Sigma 24-35 f/2 HSM ART Review

Introduction

Photographers are always looking for tools that will let them express themselves in new ways and create stunning images, especially in situations with reduced light. For decades, zoom lenses have become more popular in all fields of photography, thus becoming the industry standard. There are still situations, however, when having an aperture faster than the typical f/2.8 is advantageous. Meet the world’s first full-frame zoom lens with an aperture opening that is wider than f/2.8: the new Sigma 24–35 f/2.0 HSM Art lens.

Sigma previously set a similar benchmark back in 2013, with the release of their popular 18–35 mm lens for APS-C DSLRs, the world’s first f/1.8 telephoto. Sigma has always been an ambitious manufacturer that pushes the optical envelope, like the ‘Godzilla’ 200–500 mm f/2.8 OS. Their Art series prime lenses (24/35/50) have raised the bar on what was expected from the fixed focal length lenses, especially when shooting wide open.

The Sigma 24–35 mm f/2.0 HSM Art targets three popular focal lengths in the bag of a photographer who typically uses fixed focal length lenses. Having access to 24, 28, and 35 mm f/2.0 lenses, all in one package, is quite appealing. A lens like this seems like a no-brainer to a well-informed photographer, but there are some caveats we will explore in this review.

Construction Quality

Sigma excels when it comes to the construction of their products. In terms of actual build, it uses the same excellent raw materials that you’ll find in all of their Global Vision Art Series. The filter ring and housing are made from a matte-finish polycarbonate that resists scratching and marring. The bottom portion of the lens, just beyond the lens mount, has a bit of a glossier finish, which appears to be made from an anodized alloy. I am waiting for confirmation from Sigma on this, but what I can confirm is that the lens feels confident to hold and use in the field. The zoom ring turns perfectly for use in both photographic and video work. It is just tight enough, and never feels unpleasant. No elements move outside of the lens housing when operating the lens: it’s an internal zoom, and the filter ring stays put during focus.

I hoped that the focus ring would be a bit more similar to the zoom ring in term of firmness, but it does move more freely, allowing for more rapid adjustment. Both rings are made of a robust ribbed rubber that is effortless to hold. The center-pinch plastic front cap and lens hood are sufficient, and of the quality that we have come to expect from Sigma. Also, Sigma includes a padded pouch to protect the lens. Overall, this is another professional piece that has the integrity, and meets the standards that the Sigma Art line has come to represent.

Deployment/Size

The Sigma 24–35 mm f/2.0 HSM Art weighs in at a hefty 940 g/33.2 oz. I’ve included the following chart to show how it compares to some other popular lenses. Taking the lens out of its pouch, it seems to be about the same size and weight as a Canon 24–70 mm f/2.8L II. Just like the 24–70 mm, the Sigma 24–35 mm f/2.0 HSM Art also has an 82 mm filter thread. It is a heavy, but well-balanced lens.

If you are familiar with any of these highly favored lenses, you will have a good idea on how the Sigma 24–35 mm f/2.0 HSM Art feels on a camera body. There is no way around saying it, the 24–35 mm is the heaviest of the listed lenses, and none of them are lightweights. Sigma did keep the weight of the lens down by not adding an optical stabilizer. While some may see this as a downside, I was OK with it being a non-OS lens. The fast f/2.0 aperture, in tandem with a modern full-format sensor (they all have stellar-high ISO performance), allows for shutter speeds that are plenty fast to avoid camera shake, even in dim lighting. Unlike a typical f/2.0 prime lens, the Sigma 24–35 mm f/2.0 deploys like a can of soup, not a small can of cat food. This is one of the caveats, but is expected. In 2015, with all of the mirrorless options floating about, size does matter.

Image Quality/Sharpness

This lens is sharp. If you only came to read this part of the review, as many pixel-peeping toms do, here it is: this lens is very sharp. Just as the build quality of the lens matches the rest of the Sigma Art Series, the performance of the lens meets the mark, leaving very little to be desired. It produces razor-sharp images wide open at f/2.0, and is the sharpest when zoomed to the widest focal length of 24 mm. As expected, the corners get a bit softer, but this is completely resolved by f/4.0. The mid-range of f/3.5–5.6 seems to be the optical sweet spot of the lens, but I typically had it either wide open, or only stopped down, slightly, to f/2.5. If you plan on stopping down the lens regularly, you might as well stick with a more common and more versatile 24–70 mm f/2.8 lens. In this area of measurement, the 24–35 mm f/2.0 HSM Art meets or exceeds most prime lenses with a maximum aperture of f/2.0.

Chromatic aberration was not an issue I experienced during my test. Shot wide open or stopped down to extremes, you can find some fringing, but nothing that can't be fixed with a minor processing tweak. There is some minor barrel distortion (~5%) at the wider end of the zoom range. From about 30 mm onward, I found very little distortion. This is common for a wide-angle zoom lens, but something a high-quality fixed focal length would not suffer from. Perhaps “suffer” is a strong word. When shooting RAW, it is simple to correct distortion with one-click and a lens profile.

As expected, there is noticeable vignetting creeping in on the edges when shot wide open. In low-light environments, this is often unnoticed, as the corners of images will already be dark, and in normal shooting, this can be a pleasing way to draw a viewer’s attention to your subject. If this is not your cup of tea, however, a simple fix in processing with a lens profile can remove it without impacting image quality. Stopping down to f/2.8 removes all noticeable darkening.

Bokeh on the 24–35 mm is pretty pleasant, especially when zooming to 35 mm and shooting wide open. It creates the kind of “slightly blurred, but not distracting” look that I prefer in environmental portraiture. Some examples are provided throughout this post. The effect can, of course, be exaggerated by getting close to subjects, and using the lens as a pseudo-macro lens. With a minimum focusing distance of only 11 inches, and a magnification ratio of 1:4.4 (0.23x), the 24–35 mm is far from a true macro lens, but it is impressive, and gets the job done. At no time, during my trial with this lens, did I wish it focused closer.

The images I made with the 24-35mm f/2.0 HSM Art are generally spectacular, sharp, punchy, and look like they were indeed captured with a fixed-focal-length lens.

Autofocus Performance

Zoom lenses, especially those in the “professional” f/2.8 category, are expected to focus fast, really fast. When shooting a wedding, party, or any important event, there can be no missed shots or “Hold on! Wait a second!” moments. In regular daylight, the lens focuses extremely fast, about as fast as you would expect any modern lens to do. While it may not set any speed records, it gets the job done quietly and accurately. Comparing it to a garden variety of OEM primes isn’t unfair. For many genres of photography, this is perfectly acceptable, and you will not miss any shots in either single shot or continuous focusing settings.

With respect to low-light photography, I really wanted to use this lens in dim, street-lit areas. The lens has a dreamy combination of focal length range and speed of aperture. This is, however, where the Sigma 24–35 mm f/2.0 HSM Art sometimes acts more like a prime lens than a zoom lens. Fixed lenses are known to focus a little bit slower in low-light, compared to their variable focal length partners. On our rental Canon 1D-X body, this lens had some trouble focusing in less-than-ideal circumstances. It performed much better on a 5D Mark III, which surprised me. This could be for any number of reasons, and I will continue to investigate the issue. (I am also interested to see how a Nikon mount version of the lens would fare on a D750 or D4s.) This bothered me a bit, as I missed some candid shots I was hoping to grab. Continuous (AI-Servo) was a hit or miss in extraordinarily low-light conditions, but this is not uncommon for any lens. In all fairness, I was pushing the extremes of both the Sigma 24–35 mm f/2.0 HSM Art and the cameras I tested it on. I would give this another try with an accessory, such as a flash that could provide an AF assist beam.

Conclusion

Sigma has achieved exactly what they sought out to do with the 24–35 mm f/2.0 HSM Art in almost every way. It is an optically excellent, versatile lens that can replace a number of fixed focal length lenses. For both daylight street-level shooting and environmental portraiture, I prefer this lens over a typical 16–35 mm or 24–70 mm style zoom. Typically, I don’t use lenses wider than 24 mm, and this lens, paired with an 85 mm prime lens, makes an awesome travel kit.

Regardless of experience level, there is no such thing as a perfect photographic tool that can satisfy every need, so the Sigma 24–35 mm f/2.0 HSM Art is far from being a silver bullet. Depending on what kind of work you do, another lens may be more appropriate. Although it has some limitations when focusing in very dim light, the sheer ability to gather light makes it a strong option for indoor video recording in tight spaces. Additionally, for subjects that don’t move (buildings/landscapes/models that can be posed or directed), the 24–35 mm f/2.0 HSM Art will absolutely shine in low light.

Sigma has come a long way from being a third party manufacturer known for making fascinating, but obscure, lenses like the 300–800mm f/5.6, 200–500mm 2.8 OS (Godzilla), and a variety of Fisheyes (8/10/15). Many photographers now consider Sigma to be atop an ever growing photo world. This claim isn’t measured by pure sales volumes, but rather the careful attention that Sigma pays to optical performance, quality control, and construction. I personally own their 35 mm and 50 mm Art lenses, and use them on a regular basis. The 24–35 mm f/2.0 HSM Art is a spectacular lens that I fully endorse to those who think it will meet their style of shooting.

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