Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN (C)
– Reviewed by Editor AL Lee
Image: Editor AL with the Sigma 18-50mm DC DN (C) mounted to a Sony a7r.
29th November 2021, Singapore – Just a week ago, I posted a project for diorama shooting using the Sigma 18-50mm DC DN (C) and I had received a lot of questions from our members & followers about this lens. You can check out my diorama project here. And if you had been looking for a lens with wide aperture, super minimum focusing distance, compact and light weight, zooms from wide to mid tele, this is the super lens that you need. Why? Because with this lens, likely you will not be changing lenses so often and I mean it.
When I first received the lens from Sigma Singapore, my first was impression was “wah so small?!?!” – well this tiny lens measures at 61.6mm × 76.5mm and weighs only 290gm! This is super compact given its F2.8 aperture and a zoom, usually such lenses will come in monster size and weights like a ship – but the Sigma 18-50mm is tiny! I have the old Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 EX DC and I was guessing if this is the “replacement” and I later found it is not. The new 18-50mm DC DN is designed from ground zero and takes not resemblance to the EX version in any way be it cosmetically or optically. And the new 18-50mm can be mounted on a Full Frame body while the old EX cannot.
The external of the lens are pretty much everything you will expect from a Sigma, well made, body barrel made from TSC, grippy zoom/focusing rings and the familiar layout are user-friendly to all users. It is also optimized for “Dust & Splash” so it is safe to use this lens in most shooting environment outdoor!
Inside the lens, the optics are arranged in 10 groups with 13 elements including 1 SLD element & 3 aspherical elements for optimum optical quality and sharpness. That is amazing since such configuration are usually found in more expensive lenses etc. Comparing to the previous EX version where ghostings are prominent, the new DC DN version has completely eliminated that phenomenon. And the images turned out super sharp and detailed. (The front element is also equipped with the Super Multi-Layer Coating)
The aperture are made up of 7 rounded diaphragm blades that gives you near-perfect circular bokehs while the focused area are tack sharp. Powered by a stepping motor (sadly not Sigma’s Hypersonic Motor “HSM”), I was pleasantly surprised that the focusing are very fast and accurate despite it is not Sigma’s famous HSM. And the focusing is so quiet that I had to check several times during the review to make sure the lens are focusing – yes it is that quiet!
This tiny monster has a super mini-focusing distance of ONLY 12cm (Measured) and it has a magnification ratio of 1:2.8 which means, you can do a lot of really decent close-ups photography with this lens! (Not Macro though).
Inside the retail, a dedicated Petal Type Hood (LH582-02) is supplied too.
So I took the lens out to Singapore’s Orchard Road and shot everything that caught my attention. Check out the images below!
(All images are adjusted for rotational horizon and cropped for framing. No other edits was done)
The Bokehs are delicious! While the focused area are very sharp and full of details. I also like the color, it is a perfect match for Sony’s sensor.
18-50mm is useful for wide-angle shooting (top) through mid-telephoto range like portraits (below).
I had decided to crop out a section to check out the bokeh (below)
I decided to crop out the red area above.
After the crop, check out the bokeh shapes. They are near “perfect-circle”, thanks to the 7 rounded aperture blades.
The Sigma 18-50mm DC DN (C) is super versatile and it performs really well even when darkness fell. The colors rendering are good, like I mentioned earlier, this lens is a superb match with Sony’s sensors.
Summary – Made & designed as a Contemporary line lens, the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN covers a missing link in the lens market for the need of a super lens for APS-C users. Although I used it on a Full Frame body, the auto-crop function works amazingly well. Throughout the review, I did not have to change the lens as it covers almost everything that I wanted to shoot during my walk at Orchard Road. (I have the 50mm F1.4 & 85mm F1.8 with me). Light & compact, paired that with a good zoom focal range and a large aperture (F2.8) – that is none other than the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN (C).
Do check out the rest of the images from this lens here.
Buying this Lens
If you need a wide to mid-tele zoom lens that does almost everything, the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN (C) is our best recommendation, you should go ahead & buy this lens.
Buy from our accredited merchants for a peace of mind!
Renting this Camera/Lens – (Please check for availability first)
For those of you who wish to try out this lens before purchase, we are pleased to share that this camera & lens is probably available for rental at our appointed rental merchant:
Camera Rental Centre is Conveniently Located at:
50 South Bridge Road, CMO Building, (very near to Clarke Quay MRT)
#02-18. Singapore 058682
Website: https://camerarental.biz/
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Reviewer: Chief Editor AL Lee
Chief Editor & Founder of Ourshutterjourney.com Worldwide and Principal Trainer at Ourshutterjourney Photography Academy. AL is a commercial photographer as well as an educator who believes in the art of digital memories. An ambassador of several photography brands, AL is well versed in many camera systems. Someone once told us AL’s man cave looks more like a camera store than a bedroom.
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