- Filter Size: 77mm f/Stop Range: 1.8-22 Minimum Focus Distance: 7.1 Magnification: 1:2.7 Zoom/Focus C
Product Description
This super-wide-angle lens has large, fast f/1.8 aperture and incorporates Sigma s Super Multi Coating to reduce the flare and ghosting that is common when using digital SLR cameras. Aspherical lens elements in both the front and rear lens groups effectively compensates for distortion, spherical aberration and astigmatism. A minimum focusing distance of 7.9 along with a maximum magnification of 1:4 and a wide 94.5 degree angle of view make this an ideal lens for close up photography. The iris diaphragm has 9 diaphragm blades enabling you to obtain beautiful out of focus images in the foreground and background. The Dual-Focus (DF) mechanism uses a rear focus system, eliminating the need for the front of the lens to rotate during auto-focus. The wide, textured, rubberized focus ring conveniently moves forward to click into AF position and back to select manual focusing.
MattNis @ 5:17 am
I wanted a wide angle prime lens that I could take to parties where the shooting distance is always about the same and I could get higher quality pictures than with zoom lenses. Since this lens is fast, f/1.8, it focuses very quickly even in low light. It doesn’t have an ultrasonic focusing mechanism, but focus speed is very fast and it has a clutch focusing ring so I can hold the lens and not interfere with the rotation of the focusing ring. The body feels very tight and well put together. The texture and feel are perfect. Picture quality is extremely good. The colors are natural and it’s very sharp at 1.8 and is even better at 2.0 and above. Macro is excellent and since it has 9 curved aperature blades, the bokeh looks very pleasing. There is almost no distortion or abberation and focus is accurate. So even though this lens is a bit bigger and heavier than I would like in a prime lens like this, the benefits of brighter viewfinder (due to f/1.8), extemely sharp pictures and very good build quality makes it worthwhile purchase (especially for the price).
M. Olson @ 6:14 am
Let’s face it – Sigma lenses are just NOT built like the great mid grade Zuiko lenses from Olympus that we know and love. Okay? Now that we’ve got that out of the way let me be clear: I love this lens. It’s fast, it’s as wide as an old “standard” lens that we all knew and loved back in the days of film SLRs and it’s plenty sharp. I’d rate the sharpness about the same as my Zuiko 14-54mm but not as sharp as my 11-22 DZ or the 50-200 DZ (the best lens I’ve ever owned) and from what I’ve seen so far it’s sharp at maximum aperture from edge to edge.
The manual focus system on this (and other Sigma lenses) is a bit odd and not as convenient as the Olympus system (you have to throw a switch and slide the barrel ring) but it works just fine and has excellent feel and sensitivity (much better than the focus-by-wire on the Zuikos) when you do use it. The autofocus is relatively slow and can hunt or just give up in poor light, but when it grabs a lock it is very accurate on my example and of course in good light it works fine. This lens is advertised as a macro and that is a true statement – it focuses very close and this is but one reason why it’s a really wonderful walkabout lens. The bokeh wide open at maximum aperture is fantastic but is only so-so when stopped down – much like the mid-grade Zuiko digital lenses – and seems to be a curse of lenses in this price range.
The build quality is just fine and certainly better than the kit lenses that come with Olympus DSLRs in the box and unlike my Sigma 105mm macro lens it does not feature an annoying screw on lens shade but instead uses a tulip shade just like the ones you are used to using with your Olympus lenses. This lens is not weather sealed however, which one must bear in mind if they’re used to the weather sealed Olympus lenses. Also, this lens takes a ridiculously large filter for the size of the lens (it’s not a super wide angle lens so I really don’t understand the overly large flange on the front of the lens barrel) so plan on your spending there – a top quality front filter and polarizer will easily set you back over a hundred bucks.
I have been very pleased with this lens and at the end of the day that’s what counts. Olympus does not offer a lens like this and the similar Leica lens (not yet available at the time of writing) will undoubtedly be much more expensive, so with that in mind you’ve got this lens and the somewhat similar Sigma 30mm lens to chose from if you want a fast prime lens. I chose this one because of the focal length and the macro capability. I’ve been very pleasantly surprised.
Technology Guru @ 8:56 am
Let me put the light gathering abilities of the Sigma 24mm F/1.8 lens in perspective.
The Olympus 14-42mm f3.5-5.6 kit lens, at wide open aperture and set to a 24mm focal length, is an f/4.7 lens. Ouch. With the kit lens wide open and set to 24mm focal length, I need 1600 ISO to get a tripod shot of my kitchen at around 1/50th of a second. With the Sigma, I get the same shutter speed with the camera set to 200 ISO. At 1600 ISO, the Sigma shoots the same image at 1/400th of a second.
A tripod mounted test on an illuminated indoor target shoots 1/320th of a second at f/5 with the kit lens, while the Sigma shoots the same scene at 1/400th of a second. Another test of another target, this time at F16, has the kit lens at 1/60th of a second, the Sigma at 1/80th. I believe the Sigma has superior lens coatings and more light reaches the image sensor.
The 4/3rds mount version of this lens does not have an aperture ring. I was a little disappointed, having hopes I would be able to turn the ring in aperture priority instead of the knob on the camera. Having owned a series of film SLR’s going back to the 70’s, I still catch myself trying to twist a ring that isn’t there!
There are a few things to consider…
1. Because the sigma is a full frame lens with a four thirds mount, its much heavier than a purpose-built 4/3rds lens. But I must say, it looks good on the front of my E-510, like what one would expect an expensive lens on a high end DSLR to look like. The lens hood is flat black, adding to the appearance.
2. It focuses fast IF you remember to disengage the manual focus ring. The user guide says you MAY damage the motor in the *camera* if you leave the manual focus ring engaged in auto focus. However, since our motor is in the lens, I’m not sure if this applies. The instructions don’t even reference a 4/3rds mount.
3. This lens comes with a one year international warranty, automatically upgraded to FOUR by Sigma for USA purchasers of the lens from an authorized USA Sigma dealer. The extended warranty is not transferable, which is something to keep in mind if you buy the lens used.
4. On a full frame camera, this would be a wide angle lens and therefore takes a 77mm filter.
Overall, I’m very happy with this lens. Photographs, even at f/1.8, are sharp and clear. Having such a fast lens has opened up whole new areas of photography for me to explore, and the fact I no longer have to use anything over 400 ISO for existing light photographs has made a quantum leap in the quality of my photographs.
The biggest negative to the Sigma 24mm f/1.8 is I now despise the aperture of my kit lenses!
eric @ 10:16 am
The idea if having a wide angle macro was incredibly appealing to me. Getting a couple inches away from a subject with that exaggerated wide angle can produce incredibly engaging results. I love the creative possibilities of this lens. Great! Plus that it’s a 1.8 allows you to shoot hand held at night with ambient street light. The price is great. The build is very good, not a tank like my Nikon 105mm but very good. It doesn’t feel cheap at all. Getting from automatic to manual focus, you need to switch the camera but also disengage the focus ring on the lens by pushing it towards the front of the lens or toward the camera body. This is not a big deal like some other reviews have brought up. At 1.8 the lens is a little soft, but only a little. If you’re used to the Nikon 14mm lens for 1500 bucks you might be a little let down. But the lens sharpens fine at 2.5 or so. No concern at all the more you close it down. The creative possibilities, the price, the quality build and the speed of the lens FAR out weigh the small softness issue for me. If you want a wide angle macro, for the price this is HIGHLY recommended. I love it and I’ve using it exclusively on my f100.
Gerald Khoo @ 12:22 pm
I was looking for a lens that would be 36mm on APS-C crop camera and the 24mm would be it. The fastest Nikkor lens of this would be the Nikkor 24mm f/2.8, and I wanted something faster, so the choice would be the Sigma 24mm f/1.8 lens. This lens is a full-frame lens, and works on the FX bodies like D3 and D700. Hence, buying this lens does give you a warranty for future full-frame cameras when you get one.
When I read various reviews of this lens, people either liked it or hated it, and when I got one for myself, I realized why. My had a front-focusing problem which made the pictures a bit soft. A fren of mine had one with a back-focusing problem. A trip to the Sigma Service Center to calibrate the lens took care of the focusing issue.
This lens has good contrast. The rendition of skin tones are a bit different from Nikkor lenses, and sharpness is alright. It does have a bit of CA wide open. The macro (or close focusing) design of this lens is also a cool feature where you can go to about 1:2.7.