Sigma 28 70mm F 2 8 DG DN Contemporary Review | 54 Data compared

The Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary is a compact, lightweight standard zoom lens designed for Sony FE and Leica L mounts, serving as a direct competitor to Tamron's popular 28-75mm RXD lens. Priced at $899 USD, this lens prioritizes portability and a smaller form factor by reducing the traditional zoom range from 24mm to 28mm. The build quality features smooth damping on the zoom ring, an AF/MF switch, and an aperture iris with 9 rounded blades, though it lacks a focus hold button and a zoom lock. Optically, it performs exceptionally well with a 16-element formula that controls chromatic aberrations and flare effectively, delivering excellent sharpness and contrast across the frame. Additionally, its stepping focus motor (STM) provides fast, quiet, and accurate autofocus performance for both stills and video. However, the lens makes several notable compromises to achieve its compact under-500g design. Key downsides include minimal weather sealing consisting only of a gasket at the lens mount, strong vignette, and a fairly complex, non-linear barrel distortion at 28mm. Optical contrast and sharpness also soften at the 70mm telephoto end,...

The DPReview field review highlights the Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary as a compact, lightweight (470g) alternative to standard zooms, offering excellent, consistent sharpness across most of the range. Its key advantages include quiet, fast autofocus, minimal chromatic aberration, and a 67mm filter thread suited for travel, earning it an 85% score. Key downsides include a lack of optical stabilization, basic weather sealing restricted to the mount, and a 28mm starting focal length. The lens relies heavily on software for vignetting and distortion correction, and exhibits noticeable softness and cat's-eye bokeh when shooting close-up at 2.8.

The Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary is a compact, lightweight standard zoom lens built for full-frame Sony E-mount and Leica L-mount mirrorless cameras. Weighing only 470 grams, it is a highly portable, travel-friendly alternative to heavy, expensive 24-70mm f/2.8 options. Its optical design contains 16 elements in 12 groups with a 9-bladed aperture. In terms of pros, the lens delivers fast, quiet autofocusing, a smooth quarter-turn zoom mechanism, and superb center-frame sharpness even when wide open at f/2.8. It also provides smooth bokeh, excellent value for money, and lightweight construction that prevents wrist fatigue. However, the lens makes a few notable performance compromises to achieve its budget price and travel-friendly size. The most obvious con is that it misses 4mm from the traditional wide-angle end, starting at 28mm instead of 24mm. Additionally, it is not fully weather-sealed against heavy rain, lacks optical image stabilization, and shows softer resolution in the corners of the frame, especially at 70mm. Lab testing also revealed moderate barrel distortion at 28mm and moderate pincushion distortion from 50mm and beyond. If you need more details...

The Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens is a highly compact and lightweight everyday zoom lens that delivers professional-grade optics without the bulk of traditional 24-70mm models. Weighing only 16.6 oz (470 g) and utilizing a 67mm filter, its portable design handles like a prime lens, making it an excellent all-day companion for street, fashion, and travel photography on both full-frame and smaller APS-C bodies. Constructed from Thermally Stable Composite (TSC) polycarbonate, the lens is exceptionally well-made, boasting dust and splash resistance at its brass bayonet mount alongside a fast, near-silent stepping autofocus motor that locks accurately onto faces. Optically, it matches the impressive sharpness, color rendering, and contrast of Sigma's higher-end 24-70mm Art series, maintaining exceptional center sharpness at f2.8 and delivering a smooth, inviting bokeh thanks to a rounded nine-blade diaphragm. The review highlights several key advantages, most notably its excellent balance of portability, great price ($899), solid build quality, and outstanding image sharpness. However, it also details a few key compromises made to achieve its small footprint. The most significant optical drawback is the lack of...

Here is a specific summary of the Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens review: The Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary is a compact, mirrorless-designed zoom lens for Sony E-mount and L-mount systems that serves as a lightweight, affordable ($900) alternative to traditional 24-70mm optics. To achieve its highly portable 470-gram body, Sigma dropped 4mm off the wide end, starting the focal range at 28mm. The lens features 16 optical elements in 12 groups, a 9-blade aperture, and an impressive close-focusing distance of 7.5 inches at its widest setting. It is highly praised for its unique subject separation, pleasant bokeh, and excellent handling, making it a very practical choice for general use and long shooting days. However, the compact design requires several optical and performance trade-offs. The primary con is a noticeable fall-off in corner sharpness, which persists even when stopping down the aperture, making it poorly suited for tack-sharp landscape photography. Additionally, despite the useful close-focusing capabilities, optical quality degrades significantly at macro distances, revealing visible lateral and longitudinal chromatic aberrations. Finally, the autofocus system relies on step-motor...

The PCMag review highlights the Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary as an exceptionally lightweight and budget-friendly lens, providing f/2.8 performance for Sony E-mount and L-mount cameras in a compact form. Key strengths include excellent center sharpness, fast, near-silent autofocus, and strong close-up capabilities, making it ideal for travel. Performance compromises include soft image edges at wider apertures, significant distortion requiring software correction, and a reduced wide-angle focal length compared to 24-70mm alternatives. While durable, the polycarbonate construction offers only a sealed mount rather than full weather-sealing.

The Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary lens is highlighted as an exceptionally lightweight (16.6 oz) and compact (2.8 to 4.0 inches) zoom lens designed specifically for smaller mirrorless cameras like the Sony FX3 or Sigma FP L. Optically, its design draws from the renowned 24-70mm Art series, utilizing three aspherical, two FLD, and two SLD elements to deliver uniformly sharp images from center to edge while thoroughly correcting chromatic and sagittal coma aberrations. The lens performs exceptionally well against daylight ghosting thanks to its Super Multi-Layer and NanoPorous coatings, and it features a water and oil-repellent coating on its front element. Built using Thermally Stable Composite (TSC) polycarbonate, the lens body offers a robust and tight fit with zero play at the mount, ensuring reliable professional performance even in volatile temperatures. Furthermore, its lightweight single focusing element coupled with a responsive, near-silent stepping motor ensures highly effective autofocus performance for both stills and video. Despite its stellar optical output, the review identifies several physical compromises stemming from its portable design. Structurally, the lens relies on an extending front...

The Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens for Sony E-mount is highly praised for its exceptionally lightweight (470g) and compact design, making it a standout choice for street photography and daily use. Built with high-quality Thermally Stable Composite (TSC) plastics, it features a fast, near-silent stepping autofocus motor and smooth control rings. In terms of optical performance, the lens delivers excellent sharpness across the broader center of the frame from f/2.8 in the wide-to-mid focal lengths, and lateral chromatic aberrations are very well controlled. Additionally, its bokeh rendering is generally good for a standard zoom, maintaining circular out-of-focus highlights even when stopped down to f/4 and f/5.6. However, the lens comes with several specific optical trade-offs and cost-cutting measures. Its weakest performance occurs at the 70mm focal range, where corner resolution significantly drops and requires stopping down to at least f/8 for acceptable sharpness across the entire frame. Uncorrected RAW images exhibit heavy barrel distortion (~3.5%) at 28mm, medium pincushion distortion (2%) at 70mm, and high vignetting (up to 2.8 EV light falloff) at f/2.8. The lens also suffers...

The Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens, reviewed by Wavelength, is highly portable, combining a durable polycarbonate body with advanced optics to offer near-Art series image quality. Testing indicated exceptional edge-to-edge sharpness, well-controlled chromatic aberrations, and rapid, quiet autofocus suitable for both stills and video, all while maintaining a constant f/2.8 aperture. Key advantages include the lens's light weight, compact form factor, and robust resistance to flare and weather,, while its $899 price point provides high value. However, the design compromises include a lack of a zoom lock switch and weather sealing that is limited to the mount rather than the full barrel, along with a narrower 28mm starting focal length.

The Sigma C 28-70 mm f/2.8 DG DN is a highly compact, lightweight zoom lens that strikes an impressive balance between portable physical dimensions and solid optical capabilities. Key pros of the lens highlighted by LensTip include its excellent sharpness in the frame centre across the entire focal range, exceeding a high resolution level of 70 lpmm at the wider end even when shooting wide open at f/2.8. It also delivers very good resolution on the edge of the APS-C sensor, exceptionally low lateral chromatic aberration, low astigmatism, and a silent, quick, and accurate autofocus mechanism—especially when operating in AF-C mode. Furthermore, the lens features very well-behaved out-of-focus bokeh rendering and good overall resistance to bright light artifacts. However, its downsized, travel-friendly barrel design inherently forced several optical compromises. Key cons detailed in the review include noticeable softness on the extreme edges of a full-frame sensor, particularly at the 28mm and 70mm focal extremities when shot wide open at f/2.8. To achieve acceptable full-frame edge resolution, the lens must be stopped down closer to f/4.0 or f/5.6. Additionally, the lens...

The Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens delivers excellent, consistent central sharpness across its zoom range, peaking at f/4 and maintaining high performance through f/16. The lens features a lightweight design, fast, near-silent autofocus, and high-quality bokeh produced by 9 diaphragm blades. Conversely, the lens exhibits significant, uncorrected vignetting and distortion, while lacking comprehensive weather sealing beyond the mount. Edge performance is inconsistent, dropping to fair levels at certain apertures and focal lengths, and the unit lacks built-in optical stabilization. For the full performance analysis, visit ePHOTOzine.