Following the announcement that Canon would allow Sigma and Tamron to release lenses for its APS-C cameras, Sigma is bringing the 10-18mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary lens to Canon’s mirrorless system on September 26, 2024.
The lens originally debuted last October for Sony E and Leica L mounts, which is typical for Sony lenses but will be available for Canon RF-mount APS-C cameras starting this month. It joins the 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary which was released for Canon RF Mount in June 2024. Advertised as the smallest and lightest f/2.8 zoom lens available for APS-C cameras, it covers a 16-28.8mm (35mm full-frame equivalent) focal range, with a fast f/2.8 constant aperture throughout.
Other than the change to accommodate the Canon RF mount, the Sigma 10-18mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary is unchanged from the version that launched last year. It features 13 elements organized into 10 groups, including three FLD, one SLD, and four aspherical lens elements. Sigma explains that thanks to an aspherical concave lens with a large polarization ratio and high refractive index in the first lens group, its engineers were able to significantly shorten the overall length of the lens and reduce the required number of lens elements.
In his review for PetaPixel, Chris Niccols found that while it does bring compactness and a fast aperture to the table, it doesn’t do so without some compromises: it doesn’t have great sharpness at the corners.
“It seems that Sigma has allowed for a few compromises in order to make this lens as small as possible. Regardless, I was pleased overall with the images out of this lens and if your goal is to have a compact travel lens that takes up little space in the bag, this is a good choice,” Niccolls wrote in his review. It’s not all bad of course, as the lens does have very close focusing capabilities (a short 4.6-inch minimum focusing distance and a maximum magnification ratio of 1:4 at the wide end) and could make for a great video lens, too.
“I could also see this being an excellent choice for video work, especially balanced on a compact gimbal, or for vlogging. The macro capabilities are an added bonus making the Sigma 10-18mm f/2.8 a versatile and bright lens indeed.”
Below are a few sample images captured with the lens, courtesy of Sigma:
The Sigma 10-18mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary lens for Canon RF mount will be available for $659 — slightly higher than the $600 its E-mount and L-mount versions are currently available for.
Image credits: Sigma