SIGMA 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN

A review and Photo example of the Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN with Leica CL

Gallery

The example photo was taken using a LEICA CL typ7323 camera.

Review

Lens Overview
Usage
Competitive Comparison

1.Lens overview

The Sigma 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN1 is a standard zoom lens for APS-C size sensor mirrorless cameras.

Sigma lenses simply list their specifications in a way that is easy to understand but confusing, making it easy to get confused when minor changes are made or lenses with similar specifications are released.
The official name of this lens is SIGMA 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary, with the following specifications: made by Sigma, 18-50mm zoom focal length, F2.8 maximum aperture (same for all focal lengths), DC=APS-C, DN=short flange back for mirrorless cameras, Contemporary=low-priced lens.

The only controls on the lens are the zoom ring and focus ring, and there is no distance indicator, giving it a clean appearance.

2.Usage

When I used it with a LEICA CL, the autofocus (AF) rarely missed the target focus position for normal subjects, and I never had to touch the sparse focus ring. For cats in the back of grass, where AF is poor, the focus is set on the grass in the foreground, so manual adjustments are required. I’m sorry I don’t have any actual measurements, but comparing with my past memories, the AF is faster and more accurate than the Vario-Elmar TL 18-56mm2.

It is also fully compatible with the 24-megapixel sensor, providing sharp images. The minimum shooting distance is 0.12m at the wide end of 18mm, which is close enough, making this a very versatile lens.

This lens came to me as a bonus with the CL, but it’s a lens that allows me to experience Sigma’s technical capabilities.

I did not notice any loss of contrast or flare in backlit situations when using the lens alone, but it comes with a plastic flower-shaped lens hood (LH582-02).

The direction of rotation of the Sigma zoom ring is opposite to that of the Leica and Panasonic, but when you’re using lenses from various manufacturers, the direction of rotation of the zoom ring doesn’t bother you so much. It seems like this specification is annoying for people who only use certain brands.

This combination weighs 600g with the CL, so I think it’s a good camera to take on a walk. It’s a camera system with a completely different mode from the LEICA S and HASSELBLAD X2D3 that I usually use, so I found it very useful.

3.Competitive Comparison

A competing lens is the Leica Vario-Elmar TL 18-56mm, which is almost the same size. The differences between the two are listed in the specifications table, but there are three noticeable differences:

The Sigma’s focal length at the telephoto end is 6mm shorter (Sigma = 50mm, Leica = 56mm)
The Sigma has a constant maximum aperture, while the Leica has a variable maximum aperture and is slightly darker.
The price difference is about 4 times for new lenses, and about 2 times for used ones.

An aperture value of F2.8 is the standard for large-aperture zoom lenses in Japan, but compared to prime lenses, F2.8 is a fairly slow lens, so I think the marketers of the past who marketed constant F2.8 lenses as large-aperture lenses must have thought it through carefully.

Specification

Lens name	18-50mm F2.8 DC DN \| Contemporary	VARIO ELMAR TL
Focal length(mm)	18-50	18-56
Max aperture	2.8	3.5-5.6
Min aperture	22	16
Lens Construction	13elements in 10groups	10elements in 7groups
Leaf blade	7	–
Min distance(m)	0.12〜0.31	0.3〜0.45
Lens length(mm)	74.5(L-Mount)	60
Lens diameter(mm)	φ65.4(L-Mount)	63
Filter Size(mm)	55	E52(52mm)
Weight(g)	290	256 （レンズのみ）
Release date	2021.10.29	2014.4
Price(Yen/No-tax)	Open(58,000 Yen)	200,000(Yen)

Reference links

SIGMA Official page for 18-50mm DC DN

Update

2024.04.07
2023.08.24

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