Sigma 90mm F 2 8 DG DN Contemporary Review | 54 Data compared

The Sigma 90mm F2.8 DG DN iSeries is an exceptionally compact and lightweight medium telephoto prime lens designed specifically for full-frame mirrorless systems like Sony FE and Leica L. Weighing just 295g and measuring under 62mm in length, it offers an appealing, portable alternative to standard heavy telephoto lenses. The lens features a robust, premium all-metal alloy construction, extending even to the lens hood, and includes a physical AF/MF switch and an integrated manual aperture ring. Its performance is driven by a stepping focus motor that delivers quick and silent focus changes, making it reliable for general purpose tracking and eye-detection systems. Optically, the lens delivers impressive results, maintaining excellent sharpness, resolution, and high contrast across the entire frame, even when shot wide open at F2.8 on high-resolution camera bodies. The review highlights a definitive list of advantages and drawbacks for potential buyers. Among its key pros are the feature-rich all-metal build, partial weather sealing, highly controlled chromatic aberrations, and its extremely sharp performance across the frame, especially when stopped down. Additionally, it offers smooth, pleasing bokeh transitions, an affordable...

The Sigma 90mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary is an Excellent-rated, vintage-inspired short telephoto prime lens built for full-frame mirrorless Sony E and Leica L-mount systems. Priced at $639, it features an all-aluminum construction, compact dimensions of 2.4 by 2.5 inches, and a light 10.4-ounce weight that balances comfortably on modern cameras. Lab testing confirms that its optical performance is outstanding, delivering exceptionally sharp resolution from center to edge even when shot wide open at f/2.8. Additional strong points include an intuitive on-lens aperture control ring, minimal focus breathing for video work, and a notable 1:5 macro magnification rating that allows for close-up focus down to 19.7 inches. However, the lens falls short for fast-action photography, as its stepping motor autofocus drives smoothly but lacks the instant response needed for tracking sports. Filmmakers may also be disappointed by the nonlinear manual focus response and the lack of a de-click option on the aperture ring. Furthermore, its physical build offers limited weather sealing restricted only to a rubber gasket at the lens mount, and it does not include internal optical image stabilization....

The Sigma 90mm f2.8 DG DN is a highly compact and lightweight short telephoto prime lens available for Sony E and Leica L-mount mirrorless cameras, retailing around $650 or £550. Weighing just 295g and measuring 64x60mm, it features a premium vintage-styled aluminium barrel that is weather-sealed at the mount. Optically, the lens delivers exceptional sharpness across the entire frame, right from its maximum f2.8 aperture, and outperforms its main rival, the Sony FE 85mm f1.8, in corner sharpness. Furthermore, it boasts a remarkably close minimum focusing distance of 50cm (allowing for a 145mm wide subject reproduction) and shows virtually zero focus breathing, making it an excellent dual-purpose option for both portrait photographers and videographers. On the downside, its maximum aperture of f2.8 is relatively slow for a dedicated short telephoto lens, meaning it cannot produce the same level of heavy background blur or large bokeh balls as faster f1.8 or f1.4 alternatives. While the lens barrel includes a clicky aperture ring and an AF/MF switch, the aperture ring cannot be de-clicked for silent video adjustments. Additionally, its weather sealing is...

The Sigma 90mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary is an exceptionally compact, lightweight full-frame lens weighing just 295g and measuring 64mm in height, designed specifically for E-mount and L-mount mirrorless systems. Built with an all-metal precision-cut aluminium body and a durable brass bayonet mount, it offers a premium tactile experience highlighted by a well-ridging aperture ring and a large electronic manual focus ring. Performance-wise, the lens relies heavily on software-driven optical corrections to maintain its tiny form factor, utilising a high-speed stepping motor for fast, silent autofocus during both stills and video shooting. It delivers remarkable flare resistance and impressive, biting sharpness across the frame even when shot wide-open at f/2.8, making it a highly portable and valuable choice for travel or street photography at £549. However, its ultra-compact design introduces distinct optical compromises that users should consider. The primary drawbacks include intense vignetting and severe pincushion distortion when shooting uncorrected RAW files, as the lens is fundamentally engineered to run with in-camera software corrections permanently enabled. Additionally, the lens lacks full weather-sealing—settling instead for basic moisture resistance at the mount...

The Sigma 90mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens distinguishes itself primarily through exceptional, vintage-inspired build quality and very compact dimensions ideal for mirrorless cameras. Built with a solid metal lens barrel, a dampened focus ring, a metal aperture ring, and a metal lens hood, it offers a premium, brick-like durability while remaining under 300 grams. Optically, the lens delivers excellent sharpness and "3D pop" across the image field right from its maximum aperture of f/2.8, requiring virtually no stopping down to improve performance. Additionally, it features a noiseless and quick stepping motor autofocus system, low lateral chromatic aberrations, and a beautifully smooth background blur bokeh. However, the lens has several distinct drawbacks, notably its relatively slow f/2.8 speed for a medium telephoto lens and a somewhat high retail price of USD 649 / 639 EUR compared to faster competitors. Optically, uncorrected RAW images exhibit pronounced pincushion distortion (2.8%) and heavy vignetting (2.4 EV) at f/2.8, necessitating heavy reliance on digital auto-correction. Axial chromatic aberrations (bokeh fringing) are also highly visible as purplish and greenish halos at f/2.8, requiring the lens...

The Sigma 90mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens, as reviewed on The Digital Picture, is a highly compact, all-metal mid-telephoto prime designed for mirrorless systems, featuring excellent wide-open sharpness and strong bokeh. Key strengths include an exceptionally small, portable design and a physical clicked aperture ring that allows for quick adjustments. However, the lens has limitations, including a narrower f/2.8 maximum aperture compared to competitors and a lack of a locking mechanism, making the aperture ring prone to accidental changes. Additionally, the lens relies on software correction for visible vignetting and geometric distortion, and lacks comprehensive weather sealing, featuring only a basic mount gasket.

The Sigma 90mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary lens for Sony E-mount offers a highly compact, lightweight design weighing just 295 grams, constructed with a premium metal body and useful knurled control rings. Evaluated on the high-resolution 61 MP Sony A7R IV, this lens achieved an overall DXOMARK score of 39 points. Its standout features include excellent light transmission measured at T2.9, an internal focusing mechanism driven by a smooth stepper motor, and a closer-than-average minimum focus distance of 0.5 metres that yields a maximum magnification of 0.2x. However, the lens exhibits several optical shortcomings, particularly because the laboratory test results exclude any digital profile corrections. Its overall sharpness levels are somewhat low due to high astigmatism in the outer field at wider apertures, falling behind rivals like the Sony FE 85mm F1.8 and Sony FE 90mm Macro. Additionally, the lens suffers from relatively high lateral chromatic aberration peaking at 17 µm, an unusually high 1.2% pincushion distortion for this focal length, and noticeable vignetting that persists even when stopped down to F5.6. Despite these optical flaws, many of which...

The Sigma 90mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens is a highly compact, lightweight (295g), and razor-sharp prime lens built with an impressive all-metal body and partial weather sealing. In field testing, it delivers exceptional autofocus performance that excels at tracking action and locking onto subjects in low-light environments while integrating seamlessly with Sony's Eye AF. Optically, it produces pro-grade sharpness with excellent color rendition and minimal chromatic aberration or flaring. However, users must contend with native flaws out of the box, including strong corner vignetting, noticeable distortion that requires Lightroom profile corrections, and bokeh balls that exhibit distinct "catseye" shapes. From an ergonomic standpoint, the lens lacks an option to de-click the aperture dial—a major downside for videographers—and includes a magnetic metal lens cap that is completely impractical to use alongside the lens hood. The reviewer ultimately questions the market purpose of this lens for Sony E-mount users, noting that a completely saturated focal market offers strong competitors like the Sony 85mm f/1.8, which provides a faster aperture better suited for portraits for a similar price and size. While the...

The Sigma 90mm f2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens is a highly compact, lightweight mid-telephoto optic designed for L-mount and E-mount mirrorless systems. Measuring just 2.5 x 2.35 inches and weighing a mere 10.4 oz (295g), this lens is built with an all-metal body and high-precision internal components, offering weather and dust resistance. It features a physical aperture ring clicking in third stops, a smooth manual focus ring, and an STM motor that delivers fast, silent, and accurate autofocus tracking—even when utilizing face detection. Optically, the reviewer notes that the lens exhibits exceptional sharpness straight from f2.8 across the entire frame, producing rich color rendering, strong contrast, and a distinct three-dimensional depth, alongside a smooth, well-balanced background bokeh. The core advantages (pros) of this lens center on its near-perfect ergonomics, robust build quality, weather sealing, and the inclusion of premium accessories like a metal lens hood and a innovative magnetic metal lens cap. Performance pros include its superb image quality, excellent autofocus, and highly competitive $639 price tag. On the downside, the primary limitation (con) noted is the lack of built-in...

The Sigma 90mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary is a premium, compact, all-metal telephoto lens that offers excellent resolution performance, reaching 4,800 lines on high-resolution cameras. Key advantages include its lightweight design, tactile on-lens aperture control, minimal focus breathing, and a 1:5 close-focusing capability suitable for versatile shooting. Conversely, the lens has limitations, including limited dust and splash protection, lacking comprehensive weather sealing or fluorine coatings. Additional drawbacks include a non-linear focus response and a clicked aperture ring that restricts its utility in, and, while effective for stills, the autofocus motor lacks the speed required for tracking fast action.

The Sigma C 90 mm f/2.8 DG DN is a compact and lightweight portrait prime lens that stands out by offering an alternative to standard, bulky f/1.4 or amateur f/1.8 optics. According to the comprehensive review by LensTip.com, the lens delivers sensational, highly even sharpness across the entire frame, boasting excellent image quality at the centre and maintaining very good performance at the edges of both APS-C and full-frame sensors. Mechanically, it impresses with a solid, weather-sealed all-metal construction, a quiet and reasonably fast autofocus system, and excellent control over optical flaws like coma and astigmatism. However, the review highlights several notable optical compromises that resulted in a mixed overall conclusion. The major downsides include massive vignetting on full-frame sensors, a surprisingly high and distinct level of geometric distortion for this focal length, and weak performance against bright light, which leaves the image susceptible to ghosting and flares. Furthermore, the lens exhibits noticeable spherical aberration and some longitudinal chromatic aberration that cannot be completely eliminated even when stopping down. Given these unexpected optical slip-ups and its launch price of around...