Sigma Lens Double Act: 24mm and 45mm L mount review

I recently borrowed the 24mm f/3.5 DG DN Contemporary L mount lens from Sigma along with the 45mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary L Mount lens to have a play. I will get straight to the point - you don’t need to read to the end of this to find out my thoughts as I will tell you right now, that I LOVE these lenses. I spent one afternoon shooting on the 24mm at Penmon Point on Anglesey where I live and another shooting on the 45mm for a photography client job, walking up Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon).

I am not going to go into too much technical detail and specs here (I suggest heading over to Sigma’s website and having a further read there for that). However, what I will do is tell you why I have really enjoyed shooting with these two lenses for my style of photography.

Firstly, the size! They are tiny! Incredibly small, lightweight, and portable. The 24mm weighs just 225g (L Mount) and the 45mm a crazy 215g (L Mount). If you are like me and you like walking up mountains and going travelling but also have a bad back, then you will also know that weight of equipment comes pretty much near the top of most lists, if not at the very top. These two lenses are the perfect companion for me purely based on their size and weight alone, but they have so much more going for them as well.

Secondly, having a manual aperture control ring, allowing you to see the changes in the viewfinder is definitely an underrated feature and having this on both of these lenses adds a really nice feel to the ergonomics and usability of the lens. Being able to hold your camera to your eye and change the aperture with the aperture control ring is a very nice touch that will be appreciated by any photographer. The ring is smooth and accurate and is a joy to use. Even having this tiny little addition to the lens, adds a more enjoyable shooting experience as well I find.

Thirdly, the sharpness. Both lenses are really sharp across the image. The 24mm especially is perfect for wide angle landscapes due to its edge-to-edge performance when it comes to sharpness. I am super happy with both sets of images that I shot using the 24mm and the 45mm. These lenses produce stunning images in many different situations and scenarios and to have that within such a tiny and lightweight lens is truly impressive.

In addition to all of that, both of these lenses feel very robust, especially the 45mm and they both have a very stylish design. Too have two such versatile primes in your camera bag that weigh next to nothing but also produce incredibly sharp images is a no brainer! Other features to note are incredibly fast auto-focus and great close focusing abilities. I didn’t experiment with super close focusing on this occasion, but the bokeh from these lenses is meant to be very pleasing!

On the Snowdon day I was also recovering from a virus which knocked me for six two days before. I still opted to use the Sigma 45mm lens even though I had never used it previously. I could have gone for my Lumix 50mm or 20-60mm, two lenses I am familiar with, especially considering that I wasn’t feeling 100%. However, within minutes of using the 45mm, I was extremely comfortable with the lens and was really happy with the results it was producing, at least from what I could see on the screen at the time. To achieve photographs that I am really happy with, despite not feeling fully fit, is testament to the quality and reliability of the lens. These lenses are not only lightweight, sharp, fun to use, portable and compact but also extremely reliable.

One final and very important point – these lenses both come in under £500! Now, that really is quite ridiculous for such quality. There is also an f/2.0 version of the 24mm which comes in at around £550, which is still a phenomenal price for a lens of that quality!

Photography equipment in some cases has become a little bit clinical and boring in recent years, but these lenses feel different and they really do allow you to simply enjoy the photography process whether as a hobby or professional, from start to finish.

PS. Let’s not forget the magnetic lens cap! It’s the little things, right?!

Greg ChildsJuly 17, 2023adventure, outdoors, hiking, mountains, photography, Lumix, S5, Lumix S5, Outdoor photography, Landscape photography, Panasonic Lumix S5, North Wales, Wales, snowdon, Yr Wyddfa, Sigma 45mm, Sigma 24mm, Sigma lenses, Photography review, Lens review, sigma review, best sigma lenses, new sigma lenses, best landscape lenses, best photography lenses, best adventure lenses, best travel lenses, travel, travel photography, travel photography lenses, photography gear, photography equipment, photography kit, equipment review, photography gear review, sigma lenses review, adventure photography, landscape lenses, landscape photography kit, photography blog, photography life, photography advice, photography tuition, photography courses, photography course, photographer, travel photographer, travel list, snowdon photography, north wales photography, north wales review, north wales life, anglesey photography, penmon, penmon photography, Yr Wyddfa photography, Anglesey photographer, Anglesey photography course