Sigma's New 65mm f/2 Lens Looks Ridiculously Sharp

Sigma's New 65mm f/2 Lens Looks Ridiculously Sharp

Sigma recently announced a trio of not-so-fast primes for Sony and L-mount cameras, the most curious of which is the 65mm f/2 DG DN Contemporary. Ås either a long standard or a short telephoto, it’s not your typical length, but how does it perform?

Probably the immediate comparison to this lens is the AF 75mm f/1.8 from Samyang, a lens that couldn’t feel more different in the hand to the metal construction seen in Sigma’s lenses. As a result, the Sigma is significantly heavier and at 14.3 oz (405 g), it’s almost twice the weight of the Samyang which comes in at 8.11 oz (230 g). Furthermore, the Samyang is 10 elements in 9 groups as opposed to the Sigma’s 12 in 9. 

Christopher Frost is impressed with the sharpness and most of us knew in advance that this was going to be an impressive performer. By contrast, the Samyang will be softer but this is to be expected given that the Sigma is almost double the price. The Samyang is reduced right now at $329 down from $399 (check out my review here), while the Sigma will be available from mid-January for $699 (though B&H Photo reckons it will start dispatching on December 24).

Has this lens piqued your interest? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Andy Day's picture

Andy Day is a British photographer and writer living in France. He began photographing parkour in 2003 and has been doing weird things in the city and elsewhere ever since. He's addicted to climbing and owns a fairly useless dog. He has an MA in Sociology & Photography which often makes him ponder what all of this really means.

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4 Comments

Totally agree-- almost all my lenses seem perfectly sharp to me but they all vary a lot on boke, contrast etc.

Based on reported Nikon mirror-less sales, Sigma seems to have made the right strategic decision to focus on Sony mount lenses. It's now Canon and Sony battling for market share. The 65mm F2 isn't made for the Z7 and this is not a positive for Nikon. My Sigma lenses for my D850 are very good to excellent.

I’m considering buying a Sigma FP, so this lens is an attractive proposition.

I would say get the FP as soon as possible. It will take some getting used to, but it is so so so so worth it. Mind-blowing RAW video and beautiful stills.