p.1 #1 · Has anyone used the Sigma 18-50/2.8 APS-C lens on full-frame?
I am always on the lookout for a way to create a small and flexible travel, street, walk-around, family-documentary lens kit. It recently occurred to me to consider mounting the Sigma 18-50/2.8 APS-C lens on my A7CR as a way of having the field-of-view range similar to my 24-70/2.8 GM II at a fraction of the size and weight and still walk away with 26.2 mpix resolution.
The lens itself has been well-reviewd, is nicely made, appears to be weather sealed ("Dust and Splash-Proof Design"), and is very small and light. The rendering, from what I have seen and read, is appealing.
The Sigma weighs 10.2 oz / 290 g and its diameter and length are ø: 2.5 x L: 2.9". By comparison, the Sony 24-70/2.8 GM II weghs 1.5 lb / 695 g and has a diameter and length of ø: 3.5 x L: 4.7".
Below is a photo of the two side by side. Quite a difference, especailly on a small camera body like the A7CR.
I'm interested to know if anyone has experience with this combination and what their experience has been. Thoughts by non-users are also welcome.
p.1 #3 · Has anyone used the Sigma 18-50/2.8 APS-C lens on full-frame?
I've used the 18-50 on an a1 at a car show.
I expected more background blur from the combo, but didn't get it.
The range of 28-75 (about) is what I was looking for, for the car shows.
I ended up getting a Tamron 28-75 f2.8 and was more pleased with the photos I got from that lens.
I have an album with the 18-50 on the a1. About 100 photos, all heavily processed, so I'm not sure what you can take away from viewing them.
p.1 #4 · Has anyone used the Sigma 18-50/2.8 APS-C lens on full-frame?
davev wrote:
I've used the 18-50 on an a1 at a car show.
I expected more background blur from the combo, but didn't get it.
The range of 28-75 (about) is what I was looking for, for the car shows.
I ended up getting a Tamron 28-75 f2.8 and was more pleased with the photos I got from that lens.
I have an album with the 18-50 on the a1. About 100 photos, all heavily processed, so I'm not sure what you can take away from viewing them.
Thank you, I'll take a look. Ine of the differences between a full-frame lens and the APS-C lens would be more depth of field and less blur with the APS-C lens, and I can see how that woud be a problem at a car show with the various background distractions to the main subject.
I think that difference can cut both ways, though, in that for some images the increased depth of field even at wider apertures would be helpful.
I tried the Sigma 28-75/2.8, which I thought was a very lovely lens. But it was not different enough in size and weight from the Sony 24-70/2.8 GM II, which I already had and liked.
p.1 #5 · Has anyone used the Sigma 18-50/2.8 APS-C lens on full-frame?
The Sigma 18-50 will be the equivalent of of 27-75mm F/4.2 on the A7CR. The crop will likely make artifacts such as aberrations and noise more visible though you have a lot of cropping leeway with the A7CR.
In terms of zoom range and subject separation it will not be all that different from the even lighter 28-60mm F4-5.6 kit lens, with the difference that that lens covers the full frame image circle.
p.1 #6 · Has anyone used the Sigma 18-50/2.8 APS-C lens on full-frame?
chiron wrote:
I'm interested to know if anyone has experience with this combination and what their experience has been.
I used one for a while on both crop and full-frame bodies; I found it to be an excellent little lens. I loved how small and light it was, especially on a6600/A7Cr-style bodies.
I ultimately upgraded to the Sony 16-55mm G, as I wanted something wider, but had no regrets about the Sigma.
Here's a few images...
ILCE-660018-50mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary 021 lens18mmf/5.01/500s100 ISO0.0 EV
ILCE-660018-50mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary 021 lens23mmf/5.01/40s250 ISO0.0 EV
ILCE-660018-50mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary 021 lens32mmf/2.81/50s200 ISO0.0 EV
ILCE-7RM418-50mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary 021 lens18mmf/2.81/60s100 ISO0.0 EV
ILCE-7RM418-50mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary 021 lens18mmf/2.81/30s800 ISO0.0 EV
ILCE-7RM418-50mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary 021 lens50mmf/2.81/80s100 ISO0.0 EV
p.1 #7 · Has anyone used the Sigma 18-50/2.8 APS-C lens on full-frame?
It has been a while but I did shoot with the 18-50 on an A7R4 a little bit. It has good performance for the size and cost, low aberrations and smooth transition to out of focus areas. I did test it without the crop and confirmed that the image circle is just barely larger than the apsc crop, no benefit for shooting that way. It does rely heavily on in-camera correction for distortion if that matters to you. It’s light as a feather and felt good in the hand. It focused fast enough that I even shot an off-road motorcycle event with it on an a6600 with reasonable results. I really enjoyed the light weight while hiking thru the woods following the bikes.
Lensrentals has one available to rent if you want to give it a try.
ILCE-7RM4A18-50mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary 021 lens50mmf/2.81/800s100 ISO0.0 EV
p.1 #8 · Has anyone used the Sigma 18-50/2.8 APS-C lens on full-frame?
moncho wrote:
The Sigma 18-50 will be the equivalent of of 27-75mm F/4.2 on the A7CR. The crop will likely make artifacts such as aberrations and noise more visible though you have a lot of cropping leeway with the A7CR.
In terms of zoom range and subject separation it will not be all that different from the even lighter 28-60mm F4-5.6 kit lens, with the difference that that lens covers the full frame image circle.
Thank you for the suggestion. I have tried the 28-60/4-5.6 twice, but i haven't liked it for my kind of shooting. Optically, it is excellent and as a landscape ens to carry on a hike, I think it could work ideally, small, light, useful under good light.
For other kinds of shooting--street, travel, family, etc., I have problems with it. The barrel has to be unlocked and extended before you can shoot with it, and if you carry it closed then it delays shooting. If you carry it open, it is about the same size as the Sigma. But the main thing is that it is aa pretty dark lens with a variable aperture. It moves off the f4 toward the f5.6 very quickly as you zoom, and that is just too dark for me. Combined with the inconvenience of unlocking the barrel, I don't find that it suits me.
p.1 #9 · Has anyone used the Sigma 18-50/2.8 APS-C lens on full-frame?
TimCC wrote:
It has been a while but I did shoot with the 18-50 on an A7R4 a little bit. It has good performance for the size and cost, low aberrations and smooth transition to out of focus areas. I did test it without the crop and confirmed that the image circle is just barely larger than the apsc crop, no benefit for shooting that way. It does rely heavily on in-camera correction for distortion if that matters to you. It’s light as a feather and felt good in the hand. It focused fast enough that I even shot an off-road motorcycle event with it on an a6600 with reasonable results. I really enjoyed the light weight while hiking thru the woods following the bikes.
Lensrentals has one available to rent if you want to give it a try....Show more →
Great sample pictures, Mike. Thank you. You can see the excellent colors and the very pleasing rendering.
In a way, the real choice here is between the Sigma and the full-frame Sony 24-50/2.8, which I already have and like. The Sony is meaningfully bigger/heavier at a size of ø: 2.9 x L: 3.6" and a weight of 1 lb / 440 g (compared to the Sigma's weight of 10.2 oz / 290 g and its diameter and length of ø: 2.5 x L: 2.9").
So, the Sigma wins on size and wight by a significant margin, but the Sony gives one full-frame images with excellent optics and rendering over most of the range and, if you flip into APS-C mode at 50mm, it also gives you more field-of-view than the Sigma.
So, the question is really whether the weight and size advantages are worth it, and to answer that I think I have to look more at the optical quality comparisons between the two lenses and valuate just how small the Sigma feels on the camera body compared to the Sony.
p.1 #12 · Has anyone used the Sigma 18-50/2.8 APS-C lens on full-frame?
I did a 2 week trip with a non-profit to the Marshall Islands last year. I decided since it would be a high volume of pictures and a long trip that I wanted to go as small as possible. But I also needed silent shooting because I would be at several meetings. So my main setup was the A1 and the 18-50.
I took at least 5K photos with the setup and it was great. Absolutely no complaints. Almost all were at 2.8. I did everything from street photography to candid portraits of the President.
I really believe the 18-50 and the 10-18 from Sigma justify the whole point of having a crop system.
I beg you, Sony. Just give me a compact, stacked sensor, apsc camera.
