Sony E-Mount Lens Guide Here >>
Lens News
··2 min read

Sigma Constant Aperture 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Lens Available for Sony!

Home
News
Lens News

The newly announced Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Lens has a constant aperture and will be available for the Sony Alpha A-Mount. This lens is the first of it’s kind and it really is an impressive engineering feet in my opinion. Fit with a Hyper Sonic focus motor for fast and silent focusing, the Sigma lens should be great for low light wide-angle photography of any kind. Designed specifically for APS-C sized sensor cameras, the actual focal works out to 27-52.5mm as it relates to the standard 35mm format. Not the most range to be honest, but a nice alternative to having a few fast primes. Super fast wide angles lenses are really hard to find as well, so for that value it’s excellent.

The planned price for the Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Lens is $799 US. Currently only showing the Canon, Nikon, and Sigma versions @ bhphoto, but the Sony version will be in stock soon.

Courtesy of Sigma:

Truly a revolutionary product, the Sigma 18-35mm 1.8 DC HSM is the first wide-angle to standard zoom lens to achieve a large aperture of 1.8. Designed specifically for APS-C sized sensors, the Sigma 18-35mm 1.8 translates to 27mm-52.5mm on 35mm camera. Tapping into Sigma’s long history of lens innovations, the 18-35mm 1.8 DC HSM incorporates a wide glass molded aspherical lens with Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass to compensate for aberrations and curvature at the widest angle. Internal focusing and zooming allows for more usability and functionality. The 18-35mm is ideal for landscapes, portraits, still life, snap shots, casual, and close-ups and the Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) ensures smooth, fast and accurate autofocusing. The use of Thermally Composite Material (TSC) reduces size and weight but increases the lens durability. Its new Global Vision design works with its compatibility with the Sigma USB dock for further customization. A 9 blade rounded diaphragm also creates beautiful background blur. The Sigma 18-35mm 1.8 DC HSM is a new benchmark in photographic history and a must have for every camera bag.

See also
Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Lens
Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Lens
Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Lens

Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Lens Specifications


Lens Construction17 Elements in 12 Groups 
Angle of View (SD1)76.5º-44.2º
Number of Diaphragm Blades9
Mininum Aperturef16
Maximum Aperturef/1.8
Minimum Focusing Distance8 cm/ 11.0 in
Filter Size (mm)72mm
Maximum Magnifications1:4.3 
Dimensions
(Diameter x Length)		78mm x 121.0mm/3.1in. x 4.8in. 
Weight28.6oz 

Closing Remarks

You can check out all the available Sigma A-Mount Lenses (Click Here) in my Lens Guide >>
Based on other Sigma lenses I’ve used, I’m pretty excited about this lens and am looking forward to trying out on the next crop factor A-Mount camera I review. Super fast wide-angle lenses are just not available, so you combine that with a constant f/1.8 and zoom and you have a enticing package for anybody with a crop factor camera.

Catch up with you later and have a great weekend everybody!
Jay

Tags
Jay
Your support is greatly appreciated as we run this site in our spare time and are not paid. We can however, make a small commission if you click a product link that your interested in. That click will then give us credit if you choose to purchase any given item. This has no effect on the cost of the product, and is a simple way to give back to SonyAlphaLab.com for the effort and info we provide. Thanks, Jay
Related

14 Comments

  1. A very good zoom, especially in what the 18-55 SAM kit lens offers, in that range (18-35) is definitely enticing. From the outside looking in, a great engineering feat from what is being said. But… I’m more than likely going to go to full-frame and this is only for APS-C sensors. If I had a Nex I’d probably be clamoring for this lens in the native mount of that camera just as E-mount camera owners seem to be within other forums. I would suppose that Sigma has the idea to do other mounts, but the bread-and-butter of the normal-ish flange distances will come first.
    Thought: Since it is mostly all about focusing distance, extending the length of the lens (at the appropriate location) might be the simplest psuedo-fix, though doable fix.

    Reply

    1. Thanks for the comments Gerard, and yes your thought is correct. Simple adding a permanent adapter to the lens would make it work as simple as possible, but it would be really larger for an e-mount lens. Unfortunately it will need to be completely re-engineered for the 18mm flange distance in order to be a reasonable size. I would just go for an adapter, as the lens has no IS anyway, although the af would be nice to have.
      Certainly ideal for the slt-a77 style crop factor camera’s and low light photography for the pro or on a budget, or amrature looking for full frame depth of field similar to the 24-70 f/2.8 performance on a full frame camera. That is really what this is designed for. Perfect for a second camera body if your a wedding shooter with one full frame camera and second crop factor camera for other shots. 70-200mm on the full frame, and the 18-35mm f/1.8 on the crop factor camera. Sorta gives you the full frame depth of filed and low light performance advantages.
      When I was shooting weddings for example, I was using my full frame canon 5d mark II with the 70-200mm f/2.8 lens, and my Canon 40D secondary crop factor camera was armed with a 17-55mm f/2.8 IS lens. The IS was helpful, but the f/1.8 would have been more valuable for the reception work and other low light situations.
      Just my >02 cents on the topic 😉
      Jay

      Reply

      1. Hmmm… great 2-cents. Thanks for sharing Your perspective for I immediately did not think of what You stated in Your replay. I am currently seeing what You propose as doable. And at the price Sigma is proposing, a second camera with this lens’ focal length would be a good thing. TY for Your insight/enlightenment. I will think further, anew:-)

        Reply

  2. Amazing lens – I will be in line to get one once it is out for E-mount or Micro 4/3rd’s
    I would imagine a lot of realtors would want it for indoor shoots in low light as it is fairly wide but also has some zoom
    Did not see if it has IS built in –

    Reply

    1. Hi John and thanks for the comments!
      No IS from what the specs are saying and the price is low enough that it makes sense.
      Jay

      Reply

    1. Thanks Gerard for sharing the link! Excellent sample photos and this lens really looks like an awesome value for the dollar 😉
      Jay

      Reply

  4. Considering that this lens will be coming to the A-mount, and considering that Sony is going mirrorless with their high end A-mount cameras in 2014, this might very well be a ‘Ticket to Ride’. Only thing though is, whether Sigma will create this for full frame A-mount or stick with accommodating APS-C sensor only.

    Reply

    1. Well Jerry, it would need a complete re-design if it was going to be made for full frame, but I agree it would be an intriguing lens for that format as well 😉

      Reply

  6. I am new to the realm of photography and lenses but I have since grasped the concept of the focal length conversion process as it relates to full frame vs. APS-C sensors, or so I thought. I am confused how the 18-35mm APS-C specific lens translates to 27-52.5 on a full frame, which is what is stated by Sigma. Since the Sigma is specifically marketed as an APS-C sensor and based on typical conversion factors, if one were to own a 1.5 Crop Factor camera, wouldn’t it be normal to assume the following:
    1) The focal length on the full frame should be 18-35 whereas on the APS-C, 27-52.5
    2) If in fact the focal length on the APS-C is 18-35, wouldn’t the length of the full frame be something in the range of 12-23?
    Thanks for any future explanation.

    Reply

    1. Hi Frank and excellent question. Here is the deal: You have full frame which is the standard used when measuring focal length. If the Camera sensor is smaller than a full frame, it has whats called a crop factor multiplier associated with it. This crop factor is used to determine what the equivalent focal length would be, if it were on the standard 35mm full frame camera. So, 18mm on a smaller sensor camera is not really 18mm. It’s only 18mm in reference to the 35mm full frame measuring standard. To get the actual focal length you need to multiple it. This works out to the numbers you have above 1.5x or 1.6x depending on manufacture.
      So, this lens is basically equivalent to a 28-50mm f/2.8 lens on a full frame camera if you factor in the depth of field advantage the full frame has over the Aps-c sized sensors. f/1.8 on an APS-C sensor is fairly close to f/2.8 on a full frame sensor, for separating subjects from backgrounds and things like.
      Sigma is basically saying, you don’t need a full frame sensor to get that killer separation and zoom versatility anymore. This lens is a game changer for the crop factor sensor camera users who are debating on going full frame. This gives you some of the full frame advantage, for much less money. It’s certainly not better than using full frame pro gear, but it’s a heck of an option. I would want one if I was sporting a crop factor dslr.
      Whenever you think of this stuff, you need to use the 35mm full frame as a reference. The multiplier only works for the smaller sensors. 35mm full frame is always what the lens says it is. I know this is confusing, but any sensor that is physically smaller than a 35mm full frame sensor, will have a crop factor associated with it in order to figure out the effective focal length.
      I hope that helps, and be sure to check out the Crop Factor Tutorial (click Here) that goes much deeper on this subject.
      Have a good day,
      Jay

      Reply

  7. Hi,
    I am about to switch to NEX cameras, I want to know if this sigma 18-35 could be mounted on a NEX-6. And if yes, do you think that the sharpness will be as good as on a SLR. Also, which adapter should be used ( LA-EA1 or 2) to have AF functional as on a SLR.
    Thanks and regards

    Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Zeen is a next generation WordPress theme. It’s powerful, beautifully designed and comes with everything you need to engage your visitors and increase conversions.