Sigma Unveils Three New Lenses Along with Filters and Teleconverters

Sigma has announced several new pieces of gear in preparation for Photokina this coming week. Firstly, they have announced the availability of two different versions of the150-600mm f/5-6.3, one a Sport line lens and the other a Contemporary line member. They also announced the 18-300mm f/3.5-6.3 lens, also a member of the Contemporary line. Finally they announced the first global vision accessories: teleconverters and filters.

The 150-600mm Duo

In a highly unconventional move, Sigma has released two lenses with the exact same focal lengths and apertures under two different lines: Sport and Contemporary.

The 150-600mm F/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Sports delivers enhanced, professional-grade optics and greater durability for challenging, high-action photographic situations. The 150-600mm F/5-6.3 DG OS HSM Contemporary is a versatile lens that offers similar performance in a more compact and portable design. Pricing and availability of these lenses are not yet available.

Both versions of the 150-600mm F/5-6.3 DG OS HSM feature dust and splash-proof features, as well as new water and oil-repellent coating on the front and rear lenses. They boast an updated Optical Stabilizer (OS) that features an accelerometer for improved vertical and horizontal panning, essential for bird, wildlife and motor sports photography. Two new switches were added for ease-of-use, including a new zoom lock switch capable of locking at any focal distance and a Manual Override (MO) switch for improved control of focusing performance. An enhanced auto focus (AF) algorithm and Hyper Sonic Motor ensure quiet and fast AF. The lenses are compatible with Sigma’s newly announced lineup of Global Vision teleconverters, which are effective up to F/8.  

Pricing and availability for these lenses was not given.

Teleconverters and Filters

Sigma is stepping into new territory by releasing the first Global Vision accessories in the form of filters and teleconverters.

The teleconverters TC-1401 and TC2001 are developed as dedicated attachments for Sigma Global Vision lenses. By mounting it in between a telephoto lens and a camera, the TC-1401 and TC-2001 will magnify a lens’ focal length by 1.4 and 2 times, respectively. Both models now incorporate Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass elements, the TC-1401 with 1 and the TC2001 with 2 SLD elements, which offer excellent aberration correction and maintain the exceptional image quality of the original lens. The TC-1401 will be sold for the street price of $349, and the TC2001 will be sold for $399. Availability is still yet to be announced for both teleconverters.

The teleconverters come packed with additional special features – its power distribution is designed for Sigma lenses of large diameter. Without affecting the lens performance, these options offer stable image quality through the zoom at every focal length and on the corners of the frame. Additionally, the tele converters are designed for high durability – being both dust and splash-proof. These new teleconverters are capable of shooting effective AF at F8, if the camera can do so.

The teleconverters TC-1401 and TC2001 are developed as dedicated attachments for Sigma Global Vision lenses. The TC-1401 will be sold for $349, and the TC2001 will be sold for $399.

With the new Global Vision lens filters, Sigma will now offer 13 filter size options in four new lineups. These filters offer several new features that enable photographers to maximize the optical performance of Sigma’s lenses in various conditions. The filters will be available for purchase in October.

These filters have a new design that suits the high optical performance of all new Global Vision products to prevent vignetting or the decrease in peripheral light quantities especially when the thinner wide type filters are used with Sigma lenses. By incorporating Sigma’s Super Multi-Layer Coating, the filter reduces flare and hosting; black rimmed glass eliminates unnecessary internal reflections, and provides high performance for both digital cameras and film cameras. In addition, to ensure versatility, Sigma’s WR filters feature excellent water and oil repellent as well as an antistatic function, and the two types of “Protector” can protect the lens surface effectively.

The four line ups include:

• WR Protector (Water-repellent, antistatic type) and Protector (normal type): The protector is developed to protect the lens surface from dirt and dust as well as scratches. It is an ideal filter for regular use as it is completely colorless so it does not affect color reproduction.
• WR UV Filter (UV water-repellent, antistatic type): UV filter prevents the bluish tone that generates by absorbing ultraviolet rays. It is effective in most situations, such as landscape, portrait and general photography on a sunny day.
• WR Circular PL Filter (PL water-repellent, antistatic type): Circular PL filter removes the reflection of water surface and glass windows, and increases the contrast in landscape photography. 

The 18-300mm

Designed exclusively for APS-C camera sensors, the new 18-300mm F/3.5-6.3 DC MACRO OS HSM features a 16.6x high-ratio zoom lens which equates to a 27-450mm zoom range.  It incorporates four “F” Low Dispersion (FLD) glass elements, which have performance equal to flourite, in addition to one Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass element. This enables the lens to minimize the chromatic aberration, especially toward the telephoto-end, and provide clear image quality with high color fidelity. Also, this lens comes with a newly developed optical stabilization (OS) system, ensuring better compensation. 

The lens offers a minimum focusing distance of 15 inches, with a maximum magnification ratio of 1:3. To enhance the macro capabilities of the lens, Sigma Corporation has also designed a dedicated close-up AML72-01 lens that pairs with the 18-300mm F/3.5-6.3 to offer a maximum magnification ratio 1:2 and changeable angles of view. Even when this close-up lens is attached, the image taken at maximum magnification ratio, at 300mm, infinity, shows very little difference in modulation transfer function (MTF). This close-up lens will be sold separately for $55 and will also be available in October.

The 18-300mm F/3.5-6.3 DC MACRO OS HSM incorporates a bigger and newly developed Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) that ensures high speed and quiet AF. Additionally the Super Multi-Layer Coating reduces flare and ghosting, to provide the user with sharp and high contrast images. 

The 18-300mm will retail for a very low $579.