[ad_1]
I’ve been holding off on publishing this article. carefully wording it. Sigma, a little while ago, announced their new Contemporary lenses for the Fujifilm X series of cameras. Is it an exciting thing? Yes, because the Fujifilm X-series desperately needed the support in some way. Is it worth getting these lenses? Not really, and we’d know because we’ve reviewed each of these lenses.
View this article with minimal banner ads in our app for iOS, iPad, and Android. Get no banner ads for $24.99/year.
Before we go on, I’m going to make this clear, like we have previously. In fact, I’m going to quote specifically from our Sigma 35mm f1.4 DG DN Art review. Here’s what we said:
Editor’s Note: Typically, when you’re as authentic and large as we are, you work with manufacturers to get products in for review. But it’s also not uncommon to hear threats from brands to change coverage to something more positive, even when it doesn’t deserve it. Despite having reviewed the largest database of Sigma prime lenses, Sigma felt we were too harsh on their products. They haven’t even responded to our last email. So we asked LensRentals to help us out. LensRentals, like us, champions authenticity and honesty. We’re elated to have and promote partners like them. And we recommend that if there is any gear you want to try, go check them out. When you click our links and rent from them, we’ll receive affiliate commissions. And as always, we only recommend the brands we think are truly the best. As the site’s Editor in Chief, I oversee all the site’s reviews. When something is just wrong, we’ll correct it. But our reviewers are rarely wrong. And I encourage everyone to lean into their emotions and feelings while presenting facts. Why am I writing this? Because I believe the photography blogging world needs this level of transparency.
So yes, we don’t work directly with Sigma anymore. But of any website or photography outlet on the web, we’re arguably the most qualified to speak about their lenses. I mean, take a look at our Sigma Prime Lens Guide! We’ve been working on it for nearly a decade.
For the Fujifilm X Mount, the 16mm f1.4 DC DN Contemporary, 30mm f1.4 DC DN Contemporary and the 56mm f1.4 DC DN Contemporary are available for purchase. The closest options then are the Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 R WR, Fujifilm 33mm f1.4 R WR LM, and the Fujifilm 56mm f1.2 R. Luckily, we’ve reviewed all of those too! And if we really want to get complicated, there’s the Fujifilm 16mm f2.8 R WR, Fujifilm 35mm f2 R WR, and the Fujifilm 50mm f2 R WR. We’ve reviewed all those too! In fact, we have a giant guide to pretty much every officially supported Fujifilm X series lens.
So where is Sigma prevailing? Well, it’s surely in terms of price. Their 16mm normally goes for $449 and boasts an f1.4 aperture with weather sealing at the mount. (We know that truly isn’t weather sealing.) Sigma likes to say their contemporary lineup of lenses has “art quality.” But Sigma is confusing about this in discussions with the press. The only differences it would seem then between these and Art lenses is that Art lenses are for full-frame cameras and they’re sealed. But you can get Fujifilm’s weather sealing and faster autofocus with both of their 16mm lenses. Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 R WR is almost $1,000. Is weather resistance, better build quality, more reliable autofocus, and the fast aperture worth it to you? Personally speaking, the Fujifilm 16mm f1.4 R WR is my most used Fujifilm lens. And I absolutely think it’s worth it since I own a weather-sealed camera body.
Full weather sealing doesn’t only have to do with you going out in the rain, it means there is better build quality and the product will last longer.
But let’s look at the other focal lengths! The Fujifilm 35mm f2 R WR is $399 and boasts amazing weather sealing and image quality. Sigma’s 30mm, according to our review, had a ton of issues with color fringing. Fuji’s 33mm f1.4 is around $799, and pretty impossible to beat across the board. Sigma’s lens is usually $339. Sure, there’s an f1.4 aperture, but there’s no full weather sealing and the autofocus will be not as good. That’s a general issue across the board with Sigma’s lenses.
Then when we consider the 56mm f1.4, you’re spending around $479. Fujifilm is just under $1,000. Indeed, here is where I think Sigma could be a better option. Neither the Fuji nor the Sigma lens is fully weather sealed. And you don’t need an f1.2 lens vs an f1.4. Lots of Fuji shooters will swear by their 56mm, but I won’t. Fujifilm is bound to have better autofocus though, especially with any new LM motor products coming out. Still, I don’t think the f1.2 aperture is worth it over the f1.4 when you remove the other advantages.
It can be tempting to go for a third-party lens because it’s cheaper. But sometimes, it’s not always the better bet. A good friend of mine recently bought the Tokina 56mm for Fujifilm. He loves it, and that’s fine. It’s super affordable and he’s getting great photos with it shooting comedy shows in NYC. He brought it with him the last time we met up. I set it to continuous autofocus, and the lens couldn’t focus at all. It only worked in single autofocus. There’s also no full weather sealing, which is fine for him. But in the long run, he might see differently.
In the end, I think only the Sigma 56mm f1.4 could be worth your time. Generally speaking, Fujifilm’s options are far better. I think it’s wonderful that Sigma is making lenses for Fujifilm, but they should be filling in gaps instead of trying to compete.
[ad_2]
