode
Thanks for your review. What are your thoughts on this lens compared to the Sony FE 24-105 f4 G OSS, which is approximately the same price? I understand they are quite different lenses and both have their obvious pros and cons (focal range vs maximum aperture), but which would you consider to be a better lens overall?
For portrait , street the sigma
For all around or landscape the sony
Thanks for your review. What are your thoughts on this lens compared to the Sony FE 24-105 f4 G OSS, which is approximately the same price? I understand each of these lenses have their own benefits (focal range vs. maximum aperture), but which would you consider to be a better lens overall?
It is personal taste what you prefer
Personnally I am more a portrait shooter and lové Nice Bokeh so I have ordered the sigma
Thanks for your thorough and timely review. I got a call from my dealer today saying that they had a lens for me and I purchased it. No time to shoot with it yet, but the build quality is excellent.
Hi.I’m a hobby photographer.a7r3 for landscape, architecture and portrait photos, so I want to get the lens for general use.Sigma 24-70 vs sony 24-70 gm which should I buy? thank you
Up to you the sony will be better for landscape the sigma for all other usages
I saw the previous question about a comparison between this and the Sony 24- 105 f4. I understand it is a matter of preference, but I am curious about a comparison of focal quality if you have any thoughts on that. Thank you.
24-105 more consistant centre to edge, 24-70 sharper in the centre and better bokeh
Thank you!
Which do you think is better for pro portraits
Sigma will ne better for pro portrait
And prime lens will be better than sigma
Hi Marc,
One important thing which needs to be added : Sigma is systematically lying on their Fstop. You can check that on DXO Mark Tstop value. While f1.4 lenses should have Tstop of 1.4, Sigma lenses have a Tstop of 1.8…The 85mm f1.8 from Sony is as luminous as the Sigma 85mm f1.4…. I’m pretty sure they’ll do the same with this 24-70, which will not be a f2.8 lens, but more likely a f3.4 lens as on their Nikon version. I’m surprise no one is talking about that.
hey – did you check video AF / tracking / eye and face autofocus in both stills and video? thanks!
yes they were very good
I bought one a few weeks ago. Agree with the review. Excellent lens for a value price. I have the 14-24 too. And the 100-400 with adapter. Really enjoy the sigma value. Can’t comment on Tstop values. But for me it achieves what I expect for a 2.8. Not super fast but a good all rounder. Exactly what a zoom is for. Use my Zeiss or Voigtländer primes if in low light.
Hi, I am a hobby photographer, mostly street & portraits, with a6300 do you think there will be a noticeable difference between the sigma & the tamron, tamron being €300 cheaper? Thank you!
yes as a3000 is using crop sensor with high pixel density
but the range 24-70 on APSC is odd
I would prefer to use the sony 16-55 F2.8G much smaller , same excellent quality and that do provide wide angle on A6300
see my review of the sony 16-55 F2.8 G , best APSC Zoom available for sony cameras
Yes there will be as sensor of a6300 is apsc and 24mpix is roughly euivalent to a 55Mpix
full frame
Thank you, Marc, for continuous dedication! You mentioned in conclusion “for A7III [24.2 MP] would still recommend the Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD as the extra gain in performance of the Sony and Sigma won’t be noticeable most of the time”. So, for any camera, including A7S and A7SII [12+ MP] with sensors less than 42.4 megapixels would suggest Tamron? Is the suggestion based on megapixels, only, nor any other quality of sensor?
mpix only
The tamron is best for the money but sigma will be superior on a7iii As it goes to the 24mm, it has brtter build quality and bokeh
But you won’t see a sharpness difference
Bonjour !
Merci beaucoup pour tous ces tests !
Je viens d’acquérir un A7r IV avec un Samyang 85 1.4 grace a vos tests et je ne suis clairement pas déçu !! Ca change du 6D mark II !
Je souhaite également acquérir un nouveau objectif pour faire des paysages (montagnes, mer et également des monuments) pour une utilisation voyage principalement. Lequel serait le plus sharp entre ce 24-70 Sigma, un 24 1.4 GM de Sony ? Ou d’autres choix a me conseiller ?
Merci beaucoup !
Le 24 sera plus piqué à pleine ouverture et offrir un plus en basse lumière
mais en voyage le sigma 24-70 F2.8 offre un couteau suisse d’excellentes qualités
Perso c’est le Sigma que je prends en voyage/vacances
J’utilise le 24 quand je fait une sortie spécifique paysage / archi
Hello Marc, I love your reviews ! I’m hestitating in buying the sigma 24-70 and therefor read your review which stated that the sigma is in fact better than the Sony GM version. However, I just read this review which was less in favour of the sigma.
https://www.lenstip.com/574.11-Lens_review-Sigma_A_24-70_mm_f_2.8_DG_DN_Summary.html
I was wondering what you think about this review… I don’t understand why reviews can be so different…
the lens tip review was done on A7RII so only 42MPix , the sigma really outperforms clearly the GM on 61Mpix and a little bit on the 42Mpix. The lens tip con’s are about distorsion and vignetting , if you use raw & Lightroom there is a Lightroom lens profile that correct those automatically. if you use jpg they are also corrected automatically. Many new lenses are optimized for sharpness and bokeh and less for distorsion and vignetting as those can be easily corrected automatically. My choice I sold my GM for the Sigma on the A7RIV
Hello Marc.
I’d like to know if you never had some problems with the focus, using this lens. I try to explain you better: I’m using this lens from february with A7iii but sometimes I had some focus problems in some pictures especially in those pictures where the subject is on the side and although the focus square is on the subject, the picture is out of focus. This problem does not appears on all the pictures that I take but sometimes. I tried to undestand if there was a back/front focus problems but in a mirroless camera is very difficult have these kind of issues. Do you have some idea or suggest to me?
I looked in all forum/blog if there was other people with this issue but I don’t find nobody. (fortunately)
Thank you!!
I don’t have this issue with my lens
So with a Sony a7RIII is the Sigma better than GM? Thanx
yes
Bonjour Marc,
je possède déjà un Sony 24 f/1,4 GM (et un Sony 135 f/1,8 GM) sur A7R4 et je me demande si ça vaut le coup de prendre ce zoom pour sa polyvalence (mais limité par ce faible range) par rapport au fait de pouvoir cropper directement sur les images de 60mp?
Pour un prix similaire, je me demande, si ce n’est pas mieux de prendre un Sigma 85 f/1,4 DG DN Art ou encore moins cher un Sigma 105 f/2,8 DG DN macro Art???
Bien à toi,
David
Le zoom 24-70 F2.8 es tien indispensable en voyage quand tu ne sais pas ce que tu dois photographier à l’avance. pour du travail je peux voyager avec une valise ou pour une shooting je prends par contre des focales fixes
Hi Marc,
FANTASTIC reviews of the lenses available for the Sony A7R4. Thank you so much for doing all this work!
Question: Do you have any comments on the Sigma 24-70 being prone to dust in the lens?
I currently have the Sony 24-70GM, and after reading your glowing review of the Sigma being an even better lens I am considering switching.
But… there are 6 different comments in the BHPhotoVideo comment section of dust getting into the front element. One guy says he sent his in for a warranty cleaning and one week later more dust was back.
And another guy had this to say:
“I loved the lens but one minor bump against the car window damaged the focus motor. Sigma refused to honor their warranty. The housing is not strong enough and it needs to be handled with extra care. It is not something I would carry hiking, backpacking, off-roading. I own a variety of canon and Sony lenses and I have never had to have a lens repaired before despite rougher use including drops on concrete and rocks. ”
Back in May 2020 (it’s December 2020 as I write this) you wrote:
My choice I sold my GM for the Sigma on the A7RIV
I’m on the fence here. Are you still happy with your switch to Sigma? Oh – I’m shooting A7R4.
Thanks so much! Russ
I am stil happy with it and I have no dust , but on all my lenses I put a Hoya HD Protector filter as of day 1, maybe there is an issue with some serial number or a general issue but personally : Zero issues
Thanks Marc!
I just ordered the Sigma from BHphoto.
Greatly appreciate your efforts here!
Russ
A very detailed and useful review. I think the Sigma DG Art is the way to go for me (after selling the Zeiss Batis 40mm F2 CF). Also, living in Brussels and seeing test shots from Brussels give this review and extra touch of value. 🙂
Bonjour Marc,
D’abord merci pour toutes tes infos sur les webinar sony, très pratique pour démystifier le a7riv 🙂
J’ai un sony a7riv et je cherche un ultra grand angle pour mes photos dans le cockpit de mon avion aussi bien de nuit que de jour.
Je shoote principalement en BnW (après LR processing), que me conseilles tu?
(je cherche un équivalent au format ultra grand angle de l’iPhone11pro qui est je pense un 13mm 2.4/120deg)
Ou puis je trouver le fichier de tes settings a7rIv?
Mille merci(s)
Dimitri
l’ideal : le Sony 14mm f1.8 GM ou le Sony 12-24mm F2.8 GM
sinon en second choix le Sigma 14-24mm F2.8
et en petit budget le Nisi 15mm F4