It’s that kind of small attention to detail that impresses someone like me who sees a lot of lenses. One nice touch that I’ve seen on some of the ART series lenses and that is included on the 16mm DN lens is a rubberized transition zone on the included lens hood right where you would grip the lens hood to loosen or tighten it. The lens still balances fine on the Sony a6500 body that I used to test it on, though it is definitely up in weight from the 30mm, which weighed in at 265g. This is about ¾” (19mm) longer than the 30mm, but only about 7mm larger in girth. The 16mm DN is 3.63” long (92.3mm) and a fairly narrow 2.84” (72.2mm) in diameter. This video breaks down the build and handling of the 16mm DN. That added engineering challenge is shown in the complexity of the optical formula, which is 16 elements in 13 groups (almost twice as complex)! The 16mm lens corresponds to a classic wide angle of 24mm, and with an extremely large maximum aperture to boot. The 30mm lens has a full frame equivalent focal range (on a Sony 1.5x crop factor) of 45mm, and has a relatively simple optical formula of 9 elements in 7 groups. To be fair, however, this is also the most extreme lens in the series, as all previous lenses have been very “safe” focal ranges (from 28mm – 90mm full frame equivalent). This is, by a good margin, the largest lens in the DN series, but it is still a relatively compact lens by normal standards. If you were familiar with the 30mm DN lens, it will seem a little large if you were familiar with the 35/50mm lenses, it will seem quite small. Prefer to watch your reviews? I’ve got you covered! See my full video review here!Īs previously noted, the physical design of the 16mm DN is instantly familiar to those who have used either the 30mm f/1.4 DN Contemporary or a lens like the 35mm f/1.4 or 50mm f/1.4 ART lenses. So don’t be put off by the Contemporary designation the 16mm DN is a serious performer! Thanks to my friends over at Sigma Canada for the loaner of the review copy of the lens. If you own Micro 4/3rds or Sony APS-C E-mount, the 16mm DN should be a serious interest to you. Having owned and used the 30mm f/1.4 DN lens, I was excited for the release of the new Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary as a reasonably priced, premium wide angle option. Internal conversations with Sigma insiders reveals that the popularity of Sony’s E mount (and its evolution to the more premium a6xxx series) caught Sigma a little by surprise, and this second wave of lenses (and their more premium nature) makes for a better match with Sony’s own evolution. The Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DN lens certainly looks very much like an ART lens! As a result, Sigma’s approach to mirrorless branding is a little like Alice’s “Through the Looking Glass”, where everything ends up somewhat upside down. Though it shared a lot of design elements with the SLR ART series primes (similar body style and materials), along with the wide maximum aperture that ART primes are famous for, it was, ironically, badged a “Contemporary” lens. In 2016 Sigma launched a new mirrorless lens, the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DN DC. Though they look nothing like the other ART series lenses, they were, ironically, badged as ART lenses. I’ve tested all of these, and they are actually surprisingly good little optics, with nice color, quiet focus, extremely compact size, and a bargain price. Sigma first released a series of three budget primes with moderately wide apertures (19mm, 30mm, and 60mm f/2.8 DN lenses). Sigma’s approach to mirrorless lenses (DN) has come in two distinct phases.
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