DIY Photography

Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Could Sigma’s new 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN mean an APS-C L mount camera is on the way?

Oct 19, 2021 by John Aldred 1 Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Sigma has announced its new 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary lens for APS-C mirrorless cameras. Interestingly, it’s available in two mounts. Sony E and Leica L. Yes, that’s right, an APS-C f/2.8 zoom lens with an L mount. I highly doubt Leica shooters are going to be buying this one, so could it mean that either Sigma or Panasonic has an APS-C L mount camera on the way?

The Sony E mount release is logical and obvious. But I’m not sure I see the point in releasing this lens in an L mount version if there isn’t an APS-C l mount camera coming from either of them. I could be wrong, but I can’t see too many Leica shooters picking this one up.

Sigma says their new 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary is Sigma’s smallest and lightest f/2.8 constant aperture zoom lens for APS-C cameras. It’s even smaller than Sigma’s 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM lens for DSLRs and a hair over half the weight. Of course, the new lens doesn’t contain any kind of stabilisation – which is usually a big weight factor – so you’re relying on your camera’s IBIS (or a gimbal for video).

The Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary is an APS-C lens that offers a field of view equivalent to 27-75mm on a full-frame body. Sigma’s marketing the lens for travel and day-to-day shooting, having a minimum focus distance of only 12.1cm, a bright f/2.8 aperture and a weight that isn’t going to make a massive impact in your bag. But, it should also work well for pretty much anything you’d use a 24-70mm f/2.8 for on a full-frame lens.

This isn’t the first APS-C L mount lense that Sigma has announced, having previously released 16mm f/1.4, 30mm f/1.4 and 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary lenses in L mount flavour and yeah, ok, so you can run the Sigma fp and Sigma fp L in APS-C crop mode, but an 18-50mm f/2.8 zoom feels like Sigma’s preparing us for something.

Focal length18-50mmmm
Max aperturef/2.8
Min aperturef/22
Lens mountSony E, Leica L, Fuji X
FormatAPS-C
Angle of view31.7-76.5°
Minimum Focus Distance12.1-30cm
Optics13 elements in 10 groups
Aperture blades7, rounded
Focus typeAutofocus
StabilisationNone
Filter size55mm (front)
Dimensions65.3 x 74.5mm
Weight290g
Launch Price$549

If Sigma or Panasonic was planning to release an APS-C L mount camera, that’d be pretty interesting. And if one of them is working on it, exactly who it would be is anybody’s guess. Sigma still needs to impress with full-frame to keep people happy until they finally release a Foveon. Panasonic’s still pushing pretty hard on Micro Four Thirds with the GH6 expected soon and APS-C would definitely steal some of that thunder.

It could, of course, just be that Sigma’s releasing all their new mirrorless lenses in L mount, including the APS-C ones, whether people want them or not.

The Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary is available to pre-order now for $549 for Sony E and Leica L mounts and

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Pentax releases HD Pentax-DA* 16-50mm F2.8 ED PLM AW zoom lens for APS-C Sony has now officially announced the $698 ZV-E10 APS-C E mount vlogging camera Canon APS-C RF mount camera expected in 2022, new camera registrations, is EOS-M disappearing? Sony just announced new A6600 and A6100 APS-C mirrorless cameras and two new APS-C G lenses

Filed Under: Gear Tagged With: 18-50mm f/2.8, Gear Announcement, Lens Announcement, sigma

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

« This free stock photo gallery hilariously covers all stereotypes about Canada
This otherworldly landscape wins the 2021 Epson International Pano Awards »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Sony’s ZV-E1 is a cut-down FX3 in a vlogging form factor
  • Watch: How good (or bad) is an $8.50 tripod?
  • How to light and photograph Lego building interiors
  • Lighting Setup: How to light your portraits with £50 LED tubes
  • Review: Insta360 announces its first gimbal – The AI-tracking Insta360 Flow

Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy