Sigma 402965 16 mm F1.4 DC DN Contemporary Sony E Lens - Black

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Edge sharpness is also creditable, being very good from f/1.4 to f/2.8, excellent at f/4 and f/5.6 and then very good at f/8 and f/11. Results are softer at the edges at f/16, but can still be described as good. The Sigma 16mm F1.4 DC DN C ships with a good quality plastic circular-shaped lens hood. It accepts 67mm filters.

Naturally, there’s not a whole of point in having a fast f/1.4 lens if image quality doesn’t hold up when shooting wide-open. As it turns out, sharpness and contrast are maintained very well at the widest aperture. Another bonus is that the wide aperture and short 25cm minimum focus distance enable a fairly tight depth of field and good bokeh, enabling interesting perspective effects. If the 17mm has one clear advantage of the 16mm, it is compactness. Not only does it suit any Micro Four Thirds body in the range, from the flagship E-M1 II to the tiny Pen E-PL8, but it doesn’t add any weight to your camera bag. In fact, you could easily decide to throw it in at the last minute without even having to reorganise your gear. The same cannot be said for the 16mm, whose width and length prohibit you from comfortably using it on any body smaller than the Lumix GX80.

MTF Chart

I am impressed by how the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 performs with respect to vignetting. Even when shooting wide open, there is not a lot of vignette and in many real-world situations, it would not be noticeable. What little vignette there is can be dealt with by stopping down a few stops, but exposure falloff is not a concern with this APS-C lens.

Like the 30mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary, the 16mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary features SIGMA’s latest design technologies to offer F1.4 brightness while minimizing optical aberrations. Vignetting is something of a non-issue, given that Fujifilm’s in-camera correction produces images with virtually none. It is slightly visible, shooting wide open, but is all but gone when shooting at f/2.8. It is rather academic as even when shooting wide open, you will be hard pushed to notice it unless you are photographing paint drying on a wall. Sigma 16mm F1.4 DC DN C for Z Mount Even when uncorrected in-camera, vignetting is fairly minimal for such a fast, wide-angle lens. Stop down to f/2 and it becomes fairly unnoticeable. Ghosting and flare are also well controlled, and the same goes for barrel distortion. Sell the kit you’re not using to MPB. Trade in for the kit you need to create. Buy used, spend less and get more. Buy. Sell. Trade. Create. The trio comprised the 16mm F1.4 DC DN C, but also the 30mm F1.4 DC DN C, and the 56mm F1.4 DC DN C. This is now the sixth mount that these lenses have become available in, following the initial introduction for Sony E mount and Micro Four Thirds, followed by Canon EOS M, Leica L and most recently Fujifilm X (which most of this review is based on).Optical Quality – Through the lens GX85, 1/400, f/5.6, ISO 200 – Sigma 16mm f/1.4 Pen F, 1/1250, f/2.5, ISO 200 – M.Zuiko 17mm f/1.8 Sharpness The new lens seems to be very good value against these, particularly taking into account the ultra-bright maximum aperture. For more options have a look at the Top 21 Best Sigma lenses, or the Top 28 Wide-angle Landscape Lenses. As I expected, the out-of-focus area had a nice creamy feel. Please take note, you Micro Four Thirds naysayers, this is smooth, creamy bokeh and a shallow depth of field achieved with a wide-angle lens! Did the Images Stand Up to Inspection?

Illumination is also quite even from center to edge, a big plus for a bright lens. At f/1.4 and f/2 the corners lag behind the center by -1.1EV, which gives photos a very slight, natural vignette. At narrower f-stops the difference is about -0.8EV, which is barely noticeable in images. Bokeh is a word used for the out-of-focus areas of a photograph, and is usually described in qualitative terms, such as smooth / creamy / harsh etc. In the Sigma 16mm F1.4 DC DN C lens, Sigma employed an iris diaphragm with nine rounded blades, which has resulted in quite nice bokeh in our view. We do realise, however, that bokeh evaluation is subjective, so we've included several 100% crops for your perusal. Exceptional sharpness, a bulletproof build and great autofocus all come together to create a mighty lens that won’t really break the bank. Unfortunately, none of the lenses in Sigma’s trio offer stabilization which is rather unfortunate for video users. Otherwise, using the lens with a Nikon camera is pretty much identical in experience to using it with one of the other mounts. Focusing is fast, accurate and quiet, making it well-suited to a range of different subjects.Lens flare is very well-controlled when dealing with the sun. Even shooting straight into the sun, the Sigma lens handles it well. Artificial light when shooting at night is less well-controlled, however. Mylio Photos – Access your photos from anywhere, without the cloud! Easily showcase your photos on-the-go, resolve duplicates, find faces and look for those stunning locations. In summary, an excellent overall performance and a very fine lens, living up to its claim to be almost on a par with the Sigma Art range.

Like the 30mm version of this lens I reviewed recently, it is not weather- or dust-sealed. That may or may not be a consideration for you when buying this lens, and it will depend upon the conditions in which you photograph. As I said in my review of the 30mm, it is a deal-breaker for me. After all, I am often shooting in harsh environments. However, most photographers are not, and generally, cameras aren’t used on a wind-swept beach being sprayed with seawater, as I tend to use them.Between Sigma’s positive reputation for longevity (seriously, my 30mm F1.4 has survived some nasty stuff) along with the full weather sealing, I have no doubt that this lens should endure and survive for years to come. Ergonomics