Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens for Sony E Review: A Fast and Sharp Wide-Angle Prime

If you are looking for a fast and wide-angle prime lens for your Sony E-mount camera, you might want to check out the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens. This lens is designed for APS-C format cameras, offering a 24mm equivalent focal length and a bright f/1.4 maximum aperture. It is part of Sigma’s Contemporary line, which aims to deliver high performance and compactness in a sleek and lightweight package.

In this article, we will review the features, benefits, and drawbacks of the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens for Sony E, and compare it with some similar products on the market. We will also share some representative product reviews from verified buyers, and provide a purchase link at the end of the article.

Features

The Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens for Sony E has a number of features that make it an attractive option for wide-angle photography. Here are some of them:

– The lens has a fast f/1.4 aperture that enables low-light shooting and shallow depth of field effects. It also has a rounded nine-blade diaphragm that produces smooth and pleasing bokeh.
– The lens has a 16-element, 13-group optical design that includes three FLD (low dispersion), two SLD (special low dispersion), and two aspherical elements to reduce chromatic aberrations, distortions, and flare. The lens also has a Super Multi-Layer Coating to enhance contrast and color accuracy.
– The lens has a stepping motor that delivers fast, quiet, and accurate autofocus performance. It also supports Sony’s Fast Hybrid AF system, which combines phase-detection and contrast-detection methods for optimal results. The lens has a manual focus ring that can be used for fine-tuning or overriding the autofocus.

– The lens has a minimum focusing distance of 9.8 inches (25 cm) and a maximum magnification ratio of 0.1x, enabling close-up shooting of small subjects or details.
– The lens has a dust- and splash-resistant construction that protects it from harsh environmental conditions. It also has a brass bayonet mount that ensures durability and rigidity.

Benefits

The Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens for Sony E offers several benefits for photographers who want to capture wide-angle scenes with high quality and versatility. Here are some of them:

– The lens delivers sharp and detailed images across the frame, even at wide-open aperture settings. It has excellent edge-to-edge performance and minimal vignetting or coma.
– The lens allows creative control over depth of field and bokeh, thanks to its large aperture and rounded diaphragm blades. It can isolate subjects from the background or create smooth transitions between in-focus and out-of-focus areas.
– The lens is suitable for various genres of photography, such as landscapes, architecture, interiors, street, astrophotography, and more. It can capture expansive views or emphasize perspective and scale.
– The lens is compatible with Sony’s APS-C format mirrorless cameras, such as the a6000 series or the a5000 series. It can also be used on Sony’s full-frame cameras in crop mode, such as the a7 series or the a9 series.
– The lens is compact and lightweight, weighing only 14.3 ounces (405 g) and measuring 3.6 by 2.8 inches (92 by 72 mm). It is easy to carry around and fits well with the slim profile of Sony’s mirrorless cameras.

Drawbacks

The Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens for Sony E is not without its flaws, however. Here are some of them:

– The lens does not have optical image stabilization, which means that handheld shooting at slow shutter speeds may result in blurry images due to camera shake. This can be mitigated by using a tripod or a camera body with built-in stabilization, such as the Sony a6500 or the Sony a6600.
– The lens exhibits noticeable barrel distortion, which causes straight lines to appear curved near the edges of the frame. This can be corrected by applying lens profile corrections in post-processing software or by using an external filter adapter with distortion correction filters.
– The lens is relatively expensive compared to its siblings in the Sigma Contemporary line, such as the Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens or the Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens. It is also more expensive than some other wide-angle prime lenses on the market, such as the Sony E 20mm f/2.8 or the Rokinon 12mm f/2.

Similar Products Comparison

To help you decide whether the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens for Sony E is the right choice for you, we have compared it with some similar products on the market. Here is a table that summarizes their main specifications and features:

As you can see from the table, the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens for Sony E has the widest angle of view and the largest aperture among the lenses compared, making it ideal for low-light and creative photography. It also has the most complex optical design and the highest number of diaphragm blades, which contribute to its sharpness and bokeh quality.

However, the Sigma lens is also the heaviest and the most expensive among the lenses compared, and it lacks image stabilization and has noticeable distortion. If you are looking for a more affordable, compact, or stabilized option, you might want to consider the other lenses in the table.

Product Reviews

To give you a better idea of what other users think of the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens for Sony E, we have selected some representative product reviews from verified buyers on Amazon.com . Here are some excerpts from their reviews:

– “This lens is amazing! I use it on my Sony a6000 and it produces stunning images with great sharpness, contrast, and color rendition. The autofocus is fast and accurate, and the manual focus ring is smooth and precise. The build quality is excellent and feels solid in the hand.”
– “I bought this lens for astrophotography and I am very impressed with the results. The lens is very sharp even at f/1.4, and it captures a lot of light and detail in the night sky. The coma and vignetting are minimal and easy to correct in post-processing.”
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– “I love this lens for street photography and video. It has a great focal length that captures a lot of the scene without being too distorted. The aperture is perfect for creating a shallow depth of field and isolating the subject. The video quality is also very good, with smooth and silent autofocus.”
– “The only downside of this lens is the distortion, which is quite noticeable in some situations. It can be fixed in post-processing, but it would be nice if Sigma could provide a firmware update or a lens profile to correct it automatically. Other than that, this lens is a gem and worth every penny.”

Conclusion

The Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens for Sony E is a high-performance and versatile wide-angle prime lens that delivers sharp, bright, and beautiful images. It is ideal for low-light, creative, and wide-angle photography, such as landscapes, architecture, interiors, street, astrophotography, and more. It has a fast and quiet autofocus system, a smooth and precise manual focus ring, and a dust- and splash-resistant construction.

However, the lens also has some drawbacks, such as the lack of image stabilization, the noticeable distortion, and the relatively high pricesome other lenses on the market.

If you are interested in buying the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens for Sony E, you can click on this [link] to purchase it from Amazon.com . You can also check out some sample images taken with this lens on this [website].

We hope this article has helped you learn more about the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary Lens for Sony E and decide whether it is the right choice for you. Thank you for reading and happy shooting!

: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077BWD2BB
: https://www.sigmaphoto.com/16mm-f14-dc-dn-c
: https://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sigma-16mm-f1-4-dc-dn-c
: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1373680-REG/sigma_402965_16mm_f_1_4_dc_dn.html
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: https://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/sigma_16mm_f1_4_dc_dn_c_review
: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wzQ7pUyPQw
: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00BQXL8BU
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