Sigma’s latest lens is the 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN, a powerful new addition to their Contemporary line of lenses. The lens offers remarkable performance capabilities housed within a lightweight, compact build. We had the chance to try out the new lens last week, and it did not disappoint. Here’s our Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens review.
Build
The new lens is for full-frame, mirrorless cameras, and comes in Sony E-Mount and L-Mount. Its design was based on Sigma’s popular 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art lens. The slightly narrower focal range allows the new lens to have a significantly smaller build. At 16.6 oz (470g), it’s nearly a pound lighter than the 24-70mm.
While not as wide as the Art lens, 28-70mm is still an incredibly versatile focal range. You can use it to shoot portraits, landscape, events, or on the street. Combined with the compact build, this lens is great for everyday use.
The 28-70mm F2.8 lens has a durable polycarbonate body with a focus switch on the side. The lens doesn’t have a zoom lock switch like the 24-70, though the ability to push and pull the front of the lens to adjust the zoom is a nice touch. We confirmed the lens doesn’t suffer from lens creeping.
The 28-70mm F2.8 also features a dust and splash-proof mount, and a water and oil repellant coating on the front element. We put these to the test when we went outside to shoot during a snowfall in Brooklyn last week.
Performance
Sigma’s Art lenses are renowned for their high quality optical performance, while Contemporary lenses are designed to balance performance with portability. The Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 effectively blends the best of both lines. The construction of the lens includes three aspherical, two FLD, and two SLD glass elements. This allows it to rival the optical performance of the 24-70mm F2.8 Art lens, despite using fewer elements in total. Like the 24-70, the 28-70 adeptly corrects chromatic and sagittal coma aberrations, allowing you to capture images with edge-to-edge sharpness.
We had a great time using this lens in the snow. The images we captured were consistently sharp, and the lens had no trouble keeping up with the Sony a7 III autofocus. The lightweight frame meant it was also comfortable to carry while walking through the snow. We didn’t need the F2.8 max aperture while shooting in the snow, but it’s good to know the lens would have performed just as well if we’d gone shooting later in the day during low-light.
Price & Competition
The Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary is available for pre-order now for $899. That’s a great price considering it’s more portable than and performs comparably to the $1,099 Sigma 24-70 DG DN Art lens.
Another competitor is the Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD lens. It’s also heavier than the Sigma 28-70mm, and at $879, only slightly cheaper. We’ve previously compared the Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 vs Sigma 24-70mm F2.8. In that post, we concluded that the Sigma lens offers a slightly better optical performance due to a heavier, more sophisticated build.
The new Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 lens rivals the superior performance capabilities of the Sigma 24-70mm, while also matching the portability and value of the Tamron 28-75mm.
Should I Buy the Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary Lens?
The Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens is a great investment. The lens’ unique blend of portability and performance makes it a great choice for everyday use. That’s not to mention the price, which is low for a lens of its calibre. All in all, it’s a great value lens.
