Sigma 60mm F2.8 DN ART

Sigma 60mm F2.8 DN ART

09th October 2017, Singapore – Following our recent review on the Sigma 19mm DN ART, and as promised, today we will be looking at the Sigma 60mm F2.8 DN ART and later this month we will have both the Sigma 30mm DN ART reviewed too. As previously mentioned, the demand for mirrorless system lenses are on the rise as consumers are slowly moving into mirrorless systems or adding the mirrorless system to their inventory and at this moment – direct mount-on 3rd party lenses for the mirrorless system are still rare and (luckily) Sigma is one of the first 3rd party lens manufacturer providing mirrorless shooters with affordable and quality lenses for this segment.

Before we proceed, as usual we would like to disclaim that we are reviewing based on user experience rather than a technical review which you can easily find on Sigma’s websites. We are more interested in what the lens can produce and image quality etc. If you are cool, read on.

The Sigma 60mm F2.8 DN ART is a mid-range telephoto prime lens giving Micro Four Thirds users a 120mm focal length and 90mm for the E-mount system. Similar to other Sigma’s DN Art lenses, the 60mm ART comes in 2 finishing namely the black or chrome finishing. The lens barrel oozes everything as expected from a Sigma ART lens – solid built, beautiful design and the balance – once mounted to a camera is near perfect for handling – giving users a satisfying experience while using this lens.Internally, the 60mm was designed and made for performance – there’s 8 elements in 6 groups including Sigma’s proven Super Low Dispersion (SLD) glass & Aspherical glass ensuring all distortions, chromatic aberrations are eliminated effectively resulting in sharp and contrasty high quality images. We also like the new linear AF motor that focuses really fast and silently while accurately landed a focus point every time!

Designed as a 7-bladder, the bokeh produced are creamy smooth (which you can see my examples later) and the lens starts focuses from just 50cm away from your subject and that allows many possible subjects or framing and stopping from F2.8 to F22. With that combo, you get a magnification ratio of 1:7.2 that is very, very useful. (if you shoot birds or sports). The front accepts 46mm screw-on filters to be used not forgetting the lens also comes with Sigma’s Super Coating on the front element which completes the lens as a whole.

The Sigma 60mm F2.8 DN ART lens is compact and light (surprisingly) for this focal length measuring at 60.8mm x 55.5mm weights a mere 190gm. Like all Sigma DN ART lenses, the lens comes with a carrying pouch and lens hood are standard in the retail box.

Yes, till today, ALL Sigma lenses are still manufactured in Japan. In terms of quality, this is also why photographers around the world still prefers Sigma lenses.

And so, I took the Sigma 60mm F2.8 DN ART & pair it with my Olympus OM-D E-M1 MarkII and went out recently to Chinatown for the Mid- Autumn Festival light-up.

I shot everything else that came into my frame. All images are adjusted for exposure and straightened – some are cropped but you may still click on the images and view at 100% up to 300% – everything else was pretty much left as it is so that everyone can see what this lens is capable of.

I shot this Uncle Cobbler from really far away. I remembered the last time when I shot him – I was standing too near and he started smiling and that is not natural, so I wanted a shot of him while he was concentrating on his work and I got it this round. I was standing almost more than 50 metres away nearer to the Chinatown MRT Exit & his stall was right outside the hawker centre – ok now you know how far that was.

Low light is not a problem at all and when your subject is a lighted goldfish and hanging above the roads and a distance of 10 metres away or a lighted family display across the road. The Sigma 60mm F2.8 DN ART never disappoints! I’ve gotten sharp images easily.

Heard about this grouchy lantern seller who is known to scold photographers who took photos of his lanterns without buying one – I shot this from across the road from another shop and this was how I use the telephoto focal length to my advantage.

Apart from able to shoot subjects discreetly, I really like the colors produced by the Sigma lens + Olympus camera combo. The colors are natural yet rich and I am also amazed by the amount of details captured in my frame.

Bokehs are excellent (and expected from a Sigma ART lens) and it really pops the subject easily. Most of the images in this review are shot at F2.8 and you can see if for yourself how nice is the bokeh and yet the subject that is on focus is super sharp!

My Verdict – the Sigma 60mm F2.8 DN ART is really the “underdog”. Seriously no one will know that you are shooing in telephoto range as the lens is compact and looks like a walkabout lens. It produces sharp images with nice bokehs with minimal distortions and performs exceptionally well in low light conditions. It is fast-focusing and very quiet during operations and if you are looking to expand your lens inventory for your mirrorless system – do Check Out Sigma’s DN ART lenses! We will be back with the 30mm F2.8 & 30mm F1.4 DN ART lenses’ review soon!

OK Guys, Buy your NEW Sigma 60mm F2.8 DN ART here.