In summary
This lens is designed for photographers who want a compact and lightweight, high-performance telephoto prime lens with a competitive price tag.
Its small size and light weight make it an ideal travelling companion, while its longer focal length is suitable for portraiture, particularly on NEX cameras.
The lack of built-in stabilisation could be a deterrent for Sony and Panasonic buyers because this lens isn’t stabilised and most cameras in these line-ups lack in-camera stabilisation. But on Olympus cameras, the sensor-shift stabilisation system provide very effective.
Regardless of which mount you choose, its f/2.8 maximum aperture provides plenty of scope for taking pictures in poorly-lit situations, while quiet autofocusing makes it well suited to recording movie clips.
Full review
Sigma’s third lens for mirrorless CSCs is the 60mm f/2.8 DN A, which covers the same angle of view as a 120mm lens on a 35mm camera with the Micro Four Thirds system or 90mm on the Sony E-mount system. Ideal for portraiture, it covers the 35mm equivalent angle of view of a 120mm lens on M4/3 system cameras and 90mm on the Sony E-mount system.
The telecentric optical design includes eight elements in six groups, with one glass-moulded aspherical element to reduce coma and one SLD element to minimise axial and transverse chromatic aberration. Seven rounded diaphragm blades provide pleasing out-of-focus blurring.
The optical design allows the lens to be compact and lightweight. This lens uses the same linear AF drive motor as the other two lenses in the series. It moves the lens elements directly without the need for gears or the drive of other mechanical parts, ensuring accurate and quiet autofocusing, making the lens suitable for video recording.
A seven-bladed iris diaphragm closes to a rounded aperture for superior bokeh. This lens has a minimum focusing distance of 30 cm and a maximum magnification ratio of 1:8.1.
It comes in either a silver or black finish and should be supplied with front and rear caps plus a soft carrying case. No lens hood was provided with the review lens, which we reviewed on the Olympus OM-D E-M5 camera body and found to be a good match for its compact size.
Who’s it for?
This lens is designed for photographers who want a compact and lightweight, high-performance telephoto prime lens with a competitive price tag. Its small size and light weight make it an ideal travelling companion, while its longer focal length is suitable for portraiture, particularly on NEX cameras.
On M4/3 cameras it’s a good choice for travellers, being not too large, yet long enough for street photography and some types of wildlife and sports shooting. Its minimum focusing distance of 50 cm limits its use for close-up work, although it can be used for larger flowers and similar-sized subjects.
The lack of built-in stabilisation could be a deterrent for Sony and Panasonic buyers because this lens isn’t stabilised and most cameras in these line-ups lack in-camera stabilisation. But on Olympus cameras, the sensor-shift stabilisation system provide very effective.
Regardless of which mount you choose, its f/2.8 maximum aperture provides plenty of scope for taking pictures in poorly-lit situations, while quiet autofocusing makes it well suited to recording movie clips.
Rating
RRP: AU$249; US$350 (MSRP)
- Build: 8.5
- Handling: 8.8
- Autofocusing: 8.8
- Image quality: 9.0
- Versatility: 8.8
Buy