Sigma 50mm F2 DG | DN C

Sigma's new 50mm prime for Sony E and L-mount offers a traditional handling experience married with excellent optical performance

- Damien Demolder

The world isn’t exactly short of 50mm lenses for full-frame cameras, so one might wonder whether we really need another. Sigma clearly believes we do, and has recently introduced two such lenses in quick succession – this Sigma 50mm F2 DG DN in the Contemporary series, and a 50mm F1.4 DG DN in the Art range. While at first this might seem a little excessive, on closer inspection we will see that the two lenses serve quite different purposes and are aimed at different types of user. The f/1.4 Art model is big, heavy and costs £849, while this f/2 Contemporary lens is small, half the weight and, at £619, has a somewhat more accessible price.

It’s some time since I used an f/2 50mm lens, as I’m generally attracted to wider maximum apertures such as f/1.2 or f/1.4. These super-wide apertures usually come with a price premium, but 50mm f/1.8 lenses – or Nifty Fifties – are generally pretty cheap and plentiful in most mounts. It seems odd then that the model on test here stops at f/2, and comes at a more-than budget price, but I’m hoping that the compromise in the maximum aperture value pays us back in image quality when the lens is used wide open.

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