A First Look at Sigmas 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary for FUJIFILM X

Today Sigma announces a new lens for Fujifilm X Mount cameras - the 16-50mm f/2.8 DC DN | Contemporary. This is the first zoom lens from Sigma for Fujifilm cameras, joining the 16mm, 30mm, and 56mm primes.

The lens consists of 13 elements in 10 groups, with 3 aspherical lenses and one SLD element. With a 35mm equivalent 27-75mm range, this will likely be a workhorse lens for many photographers. For portrait photographers, the lens has 7 rounded aperture blades, making for smooth bokeh balls.

The lens is light (10.1oz) and compact, but doesn’t feel overly cheap or of low quality. Size-wise, the Sigma 16-50mm is about the same size as Fujifilm’s XF18-55mm f/2.8-4, an impressive feat considering the Sigma stays at f/2.8 throughout the zoom range.

The size is a perfect fit for most Fujifilm X-Series bodies. While the weather sealing may not rival some Art/Sport lenses, or Fujifilm’s WR lenses, it should hold up to light rain/drizzle and snow without issue, and does have a rubber gasket around the lens mount.

One of the most impressive features of the Sigma is its macro capabilities. At 18mm you are able to get just 4.8 inches away from your subject (from the sensor), and 11.9 inches at 50mm. Like most wider zoom lenses, distortion is present at the wide end, and it is embelished when shooting at close focus, but it is easily corrected in post processing. At 50mm, there is a little bit of pincushion distorion, but it is fairly minimal.

18mm:

50mm:

When testing chromatic aberration, there wasn’t much present at 18mm, but at 50mm there was some obvious magentas and blues. Stopping down to f/4 removes most if not all of the fringing. When compared to the much more expensive Fujifilm XF16-55mm, the results are pretty comparable.

50mm - Lit with Aputure LS C120D II 5ft away

18mm - Lit with Aputure LS C120D II 5ft away

Sigma has developed a control algorithm including AF drive and communication speed optimization specifically for Fujifilm cameras to improve autofocus performance. During our testing, the autofocus was fast and accurate, and when using autofocus for videos, it was silent as well.

Sample Photos (taken with a X-T4)