Sigma 28 45mm F 1 8 DG DN Art Review | 54 Data compared

The Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art lens is recognized as the world’s first full-frame zoom to offer a constant f/1.8 aperture, delivering image quality that rivals prime lenses with exceptional sharpness and bokeh. It features a fast, quiet HLA autofocus motor, robust weather sealing, an internal zoom mechanism, and a de-clickable aperture ring tailored for filmmakers. Conversely, the lens has a limited 28-45mm range compared to standard zooms, along with a heavy, bulky design requiring 82mm filters. While exhibiting minor, correctable distortion and vignetting, the lens also lacks built-in optical stabilization, placing reliance on in-body systems.

However, the lens requires a few notable trade-offs in design and versatility. Its primary drawbacks are its meager 1.6x zoom power, which restricts coverage to a narrow 28-45mm range compared to standard 24-70mm professional zooms, and its bulky physical footprint. Weighing 2.1 pounds and measuring 6.0 by 3.5 inches, it is quite large and pairs best with full-sized camera bodies rather than slimline models. Additionally, the lens lacks built-in optical stabilization, exhibits barrel distortion at 28mm alongside pincushion distortion at 35mm and 45mm, and suffers from slight corner dimming when shooting wide-open at f/1.8 to f/2.8. Minor optical quirks also include subtle onion-skin textures in highlights and standard "cat's eye" bokeh shapes near the frame edges. Despite these minor flaws, which are easily corrected via in-camera settings or software profiles, its peerless combination of speed and image quality earned it the PCMag Editors' Choice award.

The Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art lens receives an Editor's Choice award from ePHOTOzine, delivering excellent to outstanding sharpness, superb bokeh, and virtually no flare. The lens is praised for its 1:4 constant close-focusing, fast autofocus, and robust dust/moisture resistance. Conversely, the lens is heavy (nearly 1kg), has a limited 28-45mm zoom range, and exhibits moderate vignetting at wide apertures. Despite these limitations, it is recommended as a fair-priced, versatile, and high-performance, constant-aperture option.

The Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art is a ground-breaking lens designed for full-frame mirrorless cameras, catering specifically to hybrid professionals who shoot both stills and video. Key advantages of this lens include its constant f/1.8 maximum aperture throughout the zoom range, which provides excellent low-light flexibility and a beautifully narrow depth of field. Video-centric pros will benefit significantly from its internal zoom mechanism, which eliminates the need to rebalance a gimbal when zooming. Additional pros include rugged weather-sealed construction, exceptionally fast and responsive autofocus, a close minimum focusing distance of 30cm, and a de-clickable aperture ring. It also rigorously suppresses focus breathing and aberrations, offering top-tier optical quality capable of replacing a small collection of prime lenses. Despite its high performance, the review highlights a few notable drawbacks. The most prominent con is its unconventional and restrictive 28-45mm focal range, which is noticeably shorter than a standard 24-70mm zoom and lacks a standard short telephoto reach like 70mm. While the lens successfully minimizes bulk considering its ultra-fast aperture, it is still a substantial piece of glass that measures just...

The Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art lens is a historic, world-first full-frame zoom lens featuring a bright, constant f/1.8 aperture across its entire focal range. Designed for Sony E-mount systems, the lens boasts exceptional optical clarity and sharpness that rival prime lenses, thanks to an advanced construction of 18 elements in 15 groups that effectively eliminates glare and ghosting. Its standout physical features include an 11-blade rounded diaphragm for smooth bokeh, an internal zoom mechanism that eliminates the need to rebalance gimbals, a quiet autofocus motor, and extensive weather sealing. Additionally, its short 11.9-inch minimum focusing distance allows for creative macro-style 1:4 reproduction, making it highly versatile for close-up nature photography, low-light landscape shots, and video production. While the lens offers groundbreaking performance, it presents specific trade-offs regarding its focal versatility and physical footprint. Review comments highlight that its 28-45mm zoom range is relatively narrow, prompting some users to prefer carrying multiple prime lenses or choosing wide-to-telephoto options like a 28-300mm lens for general outdoor use. Weight is another polarizing factor: the author praises the lens as "petite" for...

The ProVideo Coalition review praises the Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN | Art Lens as a groundbreaking full-frame zoom lens that successfully replicates prime lens performance. The reviewer notes that its optical arrangement, consisting of 18 elements in 15 groups (including 3 aspherical and 5 SLD elements), exceptionally suppresses aberrations, ghosting, and flare. Key strengths highlighted include its ultra-fast, constant F1.8 aperture that avoids darkening while zooming, a highly responsive High-response Linear Actuator (HLA) autofocus system, and heavily suppressed focus breathing—making it a perfect tool for smooth video focus pulls and quick portrait coverage without changing lenses. Additionally, it features useful physical controls like an aperture ring with a click/de-click switch, dual AFL buttons, and a dust- and splash-resistant structure. However, the review and its user comments also identify notable drawbacks to consider before buying. While the author claims the lens is surprisingly compact for its specifications, user comments explicitly criticize its physical footprint, noting that it weighs nearly 1 kg (2.1 lbs), making it bulky and potentially fatiguing for travel or prolonged handheld use. There is also a risk...

The Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art is a groundbreaking, full-frame mirrorless zoom lens that delivers prime-like speed and shallow depth-of-field. Built with a rugged, fully weather-sealed metal chassis, the lens boasts exceptional optical performance with fast, silent linear-motor autofocus and excellent longitudinal chromatic aberration control. It is highly versatile, featuring dedicated custom buttons, a clickable aperture ring, and impressive 1:4 macro close-up capabilities. Additionally, videographers will benefit from its internal zooming mechanism that keeps the lens perfectly balanced on gimbals, all at a surprisingly reasonable price point of $1,349. However, achieving an ultra-fast f/1.8 constant aperture across a full-frame zoom requires noticeable design and optical trade-offs. The lens is exceptionally heavy and bulky, weighing 33.5 ounces (950 grams) with a large 82mm front filter thread, making it heavier than a standard 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom or a trio of primes. Optically, center sharpness lacks overall contrast when wide open at f/1.8, and the corners suffer from soft, blurry edges due to aggressive internal software distortion correction. Finally, the zoom range itself is quite restricted, lacks built-in image stabilization, and omits...

The Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art is hailed by PCMag as a groundbreaking, Editor's Choice-winning lens, offering unmatched speed (f/1.8) and exceptional optical performance across a 28-45mm zoom range. Designed for versatility in low-light, wedding, and video work, it features robust weather sealing, an internal zoom mechanism, and rapid autofocus, providing prime-like quality in a zoom format. While delivering superior image fidelity, the lens is notably limited by its short, 1.6x zoom range and substantial weight, making it less versatile than standard 24-70mm options. PCMag notes minor performance drawbacks, including visible peripheral shading at f/1.8 and moderate distortion, alongside a price point that reflects its premium performance.

The Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art is a groundbreaking full-frame mirrorless zoom lens that delivers exceptional, prime-lens-like optical sharpness and outstanding background blur across its entire focal range. Designed for Sony E-mount and L-mount cameras, its standout feature is a constant F1.8 maximum aperture, making it highly effective for low-light photography, video production, and heavy background separation. Key advantages include its premium, weather-sealed construction, an internal zoom mechanism that maintains lens balance, a fast and silent High-response Linear Actuator (HLA) autofocus motor, minimal focus breathing, and close-up focus versatility with a 30cm minimum focusing distance. It also features practical, physical controls such as two customisable AFL buttons, a de-clickable aperture ring with a lock switch, and smooth manual focus functionality. However, the lens has notable compromises regarding physical dimensions and focal versatility. Its zoom range is quite limited compared to traditional 24-70mm workhorse optics, meaning photographers may miss the extra width of a 24mm lens or the telephoto reach beyond 45mm. Because of its massive F1.8 aperture glass elements, the lens is physically large, bulky, and heavy, weighing 950g...

The Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art lens is a groundbreaking, full-frame mirrorless zoom lens featuring a bright, constant f/1.8 aperture that can effectively replace 28mm, 35mm, and 50mm prime lenses without sacrificing low-light performance. Priced around $1,350, it is celebrated for outstanding optical sharpness from center to corners, minimal focus breathing, and fast, reliable autofocus in both single and continuous modes. It features premium build characteristics including a de-clickable aperture ring, customizable focus hold buttons, a robust dust- and splash-proof design, and an internal zoom ring that smoothly transitions between focal lengths without extending the lens barrel. However, the lens does present a few compromises, primarily regarding its narrow 28-45mm zoom range and its substantial weight. Weighing just under a kilogram (950g), it is 50% heavier than a combined set of alternative standard prime lenses, making it a heavy option for extended handheld shooting. It also uses a large 82mm filter thread, which requires bigger and potentially more expensive filters. Despite these drawbacks, the review indicates that its exceptional bokeh, close-up macro performance, and creative depth-of-field control make it...

The Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art lens is a groundbreaking optic, distinguished as the world’s first full-frame mirrorless zoom lens to maintain a constant f/1.8 aperture throughout its entire range. Designed to bridge the gap between video and stills, it offers exceptional image quality that rivals dedicated prime lenses, delivering sharp details across the frame with phenomenal flare control and a smooth, 11-bladed bokeh. For filmmakers, it brings highly practical features such as an internal zoom design for seamless gimbal balancing, fast and quiet linear actuator autofocus, dual AFL buttons, minimal focus breathing, and a de-clickable aperture ring. It essentially acts as a high-quality three-in-one replacement for 28mm, 35mm, and 45mm primes. However, this premium performance comes with clear trade-offs, primarily its limited 28-45mm focal length range, which leaves users wanting a bit more reach on both the wide and long ends. Additional cons include its hefty weight of 960g (2.1lb), a large 82mm front filter size, and a lack of built-in image stabilisation. Furthermore, the lens is not parfocal, meaning focus does not stay locked when zooming manually,...

The Sigma 28-45mm F1.8 DG DN Art is a groundbreaking, constant-aperture f/1.8 zoom lens designed for full-frame Sony E-mount and L-mount cameras. Geared toward creative expression, it effectively replaces two to three high-grade prime lenses by covering popular focal lengths like 28mm, 35mm, and nearly 50mm. The lens delivers exceptional image quality with impressive sharpness from the center to the extreme corners of the frame, even when shooting wide-open at f/1.8. It features advanced optics—including 18 elements in 15 groups, Nano Porous Coating, and Super Multi-Layer Coating—to achieve superb control over flare, ghosting, and bokeh fringing. Additionally, its internal zoom and focus mechanisms ensure a constant center of gravity, which is highly beneficial for gimbal and tripod use, while its 0.3m minimum focus distance enhances its versatility for close-up shooting. The lens stands out for several distinct advantages, though it does require some physical trade-offs. Among its prominent pros are the fast, constant f/1.8 aperture, exceptional corner-to-corner image quality, and video-friendly design elements such as negligible focus breathing, silent linear actuator autofocus, and a de-clickable aperture control ring. At a...