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This year, Sigma released quite a few nice lenses, and the Sigma A 17-40mm f/1.8 DC was one of them that was even available for the Canon RF mount. Shocker, I know. The Sigma 17-40mm f1/.8 is a premium standard lens for APS-C, with a 27-65mm full frame equivalent zoom range.
Sigma stated that this lens should deliver near-prime-like image quality in an APS-C zoom range, which is a very high bar to reach in the real world.
Key Features of the Sigma A 17-40 mm f/1.8 DC
- APS-C | f/1.8 to f/16
- 25.5 to 60mm (Full-Frame Equivalent)
- Superfast Wide-to-Normal Zoom
- HLA Autofocus
- 11″ Minimum Focus Distance
- Control Ring
- SLD and Aspherical Elements
- Water- and Oil-Repellent Coating
- Dust & Splash Resistant Construction
I was curious to see a real-world and clinical review of this lens to see if it warrants the $900 price tag. The lens performance, according to Lenstip, is exceptional. Which is basically what I was looking for. There is a fair amount of distortion that you will need to correct in post-processing.
Lenstip details the pros and cons of this lens, and the pros greatly outweigh the cons.
Pros:
- unique parameters,
- solid casing,
- sensational image quality in the frame centre across the whole focal range,
- very good image quality on the edge of the frame,
- moderate longitudinal chromatic aberration,
- sensible correction of lateral chromatic aberration,
- low astigmatism,
- sensible performance against bright light,
- silent, quick, and accurate autofocus,
- slight focus breathing,
- sensible appearance of out-of-focus areas,
- very good price/performance and price/quality ratio.
Cons:
- significant vignetting,
- distinct distortion on both ends of the focal range for RAW files.
Canon never really cared much for professional-grade lenses for APS-C sensor sizes, a trend that dates back to the EF mount. The RF mount follows that lack of interest. It's a good thing we have Sigma, as this lens and others in the Sigma portfolio will serve the RF-S mount well.
Lenstips concludes
It seems that we are in the middle of a series of lenses that very narrowly miss the ‘Editors' Choice' badge. The Sigma A 17-40 mm f/1.8 DC is another one. It is an excellent lens, with unique parameters and a sensational image resolution across the frame and for all apertures. Taking into account its brilliant performance and great parameters the Sigma is really sensibly priced, as it can be bought for around $920.
For any prosumer RF-S camera body, such as the R10 and the R7, this lens would be an easy choice as the kit lens, if size and weight were not a consideration at the time.
Read all the dirty details about this lens on Lenstip's review.
Purchase
- APS-C | f/1.8 to f/16
- 25.5 to 60mm (Full-Frame Equivalent)
- Superfast Wide-to-Normal Zoom
- HLA Autofocus
- 11" Minimum Focus Distance
- Control Ring
- SLD and Aspherical Elements
- Water- and Oil-Repellent Coating
- Dust & Splash Resistant Construction
Specifications of the Sigma A 17-40mm f/1.8 DC
| Principal specifications | ||
| Lens type | Zoom lens | |
| Max Format size | APS-C / DX | |
| Focal length | 17–40 mm | |
| Image stabilization | No | |
| Lens mount | Canon RF-S, Fujifilm X, L-Mount, Sony E | |
| Aperture | ||
| Maximum aperture | F1.8 | |
| Minimum aperture | F16 | |
| Aperture ring | Yes | |
| Number of diaphragm blades | 11 | |
| Optics | ||
| Elements | 17 | |
| Groups | 11 | |
| Special elements / coatings | 4 SLD elements, 4 aspherical | |
| Focus | ||
| Minimum focus | 0.28 m (11.02″) | |
| Maximum magnification | 0.2× | |
| Autofocus | Yes | |
| Motor type | Linear Motor | |
| Focus method | Internal | |
| Distance scale | No | |
| DoF scale | No | |
| Physical | ||
| Weight | 535 g (1.18 lb) | |
| Diameter | 73 mm (2.87″) | |
| Length | 116 mm (4.57″) | |
| Sealing | Yes | |
| Zoom method | Rotary (internal) | |
| Power zoom | No | |
| Zoom lock | No | |
| Filter thread | 67 mm | |
| Hood supplied | Yes | |
| Hood product code | LH728-02 | |
It's great, that Sigma supports us with such a unique "pro" lens for APS-C.
And I love to read, how well it performs.
For me, it is too big to pair with my R50 for the typical travel/hiking use.
My personal favourite is Sigma's 18-50/2.8. So small, still f/2.8, and great IQ.
And the best: Sigma offers both 😎