LENS TEST
Sigma’s latest I-series lens offers a super-wide angle of view in a small and lightweight package, says Damien Demolder
Sigma’s relatively new I series of compact and nicely designed lenses now has nine members, and this Sigma 17mm F4 DG DN is the latest and widest of the gang. The I series sits within the company’s Contemporary segment, so we should expect good performance at a price that makes the lens accessible to most. Lenses in this group are not quite as good as Sigma’s Art lenses, but they cost rather less. Like the other Sigma I-series lenses, the 17mm is designed for full-frame mirrorless cameras, and is offered in L-mount and for Sony E-mount bodies. Sigma says the lens is aimed at landscapers and street photographers, and that it is especially good for travelling with, owing to its small size and light weight.
Features Probably the most outstanding of the Sigma 17mm F4 DG DN’s features is its 103.7° angle of view. While there are wider AF lenses for full frame around, we are in territory that is quite sparsely populated, and those others that exist tend to be quite big and heavy. This lens is just 64x48.8mm and 225g.
Sigma has managed to keep this model very small partly by giving it a less-demanding maximum aperture. The other models in the I series tend to have f/2 or f/2.8 maximum apertures. But to keep this one to the same sort of size as others in the series, a smaller maximum aperture was required. It also helps explain why the price is £549 instead of £900.
Sigma has used 2 Super Low Dispersion (SLD) elements and 3 aspherical elements in the 9-element design. These help to keep the unit small, while at the same time tackling chromatic aberration and general resolution. The iris uses a slightly unexciting 7 blades to form the aperture, which can close to f/22. Our closest focus is 12cm from the sensor. The lens comes with a petal-shaped hood, plastic front and back caps as well as a rather nice magnetic alternative metal cap for the front of the lens. The filter thread size is 55mm, which is quite small for a lens this wide.
Build and handling
I suspect one of the main motivations photographers have for choosing one of these I-series lenses from Sigma is the look and design of the lenses, and the way they handle. This 17mm f/4, in common with all the I-series lenses, is an all-metal affair, with metal control rings along the metal barrel, topped off with that metal len
