Sigma surprised a few people when they announced their new 18-35mm zoom lens with a constant f/1.8 aperture back in April. Now they've surprised a few more by announcing the price - $799
Sigma have been making quality lenses for many years but they shook up the camera world a bit with the announcement of their 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM lens back in April. This week they've announced the price, just $799
This is the worlds first lens with an aperture of f/1.8 throughout the full range of the zoom.
To put this into perspective most other zoom lenses of this size have an aperture of f/2.8 or even f/4,
This is going to give photographers and film makers an extra stop of sensitivity to play with and could even replace a trio of fixed focal length lenses in your kitbag.
At a price of just $799 this lens is an absolute steal, similar lenses from Canon and Nikon cost more than twice that and they don't have the f/1.8 aperture.
It is an APS-C format lens, perfect for a lot of the Canon DSLR's and the Blackmagic Cinema Camera.
According to Sigma:
"A large-aperture fixed focal length lens is great for achieving expressive bokeh effects and enjoying ultra-high optical performance. On the other hand, photographers often need to change the angle of view to properly capture the scene that presents itself. To solve this decades-long dilemma, Sigma proudly introduces the SIGMA 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM next-generation large-aperture APS-C format standard zoom lens for digital SLR cameras. Taking on the challenge of creating the world's first* wide-aperture lens to offer an aperture of F1.8 throughout the zoom range, Sigma has succeeded in creating a zoom lens that offers the same high optical performance of a fixed focal length lens. These outstanding performance characteristics are especially apparent in an APS-C format camera, since it has a slightly greater depth of focus than a full-frame camera. This is a revolutionary lens that overturns preconceptions while expanding the range of photographic expression."
The Sigma 18-35mm f/1.8 DC HSM lens will be available from July but can be pre-ordered from your local photographic supplier now.