Sigma has published two sets of sample photos for the 50-120mm F2.8 DC OS | Contemporary (Check Price at Amazon/B&H Photo Video) in its “Shooting with Sigma” series. A family session by Garderes & Dohmen was shot on a Sony α6600. Naoki Miyashita photographed the Ozegahara marshes and a mountain hut on a Canon EOS R7. Sigma lists the camera, aperture, shutter speed, ISO and focal length for each image, and the captions below use that data.
Family session on the Sony α6600
Nearly every frame in this set was taken at F2.8, and the photographers say they liked the constant F2.8 for isolating expressions while keeping the shutter fast enough for children. They also liked being able to go from tighter portraits to wider scenes without changing lenses.
Marsh, flowers and a mountain hut on the Canon EOS R7
Miyashita’s set uses F2.8 for most of it, from 50mm to 120mm, with several flower and grass close-ups at the long end.
Low light
The indoor frames in Miyashita’s set are at F2.8 with 1/60 s shutter speeds, at ISO 800 and ISO 3200. The lens has optical stabilization, which helps with such shutter speeds at the 50mm end, though Sigma does not say whether it was switched on.
What to make of them
- These are sets published by Sigma, and they are likely graded by the photographers. The colors and grading are theirs, so they say little about the lens’s default color.
- Both sets mostly sit at F2.8, which is the point of the lens, but they rarely show the corners or a test chart. For that, Digital Camera World shot the Sony E version on an α6000 with EXIF listed under each image. The reviewer calls sharpness excellent across the zoom range and frame, and the bokeh smooth, with 11 aperture blades. Its lab chart numbers show very good center sharpness at F2.8 and weaker extreme edges, which the reviewer says did not show up in real-world shooting. He also points out audible aperture ring clicks, which matter for video.
- DPReview has a sample gallery with downloadable RAW files, including close-focus examples and aperture comparisons, if you want to judge for yourself.
The lens costs $799 and weighs 390 g, as we reported when it was announced. Images: Sigma, credited to Garderes & Dohmen and Naoki Miyashita. Source: Sigma (1) (2).