Sigma lenses - more than you think!

[dirk]

No there are not. Leica has two versions of each. Only the more expensive APOs are on the list. The newer non APOs (the Panasonic derivates) are missing.

ahhhhhhh, ok, now I see.

I will add them too. Give me 5 minutes...

 

[dirk]

Done.

This is now even more impressive. We have now 80 native L-Mount lenses from Leica, Sigma and Panasonic! In 2023 alone a total of 14 new lenses (Teleconverter not counted in).

Holy cow, what will happen in 2024 then?

 

[dirk]

I don't think it's dead. Panasonic has shifted it's focus from pro's more to quality midrange products for the last couple of years, since the S5. But I think with fullfilling this roadmap, the needs of customers, who buys midrange, are mostly covered. My guess would be a new roadmap with some new pro lenses to come afterwards, at mid/end of this year.

I agree. I think the plan with the pro line was established when Panasonic thought that the bigger S1 and S1R would hit a broader market demand. But since the S5 and their shift towards videographers, the F1.8 line was more important and was sold better than the bigger cameras and heavier lenses as far as I know.

I could imagine that Panasonic would bring out additionally a F1.4 line of FFL. But these would be big and expensive. Not many photographesr would need the difference between F1.8 and F1.4 or an even better image quality than the F1.8 line.

If you look at the lens overview, there are not many focal ranges missing. There is a need for an affordable and lightweight, native 28mm FFL and probably a lightweight, small and compact telephoto zoom in the range of 70-200mm.

Apart of these two areas, I see only niches for specialized lenses like shift lenses, special pro lenses for specific use cases, which 95% of photographers do not really need.

 

[xaviergut]

I agree. I think the plan with the pro line was established when Panasonic thought that the bigger S1 and S1R would hit a broader market demand. But since the S5 and their shift towards videographers, the F1.8 line was more important and was sold better than the bigger cameras and heavier lenses as far as I know.

I could imagine that Panasonic would bring out additionally a F1.4 line of FFL. But these would be big and expensive. Not many photographesr would need the difference between F1.8 and F1.4 or an even better image quality than the F1.8 line.

If you look at the lens overview, there are not many focal ranges missing. There is a need for an affordable and lightweight, native 28mm FFL and probably a lightweight, small and compact telephoto zoom in the range of 70-200mm.

Apart of these two areas, I see only niches for specialized lenses like shift lenses, special pro lenses for specific use cases, which 95% of photographers do not really need.

I think we are starting to be a little bit spoiled with so many lens options in the L-Mount system but...
I still miss a 40mm f2 PANCAKE lens so small like the Nikon Z 26mm f2.8

 

[dirk]

I still miss a 40mm f2 PANCAKE lens so small like the Nikon Z 26mm f2.8

Very good idea. There is the Sigma i-series 45/2.8, but it is as far as I remember not as small as the 26/2.8 and the optical quality is not on par with i.e. the Sigma 50/2.0.

Therefore a 40/2.0 or 2.8 as a pancake lens with similar image quality like the 50/2.0 would be very welcome.

But please first a 28/2.0 i-series

 

[AlanC]

Very good idea. There is the Sigma i-series 45/2.8, but it is as far as I remember not as small as the 26/2.8 and the optical quality is not on par with i.e. the Sigma 50/2.0.

Therefore a 40/2.0 or 2.8 as a pancake lens with similar image quality like the 50/2.0 would be very welcome.

But please first a 28/2.8 i-series

I got the 45/2.8 a short while ago (at a very good discount) because I was intrigued by this article on Sigma's website:
https://www.sigma-sein.com/en/ohsone/45mm-f2-8-dg-dn-contemporary/

And it is an unusual lens: it's optimised for medium to long distances, where it's sharp, has very low levels of chromatic aberrations, and the rendering of out of focus areas is beautifully smooth. Close to the minimum focus distance (0.25x magnification), particularly at f2.8, there's a considerable amount of uncorrected spherical aberration so the image is soft and everything "glows".

It's taken a knock from some reviewers for its close up / maximum aperture behaviour, but others appreciate how it renders. Fred Miranda's review has some good examples of this:
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1608234/2#14940535

I'm usually not a fan of the 50mm focal length, but this lens is just that bit wider and renders so nicely that I can't help liking it.

A 28mm i-series would be nice: 17mm, 20mm, 24mm ...big gap... 35mm, 45mm, 50mm, 65mm, 90mm.

 

[Miker]

Voigtlander has several 28mm options that will work with a simple M to L mount adapter if you are ok with manual focus.

 

[dirk]

Hi Miker,

thank you for the hint. I looked at it. It seems that the Voigtländer lenses have a high quality. But they do not come cheap.

They look also cool. I love the retro style. Have to think about it, whether the prive is worth it for me for manual focus and whether I still then would buy a 28mm with AF, if this would come out then.

 

[Travis Butler]

Hi Miker,

thank you for the hint. I looked at it. It seems that the Voigtländer lenses have a high quality. But they do not come cheap.

They look also cool. I love the retro style. Have to think about it, whether the prive is worth it for me for manual focus and whether I still then would buy a 28mm with AF, if this would come out then.

If you're willing to go manual, there are a number of classic film-era 28mm lenses that are quite nice, depending on what you're looking for.

My current favorite is the Vivitar 28/2.5 made by Kiron - https://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/vivitar-28mm-f2-5.html Some issues with flaring - you'll definitely want a hood! But sharp enough for me in almost every circumstance, and I love the way it renders tonality - the gloss on a polished car, the complex shading of a puffy cloud.

 

[dirk]

I do not know yet. In the long run, if Sigma will offer a 28/2.0 i-series, I will very likely prefer that.

But that also depends on the next L-Mount body. I still hope for a smaller, rangefinder style body.

My S5 II is in many situations too big for me. The Ricoh GR3 is a great alternative, but I would love to have additionally something with a viewfinder. Just to be on the safe side, if the sun is too strong.

For my Fuji XPro2 there is the 18/1.4 available. Very good lens, but big. For the optical viewfinder too big and the old XF18/2.0 is not good enough (image quality).

A Leica Q3 as an alternative is not high on my list, because of price, too many pixel (even with pixelbinning you have only the options for 60/34/19, but not 24MP), and the name, which is in some areas attracting the wrong people.

As you can see, there is really a niche, if you want to have a small 28mm AF lens. Not only with L-Mount.

MFT has a solution with the Leica 15/1.7 lens. Great lens by the way. The GX9 is the perfect fit for it. I just wish they would bring out a GX10 with a modern 24MP sensor and a better viewfinder.

This all sounds like a spoiled kid. But if the different brands would research in the same way, they would find out easier what to produce next to increase sales. If someone is new, wants to decide for a new camera system and his preferred focal length is 28mm, these thoughts will influence in which system he will invest.

L-Mount is in a very good position thanks to the i-series lenses. But Fuji for example has a problem. Each new lens is just getting bigger and heavier. That was not the DNA with which Fuji started for the X-system.

Also Nikon has a problem. Nikon's lens mount is too big. Therefore all lenses will be bigger than the counterpart of other brands. Additionaly, there is because of the big lens mount with small bodies (i.e. Nikon Fc) not enough space on the right side to comfortably hold the camera. These were the 2 main reasons why I sold my Nikon Z systems.

Canon R is not an option for me for various reasons.

I had a Sony A850 and Zeiss lenses a couple of years ago, but after their back and fourth in the different mounts, there was no trust anymore to justify a long term investment and I sold it.

Pentax would be interesting, if they would bring out a small fullframe DSLR (they never will bring out a MLU IMHO).

But I digress from the topic.

LMount is IMHO the best system to be for fullframe. If you do not need/want FF, then MFT is the choice of my heart.

 

[Pete_W]

MFT has a solution with the Leica 15/1.7 lens. Great lens by the way. The GX9 is the perfect fit for it. I just wish they would bring out a GX10 with a modern 24MP sensor and a better viewfinder.

Or the Panasonic 14mm f/2.5. I picked one of these up recently, and it's a great lens on my GX85. Very compact and light, and I like the 28mm focal length.

You could consider a G100. By all accounts it's a great little camera. It has a much better EVF than the GX-series cameras, but it doesn't have IBIS. No problem if you use a lens with OIS although the small primes like 14mm, PL15mm, 20mm do not have OIS.

 

[dirk]

For MFT I will wait. I have the Lumix GX9 and the Leica 15/1.7 already for years and I am happy with them except for the 2 issues mentioned above.

Therefore I will wait patiently until a GX10 will arrive and will decide then, depending on the specifications. But nobody knows when a GX10 will come. If Panasonic does not do any announcement until end of April, it is very unlikely that a GX10 will come in 2024.

I see the probability of a Sigma 28/2.0 i-series lens for L-mount in 2024 higher than the probability for a GX10 in 2024, just because Sigma is big enough to launch this year still a few more lenses. The costs for Sigma for such a lens are also lower, since they sell it also for Sony E-mount. Therefore no big investment and low risk for Sigma.

For Panasonic this is different for a new body. I guess that the R&D costs for a new body are significant higher than for a lens and MFT has not a huge market share. On the other hand a small MFT body is really needed after the introduction of the very big (for a MFT body) G9 MkII body.

 

[Jonathan-Mac]

A compact 40mm f/2 would certainly be very nice indeed, especially with the dimensions of the Nikon one.

 

[CharlesH]

As you can see, there is really a niche, if you want to have a small 28mm AF lens. Not only with L-Mount.

The new Sony rangefinder style A7C II and A7C R cameras combined with the 28mm f/2 would seem to fit what you are looking for.

 

[dirk]

The new Sony rangefinder style A7C II and A7C R cameras combined with the 28mm f/2 would seem to fit what you are looking for.

Yes, that would be something (except the EVF). But because of my bad experience in the past with Sony, I do not want to invest in that system again.