Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary Review: A 470-Gram F2.8 Zoom for Small Full-Frame Bodies
The Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary is one of the lightest full-frame f/2.8 standard zooms you can buy. It weighs 470 grams and launched in February 2021 at $899, for Sony E-mount and L-mount. Sigma calls it the smallest and lightest lens of its kind, and five years on it’s still one of Japan’s best-selling lenses in BCN’s rankings.
Light f/2.8 zooms are made for evenings out: a promenade at sunset, people walking, the light fading. A small lens means the camera comes with you instead of staying in the hotel.
Photo: Pixel Effects
It gives up a little at each end compared with a 24-70mm, starting at 28mm. In return it costs less than half as much and weighs well under the 745 grams of Sigma’s own 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN II Art.
Video review: Dustin Abbott
The good
It’s light, compact and cheap, the three reasons people buy it, praised by Cameralabs, DCW and Dustin Abbott. The center is sharp even wide open. Autofocus with its stepping motor is fast and quiet, good for video, and Cameralabs found focus breathing well controlled.
It focuses very close at 28mm, down to 19 centimeters, for about 1:3.3 magnification. It takes common 67mm filters. Abbott found flare and chromatic aberration well handled.
The trade-offs
Vignetting is strong wide open, and there’s distortion at 28mm, both corrected in camera. Corners are softer than the center, especially at the long end, according to Cameralabs and DCW. Weather sealing is limited to a gasket at the mount. And 28mm isn’t as wide as 24mm, which matters for interiors and landscapes.
Who should buy it
Owners of small full-frame bodies who want f/2.8 without the weight. On a Sony A7C II or Lumix S9, it balances far better than any 24-70mm f/2.8.
Its closest rival is the Tamron 28-75mm G2, which is a bit heavier, sharper in the corners and reaches 75mm, but isn’t sold for L-mount. Our guide to the Sigma and Tamron trinity shows how it fits into a light kit.