Sigma 35mm f2 DG DN Contemporary Review (Sony)

In this blog, I will share with you my review of the Sigma 35mm f/2 prime lens. I’ve been using this lens for a few months, have taken some of my favourite photos with it, and can finally give you my verdict on whether this lens is a good option for your Sony camera. For clarity, I purchased this lens with my own money, and I have no affiliations with Sigma.

Purpose

This is designed to be a compact and fast prime lens. f/2 is plenty for most scenarios and the overall footprint is minimal, meaning this lens will be suitable for many different bodies. A 35mm prime is a must-have in everyone’s kit, and this is a pretty tempting offering from Sigma. The Sigma also offers a great package at a very competitive price point.

Focal Length

35mm is an incredibly versatile focal length and is best suited to travel, street photography, and even portraiture. While this focal length won’t give you the classic portrait look like a 50mm can, it’s far superior for environmental portraits where the environment is just as important as the person. This is an amazing focal length for travel, allowing you to capture the entire scene without the need to be right in the middle of the action. If I had to pick one focal length for the rest of my life, it would be the 35mm.

Build Quality

The lens feels solid with a sturdy all-metal build. The focus dial is smooth and well damped. The aperture dial has solid, distinct clicks. This feels more solid than a lot of Sony’s offerings and it’s a similar level of feel to something Leica would make. For the price, I was expecting a much cheaper lens; however, the build quality blew me away. I can also say that the lens withstands scratches very well. After hours of being rattled in my sling without a case, or around my shoulder, it hasn’t picked up a single mark.

Size & Weight

The lens is small considering the fast aperture; however, it’s on the heavier side. The amazing build quality I just been talking about comes at a price, which is weight. It feels like a solid bit of metal, and when you put it on a smaller body like the A7C, you notice the mass. On a bigger camera like the A7R, the lens feels more balanced. I would say it’s more suitable for the bigger bodies. If you don’t need f/1.4, then this f/2 offers a huge size advantage and can be the difference between your camera fitting in your sling or not.

Features

If you’re used to the luxuries of Sony’s higher-end lenses, you might be disappointed. While this lens has all the essentials you might need, such as an aperture ring, focus ring, and AF/MF switch, that’s it. There are no custom buttons or other switches. I’m a little bummed out about the lack of custom buttons because it’s a feature I use all the time on my Sony lenses, but I guess it’s a compromise to keep costs lower. While the base has a gasket, and some resellers state weather sealing on the spec page, most of the body other than the mount isn’t sealed. As for the features it does have, they are very well implemented, with everything being incredibly smooth and tactile to use.

Image Quality

All modern lenses have fantastic image quality, and I feel we’re at the point where any modern lens above £500 will produce good results. I can’t say anything specific about the 35mm f/2. The image is tack sharp, the bokeh is nice, and the colours render as they should. No issues at all.

AF Performance

The AF is very good and you will not have any issues with it for photo or video. However, if I’m being objective, it’s a little slower than what you’d get on a Sony lens. Every time I use the Sigma after shooting with a Sony lens, the reduction in focus speed is noticeable. By no means is this a slow lens and most people might not even notice the difference, however if you pay attention it’s there. I suspect this is due to the Sigma having stepping motor while many of the high end Sony lenses having linear motors. I also suspect that given it’s third party, there will never be a 100% like for like performance compared to a native lens. I would like to repeat and make it very clear that this lens is amazing at focusing and you will not have any issues at all.

Summary

If you’re in the market for a fast and compact 35mm prime, there are many options, however I feel this Sigma offers the best bang for your buck. At f/2, you’re covered for low light photography and portraiture. The small size means it’s easier to carry around, and for many people, this might be the only lens they’d ever need. I haven’t tried other 35mm lenses and I can only compare it to the 35mm f/1.4 from Sony, which is nearly 3 times the price and noticeably bigger and heavier.

Full Spec

Focal Length - 35 mm

Aperture Range - f/2 – f/22 (1/3‑stop clicks, plus Auto)

Optical Design - 10 elements / 9 groups; 1 SLD, 3 aspherical

Coating - Super Multi-Layer

Diaphragm - 9 rounded blades

Min Focus Distance - 27 cm

Max Magnification ~0.18× (1:5.7)

Autofocus - Stepping motor, internal focus, DMF & AF+MF supported

Weather Sealing - Partial dust & splash resistance on mount only

Filter Size - 58 mm (non-rotating)

Dimensions (Ø × L) - 70 × 67.4 mm

Weight ~325 g

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