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Sigma has formerly announced the Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DC Contemporary lens for the APS-C mounts. This is available for the RF mount, so all your APS-C users who want to try their hand at astrophotography, start rejoicing.
Sigma, over the past year or so, has quietly made an awe-inspiring collection of Sigma Contemporary primes for the RF mount. What seemed to be a nothingburger at the beginning is now a serious lens collection that Canon does not have an answer for.
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Frankly, this is what I wanted to see from Sigma and the third-party vendors. Canon doesn’t seem to want to focus on APS-C lenses beyond the basic tri-lens setup of variable aperture zooms (ultra wide, standard, and telephoto), and that’s fine. They are a business seeking to maximize profits, and they feel they can do that better with full-frame lenses.
This is where Sigma comes in and shines. If you want standard zooms for your APS-C RF camera, Sigma has the 18-50 f/2.8. Need a fast ultra-wide zoom? Sigma 10-18 f/2.8 is waiting for you.
Then we have the collection of fast f/1.4 primes now sitting at 12, 16, 23, 30, 35, and 56mm – 6 in all, making up most of the focal lengths that you’d want a fast prime for.
Lens Construction and MTF
This MTF is surprisingly decent considering it’s a 12mm f/1.4 fast prime. Astigmatism seems to be quite well controlled, which means it should actually perform well for astro landscapes.
Contrast is good across the frame, and resolution hardly drops off at all outside of the center.
This is a surprisingly complex lens – certainly worthy of its price tag. Sigma has managed to cram 14 elements in 12 groups into this lens, and the effort shows in the MTF. This lens packs in 3 aspherical elements (outlined in red) and 2 SLD (super low dispersion) elements (the elements in blue) to aid in controlling aberrations.
Reviews
Included for your viewing pleasure are some of the early reviews from my favorite youtube personalities.
Press Release
Sigma Announces Compact, Ultra-Wide 12mm F1.4 DC | Contemporary Lens for APS-C Format Mirrorless Cameras
Ronkonkoma, NY, August 19, 2025 – Sigma Corporation of America, the US subsidiary of Sigma Corporation (CEO: Kazuto Yamaki. Headquarters: Asao-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa, Japan), is pleased to introduce the 12mm F1.4 DC | Contemporary lens for APS-C format mirrorless cameras, available in early September 2025.
The 12mm F1.4 is the smallest and lightest of Sigma’s five DC Contemporary prime lenses, weighing in at only 7.9 ounces, ideal for travel and everyday use for both photography and video. The ultra-wide angle of view is perfect for landscape and night sky photography, as well as video and vlogging where it’s necessary to record yourself and your surroundings at the same time. The large F1.4 aperture provides great performance in low light, and also helps blur backgrounds to eliminate distracting elements while making the subject pop. As part of Sigma’s Contemporary line, this portable powerhouse combines simple operation with outstanding image quality, plus the latest in technical innovations to keep the lens as compact as possible. All of the photographic notes are hit with this lens.
In fact, this lens features the widest angle of view of any F1.4 lens designed for APS-C cameras, and offers exceptional optical performance across the entire frame, even wide open, making it an excellent choice for low-light situations. With three double-sided aspherical lenses and two SLD glass elements, sagittal coma flare is well-corrected, ensuring crisp, clear images when photographing starry skies.
In addition, the 12mm F1.4 DC | Contemporary is a great choice for video, with minimal focus breathing, a manual aperture ring (control ring on Canon RF Mount), and smooth, responsive autofocus, ideal for tracking moving subjects. Its compact size makes it perfect for handheld or gimbal use, particularly vlogging, streaming, and other settings where a wide angle of view is essential.
Furthermore, the lens features a dust and splash-resistant structure, plus a water and oil-repellant coating on the front element, to ensure high performance in virtually any conditions.
The Sigma 12mm F1.4 DC | Contemporary lens will be available in early September at authorized Sigma dealers in the US for Sony E-mount, Fujifilm X Mount, and Canon RF Mount for a retail price of $629 USD.
Sigma 12mm f/1.4 DN DC Specifications
| Principal specifications | |
| Lens type | Prime lens |
| Max Format size | APS-C / DX |
| Focal length | 12 mm |
| Image stabilization | No |
| Lens mount | Canon RF-S, Fujifilm X, Sony E |
| Aperture | |
| Maximum aperture | F1.4 |
| Minimum aperture | F16 |
| Aperture ring | Yes |
| Number of diaphragm blades | 9 |
| Optics | |
| Elements | 14 |
| Groups | 12 |
| Special elements / coatings | 2 SLD, 3 asph. |
| Focus | |
| Minimum focus | 0.17 m (6.69″) |
| Maximum magnification | 0.12× |
| Autofocus | Yes |
| Motor type | Stepper motor |
| Focus method | Internal |
| Distance scale | No |
| DoF scale | No |
| Physical | |
| Weight | 225 g (0.50 lb) |
| Diameter | 68 mm (2.68″) |
| Length | 69 mm (2.72″) |
| Colour | Black |
| Filter thread | 62 mm |
| Hood supplied | Yes |
| Tripod collar | No |
Gallery
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FFFFuck Canon
Would they still be willing to wait if they added a fee and allowed it? Probably they would skip to another manufacturer.
I think with "normal" prime lenses with very good optics, it's not a bad choice going with these SIGMA's. They're built well, don't weigh a lot and the full frame Canon primes of good/great image quality are big, heavy and expensive. (The VCM's are good value for what they cost).
I like having a seperate carry everywhere small camera and lens/lenses.