Beautifully Crafted - Sigma 45mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary

The Sigma 45mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary, by design and purpose, is the first in a series of lenses by the company particularly for small, full frame mirrorless camera bodies. K Madhavan Pillai reports.

With the ‘C’ plainly marked on the lens barrel and with its distinctive aperture ring, the Sigma 45mm f/2.8 DG DN looks more retro than ‘Contemporary’.

It is available in the L mount (Sigma fp, Panasonic Lumix S series, and Leica SL, CL and TL series), and for Sony E mount cameras. While primarily meant for full frame (the DG notation) mirrorless cameras (the DN denotes it is optimised for short flange distances), it provides a 68mm equivalent on L or E mount APS-C bodies.

Features

The first thing that strikes you is the tiny size, and beautiful design that is quite unlike the more minimalistic look of other Sigma lenses. The retro appearance ends with the aperture ring though. There is no focus distance or DOF scales. A switch to the side toggles between MF and AF. The MF ring enables focus by wire, is nicely damped with no hard stops while rotating, and nicely ridged for external follow focus video accessories. In the hand, it is evident that modern materials (aluminum for the barrel) and new processes have been used to build this lens. The mount, as with all Sigma lenses, is brass.

The aperture ring controls a seven-blade circular diaphragm, with clearly discernible one-third stop clicks, from f/2.8 to f/22. If you prefer to control aperture from the dials on the camera, or for shutter priority or auto, shift the ring past f/22 to ‘A’. For video users, there is no way to ‘de-click’ the ring.

The AF is enabled by a stepped motor and is quiet. The Sigma 45mm is compatible with in-camera lens corrections, and allows all focus modes including face or eye detection.