News Sigma 20-200mm f3.5/6.3 DG

[pdk42]

Gotta say I am too happy with the LUMIX 28-200 to consider this one. I prefer dual IS over the wider end, which I use way less often.

Maybe I was unlucky, but despite trying three copies of the 28-200, I found its IQ to be disappointing. I’m hoping the 20-200 is better. I can live without the OIS.

 

[Jan.Wedekind]

Well, it's not a prime obviously but I haven't noticed a strong difference from the 24-105mm but I am also not doing anything technical to say for sure. For general friends & family & travel it was perfectly fine so far and I was happily surprised by the nice out-of-focus rendering. Obviously it's slow but on the plus side, the stabilization is practically as good as with the 24-105mm, which means at least for static subjects, it'll do just fine at quite long exposures.

But as you said, maybe just unlucky! Also have to say that I am usually more at the long end – I suspect you're more on the wide end?

 

[Eric l]

Hello,

A Smash link with two photos, one at 20mm and the other at 200mm. You need to unzip them. The 20-200mm lens has more distortion at 20mm than the Panasonic 20-60mm. The processing is a bit aggressive at 20mm...

Available for one week :

Test sigma 20-200 - 121.24 Mo (Expiré)

2 fichiers envoyés via Smash, un service français, sécurisé et responsable d’envoi de (super) gros fichiers.

fromsmash.com

 

[pdk42]

Hello,

A Smash link with two photos, one at 20mm and the other at 200mm. You need to unzip them. The 20-200mm lens has more distortion at 20mm than the Panasonic 20-60mm. The processing is a bit aggressive at 20mm...

Available for one week :

Test sigma 20-200 - 121.24 Mo (Expiré)

2 fichiers envoyés via Smash, un service français, sécurisé et responsable d’envoi de (super) gros fichiers.

fromsmash.com

Very interesting - thank you. Would you be prepared to upload the raw files?

 

[pdk42]

Well, it's not a prime obviously but I haven't noticed a strong difference from the 24-105mm but I am also not doing anything technical to say for sure. For general friends & family & travel it was perfectly fine so far and I was happily surprised by the nice out-of-focus rendering. Obviously it's slow but on the plus side, the stabilization is practically as good as with the 24-105mm, which means at least for static subjects, it'll do just fine at quite long exposures.

But as you said, maybe just unlucky! Also have to say that I am usually more at the long end – I suspect you're more on the wide end?

I found the copies I tried were worst at the long end where images became quite soft over the whole frame and with a noticeable loss of contrast. At the wide end, they were actually OK.

 

[Nevyn72]

Here somebody did a comparison between the Sigma and the Lumix - I found it interesting:

Sigma 20-200 vs Lumix 28-200 Side by Side Sharpness

I recently picked up the new Sigma 20-200. Also have a Lumix 28-200. Whenever I get a new lens, I usually test it for sharpness at various focal lengths and apertures to see what’s good or weak. Below are some side-by-side comparisons of the overall scene, center, and top left corner at 28mm...

www.dpreview.com

I would like the 20mm (that would make it a one-kit-lens) but the IBIS is more important for me (I do both photo and video)

 

[GeorgeHudetz]

Here somebody did a comparison between the Sigma and the Lumix - I found it interesting:

Sigma 20-200 vs Lumix 28-200 Side by Side Sharpness

I recently picked up the new Sigma 20-200. Also have a Lumix 28-200. Whenever I get a new lens, I usually test it for sharpness at various focal lengths and apertures to see what’s good or weak. Below are some side-by-side comparisons of the overall scene, center, and top left corner at 28mm...

www.dpreview.com

I would like the 20mm (that would make it a one-kit-lens) but the IBIS is more important for me (I do both photo and video)

Yes that comparison was interesting.

Like you, I’m concerned about the lack of IBIS on a slow 200mm lens. On the other hand, Chris at PetaPixel did a review of the Sigma a few days ago and found it to be reasonably sharp in the corners at 200mm wide open (on a test chart). Whereas my copy of the 28-200 needs to be stopped down to F11 at 200mm to get decent corners, and even then the corners are not as good as the Sigma @F11, according to the comparison on DPR). So, if you can indeed shoot the Sigma at the long end at F6.3 instead of the F11 required by the Panasonic, that should offset the lack of IBIS on the Sigma.

Of course, this ignores depth-of-field issues. But in my experience, if I am shooting a distant landscape at 200mm, F6.3 usually is fine. Where it could be an issue is shooting something close-up, like a small flower. So it depends on how you want to use the lens.

 

[Eric l]

Very interesting - thank you. Would you be prepared to upload the raw files?

I didn't keep them, but I have other photos.

Sigma-20-200 raw - 181.23 Mo (Expiré)

3 fichiers envoyés via Smash, un service français, sécurisé et responsable d’envoi de (super) gros fichiers.

fromsmash.com

 

[GeorgeHudetz]

Here’s the PP review, BTW:



It’s starting to look pretty good for the Sigma 20-200.

I’ve asked the poster on DPR to do a comparison with the 24-105, which he has said he will do. Right now, I’m considering building a 3-lens kit around the Panasonic 100-500. The 24-105 is a natural mid-range for that kit, but if the 20-200 is close enough from an IQ perspective - particularly when corrected well - I’m might go that way instead. I like having FL overlap in my kits. I’m prepared to be disappointed, but we shall see.

As for lens wishes - I mean, who doesn’t think they need a lens that’s not in production? - I’d love a light, compact variable aperture 24-120 to go with the 100-500, and then finish off the trio with a variable aperture 12-24 LOL. A boy can dream, right?

 

[pdk42]

I didn't keep them, but I have other photos.

Sigma-20-200 raw - 181.23 Mo (Expiré)

3 fichiers envoyés via Smash, un service français, sécurisé et responsable d’envoi de (super) gros fichiers.

fromsmash.com

Thanks

 

[pdk42]

Here’s the PP review, BTW:



It’s starting to look pretty good for the Sigma 20-200.

I’ve asked the poster on DPR to do a comparison with the 24-105, which he has said he will do. Right now, I’m considering building a 3-lens kit around the Panasonic 100-500. The 24-105 is a natural mid-range for that kit, but if the 20-200 is close enough from an IQ perspective - particularly when corrected well - I’m might go that way instead. I like having FL overlap in my kits. I’m prepared to be disappointed, but we shall see.

As for lens wishes - I mean, who doesn’t think they need a lens that’s not in production? - I’d love a light, compact variable aperture 24-120 to go with the 100-500, and then finish off the trio with a variable aperture 12-24 LOL. A boy can dream, right?

Yes, I agree. I’m definitely going to buy one.

 

[pdk42]

I didn't keep them, but I have other photos.

Sigma-20-200 raw - 181.23 Mo (Expiré)

3 fichiers envoyés via Smash, un service français, sécurisé et responsable d’envoi de (super) gros fichiers.

fromsmash.com

These are really excellent actually. At 20mm there is a bit of softening towards the edges, but it's just about acceptable I think. Colour and contrast are really good. At 111mm and 200mm they are really sharp, even out to the edge. For a 10x zoom at under €900, this is excellent.

 

[GeorgeHudetz]

Yes, I agree. I’m definitely going to buy one.

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.