Sigma's first MFT, E-mount lenses surface at CES

A couple of primes lead Sigma's march into lenses for interchangeable-lens cameras.

Lori Grunin Senior Editor / Advice

I've been reviewing hardware and software, devising testing methodology and handed out buying advice for what seems like forever; I'm currently absorbed by computers and gaming hardware, but previously spent many years concentrating on cameras. I've also volunteered with a cat rescue for over 15 years doing adoptions, designing marketing materials, managing volunteers and, of course, photographing cats.

Expertise Photography, PCs and laptops, gaming and gaming accessories

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Lori Grunin

Jan. 9, 2012 4:00 p.m. PT

2 min read

Sigma's 19mm f2.8 prime for Micro Four Thirds and E-mount Sigma

LAS VEGAS--It's been almost a year since Sigma announced its intention to create ILC lenses, and at this year's CES/PMA that intention finally bore fruit.

Dubbed "DN" lenses, Sigma's debut consists of two primes available in Micro Four Thirds (Olympus, Panasonic) and E-mount (Sony) models.

Sigma's 30mm f2.8 prime for Micro Four Thirds and E-mount Sigma

The initial models will be the 30mm f2.8 EX DN and 19mm f2.8 EX DN. (Because of the different sensor sizes associated with the mounts, the effective angle of view is different for a given lens--multiply MFT by 2 and E by 1.5 for that.) They both use a new direct autofocus motor that sounds similar to the one used by Sony in its new 16-50mm, which drives the system without gears for less noise during video recording.

The lenses also have coatings to improve optical performance and seven-blade apertures for better bokeh (out-of-focus highlight rendering)--any lens that doesn't is pretty low-end. Neither one focuses terribly close: 11.8 inches for the 30mm and 7.9 inches for the 19mm.

Of course, I'm not sure how "here" they really are; both price and availability are as yet undetermined.

And for those who want to get close--sadly, not with an ILC--Sigma also annouced a replacement for its 180mm f3.5 macro lens, the APO Macro 180mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM. It sounds like it has an entirely new optical path and incorporates the updated image stabilization system, with the minimum aperture dropping to f2.8. That could mean a pretty big price bump for a lens currently running about $700 or so, as the 150mm f2.8 version costs around $1,600. There's no pricing or availability yet for this lens either.