Last updated on 2026-01-13
A review and sample photos using the SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 EX DG HSM with the SONY α7Sii and SIGMA SD14.
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Table of contents
Gallery
The following cameras were used for the sample photos:
- SONY α7Sii
- SIGMA SD14
Review
1．Overview
The SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 EX DG HSM is a large-aperture standard zoom lens from Sigma that was released in 2009 and is compatible with the 35mm format and has a maximum aperture of F2.8.
The lens construction consists of 14 elements in 12 groups, including one ELD (Extraordinary Low Dispersion) glass element, two SLD (Special Low Dispersion) glass elements, and three aspherical lens elements.
The lens barrel extends when zooming, but thanks to internal focusing, the lens length does not change when focusing.
The list price is 129,900 yen (excluding tax).
2．Usability
I got my hands on the SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 EX DG HSM in 2021, a full 12 years since its release. Since the price had dropped to about one-third of the original retail price, I decided to purchase the SIGMA SA-mount version to see what this zoom lens could really offer.
It’s a fast standard zoom lens compatible with 35mm film, and while I like the fact that it starts at 24mm at the wide-angle end, the 70mm telephoto end is a bit disappointing.
The minimum focusing distance is 38cm throughout the entire zoom range, allowing you to get close at a focal length of 70mm.
The SONY α7Sii is a mirrorless camera equipped with a 12-megapixel 35mm full-frame sensor. To mount a SIGMA-SA mount lens on an E-mount camera, I used the SIGMA MC-11, sold by SIGMA.
Since this lens is not officially compatible with the SIGMA MC-11, the operating conditions below are not those expected by Sigma but are the results of my own testing.
Unfortunately, when using this combination, the autofocus did not focus properly and the focusing speed was slow, making the autofocus function merely functional and not very practical. For this reason, all sample photos were taken using manual focus.
When shooting with the 35mm full-frame sensor, at the 24mm focal length and wide open aperture, there was some light falloff in the four corners of the image, but this became almost unnoticeable when stopped down to around F5.6.
With the 24mm wide-angle lens, distortion can be noticeable when photographing a grid-like object from a distance of around 3m.
The SIGMA SD14 is equipped with an APS-C-size sensor, which is smaller than the 35mm full-frame sensor, and the focal length when shooting is 24-70mm multiplied by the sensor size conversion factor of 1.7 to 41-119mm, making it closer to a telephoto lens.
Since the image uses the center of the lens, which has the best rendering, there is no vignetting at wide open aperture, and distortion is less noticeable.
These results show that cameras equipped with APS-C size sensors tend to be telephoto, but there are no problems with lens performance, and cameras equipped with 35mm full-frame sensors with around 10 megapixels can be used practically if the aperture is narrowed slightly.
3．Summary
To sum up the SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 EX DG HSM, it is a large-aperture standard zoom lens from the film era. When using it with a digital camera, it is best suited to cameras with APS-C size sensors. When using it with a camera with a 35mm full-frame sensor, you will need to stop down the aperture slightly.
As I will explain below, large-aperture standard zoom lenses that came after this lens have become heavier and larger, so I think this lens is about as close to acceptable as possible in terms of portability.
Specifications, considerations, etc.
Since this lens was released in 2009, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II is a major digital camera equipped with a 35mm full-frame sensor. Its sensor pixel count reaches 20 megapixels. Judging from the results of the a7Sii’s photography, 20 megapixels may be sufficient for practical use.
Since the release of the SD1 in 2011, Sigma has updated its lens lineup, introducing a high-end line of lenses called Art.
The successor to this lens, the 24-70mm F2.8 DG OS HSM ART, was released in 2017. This new large-aperture standard zoom lens has an increased number of lens elements, a larger lens barrel, and a heavy weight of over 1kg. Even though it was intended to improve lens performance, it feels a bit over-engineered.
Perhaps Sigma felt that this was a bit too much, as the 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Art for mirrorless cameras, released in 2019, weighs in at around 800g. This lens has a total length of 123mm, but this is because the lens barrel has been redesigned for mirrorless cameras with a short flange back.
The flange back of the SA mount is 44mm, while that of the L mount is 20mm, so if a lens with the same focal length were to be reused in the design of an SLR lens, the lens length would be 24mm longer. It will probably be a while before a compact lens truly optimized for mirrorless cameras is released.
| Items | 24-70 IF EX DG HSM | 24-70mm F2.8 DG OS HSM | ART |
| Focal length(mm) | 24-70 | 24-70 |
| Max aperture | 2.8 | 2.8 |
| Min aperture | 22 | 22 |
| Aperture blade | 9 | 9 |
| Lens Construction | 14 elements in 12 groups | 19 elements in 14 groups |
| Min distance(m) | 0.38 | 0.37 |
| Lens length(mm) | 97.4 | 107.6 |
| Lens Max diameter(mm) | 88.6 | 88 |
| Filter Size | 82 | 82 |
| Lens hood | LH876-01 | LH876-04 |
| Mount | SA | SA |
| Weight(g) | 790 | 1,020 |
| Release date | 2009 | 2017 |
| Production numbers | – | – |
Reference links
- 24-70mm F2.8 IF EX DG HSM ・Sigma official page
- ART 24–70mm F2.8 DG OS HSM・Sigma official page
- ART 24–70mm F2.8 DG DN・Sigma official page
- Digital Camera Watch Articles
- SIGMA SD14 ・Shige’s hobby
- SONY α7Sii ・Shige’s hobby
Afiliate link
- SIGMA MC-11 for Sigma SA-E, Sigma to Sony E-mount・Ads by Amazon
- SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 EX DG HSM・Ads by Amazon
- 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Art・Ads by Amazon
- 24-70mm F2.8 DG OS HSM ART・Ads by Amazon
Update history
- 2026.1.1
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