Sigma’s New 18-50mm f/2.8 Lens for Fujifilm X Mount is Super Small
Sigma has announced the 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary for Fujifilm X Mount mirrorless cameras, promising it to be high-performance, high-quality, and compact.
The lens expands Sigma’s X mount support to four lenses, and the new zoom — which is the company’s first APS-C mirrorless dedicated zoom lens — joins three existing X-mount primes: the 16mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary, 30mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary, and 56mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary.
“This addition allows users to enjoy a high-performance, high-quality, compact standard zoom lens in native mount on their X Mount system,” Sigma says. “This exceptionally light, bright, and sharp standard zoom for crop-sensor mirrorless cameras is the ultimate workhorse lens.”
Sigma’s 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary is constructed of 13 elements arranged into 10 groups, including one SLD element and three aspherical lenses. It features an aperture range of f/2.8 through f/22 via a seven-bladed diaphragm and has a minimum focusing distance of 4.8 inches at the wide end and 11.9 inches at the telephoto end with a maximum magnification of 1:2.8.
The lens features a 35mm full-frame equivalent zoom range of 27mm through 75mm and maintains the f/2.8 maximum aperture throughout. Sigma positions the lens’ main feature as its size: it measures 2.4 inches in diameter by three inches long and weighs 10.1 ounces (285 grams). The company claims it is “overwhelmingly compact” and lightweight which maximizes its portability and goes hand-in-hand with the smaller body size of Fujifilm APS-C cameras.
These measurements allow Sigma to boast it as the smallest and lightest lens in its class (class, defined as an autofocus compatible, f/2.8 constant aperture zoom lens for APS-C cameras). The front filter measures 55mm and the mount is rubber-sealed which Sigma says allows it to be used safely in a variety of environments.
Sigma says that it has developed a Fujifilm-specific control algorithm that includes the autofocus drive and the speed of communication between the camera and the lens. The result is a lens that achieves very high-speed autofocus that also supports continuous autofocus with in-camera aberration correction (only available on supported cameras).
The Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary for Fujifilm X mount includes a petal-type hood and is expected to be available sometime in December for $549.
