The Sigma 28-70 f2.8 Contemporary has arrived. All a bit rushed and done befre I even had a chance to get my head around it, but it felt like the right fix for the right problem at the right time.
First impressions;
Tight and true, very solid feeling.
Heavy and reasonably long but slim, which is what I was after. It will effectively replace three primes with the footprint of a large M43 lens.
Sharp? Still testing (see below).
My main take away after having it for only minutes is, it is a good fit on an S5/S5II, balanced and well proportioned, but to be honest, boring as bat sh&t.
Just a bit….bleagh.
Cannot help but say it, but there is nothing about this lens (cosmetically) that excites me. It is exactly what it needs to be, but on first sight, that is a lot dull. As a working tog, I know how little that matters, but still….. .
Using it, the real test.
AF performance is quick and quiet. I was not sure how good, but after trying the kit zoom straight after, it is as good for stills.
Optically, well, I must admit to being a bit of a dick here.
Armed with cameras I am not as familiar with using as my usual, intuitive kit, shot wide open and close in a format I use rarely (how soon we forget the lessons of decades), at high ISO’s hand held inside and on a windy day outside. The light was mixed, some soft, some cool, some bland.
Nothing was sharp! I had a dud! De-centred to hell!
How is my luck so bad I asked myself (after the poor 16mm Hope and soft down one side 35-100 Pana a couple of years ago), but I also know that first impressions can be strange and misleading.
I was convinced years ago that early on I had a bad 40-150 f2.8, a lens I now consider one of my most reliably awesome.
I got some wins, but had to search for them.
Twitchy was the name of the day, but I knew that, using the settings I had chosen, or I should have.
I went back and processed todays work images and then with a slightly more realistic frame of mind, tried again.
The shot below and a far side crop was taken at F6.3 and yes, it is very, very sharp.
Back to f2.8, but not a semi-macro this time, more the sort of thing I bought it for.
This is the range I would actually use the lens at and it has all the elements I wanted, fast drop-off, sharp, contrasty, ideal for “cutting out” subjects in scenarios like the ball arrivals the other night.
I will admit it to all who are reading. I am not a huge fan of modern “perfect-but-flat” rendering lenses, but sometimes it is exactly what I need. That super creamy Bokeh and almost green screen-like cut away look is useful when you need it.
I also have to give it to the lens, it is boring on the outside, but the images are quite beautiful, if lacking a little brilliance.
Lovely feathery Bokeh interesting without being distracting.
Nice foreground Bokeh
Again, nice background Bokeh and rich contrast.
Lovely contrast and snap. Overall, a very harmonious look.
So, what am I seeing?
Strong contrast, very modern Bokeh dancing with high sharpness, good colour, nice balance if a bit predictable and slightly muted brilliance. A workhorse commercial lens.
A bit like the Sigma 30mm for M43, it is technically very sound, has some charm and does the expected job perfectly.
I usually like other types of lenses more, old fashioned lenses, lenses with some character and three dimensionality, but I need perfect lenses like these to get some jobs done as only they can.
The rendering is like the 15mm f1.7, but with versatility that I could only get with a M43 10-25 f1.7 at twice the price (and not as useful a range, meaning buying both) and it looks a little like the S Prime 85 f1.8, the lens it will be regularly partnered with.
The range is ideal. I have the 85 for true compression and avoid anything longer than 70 or wider than 28mm for “normal” images. I have 20-24 covered in the kit zoom when I need.