Review: Sigma 30mm f/2.8 DN Art (Sony E Mount)

Review: Sigma 30mm f/2.8 DN Art (Sony E Mount)

Conclusion

sigma_artPros:

  • Extremely sharp lens even at maximum aperture.  Stopping down yields good edge-to-edge sharpness.
  • Excellent contrast and good color gives images a lot of pop
  • Good control of lens aberrations like CA, distortion, flare and vignetting
  • New metal clad design looks good and feels nice in the hand
  • Small and lightweight
  • Extremely affordable

Cons:

  • Autofocus is a little pokey
  • Build quality, while decent, could be a little better
  • Prone to fingerprints and light scratches

The Sigma 30mm f/2.8 is one of the very best bargains in the photographic industry.  It’s a very inexpensive lens ($199 retail, on sale at the time of this writing at $169), but packs serious imaging capabilities.  The lens is small, light and puts out images with very high levels of detail right from f/2.8.  Stopped down a bit yields excellent cross-frame sharpness and high contrast photos.  While there are a few small things like a bit of barrel distortion and a not-so-fast autofocus system, overall, it’s hard to get a better lens for the price.  Frankly, in many ways, it’s hard to get a better lens for three to four times its price. Sure, it’s not the fastest normal focal length lens in the world, but if you are OK with an f/2.8 aperture, it’s worth your money to get this lens.  A simply top-notch effort from Sigma.

Sample Images

Click on an image to enlarge.

Fallsville Falls - Sony NEX 6 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 @ f/11
Fallsville Falls – Sony NEX 6 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 @ f/16
Iron Gate - Sony NEX 6 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 @ f/2.8
Iron Gate – Sony NEX 6 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 @ f/2.8
Morning Highrises - Sony NEX 6 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 @ f/5.6
Morning Highrises – Sony NEX 6 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 @ f/5.6
Mansion Gate - Sony NEX-6 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 DN Art @ f/2.8
Mansion Gate – Sony NEX-6 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 DN Art @ f/2.8
Stormy Morning - Sony A6000 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 @ f/13
Stormy Morning – Sony A6000 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 @ f/13
Stage Door - Sony NEX-6 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 @ f/4
Stage Door – Sony NEX-6 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 @ f/3.2
Curves - Sony NEX-6 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 @ f/5
Curves – Sony NEX-6 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 @ f/8
Wet Bricks - Sony NEX-6 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 @ f/11
Wet Bricks – Sony NEX-6 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 @ f/7.1
Stage Door - Sony NEX-6 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 @ f/4
Stage Door – Sony NEX-6 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 @ f/4.5
LeVeque Tower at Dawn - Sony NEX-6 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 @ f/5.6
LeVeque Tower at Dawn – Sony NEX-6 with Sigma 30mm f/2.8 @ f/5.6

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Comments

13 responses to “Review: Sigma 30mm f/2.8 DN Art (Sony E Mount)”

  1. […] Real World Sigma 50mm ART lens review by 3D-Kraft. Speedmaster 50mm f/0.95 FE lens testet at DC.watch. Lower-cost options for avoiding the WATE (Luminous Landscape). New Lens Turbo pics at Kameravalg and video on Youtube. Full review of the Sigma 30mm f/2.8 DN Art for E-Mount is up on Admiring Light. […]

  2. Miles Avatar

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  3. Nick Avatar
    Nick

    Great review. I plan on buying a6000 and this lens seems like a very good value for the money…

  4. […] the 19mm f/2.8 DN Art. The Sigma 19mm has been around for a little while, but, along with the 30mm f/2.8, received an overhaul in the past year when the lens was added to the ‘Art’ lineup. The […]

  5. Nikhil Avatar
    Nikhil

    Hi, I am planing to Buy Prime lens but i am confused if i buy sony 35mm 1.8 or sigma 30mm 2.8, i don’t want a lens of 50MM 1.8 coz it will be difficult to shoot in smaller place. is the sigma 30mm 2.8 is same as 50mm 1.8 on sony A6000.
    or it is focal length will be same as 30mm on A6000

    1. rich Avatar
      rich

      The A6000 will crop every lens attached to it so the 30mm lens from either Sony or Sigma will look like a 50mm. The 50mm lens would look like a 75mm So you are right to want the 30mm in tight spots.

  6. […] instructions: Shipping Included; US Postal 2 day or UPS ground – to continental USA only This one: Review: Sigma 30mm f/2.8 DN Art (Sony E Mount) – Admiring Light Lens is in mint condition – comes with all original accessories as when new. Lens is black color. […]

  7. BK Avatar
    BK

    Jordan, on the 30mm DN Art, I have heard that the lens does not work well with the Phase detection auto focus on the A6000, have you experience with this? Unless it was the old model and Sigma has fixed it. Thank you!

  8. Kay Avatar
    Kay

    What is meant by f/2.8 @ f/5.6?
    I am a novice.

  9. wolf Avatar
    wolf

    Hi
    Considering DXO reviewing, the older 30mm is apparently sharper than the newer Art version, what do you think about this ?
    I’d like to buy one but i would like the best one of course

  10. […] very affordable, but moderate aperture prime lenses for mirrorless cameras. The Sigma 19mm f/2.8, 30mm f/2.8 and 60mm f/2.8 are still among the very best values in the mirrorless world, providing very high […]

  11. Wolfgang Weidner Avatar
    Wolfgang Weidner

    Does it support phase detection AF for continuous shootng?

  12. Maciek Avatar
    Maciek

    Could you compare this lens and 28/2 on APS-C?

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