Sigma’s 28-45mm T2, Its First-Ever Autofocus Cine Lens, Arrives in November
Sigma has announced that it’s first-ever autofocus-equipped cinema lens will be arriving in November. The 28-45mm T2 FF, which has been in development for over a year, will cost $3,399.
Sigma first announced that it was working on a cinema version of its 28-45mm f/1.8 Art lens last August, but it wasn’t until the following month that the company showed what it was going to look like. Now, one year after it debuted at IBC Amsterdam (the International Broadcasting Convention) last fall — which was the first time it was publicly shown — the lens finally has a price and release date.
The lens is based on the formula of the 28-45mm f/1.8 DG DN Art lens but has been remade with what Sigma describes as a “completely redesigned” set of electrical and mechanical parts to provide the focus and aperture drive features that cinema cameras require. Sigma also says that the look as well as the build quality are “representative of a premium cinema lens,” including dust and splash resistance.
Autofocus is driven by a high-response linear actuator (HLA) motor, which is a similar system used in the original 28-45mm f/1.8 Art lens. Manual focus features a focus ring with a distance scale and hard stops — also known as a fixed rotation range — which is a requirement for lenses used in the cinema space. It is compatible with DMF (Direct Manual Focus) and AF Assist on Sony E-mount, as well as the AF+MF function on L-Mount.
All of these additions did not make the lens substantially heavier, surprisingly: it weighs about 960 grams, which is only 60 grams heavier than the 28-45mm f/1.8 Art. The 28-45mm T2 FF is also compatible with 82mm front filters, as well as commercially available matte boxes, with the addition of the optional clamp-on ring.
PetaPixel had a brief hands-on with Sigma’s other upcoming autofocus cine lens, the 28-105mm T3 (which was announced in June), at CineGear this past summer. There, Jordan Drake expressed surprise at how good the manual focus response was, considering it is usually a weak point of modern autofocus lenses. The torque felt as though there was a true helicoid in the lens, despite there not being one.
The last time PetaPixel actually saw a physical copy of the 28-45mm T2 FF lens was back in February during a podcast interview with Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki (timestamped below). It has been a long time coming, but hopefully it is worth the wait.
The Sigma AF Cine 28-45mm T2 FF lens will be available in early November for Sony E-mount and L-Mount for $3,399.
Image credits: Sigma
