subscribe 0330 333 1113I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.ukI 29 February 2020 47
AWARD
WINNER
2020
WIDEANGLEPRIME LENS
Nominees■SamyangAF45mm
F1.8FE
■Sigma40mmF1.4DG
HSM| Art
■ Zeiss Batis 2/40 CFNominees■FujifilmXF16mm
F2.8R WR
■Sigma28mmF1.4
DGHSM| Art
■ Sony FE 35mm F1.8Zeiss Batis 2/40 CF
Sigma 28mm F1.4DG HSM | ArtStandard Prime Lens of the Year
Wideangle Prime Lens of the YearTHELATESTin Sigma’sseriesof Artprimesoffersa classicfocal
lengththatstreet,travel,weddingandreportage
photographerslovetouse.It combinesallof thefeatures
thatwe’vecometoexpectin thishighlyregarded
range,witha largeaperture,robustbuild,andfine
optics.It’savailablein Canon,NikonandSigma
DSLRmounts,alongwithSonyE andLeicaL
mountsforfull-framemirrorlesscameras.
Sigma’sHyperSonicMotorperforms
autofocusduties,givingquiet,decisiveAF
andsupportingfull-timemanualoverride.
Theaperturediaphragmemploysnine
curvedbladestocreateattractiveblurin
theout-of-focusareas.Photographerswho
findthemselvesshootingin wetordamp
conditionswillbepleasedwithitsdust-and
splash-proofconstruction.A water-and-oil-
repellentcoatingis appliedtothefrontand
rearelementstoo.
Mostimportantly,thislensgivesattractiveimagesthat
willstandapartfromthosetakenwitha zoomwhenyouwant
toisolatethesubjectfromthebackground.Nail the focus at
f/1.4 and you’ll get really satisfying results.QUITEsimply,theZeissBatis40mmf/2CFis a
wonderfulstandardlensforSonyfull-framemirrorless
users.Theimagequalityit deliversis aboutascloseto
flawlessasyoucouldhope,withsuperbdetailrendition
andminimalaberrations.It offersa handyclose-up
shootingabilitythatgivesone-thirdlife-size
magnification,althoughit’snota substitutefora true
macrolens.Buildqualityis superb,autofocusis quick,
silentandaccurate,anditsOLEDdistanceanddepth-of-
fielddisplayis a bonusformanual-focusshooting.
There’sa wholelottolikehere,andbarelyanythingto
complainabout.
Formany,theunfamiliar-lookingfocallengthmaybea
barriertoconsideringthislens,butreallyit shouldn’tbe.
In factthere’sa hardcoreof photographers who’ll swear
thatthisis theidealstandardfocal
lengthonfull-frame,bringingan
extremelynaturalperspectiveto
yourimages.The£1,149pricetagis
a moreunderstandablesticking
point,butif you’veboughtintoa
high-endfull-framemirrorless
system,it makessensetoinvestin
top-notchlensesthat’llrealiseitsfull
potential.Fewwilldeliverbetter
results than the Batis 40mm f/2.
Whywelikeit
●Superlativeimagequality
●Fast,decisiveAF
●Handyclose-focusfacility
●Robust,weather-sealed
build
● Useful OLED distance scaleWhywelikeit
●Robustbuildquality
●Rapid,quietautofocus
●High-qualityoptics
●Full-timemanualfocus
●Availablein a widerangeof
DSLR and mirrorless mounts
AWARD
WINNER
2020
STANDARD
PRIME LENS
‘Aclassicfocal
lengththat
street,travel,
weddingand
reportage
photographers
love to use’