Guy Mancuso
Administrator, Instructor
I thought since I just got the Sigma 24-35 F2 and Sigma 35 1.4 Art series lenses( Canon Mount) that I would run my normal initial tests on them just to see how they compare and make sure there are no issues with performance. So let me say right out front I do this test on every lens I BUY so I have a catalog that is pretty extensive going back several years to even when I shot Medium Format. Its the same test , pretty much the same framing and pretty much always in the early morning. So one may ask what this does for me. Well its a test I can always repeat and look at other lenses I buy to compare against to see what I maybe after. Disclaimer I get paid by no one , i have no dog in any fight over brands and no one pays me to do these and more important no one lends me anything so I have no affiliation with anyone and absolutely no bias. I have been doing this for decades and I get paid by clients that want my services and pay my fees. Thats it ( WELL I DO TEACH WORKSHOPS TO YOU FOLKS)LOL. Anyway as I normally do these test individually and I thought to myself what if i went back and tried to catalog the whole series of tests i have done with a bunch of lenses. The one issue is they are done on different days and even months but it is always the same test so do count that variability in as it is a variable to testing as it would not be possible to shoot all of this glass the same day.
Reason I bought these two Sigmas is the new Sigma MC-11 adapter promises to offer full AF functionality on my A7rII. So in effect these lenses will be native with that adapter. Now these tests are done on a Metabones Version IV T until the sigma adapter is in my hands. I will test that as well but only for AF functionality it should have zero effect on optical performance.
As I show the 24-35 F2 i pitted a few lenses against it to show how they compare. I used a Loxia 21mm at the same framing as the zoom at 24mm for instance. Be aware I consider the Loxia 21mm to be the new GOLD standard in the industry for super wides. This lens is amazingly fantastic. I apologize right out front your looking at wall images but at least its interesting to look at. LOL
I will add other images as well but if your bored looking at them , change the channel its that simple. LOL
So lets show the Loxia 21 and the Sigma 24-35 at 24mm with same framing. I did shoot these at the same time frame. Just FYI there is no correction available yet for the Loxia 21mm but its very clean in regards to distortion. Something to consider
24-35 at 24mm same framing
Need to ignore the color on the Batis 25mm it was shot last August and the light was pretty ugly. I also missed the light fixtures but on the corner upper left tests we will still see a section to compare. Coming up upper left corner tests. FYI I had to pull the Batis 25mm off the GetDPI servers since i can't find the raws and so the center crops are missing but I do have the corners.
NO BATIS 25 AT F8
As you can see how amazing the Loxia 21 is followed fairly closely by the Batis 25. Now considering the Sigma 24-25 is a zoom its really pulling its weight good here at 5.6 looks very good at 24mm which i consider maybe the weakest focal length in this zoom. Yes it has more distortion than the primes but thats a easy fix. We also need to remember what this Sigma is up against these are two of the finest prime wide angles around. I actually consider the Loxia 21 the best i have seen and folks coming from me thats a big compliment.
Lets take a look at the center crops. I did not go past F4 and my belief is if a lens can't get sharp by 2 or 3 stops down in the center , I really want no part of that lens and will not buy it PERIOD. The Batis 25 is not part of this section
As you can see how good the Loxia is wide open at 2.8 just as impressive is the Sigma zoom at 24mm matches it by 2.8 which is one stop down. Typical for a zoom at one stop down on center
More impressive is the Sigma at 28mm. Coming up next
Reason I bought these two Sigmas is the new Sigma MC-11 adapter promises to offer full AF functionality on my A7rII. So in effect these lenses will be native with that adapter. Now these tests are done on a Metabones Version IV T until the sigma adapter is in my hands. I will test that as well but only for AF functionality it should have zero effect on optical performance.
As I show the 24-35 F2 i pitted a few lenses against it to show how they compare. I used a Loxia 21mm at the same framing as the zoom at 24mm for instance. Be aware I consider the Loxia 21mm to be the new GOLD standard in the industry for super wides. This lens is amazingly fantastic. I apologize right out front your looking at wall images but at least its interesting to look at. LOL
I will add other images as well but if your bored looking at them , change the channel its that simple. LOL
So lets show the Loxia 21 and the Sigma 24-35 at 24mm with same framing. I did shoot these at the same time frame. Just FYI there is no correction available yet for the Loxia 21mm but its very clean in regards to distortion. Something to consider
24-35 at 24mm same framing
Need to ignore the color on the Batis 25mm it was shot last August and the light was pretty ugly. I also missed the light fixtures but on the corner upper left tests we will still see a section to compare. Coming up upper left corner tests. FYI I had to pull the Batis 25mm off the GetDPI servers since i can't find the raws and so the center crops are missing but I do have the corners.
NO BATIS 25 AT F8
As you can see how amazing the Loxia 21 is followed fairly closely by the Batis 25. Now considering the Sigma 24-25 is a zoom its really pulling its weight good here at 5.6 looks very good at 24mm which i consider maybe the weakest focal length in this zoom. Yes it has more distortion than the primes but thats a easy fix. We also need to remember what this Sigma is up against these are two of the finest prime wide angles around. I actually consider the Loxia 21 the best i have seen and folks coming from me thats a big compliment.
Lets take a look at the center crops. I did not go past F4 and my belief is if a lens can't get sharp by 2 or 3 stops down in the center , I really want no part of that lens and will not buy it PERIOD. The Batis 25 is not part of this section
As you can see how good the Loxia is wide open at 2.8 just as impressive is the Sigma zoom at 24mm matches it by 2.8 which is one stop down. Typical for a zoom at one stop down on center
More impressive is the Sigma at 28mm. Coming up next
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