Smart_Photography_-_December_2015_

S

igma’s Art lenses have created

a reputation amongst premium

lenses for the brilliant optics

and sturdy build quality. These new

breed of lenses are compatible with

Sigma’s USB dock, which allows you to

upgrade the lens �irmware and also to

make �ine adjustments such as focus

�ine-tuning. The 24-35mm f/2 DG

HSM | A joins the bandwagon with the

same brilliance.

Design and Build Quality

The Sigma 24-35mm f/2 lens has

a very sturdy construction with an

optimum use of metal and engineering

plastic. The lens shows its class

with smooth, yet well-damped focus

and zoom rings. There is only one

switch that lets you select between

AF and MF. A focus distance scale is

incorporated, which has markings in

both metres and feet.

The lens has a metal mount, but

the �ilter thread is plastic. It has

dimensions of 87.6 mm x122.7 mm

and weighs 940g.

Key Features

The Sigma 24-35mm f/2 DG HSM

lens sports the A (Art) designation,

which is tagged with premium

models featuring superior optics

and professional construction. The

lens is compatible with both Full

Frame and APS-C type D-SLRs. In

fact, Sigma claims that the lens is the

world’s �irst f/2 Full Frame zoom

lens. The lens is constructed with 18

elements in 13 groups including an

FLD (premium glass that provides

equivalent performance to �luorite)

and an SLD (Special Low-Dispersion)

glass element. The 24-35mm has a

9-bladed diaphragm, which provides

a circular aperture. The lens has a

minimum aperture of f/16 and �ilter

size of 82mm. It focusses as close

as 28cm and provides a maximum

magni�ication of 1:4.4.

The lens is compatible with Sigma USB

Dock, through which, you can �ine-

tune the focus and update �irmware.

Sigma claims that an updated AF

algorithm in the lens makes autofocus

more accurate and fast. The lens has a

multi-layer coating to control �lare and

ghosting.

Sigma provides a �lower shaped lens

hood along with the lens.

Ergonomics

The Sigma 24-35mm f/2 DG HSM | A

lens is not quite light at 940g. But the

smooth focus and zoom rings make

it comfortable to use. Both the rings

have textured rubber �inishing, which

make them all the more comfortable

to use. The focus ring rotates a little

more than 90 degrees, which makes

manual focussing effortless, but �ine-

tuning dif�icult. The lens employs

internal focussing, which prevents

Carving a Niche

the front element from rotating. This

makes it ideal for use with graduated

and polarising �ilters. The lens has

focal lengths marked at 24, 28, 30,

and 35mm. The distance marking in

feet is printed in grey, and this makes

it dif�icult to read.

Performance

The Sigma 24-35mm lens performed

reasonably well in our test. We

received a Nikon mount lens and

hence we tested it on a Nikon D750

body. Autofocus was very fast,

precise and quiet. The lens did not

have any problem focussing in low-

light. The lens controlled darkening

of corners very well. Darkening

was observed at f/2 and f/2.8, but

vanished completely at f/5.6. We did

not observe any �lare or chromatic

aberration at the wide-angle end

at 24mm in strong against-the-

light shots. Images were sharp out

Sigma 24-35mm

f/2 DG HSM | A^ `^ 78,900 Sujith Gopinath

✓ Lens

✓ Front & rear lens caps

✓ Lens case

✓ Lens hood (LH876-03)

Inside the Box

LENS

REVIEW

116

Smart PhotographyDecember 2015

http://www.smartphotography.in