Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Review
Introduction
The Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary is a fast ultra-wide-angle zoom lens for Sony, Leica, Panasonic, Sigma and Fujifilm APS-C sensor mirrorless cameras, where it provides a 15-27mm equivalent focal range in 35mm full-frame terms.
It is the world’s smallest and lightest ultra-wide-angle zoom lens with an F2.8 aperture for APS-C cameras.
The optical formula is comprised of 13 elements in 10 groups, including 4 “F” Low Dispersion (FLD) and 1 Special Low Dispersion (SLD) lens to reduce chromatic aberrations and color fringing, plus 4 aspherical lenses to limit distortion and spherical aberrations.
This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 11.7cm / 4.6" with a maximum magnification ratio of 0.25x at the 10mm focal length.
It features a rounded 7-blade diaphragm which creates an attractive blur to out-of-focus areas of the image and an internal focusing mechanism which means the lens barrel doesn't move.
This lens uses a stepping motor for fast, quiet and precise auto-focusing and full-time manual focus override is also possible.
The Super Multi-Layer coating helps to ensure that flare and ghosting are well-controlled even in backlit conditions and the lens mount has a dust and splash resistant structure.
The Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary lens is is available in Sony E-Mount, L-Mount and Fujifilm X-Mount versions and is priced at £599 / $599 in the UK and USA, respectively.
This lens was first announced in October 2023. It is designed and made in Japan.
Ease of Use
The Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary is an amazingly small and lightweight lens, measuring 7.22cms in length and weighing in at a mere 255g / 9.0oz., yet it still manages to maintain a constant aperture of F2.8 throughout the entire zoom range.
This makes it the most compact ultra-wide-angle zoom lens in its class, when assessed as an AF compatible, F2.8 constant aperture zoom lens for APS-C sensor cameras.
As demonstrated by the product images, it's a great match for a camera like the Sony ZV-E1 that we tested it with, where it feels very well balanced.
Build quality is excellent given the affordable price tag. The lens has a plastic shell with a mixture of metallic parts and a compound material, TSC (Thermally Stable Composite), used inside.
It also incorporates a brass bayonet mount that's supposed to be more durable than a normal metal mount. The optical elements are made of high-grade glass.
The Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary feels solid enough in your hand, despite its mostly polycarbonate construction.
The zoom ring is generously wide considering how small the lens is, and it has a tactile ridged, rubberised grip band with a smooth action.
The lens extends by about an extra 4cm when fully zoomed out to 18mm.
The focusing ring is on the narrow side and is located closer to the lens mount, making it easier to locate in a rush.
The Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary features a stepping motor that allows for virtually silent auto-focusing, making it well-suited to video use.
Importantly, the lens is fully compatible with the "Direct Manual Focus (DMF)" system feature of Sony cameras that enables the user to instantly switch between autofocus and manual focus.
Focusing is fully internal but zooming is not, with the length of the lens changing as you zoom from 10mm to 18mm.
In use, we found the focusing system to be quiet, fast and reliable with the lens mounted on a Sony ZV-E1 camera.
The Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary isn't weather-proof, other than the mount having a rubber seal, and it doesn't have built-in image stabilisation, which are the two main concessions that it makes in order to be both affordable and so small.
The lens is supplied with plastic lens caps and a plastic petal-shaped lens hood (LH706-02) - there's no lens bag included. The filter size is 67mm.
Sigma have developed a brand new push-on lens hood for this lens which attaches using a spring and lever system. This new design reduces the size and thickness of the hood so that it matches the compact size of the lens.
Focal Range
At the 10mm focal length the angle of view is 109.7 degrees.
18mm
At the 18mm focal length the angle of view is 76.5 degrees.
50mm
Chromatic Aberrations
Chromatic aberrations, typically seen as purple or blue fringes along contrasty edges, are well controlled with this lens.
Vignetting
With the Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary wide open at f/2.8, you can see some noticeable light fall-off in the corners. Stopping down helps, although to completely get rid of this phenomenon, you will need to use an f-stop of at least f/5.6 or smaller.
18mm
50mm
Distortion
There's quite a lot of barrel and pin-cushion distortion evident in both the JPEG and RAW files which you'll need to correct in post-processing until a suitable lens profile is released for your editing software.
10mm
18mm
Sunstars and Flare
The Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary produces quite nice sunstars when stopped-down to f/22, as shown below, although it it a little prone to flare when shooting directly into the sun.
18mm
50mm
Macro
The Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary is a fairly competent macro lens, delivering 0.25x magnification and very close focusing at 10mm.
The close-focus point is an impressive 11.7cm from the film/sensor plane at the 10mm focal length (19.1cm at 18mm) and it has a maximum magnification ratio of 1:4 at the 10mm focal length (1:6.9 at 18mm).
Bokeh
Bokeh is a word used for the out-of-focus areas of a photograph, and is usually described in qualitative terms, such as smooth / creamy / harsh etc.
One of the reason to buy such a fast lens as the Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary is to be able to isolate the subject from the background.
Sigma have used an iris diaphragm with 7 rounded blades for a fairly pleasing rendering of the out-of-focus highlights.
Below you'll find some examples, but you are also encouraged to check out our sample images.
Sharpness
In order to show you how sharp the Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary lens is, we are providing 100% crops on the following pages.