Meet Sigma Shooter Greg Castell
Greg is an accomplished automotive photographer known for his breathtaking visuals and unparalleled expertise.
Greg chooses Sony cameras with Sigma lenses to capture his art and precision of automobiles with stunning clarity and depth. With a passion for storytelling through imagery, his work seamlessly blends technical skill with creative vision, making each shot a masterpiece. Follow Gregâs journey as he showcases the power of Sigma lenses in bringing automotive photography to life.
Let's Hear from Greg About the 28-45mm f/1.8 Art Lens!
First and foremost, I would like to focus on what this lens is, rather than what it isnât. While researching this groundbreaking new zoom lens prior to purchasing it, the most insightful reviewers drew a conclusion that I couldnât agree with more - Consider it a brilliant, sharp 35mm F1.8 prime, with a little more to give on both the wide and telephoto ends. The real question to me is whether âa little moreâ is enough or not.
The most obvious comparisons I came across were to the ubiquitous 24-70mm workhorse zooms and/or the wildly popular 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM crop-sensor lens, also from Sigma. The 28-45 is neither, which I find to be perfectly acceptable. While the zoom range is slightly compromised as compared to both (factoring in a 1.5x crop factor for the 18-35), the focal lengths it encompasses are represented extraordinarily well in terms of both utility and image quality.
Given that 35mm is one of my favorite focal lengths, I have found the extra field of view on the wide end and additional reach towards the long end to be quite useful. With the goal of diving right into what this optic can do, I used it exclusively on some of my most recent automotive shoots and found it to be a stellar performer. I welcome you to view the included sample images as a real-life illustration of what this lens has allowed me to capture.
 
Also of note - My habits tend to lean towards shooting wide open, which is one of the areas where the 28-45mm really delivers. Aside from capturing roughly one full stop of additional light as compared to F2.8 zooms, bokeh is also rendered in a smooth and pleasing manner.
Autofocus is rapid and accurate, on par with any of my native Sony lenses, and the Art-series build quality is every bit as impressive as Sonyâs own G Master lineup.
Lastly, a short take on video performance. While my go-to videography lens has traditionally been Sonyâs 24mm F1.4 GM, I have found the Sigma to be of similar performance while also offering the convenience of multiple prime-like focal lengths. While the lens is admittedly on the heavy side, it still balances easily on my DJI Ronin SC2 while mounted to the Sony ZV-E1. Also in its favor is the fact that this lens zooms internally, and can this be balanced on a gimbal at ~35mm while still retaining useful levels of stabilization throughout the entire zoom range. While not unique, the de-clickable aperture ring adds a nice touch for video usage.
Overall, I have been very impressed with Sigmaâs latest offering. Fantastic optics, top-notch build quality, and a surprising level of versatility all add up to a lens that is far more than just what its (impressive) specifications suggest.
View More of Greg's Work | Connect with GregÂ
@flat6photowerks | www.flat6photowerks.com | greg@flat6photowerks.com
All Images by Greg Castell