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The Sigma 50-100mm F1.8 DC HSM Art is a fast telezoom lens designed for APS-C format cameras, on which it provides an equivalant focal length range of approximately 75-150mm. Its fast F1.8 maximum aperture makes it the brightest lens of its type on the market. But is it any good? Take a look at our sample images to find out.
View our gallery of samples from the Sigma 50-100mm F1.8 DC HSM Art
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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The Tamron 85mm F1.8 claims the title of the world’s first fast-aperture 85mm lens with stabilization. The focal length will certainly appeal to portrait photographers, and the combination of Tamron’s vibration compensation with an F1.8 aperture might just give it an edge in low light situations. We’ve been shooting with it over the past couple of weeks, both on full-frame and crop sensor bodies, to get an idea of its performance.
Tamron 85mm F1.8 Di VC USD real-world samples
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Sony recently updated its FE line, which now offers 20 full-frame lenses for Sony’s E-mount Alpha cameras. Among the new lens introductions is the FE 50mm F1.8, what you might call Sony’s ‘nifty fifty’. We spent some time shooting with it in San Francisco this weekend, paired with the unforgiving 42MP of the Alpha 7R II. See how the lens holds up in our real-world samples gallery.
See our Sony FE 50mm F1.8 real-world samples gallery
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Sony’s already had a busy year, and it just got even busier with the announcement of an update to its RX10 series and two new FE lenses: the 50mm F1.8 and 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 OSS. We got to take a first look at them at a press event in San Francisco.
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The FE 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 is the first full-frame E-mount lens to reach 300mm. It offers SteadyShot stabilization, as evidenced by the OSS on/of switch seen here.
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The 70-300mm offers a minimum focus distance of 0.9m/2.9ft, a zoom locking mechanism and dust and moisture resistance. It’s fairly compact when used at the wide end…
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…and extends quite a bit to reach that 300mm mark. For the extremely curious, we noted that the lens maintains its widest F4.5 aperture until the 85mm mark, when F5 becomes the widest option. This changes again at 157mm, at which point it stops down to F5.6.
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Sony has posted MTF charts for the 70-300mm, and they show that this lens might be a cut above the typical telezoom. The 70-300 will go on sale in May for $ 1200.
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And now, something a little different: the Sony FE 50mm F1.8. At $ 250 it’s going to be a much more wallet-friendly option than its 55mm F1.8 Zeiss-branded counterpart.
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The 50mm features a 7-blade circular aperture and offers a 0.45m/1.45ft minimum focus distance. Sony emphasizes its compact and lightweight design and indeed, the lens weighs in at a svelte 186g/6.6oz.
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Here’s another view of that 7-blade aperture. The lens comprises six elements in five groups, including one aspherical element. Like the 70-300mm, it’s expected to ship in May.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Sony today announced a pair of FE-mount full-frame lenses for its Alpha and NEX mirrorless cameras. The first is an FE 50mm F1.8 prime lens, giving photographers a considerably less expensive option compared to the Zeiss 55mm F1.8 currently on the market. This compact and lightweight lens is priced at $ 249 and will ship in May.
The other lens is the 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS, which is the longest FE-mount tele-zoom available. It features four aspherical and two ED elements, optical image stabilization, and a Nano AR coating to reduce flare and ghosting. The lens offers a minimum focus distance of 0.9m/3ft, and uses a linear actuator for smooth and silent autofocus. The 70-300 will also be available in May at a price of $ 1199.
Press release:
New FE 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS Telephoto Zoom and 50mm F1.8 Prime Lens Extend Sony ? Shooting Possibilities
SAN FRANCISCO, Mar. 29, 2016 – Sony Electronics, a worldwide leader in digital imaging and the world’s largest image sensor manufacturer, has today introduced two new full-frame lenses for their E-mount camera system, the FE 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 G OSS telephoto zoom and 50mm F1.8 prime lens.
The new FE 70-300mm F4.5-F5.6 G OSS zoom lens represents the first Sony ? E-mount lens to reach a 300mm focal length, featuring high resolution and excellent overall optical performance throughout the entirety of its range. The new 50mm F1.8 prime lens is extremely compact, lightweight and affordably priced, making it an ideal choice for those looking to explore the benefits of a large aperture prime lens at a reasonable cost.
“We’re continuing to build out our FE lens lineup, offering more variety than ever for today’s imaging enthusiasts,” said Neal Manowitz, Vice President of Digital Imaging at Sony Electronics. “Representing two of the most requested focal lengths by our customers, the new 70-300mm zoom and 50 F1.8mm prime become ideal choices for those looking to expand and enhance their Sony ? kits.
New FE 70-300mm F4.5 – 5.6 G OSS Telephoto Zoom Lens
Sony’s longest reaching E-mount lens to date, the new FE 70-300mm F4.5 – 5.6 G OSS telephoto zoom lens (model SEL70300G) features a state-of-the-art optical design including four aspherical glass elements, two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements and Sony’s Nano AR coating, which all work together to effectively suppress spherical aberration, distortion, and chromatic aberration. This ensures beautiful high-resolution results for both still and video shooting.
The new telephoto zoom lens also features class-leading close-up performance, with a minimum focusing distance of less than 3 feet (0.9m) and a maximum magnification of 0.31x, making it an ideal choice for tele-macro photography. This outstanding close-up performance also factors into the lens’ excellent corner-to-corner sharpness.
The versatile zoom lens includes built-in Optical SteadyShot image stabilization that helps to reduce camera shake, making it easier to capture clear images when shooting handheld. Additionally, the new SEL70300G model has a linear actuator that allows it to achieve fast, smooth and quiet autofocus and is also dust and moisture resistant1 to ensure reliable operation in harsh outdoor conditions.
New FE 50mm F1.8 Prime Lens
Weighing in at less than 7 oz (192 g), the new lightweight FE 50mm F1.8 “normal” prime lens (model SEL50F18F) delivers an outstanding blend of performance, compactness and value, making it a perfect choice for hobbyist photographers and videographers looking to experience the benefits of a wide aperture prime lens at an attainable cost.
The lens features a new optical design with an aspherical element that effectively compensates for all forms of aberration, resulting in beautiful, crisp imagery. Additionally, it has a circular aperture with a maximum of F1.8, producing beautiful ‘bokeh’ in images that allows the subject to stand out against a smoothly defocused background. For extended durability, the new prime lens is built with a solid metal mount.
Pricing and Availability
The new FE 70-300mm F4.5 – 5.6 G OSS telephoto zoom lens will be available in May for about $ 1,200 US and $ 1,700 CA, respectively.
The new FE 50mm F1.8 prime lens will also be available in May for about $ 250 US and $ 350 CA, respectively.
Both of the new FE interchangeable lenses will be sold at a variety of Sony authorized dealers throughout North America.
A variety of exclusive stories and exciting new content shot with the new lenses and other Sony ? products can be found atwww.alphauniverse.com , Sony’s new community site built to educate, inspire and showcase all fans and customers of the Sony ? brand.
Content is also available for viewing at the sony.com product pages for the FE 70-300mm F4.5 – 5.6 G OSS telephoto zoom lens and the FE 50mm F1.8 prime lens.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Tamron has announced pricing and availability for its recently released SP 85mm F1.8 Di VC USD. According to the company, the lens will launch this Thursday, March 24 in Canon and Nikon mounts for $ 749. Tamron also plans to launch a Sony mount lens later this year, but has not provided a launch date at this time.
The 85mm F1.8 lens features an Ultrasonic Silent Drive and full-time manual focus override, and produces, among other things, a ‘balanced bokeh’ for emphasizing a photo’s foreground subject. The SP 85mm model uses both low dispersion and ultra low dispersion glass elements to produce sharp and clear high-fidelity color photos with minimal color fringing, while eBAND and BBAR lens coating technologies reduce ghosting and lens flares to what Tamron says is ‘imperceptible levels.’
Other features include a moisture-resistant body, a water and oil-repellant fluorine coating on the front element and support for the Tamron TAP-in Console. Notably, the Nikon mount version features the electromagnetic diaphragm system that has been a Canon mount standard feature.
See our hands-on with Tamron’s new SP primes from CP+ 2016
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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The Sigma 50-100mm F1.8 is a bit of a rarity. It’s a fast telezoom designed specifically for Canon, Nikon and Sigma APS-C bodies, providing 75-150mm equivalent range (80-160mm on Canon bodies). Canon and Sigma mount versions should also work on Sony E-mount cameras with Sigma’s new MC-11 adapter. With Sigma’s ‘Art’ designation, it’s built to the company’s highest standards and includes a redesigned Hyper Sonic Motor and nine rounded aperture blades. We were lucky enough to get our hands on a pre-production model while we were in Japan for CP+ 2016, and didn’t waste any time putting it to work.
Due to our limited time with the lens, samples aren’t as varied as we’d have liked, but we’ll be adding more to this gallery once we get one back in. For now, enjoy a number of aperture progressions at various focal lengths to get an idea of edge-to-edge sharpness, chromatic aberration, and vignetting performance. Our preliminary thoughts are that sharpness and contrast are impressive for a F1.8 zoom, with center sharpness nearing its peak by F2.8, and extreme edge sharpness maximal by F5.6.
See our Sigma 50-100mm F1.8 DC HSM Art real-world sample gallery
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Sigma has added two new fast-aperture lenses to its Art and Contemporary lineups.
For owners of Canon, Nikon and Sigma APS-C bodies there’s the 50-100mm F1.8 DC HSM Art, which is equivalent to 75-150mm. This lens has a redesigned Hyper Sonic Motor, nine-blade rounded aperture and internal zoom. Being a weighty lens (1490g/3.3lbs), it also has a built-in tripod socket.
The other lens is for Sony E-mount and Micro Four Thirds bodies, and it’s a fast 30mm F1.4 prime, equivalent to 45mm and 60mm, respectively. This lens uses a stepping motor for fast and quiet focus during video and weighs just 263g/9.3oz.
The 30mm F1.4 will ship in mid-March at an MSRP of $ 339, while the 50-100mm F1.8 is expected in late April priced at $ 1099.
Press release:
50-100mm F1.8 DC HSM Art and 30mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary
50-100mm is first constant aperture F1.8 telephoto zoom; 30mm represents first affordable F1.4 high-performance lens for mirrorless cameras
KANAGAWA, JAPAN — February 23, 2016 – Sigma Corporation of America, a leading DSLR lens, camera, flash and accessories manufacturer, today announced the addition of two high-performance APS-C format lenses to the Sigma Global Vision product line: Sigma 50-100mm F1.8 DC HSM Art Lens and the Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens.
“Sigma’s aim is to provide high-performance lens options that lead with innovation and break new boundaries for every photographic scenario our customers can dream up,” states Mark Amir-Hamzeh, president of Sigma Corporation of America. “These new lenses build on Global Vision’s great IQ technology and reflect this goal, delivering immense value, quality and performance that the Sigma brand is known for.”
Sigma 50-100mm F1.8 DC HSM Art
Building on the groundbreaking Sigma Global Vision 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Art Lens, the new Sigma 50-100 F1.8 (75-150mm on 35mm format) mid-range zoom lens embodies the same engineering prowess to deliver outstanding prime lens-like results. Factoring in the APS-C image circle of 1.5x, the 50-100mm F1.8 covers three popular short tele prime focal lengths: 85mm, 105mm and 135mm. Like the 18-35mm F1.8, the new 50-100mm F1.8 maintains a constant F1.8 aperture yielding exceptional brightness and resolution throughout the zoom, while simultaneously maintaining focus as the lens is zoomed, a feature videographers will greatly appreciate.
Sigma Art Line Image Technology Innovation
Outstanding Zoom Lens Maneuverability
The new Sigma 50-100mm F1.8 Art will be available in Canon, Nikon and Sigma mounts. For more information, please visit www.sigmaphoto.com/50-100mm-f1-8-dc-hsm-art.
Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary
Combining outstanding optical performance and compact design, the new affordable Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens brings immense value to mirrorless cameras. Boasting superior image quality with F1.4 brightness, the versatile lens covers a wide range of photo and video capture scenarios, delighting users with its beautiful bokeh effects.
Contemporary Line Performance and Value
The new Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens will be available in Sony E-Mount and Micro Four Thirds mount. For more information, please visit www.sigmaphoto.com/30mm-f1-4-dc-dn-c.
Sigma Global Vision lenses including the new 50-100mm F1.8 DC Art and 30mm F1.4 Contemporary lenses can be updated with the latest lens software from a workstation or laptop using the Sigma Optimization Pro software and Sigma USB Dock (sold separately).
Tested for Optimum Performance
Sigma lenses are born of well-thought-out design concepts, exceptional Japanese craftsmanship and manufacturing, and advanced lens performance testing and evaluation. To this end, Sigma has developed its own A1 proprietary MTF (modulation transfer function) measuring system using 46-megapixel Foveon direct image sensors. Even the most elusive high-frequency details are within the scope of Sigma’s quality control inspections. Every Global Vision lens is A1 tested, analyzed and approved before leaving the factory ensuring maximum performance out of the box.
For more information on Sigma’s industry leading testing, please visit http://blog.sigmaphoto.com/2012/a1-mtf-testing-for-new-sigma-lenses/
Specialized Mount Conversion Services
Ensuring continued ROI, Sigma will convert the current mount of your Sigma Global Vision lens to another of your choice. Sigma lenses currently from the Contemporary, Art or Sports line, in Sigma, Canon, Nikon, Sony, Pentax mounts can be converted to Sigma, Canon, Nikon, Sony or Pentax*. Mirrorless lenses can be converted to Micro Four Thirds and Sony-E Mount. They cannot be converted to either an APS-C or a Full Frame format. *For specific details, please visit http://www.sigmaphoto.com/service-support/mount-conversion-service
| Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC DN | C | Sigma 50-100mm F1.8 DC HSM Art | |
|---|---|---|
| Principal specifications | ||
| Lens type | Prime lens | Zoom lens |
| Max Format size | APS-C / DX | |
| Focal length | 30 mm | 50–100 mm |
| Image stabilisation | No | |
| Lens mount | Micro Four Thirds, Sony E (NEX) | Canon EF, Nikon F (DX), Sigma SA Bayonet |
| Aperture | ||
| Maximum aperture | F1.4 | F1.8 |
| Minimum aperture | F16.0 | |
| Aperture ring | No | |
| Number of diaphragm blades | 9 | |
| Aperture notes | Rounded blades | |
| Optics | ||
| Elements | 9 | 21 |
| Groups | 7 | 15 |
| Special elements / coatings | 1 aspherical and 1 double-sided aspherical | Three FLD, one SLD, one HRI elements |
| Focus | ||
| Minimum focus | 0.30 m (11.81″) | 0.95 m (37.4″) |
| Maximum magnification | 0.14× | 0.15× |
| Autofocus | Yes | |
| Motor type | Stepper motor | |
| Full time manual | No | |
| Focus method | Internal | |
| Distance scale | No | |
| DoF scale | No | |
| Physical | ||
| Weight | 265 g (0.58 lb) | 1490 g (3.28 lb) |
| Diameter | 65 mm (2.56″) | 94 mm (3.7″) |
| Length | 73 mm (2.87″) | 171 mm (6.73″) |
| Sealing | No | |
| Colour | Black | |
| Zoom method | Rotary (internal) | |
| Power zoom | No | |
| Filter thread | 52.0 mm | 82.0 mm |
| Hood supplied | No | Yes |
| Tripod collar | No | |
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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Rumors suggest Sigma is getting ready to launch a 50-100mm F1.8 lens for APS-C cameras. Full specifications and convincing images of the lens have been leaked, suggesting the lens will be part of the company’s impressive ‘Art’ range. Such a lens would offer a fast partner to the company’s 18-35mm F1.8 Art lens, giving the same angle-of-view, depth-of-field and total light gathering capability as a ~75-150mm F2.8 lens on full-frame.
Specifications reported on Digicame-info.com seem plausible, so we’re looking forward to next week’s CP+ show in Yokohama, Japan, to see if the rumors are true. We’ll be reporting from the show, so stay tuned for all the details.
| Lens construction (elements/groups) | 21/15 |
|---|---|
| Filter size | 82 |
| Minimum focus distance | 95cm |
| Aperture blades | 9 |
| Length | 170.7mm (mount not specified) |
| Diameter | 93.5mm |
| Weight | 1490g |
The site suggests a price of ¥167,400 (~$ 1500) and a launch date of April 22nd.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
Tamron seemed to have taken a cue from Sigma when it launched the SP 35mm and 45mm F1.8, following that company’s lead in offering fast, high quality fixed focal length lenses. Designed for full frame camera bodies, the SP 35mm and 45mm boast weather-proofing, fluorine coatings and close-focusing abilities not usually found at these focal lengths. Take a look at two full galleries of real-world sample images. Read more
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)