SIGMA 16-28mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary Zoom

SIGMA 16-28 and 28-70 DG DN | Contemporary taken with SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN | ART

SIGMA’s optical prowess continues to impress. Their new 16-28mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary Wide-Angle Zoom Lens (at left) is almost the same size and weight as its companion 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary Zoom (at right). If the best lens is the one that’s light and small enough to put in your jacket pocket, and has exceptional imaging quality, then the 16-28 is the wide zoom you’ll want to join the 28-70 that was released in March 2021.

Both lenses are for Full Frame mirrorless cameras and come in Sony E-mount or Leica/ SIGMA/Panasonic L-Mount.

Wide and fast zoom lenses are usually not this petite. The 16-28mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary maintains sharpness to the edges, with no shading (darkening of the edges). A few weeks ago I was gushing over the rectilinear, unbending lines of SIGMA’s 20mm F2 DG DN | Contemporary prime. Now, here’s a lens that’s wider, is almost as small, and is a zoom.

SIGMA 16-28mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary at 16mm wide end, 1/1250 sec, F8, ISO 800, 9520×6320 original SIGMA fp L image reduced to 2048 x 1361 here.

Screengrab function of SIGMA fp L showing user-definable framelines.

Two large-diameter aspherical lens elements, two additional aspherical elements and five FLD glass elements (with characteristics that mirror fluorite) keep the lens light, small and suppress chromatic aberrations. The lens also achieves impressive image quality benefits from advanced digital correction capabilities of the SIGMA fp L, Sony alpha and other recent cameras.

The zoom mechanism is internal. That means it does not trombone in and out. The overall length remains consistent throughout the entire zoom range. This constant center of gravity is helpful for work on gimbals and drones. A front filter thread is also helpful and not always found on wide lenses.

Focus is fast, silent and accurate. A stepping motor controls the AF actuator.