The industry desperately needs more lens support for APS-C cameras and it often feels like a neglected market. Full frame is clearly the favored child when it comes to the camera game, but I happen to love smaller sensor cameras, which give a great mixture of compactness and quality. Sigma is on a roll, making sure to give users excellent and affordable optics for Sony E mount, Canon RF mount, and Fujifilm X mount. The latest $629 Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC Contemporary lens seeks to cover the ultra-wide arena with plenty of light-gathering potential to boot.
Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC Contemporary Review: How It Feels
I love just how compact APS-C lenses can be, and the Sigma 12mm is definitely easy to carry. Weighing only eight ounces (225 grams), this little lens feels barely-there on the end of a compact mirrorless body. At the front, you get a simple plastic hood with a grippy rubber ring and a 62mm filter diameter. I like that Sigma placed a functional aperture ring on such a small lens, which can be adjusted from f/1.4 to f/16. The lens is weather-sealed with rubber gaskets around the lens mount, making it rugged enough for some inclement weather. Otherwise, there isn’t anything to comment on about when it comes to the physical appearance of this simple little lens.
Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC Contemporary Review: How It Shoots
This lens provides a full-frame equivalent field of view of 18mm with a depth of field similar to an f/2 lens. Ultra-wide lenses don’t normally need to autofocus quickly, but the stepping motor in the Sigma does a good job of pushing the lightweight elements swiftly. There is a nice manual focus ring, which is quite smooth for the times you want to take full control yourself.
The bokeh of this lens is important to evaluate because the f/1.4 aperture opens up the possibility for soft backgrounds when you want them. There is a touch of a soap bubble look to the highlights, and the look of them can be a little harsh. However, the overall bokeh is quite pleasant, and I found the backgrounds to be smooth-looking without too much of a distracting edge.
The Sigma also handles flare very well. There is a little bit of bleed from bright light sources, but contrast is well maintained. I didn’t notice any issues with ghosting at all, even at tighter apertures. The sun stars also look quite dramatic, with clean star shapes and long, well-defined points. I think any photographer looking to shoot sunny landscapes, city night lights, and architectural interiors will enjoy the results from this little lens.
The appearance of longitudinal chromatic aberrations, otherwise known as LoCA, was very minimal. There are some slight color casts in front of and behind the point of focus, but nothing that was distracting or difficult to deal with. Even shooting close-ups of text or details, I noticed only slight color shifts. Speaking of close-up photography, the ultra-wide nature of this lens allows for some pretty macro-like shots. The working distance is terrible, of course, so it can be a challenge to keep your own shadow off the subject, but the lens is very sharp at minimum distance. You can achieve some dramatic-looking close-ups with the background way off in the distance.
This is a truly sharp lens as well, with excellent detail in the center of the images at f/1.4. There is a little loss of contrast, but this goes away when you stop the lens down slightly. Corners are also surprisingly good, with some vignetting but nice detail at the widest apertures. Stopping the lens down slightly helps to sharpen the whole frame, but I was very pleased with the look of my shots at any chosen aperture.
A lot of cinematographers will appreciate this lightweight lens for handheld vlogging purposes or as a compact prime for gimbal usage. The lens breathing is minimal, meaning that your field of view changes only slightly when focusing the lens. If you are looking for an ultra-wide field of view, with a bright aperture, and ideal coverage for APS-C video cameras or super 35mm mode on full-frame bodies, this is a darling little piece of glass.
Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC Contemporary Review: Good Things in Small Packages
This is an absolute gem of a lens, and it leaves me with almost nothing to complain about. You really get a complete package with few issues to speak of. Frankly, there aren’t a lot of alternatives either. You can find plenty of lenses that go this wide, but they’re usually of a slower aperture. The $629 Sigma 12mm f/1.4 Contemporary is providing plenty of light without any nasty compromises, and it is filling a role that sorely needs filling.
Are There Alternatives?
The choices are few, especially in X mount or RF mount. Sony makes a nice 11mm lens, but it has a slower f/1.8 aperture. Viltrox does offer a 13mm lens with a similar f/1.4 aperture for a similar price, and would be well worth a look, too.
Should You Buy It?
Yes. This Sigma ultra-wide is cheap and cheerful, with no real shortcomings to speak of.
