Sigma has announced the launch of a new line of lenses designed specifically for Micro Four Thirds and Sony NEX compact system cameras – arguably the hottest camera market for 2012. They’re calling the new lens line, Digital Neo (DN) and launching it this week at the 2012 CES / PMA tradeshow in Las Vegas. To start, they’ve announced two fast prime lenses, the 30mm F2.8 EX DN and the 19mm F2.8 EX DN, both of which will be available in Micro Four Thirds (Olympus Pen and Panasonic Lumix G Micro) and Sony NEX mounts.
In the official press release, Sigma emphasizes that the new DN lenses were designed specifically for the smaller compact system cameras and that they have excellent optical performance. The lens names include the “EX” designation, indicating that they are higher-end Sigma lenses. The 30mm f/2.8 and 19mm f/2.8 EX DN lenses both have aspherical lens elements to correct distortion and Sigma’s Super Multi-Layer Coating to minimize flare and ghosting. They also have 7-bladed, rounded apertures for nice, smooth bokeh (out-of-focus image quality). Auto focus is controlled by a new linear auto focus motor, “which moves the lens unit directly without the need for gears or the drive of other mechanical parts.” The new motor is supposed to make focusing silent and accurate – something that’s especially important for video.
With the 2x Micro Four Thirds conversion (compared to 35mm), the new Sigma 30mm lens will have an equivalent focal length of 60mm and the 19mm lens will have an equivalent focal length of 38mm on Panasonic and Olympus Micro Four Thirds cameras. On the APS-C sensor Sony NEX cameras, the 30mm lens will have an equivalent focal length of 45mm and the 19mm lens will be equivalent to 28.5mm. Sigma must have chosen those focal lengths carefully to match gaps in the available Micro Four Thirds and Sony NEX E-mount lens options. The Sigma lenses need to be better or less expensive (or both) to sell. Olympus, Panasonic and Sony all make some very nice fast primes but no 30mm or 19mm lenses. The closest to 30mm is Panasonic’s Leica-made DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4, which sells for about $600. No prices have been announced yet for the Sigma DN lenses but based on the Panasonic / Leica 25mm f/1.4, I would expect the 30mm DN lens to come in at about half that price. Sony’s closest lens option is a $250 30mm f/3.5 – a stop slower and pretty big. If the Sigma 30mm f/2.8 DN sells for around $300, they could do very well with Micro Four Thirds and Sony NEX shooters.
The 19mm f/2.8 DN lens is a little trickier. Olympus has a great 17mm f/2.8 pancake lens that costs $300 and Sony has a 16mm f/2.8 that sells for $250. Since the Olympus is a super-compact pancake lens with great optics, the Sigma has to sell for less. That being the case, maybe both the 30mm DN and the 19mm DN lenses will sell for somewhere between $200 and $250. We’ll have to wait for Sigma to announce pricing to really understand their positioning for their new DN compact system camera lenses. The press release emphasizes compact size, optical quality and performance. But for now, it’s a little hard to see how they intend the new DN lens line to fit in with what’s already available. That said, competition is always good for the consumer. Personally, I’ve been waiting for some fast-aperture pro-quality zoom lenses for the Micro Four Thirds cameras. Hopefully, Sigma has some of those on the drawing board.
Sigma is showing off their new Digital Neo (DN) lens line along with all their other lenses and cameras at CES / PMA in Las Vegas, this week. Pricing and availability for the new 30mm f/2.8 EX DN and 19mm f/2.8 EX DN lenses haven’t been announced yet. But when they are, we’ll update this page with that information.
Sigma Digital Neo DN Lens Line Press Release >>
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It seems to me the lenses are not fast enough to make a difference vs the already available lenses, considering the 19 mm f/2.8 vs the kit lens, at 18mm it has an aperture of f/3.5 , 2/3 of a stop does not necessarily justify getting a new lens, it would have to excel on the areas the kit lens falls short, like being sharp all over, reducing lens distortion , having a nicer bokeh, and should be close to the sony 16 mm lens size, without image stabilization they are at a big disadvantage , or so I think. And trying to convince my self I do not need this lenses =)