Sigma 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM Art

Michael Topham puts Sigma’s latest wideangle zoom to the test and finds out if it lives up to the promise of producing zero distortion

- Michael Topham

Last year, we saw a surge of new wideangle lenses hit the market. One that made a lasting impression, with its phenomenal image quality, was the Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM. During the official announcement of the new Sigma 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM Art at Photokina 2016, Mr Kazuto Yamaki, Sigma’s CEO, applauded Canon and its engineers for creating one of the finest wideangle lenses ever made, before going on to explain how it has challenged other lens manufacturers to produce an optic that’s as good as this, if not better. In typical fashion, Sigma’s latest ultra-wideangle zoom undercuts its counterpart by quite a margin in terms of price. To give you some idea, a saving of over £1,000 can be made if you were to choose this lens ahead of the Canon EF 11-24mm f/4L USM, but it remains £720 more expensive than the Tamron 15-30mm f/2.8 SP Di VC USD (£929).

Features

Those familiar with the history of Sigma lenses will tell you that this isn’t the company’s first attempt at creating an ultra-wideangle zoom. It is, in fact, the third lens Sigma has produced covering this focal length, and it follows on from the Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG that was announced in 2003, and the Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 DG II HSM released eight years later. This third-generation lens has the promise of being Sigma’s best ultra-wideangle to date, with an entirely new optical design that incorporates 16 elements in 11 groups.