Sigma has a penchant for releasing boundary-pushing lenses, and today’s announcement is for another stunner—the 17-40mm f/1.8 DC Art lens. A successor to their wildly popular, nearly 10-year-old 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art lens for APS-C SLRs, this new lens—for APS-C mirrorless cameras—expands the zoom range while borrowing optical design principles from the full-frame 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art lens. Like its predecessors, this 17-40mm f/1.8 DC offers the flexibility of a zoom with the speed of a prime, and will be available for Canon RF, FUJIFILM X, Sony E, and L-mount cameras.
The 18-35mm f/1.8 and 28-45mm f/1.8 lenses were both milestones for Sigma and remain popular for filmmakers and landscape photographers alike—the wide-to-normal zoom range brings versatility with a bright, constant f/1.8 maximum aperture.
The new lens is smaller and lighter than its predecessors, weighing 1.2 lb with length of 4.6”. For comparison’s sake, the 18-35mm f/1.8 is 3.1 x 4.8” and weighs 1.8 lb (similarly sized but the new lens has the added zoom range coverage). Considering it’s a single lens, though, it’s a usable design that’s still suitable for handheld use.
Beyond the uniqueness of the speed and zoom range, Sigma is also pushing the optical qualities of this lens and stating that the sharpness and rendering is also comparable to that of prime lenses. Aspherical and low dispersion elements contribute to high sharpness and accurate color rendering and also promote better focus breathing performance.
The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 11” throughout the zoom range and, at the 40mm position, offers a 1:4.8 maximum magnification ratio for close-up work. Coupling the bright f/1.8 design and 11-blade diaphragm, this 17-40mm f/1.8 is a standout choice for shallow depth of field shooting and selective focusing, especially when working with nearby subjects.
In terms of handling and actually working with the lens, internal zoom and internal focusing designs are used to maintain the overall lens length and balance while shooting, making this a perfect candidate for video shooters using a gimbal setup or for one-man productions on a mirrorless platform. This non-moving design also adds to overall dust and splash resistance for working in inclement weather conditions. Another physical touch that’s been optimized for video needs is the manual aperture ring, which can be locked in place to prevent accidental switching and can also be de-clicked for smooth and silent iris transitions.
For autofocus, a High-response Linear Actuator (HLA) is used, which achieves fast, quiet, and smooth focusing performance that, again, is also beneficial to solo shooters working handheld or atop a gimbal. And, for L-Mount users, the manual focus ring can be set for linear and non-linear focusing depending on the range one needs to cover during a shoot.
The 17-40mm f/1.8 DC Art lens is striving for similar greatness as the legendary 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM Art and the recent full-frame 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art lenses, albeit with updated optics, faster focusing, and an expanded zoom range to suit the new era of APS-C mirrorless content creation. This lens should prove to be a go-to option for solo filmmakers, vloggers, and other creatives, thanks to its emphasis on features that benefit the video process, while also appealing to photographers looking for a solid single lens for travel and other everyday subjects. It’s a unique option, thanks to its speed, that’s equally sensible in terms of coverage.
For more information about the new zoom lens, including additional features, specs, and highlights, be sure to check out the detailed product page for the Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC Art.
