The Workhorse
The Sigma 28-105mm F2.8 DG DN Art lens is a versatile workhorse with a focal range from wide angle to portrait to telephoto.
• January 2025 issue
Every camera maker and most non-OEM (original equipment manufacturer) lens makers produce at least one f/2.8 zoom that covers some section of the 24-105mm range, usually topping out at 70mm. Designers took a slightly different approach with the Sigma 28-105mm F2.8 DG DN Art lens, adding a full 35mm on the telephoto end and shaving 4mm off the wide-angle end. Overall, this is a smart decision. The extra focal length makes it more suitable for tightly framed portrait work at comfortable working distances. Sigma makes two versions, the L mount and a Sony E-mount. Each has slight length and weight differences, but they are identical in all the ways that count. I paired the L-mount lens with a 24-megapixel Panasonic Lumix S5II for this review.
Like most modern Sigma lenses, the 28-105mm F2.8 DG DN Art is extremely sharp—sharp enough that for portraits, you might find yourself reaching for a black mist filter or a Bloom Gold diffusion filter, or using negative values for the clarity and texture settings in your raw processing program. For other subjects, though, I appreciate the lens’s ability to resolve superfine subject details. Image quality is dependent on optics. For this lens, Sigma’s engineers combine two elements molded of Sigma FLD glass (low dispersion equal to fluorite glass) and one of SLD glass (special low dispersion), along with five aspherical elements in the total formula of 18 elements in 13 groups. The curved edges of the 12 aperture blades keep the aperture perfectly round from f/2.8 to f/22.
The Sigma 28-105mm F2.8 DG DN Art lens is extremely sharp, and for portraits, you may choose to use something like a diffusion filter to tone back superfine details. This portrait was taken at 105mm, exposed for 1/100 second at f/11, ISO 100.
In hard, diffused, and mixed lighting conditions, the Lumix S5II and Sigma combination delivers neutral and eye-pleasing straight-out-of-the-camera color.
Using a measurement for optical performance—modulation transfer function—I can see that numbers toward the edges of the frame are not as good as those of a prime lens, but numbers are not photos. It’s a fine choice for general photographic use such as portraits, travel, and events, but I wouldn’t reach for this lens when copying a painting or other flat-field subjects. It proved an excellent performer when used with the Lumix S5II.
As with all general-purpose lenses, performance is best stopping down two or three stops from wide open. If a photo requires you to narrow the aperture below f/13 or smaller for depth of field, diffraction compromises image quality, but again, that’s true of virtually all photographic lenses. You would only see it if you were pixel-peeping on a monitor or in large-scale high-resolution prints on glossy media.
This image was captured at f/22, the minimum aperture on the Sigma 28-105mm F2.8 DG DN Art lens. It was exposed for 1/125 second, ISO 500, EV -1.33.
The minimum f/stop on the 28-105mm F2.8 DG DN Art is f/22. As with most other higher-end Sigma lenses, there is a dedicated mechanical aperture ring on the lens. When set to 1/3-stop increment clicks, the clicks are pleasingly positive and loud. If you want smooth irising and silent operation, switch to clickless mode. Beyond the f/22 position, there is an A position to control the aperture setting with the camera body. When the iris ring is set to A, an iris ring lock switch on the right side of the lens restricts aperture settings to being adjusted only by the camera. When the iris ring is set to any aperture other than A, the ring will adjust the aperture.
The lens weighs in at 34.9 ounces. At 24mm, the lens measures 6.2 inches (6.3 inches for the E-mount version). At 105mm, the lens extends to 7.75 inches. A scalloped lens hood comes with the lens. The filter size is 82mm. The minimum focusing distance is 15.8 inches, yielding a maximum subject-on-sensor magnification of 1:3.1 at the 105mm focal length.
The Pittsburg skyline was captured at 58mm, mid-range for the Sigma 28-105mm F2.8 DG DN Art lens.
As much as I like the lens, it has its flaws. It’s heavy, and the length, especially at the long end of the range, can make it a handful. But the control layout is excellent, the focus and zoom rings have a positive feel, the weather sealing is superb, and the ability to directly control the aperture on the lens outweighs the minor downsides. Also, while I admire the lens’s ability to render in-focus details crisply and with character typical of Sigma’s Art series lenses, I would prefer it if the edges of out-of-focus objects in the foreground rendered more smoothly.
The Sigma 24-105mm F2.8 sells for $1,499. Considering the versatility that comes from the extra reach on the long end, that makes it a bargain, especially when compared to the Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II ($2,299.99), the L-mount Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24-70mm f/2.8 ASPH ($2,995), and Panasonic Lumix S Pro 24-70mm F2.8 ($1,999).
Ellis Vener is a commercial and portrait photographer based in Atlanta.
