This is my review of the Sigma 50mm f/2 DG DN Contemporary lens. This lens in the Sigma I-series was introduced in 2023 and is available in Leica L-mount and Sony FE mount. The lens is compatible with full frame camera’s. I’ve been using the lens in L-mount on my Leica SL2-S. The European MSRP for this lens is 709 euro including VAT, but they are regularly found for less.
Specifications
The Sigma Contemporary series (also knows as I-series) consists of a wide range of smaller lenses that offer a more compact and lightweight alternative to the excellent Sigma Art lenses. There are prime lenses from 17mm to 90mm ranging from f/2 to f/4. The 50mm is one of the brighter/ faster lenses in the series with a maximum aperture of f/2. The most important specifications are:
- 50mm focal length – 46.9 degree angle of view
- f/2 maximum aperture
- 45cm minimum focusing distance
- 9 aperture blades
- 11 elements in 9 groups with one SLD and three asferic elements
- Full metal construction
- Metal lenshood
- 58mm filter thread
- Magnetic and regular plastic pinch-type lens cap included
- Weight 350 grams
- Partially weather sealed (mount only)
Sigma lens on a Leica camera
For some people it might be unthinkable to use a Sigma lens on a Leica camera. Why would you buy a Leica and then not use it with the excellent Leica lenses? Well, I bought my Leica camera because I love the look, the build quality and the controls/ user interface. But as an amateur photographer I wasn’t ready for paying 4, 5, 6 thousand euro per lens for the fantastic Leica APO lenses. Especially since Sigma will sell you a bag full of lenses for that kind of money.
The good news is that that isn’t necessary at all. With the L-mount alliance you can use all L-mount lenses on all L-mount camera’s. So I can mount Panasonic, Sigma or Leica lenses and still have the full functionality of my camera available, including stuff like eye-AF etc. And you can just as easy install new firmwares on the lenses through the camera (I’ve just installed the new v1.2 firmware on the lens using my Leica). And with the excellent build and image quality you’ll get from the Sigma Contemporary, Art or Sports lenses I don’t believe I’m missing out on anything important compared to the Leica’s.
Build of the Sigma 50mm f/2 DG DN Contemporary
When unboxing a Sigma Contemporary lens the first thing you will notice is the build quality. This is truly unmatched at this price point. The I-series lenses are made completely out of metal and have a very unique design. The fit and finish of the lens is very good with a smooth operating focusing ring and a beautiful, clicky, aperture ring. This is a lens that matches very well with my Leica and doesn’t feel cheap or budget in any way.
Despite the full metal body the lens isn’t heavy at all at just 350 grams. When mounting it to my Leica SL2-S I almost forget the lens is there. The metal lens hood is beautifully made and has a very nice texture. It does add quite a lot of length to the lens. And when the hood is mounted you can’t really use the included magnetic lens cap, since there is almost no way to get it off the lens without removing the hood. So it is a good thing Sigma also included a regular pinch-type lens cap.
Using the lens
Using the Sigma 50mm f/2 DG DN Contemporary is a real pleasure. When using my big f/2.8 zoom lenses I never forget I’m lugging around a big and heavy camera. But mounting the small 50mm transforms the camera completely. It becomes a manageable piece of equipment that I don’t mind taking with me. My Ricoh GRIII is my go-to when I want something compact to take real photos (in stead of taking snaps with my iPhone), but with its 28mm equivalent lens it isn’t the best for portraits and people. For photographing people the 50mm f/2 is a perfect alternative with a good balance between compactness and image quality.
Characteristics of the Sigma 50mm f/2 DG DN Contemporary
When choosing a new Sigma lens for your FE- or L-mount camera it makes sense to look at the Art series. Art lenses are beautiful and fast lenses. And with the newer DG DN models that are designed specifically for mirrorless camera’s one of the biggest complains have been mitigated. The old HSM Art lenses were great, but also very, very big and heavy. The new DG DN models are a lot lighter, for instance the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG DN Art weighs a very reasonable 670 grams.
But the Sigma 50mm f/2 DG DN Contemporary weighs just over half of that at just 350 grams. And besides that it is a lot smaller. And for all this you are only giving up one stop of light and control over depth of field.
But then you will also give up on sharpness, bokeh quality, flare resistance and optical corrections, right? No, wrong! It seems you can truly have your cake and eat it too. Let’s dive in to it.
Sharpness
Many people looking at lenses are very interested in sharpness. And when sharpness is your goal, this lens may be the answer. To start with, the center of the image is extremely sharp right from f/2. Stopping down can increase contrast a little and give you a minor increase in sharpness, but to my eye you are going from 97% to 99%.
Corners are also good at f/2 and get better when stopping down. The best result seems to be at about f/5.6, where the corners are crispy and clear. So this is a lens I use wide open, unless I need more depth of field.
Distortion and vignetting
Being a 50mm lens you would expect the lens to have little distortion, and you would be right. Applying the lens profile in Lightroom does so little on the distortion that I don’t even bother with it. It does however increase brightness in the corners as the lens does have some vignetting wide open. But I regularly apply vignetting myself in post, so I’m not bothered by it.
Flare resistance and CA
The Sigma 50mm f/2 DG DN Contemporary does very well in this regard. Sigma’s coatings have been top notch for years and this lens is no different. Shooting right in to a really bright light source you will get some minor flares, but nothing that will impact your images. In extreme situations you are able to force some veiling flare, but I only managed that when trying real hard to get it. When using the lens in normal situations, especially with the hood mounted, I never managed to get the lens to flare in any way that would render my image useless.
CA isn’t a big problem on this lens either. I never saw any major purple fringing, and if I did get a little it is easily cleaned up in post processing.
Bokeh
Bokeh is very subjective. It isn’t about the amount of out of focus rendering, but more about the quality of the out of focus area’s. Im happy to report that Bokeh on the 50mm f/2 is quite nice. It’s by no means in Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG DN Art territory, but I wouldn’t have expected it to be either.
With lenses that are built for sharpness you normally see Bokeh taking a hit. Harsh transitions from in focus to out of focus and hard rings around highlights and such. Luckily not the case here. The highlight can have a brighter ring around them in some cases and can show some union rings in extreme situations. But most of the time they are smooth and non distracting. A good result for a 50mm f/2 lens.
Close focus
With a minimum focusing distance of 45cm this isn’t a macro lens by any means. You can get close enough to isolate details, but a smaller close focusing distance would have been nice. When getting close to the minimum focusing distance the sharpness doesn’t seem to be impacted, so that is good news.
Conclusion
The Sigma 50mm f/2 DG DN Contemporary is a great little lens to add to your camera bag. It is small and light and won’t take up a lot of space. But with its maximum aperture of f/2 it will offer you extra light and options to play with depth of field in your photo’s. 50mm has always been a good starting point for primes. It is wide enough for day to day shooting and still very capable as a portrait lens. And while it might not be the cheap and cheerful nifty fifty you bought for 200 euro’s for you DSLR any more it is still a compelling offer.
The build quality of the Sigma Contemporary lenses is second to none. With a metal construction, metal hood and high quality controls this lens feels and looks much more expensive than it actually is. I feel it matches my Leica very well and looks really nice. Weighing just 350 grams and being this small there is no reason not to throw it in your bag.
