Sigma has announced its trio of current and acclaimed DC DN Contemporary F1.4 prime lenses; the 16mm F1.4, 30mm F1.4 and 56mm F1.4, come in the Nikon Z mount – and this is another swipe at Canon’s seemingly closed RF-mount system.
Available in Sony E, Canon EF-M, Fujifilm X, Micro Four Thirds and L-mount, these are Sigma’s first lenses for Nikon mirrorless cameras, designed for APS-C cameras such as the Nikon Zfc, Nikon Z30 and Nikon Z50.
Sigma shared a press release (Opens in a new tab) about its three new lenses where more details can be found.
There is currently no release date for these three new lenses, or word on other possible Sigma-made Nikon Z lenses in the future – including full-frame offerings – although Sigma has hinted at them DC DN Contemporary lenses as the ‘first’ it will make for the Nikon Z mount.
Sigma has a long history of excellent quality lenses at competitive price points and the news will be music to the ears of Nikon APS-C mirrorless users with limited lens options.
Regarding the price, again there is no public information, although we can take from the existing prices of these lenses that can be used with five more mounts to get a rough idea. Street prices for the lenses vary depending on the lens mount, but for the 16mm F1.4 is approximately £360 / $450 / AU$630; the 30mm F1.4 costs £290 / $340 / AU$500, while the 56mm F1.4 is around £380 / $475 / AU$670.
Analysis: Advantage Nikon for APS-C camera
The new APS-C lenses are good news for Nikon Zfc, Z30 and Z50 users. There are currently only three Nikon-made autofocus zoom lenses available in this format, the 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 DX VR, 18-140mm f/3.5-6.3 DX VR and 50-250mm f/4.5-5.6 DX VR, and no prime lens.
Now there’s hope for three highly regarded, lightweight and compact autofocus prime lenses. The APS-C sensor crop factor means that the lenses have effective focal lengths of 24mm, 45mm and 85mm respectively.
That wide-angle lens of the trio is synonymous with landscape photography, while the other two are especially popular with portrait photographers, especially with the maximum F1.4 aperture. It’s an attractive pairing especially with the stylish Nikon Zfc.
The news is also a blow to those who own or are interested in the Canon EOS R7, R10 and R50 cameras – Canon’s line of mirrorless RF-mount cameras, with an APS-C sensor.
Like Nikon, there are only three budget-level zoom lenses available for the R7, R10 and R50 cameras, although Canon continues to block third-party lens makers, so the wait continues for the new Canon RF lenses. For a high-end camera like the EOS R7 in particular, the limited lens selection is its achilles heel, so for now, it looks like Nikon is stealing a march against its historic rival.