- Sigma Releases Contemporary 16mm F1.4 and 23mm F1.4 DC DN Lenses for Canon RF Mount
- The lenses cost $439 / £389 / AU$617 and $549 / £479 / AU$817 respectively.
- That makes six Sigma RF-S lenses, but none yet for full frame
Sigma has launched two fast aperture prime lenses for Canon mirrorless cameras; the 16mm F1.4 DC DN contemporary and the 23mm F1.4 DC DN contemporary. They join four other Sigma lenses available for Canon’s RF mount, all of which are designed for crop sensor (APS-C) models like the Canon EOS R7 and Canon EOS R100.
The new lenses bring the total number of Sigma ‘RF-S’ lenses to six in total and are the first large aperture prime lenses; The 16mm lens has a 24mm equivalent focal length, while the 23mm lens has a 35mm equivalent focal length.
Both lenses offer popular focal lengths with fast f/1.4 apertures, ideal for working in low light and creating portraits with a shallow depth of field. Personally, I relied on a Sigma 35mm f/1.4 lens for several years while doing documentary photography in the East. Africa.
Sigma has priced the 16mm F1.4 lens at $439 / £389 / $617, while the 24mm F1.4 lens costs $549 / £479 / AU$817. These are reasonable prices if you It takes into account the proven optical performance of Sigma Contemporary lenses, plus the fact that Canon equivalents would likely be more expensive, should Canon ever release them.
6 and counting, but what about full frame?
Canon kept its lens mount closed to third-party lens makers longer than rival brands, a move that frustrated some fans, especially considering how few lenses Canon has released for its APS-C cameras. That all changed in April 2024 when Canon handed the key to its RF mount door to Sigma and Tamron, and we already have six existing Sigma lenses deployed for the RF mount.
All of these lenses are for Canon’s APS-C cameras, which goes some way to solving the biggest problem against entry-level Canon mirrorless models like the EOS R10: limited lens choice.
Meanwhile, Canon has been very active in launching new lenses for its full-frame cameras, such as our 2024 Camera of the Year, the EOS R5 Mark II. However, we have yet to see full frame lenses from Sigma and Tamron.
To us, it looks like Canon is doing away with its full-frame lenses and leaving APS-C lenses to third-party manufacturers like Sigma. That’s not a bad approach; However, it’s only a matter of time before Canon fans demand that companies like Sigma start making affordable full-frame lenses for Canon.
