Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC Art Review: A Legend Reborn

Jun 20, 2025

Chris Niccolls

The Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC Art is the successor to Sigma’s legendary 18-35mm zoom lens for crop-sensor cameras. It has been a long time coming and stands out as a truly professional APS-C zoom lens in a mirrorless era where APS-C zooms often target beginners and enthusiasts more than seasoned professionals. But does Sigma’s latest live up to its legacy?

Buy the Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC Art new on Amazon.com Buy the Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC Art used on KEH.com

Editor’s Note: We apologize for a delay on this review. PetaPixel’s initial sample (which was an early-access lens) showed some issues with sharpness. After receiving a second unit, PetaPixel retested and was able to finalize the review.

As a camera reviewer, I get to see all the latest gear, and it’s impossible to deny that full-frame equipment makes up the vast majority of new releases. Sometimes, it’s even easy to overlook APS-C cameras and lenses when making recommendations or identifying the latest exciting new gear. Because of this, when a major lens maker like Sigma announces a brand new professional APS-C zoom lens, you immediately take notice. I hadn’t seen a general-purpose pro zoom lens for APS-C in quite some time, and considering that the 17-40mm f/1.8 DC is part of the prestigious Art series, I was expecting big things.

A Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC camera lens rests on a wooden surface surrounded by green maple leaves. — The Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 breathes new life into APS-C.

Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC Art Review: How it Feels

The Sigma Art series lenses are always incredibly well-built and fully weather-sealed. At the front of the lens, we have a prestigious lens hood design with both a soft-touch rubber collar and a push-button locking mechanism. This lens accepts 67mm filters and is relatively lightweight, weighing 525 grams (18.5 ounces). I tested the lens for E-mount, but it is also available in Canon RF-mount, Nikon Z-mount, and Fujifilm X-mount.

A Sigma 17-40mm camera lens stands upright on a wooden surface outdoors, surrounded by green leaves in the background. — The new Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC Art can be had in four different lens mounts.

A close-up of a camera lens with a petal-shaped lens hood, showing clear glass elements and reflections, set against a blurred green leafy background. — Even the hood design feels premium in every way.

Close-up of a black camera lens with a visible switch labeled “FOCUS AF MF,” resting on a wooden surface with green foliage blurred in the background. — This Art series lens has all the extra bonuses, like customizable buttons and full weather sealing.

There are a couple of customizable buttons alongside the smooth-turning manual focus ring, and the lens has an MF/AF selector switch. If your particular version comes with an aperture ring — not all mounts do — the aperture choices range from f/1.8 to f/16. There is also a switch to set the aperture ring to stepped or stepless movements. Lastly, I love the smooth metalwork on the Sigma Art lenses and the overall handsome design that Sigma is now famous for. This is a premium-looking lens that doesn’t skip on the embellishments.

A close-up of a Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC camera lens, resting on a wooden surface with green leaves and blurred foliage in the background. — The aperture ring can be set for smooth or stepped functioning.

Close-up of a black camera lens with visible text reading "MIN. 0.28M / 0.92FEET" and "MADE IN JAPAN," set against a blurred green background and resting on a wooden surface. — I love the metalwork on Sigma lenses as well as the new font choice.

A close-up of a camera lens facing upward, with a background of vibrant green leaves and some brown wooden surface partially visible beneath the foliage. — The 17-40mm uses common 67mm filters.

Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC Art Review: How it Shoots

The first thing I wanted to test was the flare resistance. Sigma utilizes excellent coatings that effectively manage any washed-out areas. So, imagine my surprise when I first assumed I was seeing a flare on the opposite side of the image from the sun. It turns out that the flare resistance is excellent, but there is a fair amount of ghosting on this lens. At f/1.8, the ghosting is so soft that it blends into a large, flare-like area. Stopping down the lens cleaned up the image in this case, concentrating the ghosting into smaller but more colorful regions within the image.

The sun shines brightly through the branches of tall trees, creating rays of light and lens flare against a clear blue sky. — Flare is well controlled, but the ghosting can look a little excessive.

If you are into sunstars and want to capture some dramatic sunsets or twinkling city lights, the Sigma 17-40mm does an outstanding job. The fairly round 11-bladed aperture still delivers a dramatic-looking sunstar with decent sharpness. Sharp sunstars are nice to have, but what about the overall sharpness of the lens?

A utility pole with power lines is silhouetted against a clear blue sky, with the sun shining brightly behind it. Pine trees are visible at the bottom of the image. — Sun stars are pretty dramatic with unexpectedly clean-looking form.

Examining our test charts, I noticed that the 17mm end of the lens generally exhibited excellent center sharpness. The overall result is contrasty and has plenty of detail. Stopping down to f/4 had a very slight benefit to the contrast overall. I got a very similar result at the 40mm end, too.

Two comparison images show a Canadian one dollar bill, a test chart, and a focus card. The left side is labeled "17mm @ f/1.8" and the right side "17mm @ f/4," displaying differences in sharpness and clarity.

Side-by-side camera test charts at 40mm, comparing f/1.8 (left) and f/4 (right), featuring grayscale bars, colored strips, a circular resolution pattern, arrows, and currency images for sharpness evaluation. — The center sharpness on this lens is quite nice at f/1.8, all throughout the range.

Corners have a fair amount of distortion and tend to have a softness to them at f/1.8 as well. Stopping the lens down to f/4 is beneficial, and I noticed this result in both the 17mm and 40mm range. We have a lens that I would use at slightly tighter apertures whenever possible if corner sharpness is key. Make no mistake, though, as the shots at f/1.8 are totally usable for many applications, and I would be happy with the center sharpness on the Fujifilm 40-megapixel sensor as well.

A Canadian one-dollar bill above two test charts labeled “40mm @ f/1.8” and “40mm @ f/4,” each displaying black geometric shapes and a Lumix resolution card with letters. — Corners have a little softness, probably due to distortion correction, but they get better at f/4.

The role of the 17-40mm f/1.8 is to give a versatile 26-60mm full-frame equivalent lens with the depth of field that a full-frame f/2.8 zoom would give. The bokeh on this lens is clean but tends to exhibit a noticeable soap-bubble effect, resulting in a slightly harsh-looking rendition of the backgrounds. I still think this lens does a good job of providing pleasing softness in the out-of-focus areas, and I was happy with the results overall.

A brown messenger bag with multiple pockets sits on a red table. In the blurred background, several red chairs are spaced apart in a large, open indoor area. — Bokeh on the Sigma 17-40mm is pleasant with a reasonably smooth look to the out-of-focus areas.

There is some longitudinal chromatic aberration to be concerned about, though. This LoCA creates color casts in the out-of-focus areas and is very hard to remove afterward. The Sigma 17-40mm does suffer from some LoCA, creating a strong blue/yellow color split in areas of stark contrast. Stopping the lens down will help eliminate this LoCA, but again, it is another reason to shy away from shooting at f/1.8.

A fallen, leafless tree lies across a calm, shallow stream surrounded by green grass, with branches and foliage reflected in the water under bright sunlight.

Close-up of green thyme herb sprigs with small, pointed leaves and blurred foliage in the background.

The Sigma 17-40mm lens would certainly excel as a handy video lens, thanks to its stepless aperture ring and compact proportions that make it ideal for gimbal work. The lens breathing is also very well corrected, with almost no breathing at the 40mm range. Even at 17mm, there isn’t much lens breathing to deal with, and let’s keep in mind that many video camera platforms still shoot in the Super 35 format. There aren’t that many good APS-C zooms around for video work, so I think the Sigma fills a much-needed gap.

A man with gray hair wearing a mustard yellow blazer, white dress shirt, and white pocket square stands outdoors, smiling softly with a blurred cityscape in the background.

Black and white photo of a calm river with reflections of trees, framed by large fallen logs and branches in the foreground, with a clear sky overhead.

Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC Art Review: Pretty but not Perfect

The new Sigma 17-40mm Art f/1.8 should be well received. The fact that we get a versatile general-purpose zoom across four lens mounts is much needed in the APS-C world. Also, keep in mind that a lens with this faster f/1.8 aperture is rare indeed.

Close-up of a freshly cut tree trunk with rough bark and drops of sap dripping down the exposed wood. Sunlight highlights the texture and color of the wood and resin.

A pale blue heart is drawn with chalk on a rough concrete surface, with a blurred natural background in soft, warm light.

However, I was a bit surprised by some of the optical issues that the sample we tested appeared to have. This lens features a fast f/1.8 aperture, but there are some compromises to consider when shooting wide open. Still, there are many situations where the faster aperture is still very usable and handy to have. If you need a decent general zoom with good light-gathering capabilities, the Sigma will take good care of you.

A man with gray hair wearing a light-colored suit jacket and a white shirt smiles at the camera outdoors, with blurred trees and buildings in the background. The image is in black and white.

A cityscape under a cloudy sky, with low, thick clouds and morning haze. Tall buildings and palm trees are visible, surrounded by greenery and houses, with distant hills in the background.

Are There Alternatives?

There are many general-purpose APS-C zooms on the market, but they all have a slower f/2.8 aperture. This new 17-40mm is also much improved over the older DSLR-era 18-35mm f/1.8, which could be adapted. One of the main strengths of this lens is its lack of competition.

Should You Buy It?

Yes. The performance of this lens is decent and it provides access to a fast f/1.8 aperture when needed. Until someone else makes a similar optic, Sigma stands on its own.

Buy the Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC Art new on Amazon.com Buy the Sigma 17-40mm f/1.8 DC Art used on KEH.com