Sigma Contemporary 28-70mm 2.8 DG DN

Overall, the Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens is a fine package with a few caveats. It shares a few weak spots with its bigger brother, the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN ART - namely, some corner issues at f/2.8. The broader center quality is generally great, and if you stop down a little, the outer image field is also pretty sharp in the wide- to mid-range. The situation is more difficult at 70mm, where you have to stop down to at least f/8 for decent results across the image field. For most users, the 70mm setting will be primarily about shallow depth-of-field photography, and for this, the weakness isn't a showstopper. However, for landscape or architecture photography, this is less ideal. Uncorrected RAW images show heavy vignetting at f/2.8 and quite pronounced distortions at the extreme ends of the range. Auto-correction will take care of this as well as the already low lateral CAs. The quality of the bokeh is generally good, especially for a zoom lens. The lens isn't a sun star lover, which seems to be typical for most Sigmas. This is also a design choice between better out-of-focus discs or better sun stars. We have been a fan of Sigma build quality ever since they started with their ART/SPORT/Contemporary lineups. Sigma's TSC plastics feel both solid as well as nicely textured, the overall build tolerances are very tight, and the control rings operate smoothly. And all this applies to the Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary as well. Maybe its biggest value proposition is the very compact size and low weight. In this respect, it undercuts all other lenses in this class by quite a margin. While the lens has some basic weather sealing at the mount, it's not as well sealed against the elements as professional-grade lenses. As you may conclude, it depends on a couple of factors whether the Sigma 28-70mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary is the right lens for you. If you are looking for a fast, reasonably priced and very compact standard zoom for street photography or family events, the Sigma will tick a lot of boxes. It doesn't deliver the ultimate in image quality, but if that's your goal, you'll have to invest quite a bit more.

Highly Recommended - A great general purpose lens for travelling light and a good match for the 16-28mm as a set.

The Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN is a small, fast-aperture zoom that turns in solid image quality. Sharpness is very good across most of its range of focal lengths and apertures, and chromatic aberrations are well controlled. While flare and truncated bokeh can be problematic in some situations, for those that like to travel light, this is an attractive option.