SIGMA 60-600MM F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM SPORTS LENS FOR AIR SHOW PHOTOGRAPHY

As I planned what lenses I was going to use to photograph EAA AirVenture 2019, one of the biggest air shows in the country, my priority was to try my SIGMA 60-600 F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Sports lens for the daily air shows. I already knew the 60-600 Sports was a great lens for sports action, having used it for baseball and soccer, but having a reputation as an air show photographer, I really wanted to see how it would capture airplanes in flight.

I rounded out my lens selection with the SIGMA 70-200mm F2.8 DG OS HSM | Sports, 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art, and 28mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art lenses. My goal was to take fewer lenses and rely on the strong points of each lens to complete a Plane and Pilot magazine assignment at AirVenture.

But as day one turned into day two, I realized I was basically walking around with only the 60-600mm Sports lens. At first, this made sense because I was shooting the daily air shows and needed that 600mm reach to capture the aerial action. I should add, it not only captured the action, but pretty much blew my mind with the incredible sharpness of the images. Paired with the 24-megapixel Sony A9, using the SIGMA MC-11 Mount Converter, I found I was able to crop in for tighter composition and still retain amazing detail.

Walking around before the air show, I found an advantage to capturing feature photos with much more candidness using the longer zoom lens. People weren’t aware of what I was photographing, so it was easier zooming in for that unexpected photo.

By the end of AirVenture, I had used the 60-600mm Sports lens for most of my assignments. I did use a few of my other lenses that were set aside for special situations, although looking back, the 60-600 Sports lens would have been a worthy substitute in most cases. A lens with as much versatility and sharpness can be used for a variety of assignments — portraits (great separation from background — don’t let the 4-6.3 f-stop fool you that there is not a beautiful blur), feature photos, group photos, airplanes on the ground as well as in the air… the list goes on and on.

Since I had used the 60-600mm Sports lens for such a variety of situations, I was curious to see how it would perform in what most aviation photographers consider the highlight of aviation photography… an air-to-air mission. My usual lens for this type of assignment is the SIGMA 70-200 Sports lens. The mission was with a vintage Fairchild PT-23 trainer. The subject aircraft is usually photographed at 1/60 to 1/80th of a second in order to show the propeller as a full, blurred circle.

After using the 70-200 Sports lens, I switched to the 60-600 Sports lens to see if it was up to the task. Image stabilization was in the number 1 position and focus was in AF-C/single point. The lens was able to hold consistently sharp images out to about 300mm. Moving the PT-23 into position above our photo plane’s horizontal stabilizer, I was able to zoom in for incredibly tight compositions. And once back on the computer to look at the results on a high resolution monitor, the sharpness on small details like the engine cylinder cooling fins was unbelievable.

The versatility of this lens got me thinking of several major photos that I could have taken with this lens instead of the lenses I actually used. One such photo was a newly designed Extra aerobatic airplane that I photographed at dusk with the SIGMA 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art lens. The photo turned out great, but needed post production touchup for several runway lights and signs in the frame. I set out to recreate the shot in the same location using the 60-600 lens.

I didn’t have an airplane this time, but did have a new BMW M850i as a substitute. With the lens only zoomed to 73mm, I was able to eliminate all of the distracting runway lights and signs that were present when using a wider angle lens. And again, sharpness was incredible. 

I am always learning, and my week at AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin taught me a lot about how well I could do my job with just one lens. And not that it just delivered professional images to my client, but delivered my vision of the event to me. So, if you run into me at the next air show, you can bet the only lens I will be carrying around will be the SIGMA 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Sports.

ELEVATING TAKE-OUT DINNER PHOTOS TO SUPPORT LOCAL RESTAURANTS

While photographers may be getting restless because they can’t take pictures of their favorite subjects during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are ways to put those talents to use as well as contribute to your community.

Most businesses, including local restaurants for dine-in, closed statewide in Wisconsin last month. In response, local organizations such as the Oshkosh Convention and Visitors Bureau went into high gear with creative ideas to keep spirits positive as well as keep awareness of restaurants running in take-out and delivery-only mode. And, as their photographer, those ideas not only provided me with a creative outlet, but allowed me to give back to my community and my friends that own restaurants.

One idea is fun and simple – since restaurants have now switched to take out food, let’s photograph those food orders to promote local restaurants and help them to survive this slow-down.

Now, I’ve photographed food in studio situations with a food stylist, as well as grabbed a quick phone picture in a restaurant, but this was food being delivered in plastic take-out boxes that I was trying to elevate. The challenge was how to make it look enticing and yet real to the viewers from inside my home. Aside from usually putting the food on plates and employing my kitchen as the set, here is a list of equipment I used in the process: 

• SIGMA 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN | Art lens
• SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Art lens
• SIGMA fp camera
• Sony A7R4 and A9M2 cameras
• White bounce card
• Small LED light
• Cutting board
• Tripod 

For reference, prior to launching this project several local Facebook pages were formed to give details on what restaurant was serving what, highlighted with phone photos of food in styrofoam containers. I wanted a more appealing look while still wanting to eat my supper before it got cold! And, I didn’t want all of the photos to look alike. Therefore, having the shot visualized and all the gear ready to roll before the food arrived was a key success factor, and speed was of the essence at capture time, so we could get down to enjoying the meals after documenting them!

One of the easiest set-ups was just plating the food and making a quick arrangement on the kitchen counter, like I did with these sandwiches from Planet Perk. I’m basically a natural light shooter, but this was a little dark, so I used a Lume Cube to add some fill light. I tried to hand-hold the camera, but even with the fill light, I couldn’t find a good balance between F/stop, shutter speed and ISO. So, I used a tripod to get some added depth of field – instead of shooting wide open at F2.8, I went to F5 at 1/25 of a second shutter speed. I personally like using depth of field to bring your eye exactly to the main subject, in this case, the first sandwich; but then falling off for the second sandwich and background.

I like the idea of shooting straight down on food to highlight the layout on the plate. This take-out from J’s BBQ was ideal for this technique because of the colors and shapes of the items. And, it was easy to take the tray with both plates outside on a cloudy day to get even lighting. The image was warmed up a bit in post production to compensate for the cooler color temperature of the cloudy day. The SIGMA 24-70mm is an ideal lens for an image like this because of outstanding edge to edge sharpness. 

Switching to the wider SIGMA 14-24mm lens allows me to move in on my main subject, in this case, a forkful of fried haddock from Dublin’s Irish Pub, and really make it the focal point of the image. And, having a piece of fish on the fork also starts to introduce a human element to the image. Aside from the regular ceiling lights in the kitchen, daylight from the adjacent patio door is adding a fill light. I do shoot most of these in aperture priority so I can control how much, or how little, depth of field I want. I will also bracket the F-stop to find a good compromise between my subject being in focus and separation with the background. 

Yes, Wisconsin cuts their pizza into squares, as shown in this pie from Christianos. And even though that is what I grew up with, I so miss a big pie slice of New York pizza! My first though was to use the round shape of the pizza as a graphic element, but the pizza was hot and the cheese gooey and I knew the shot was the piece of pizza being lifted from the box. Since this was shot in the evening, there was no natural light fill, so along with the kitchen lights, I added fill light from the Lume Cube. I used a higher than usual ISO because the SIGMA fp camera can handle high ISO with little noise. The higher f-stop allowed a bit more depth of field and shutter speed, and I found I needed that little extra shutter speed so the cheese wasn’t blurred as it slid off the piece of pizza. 

The Friday night fish fry is part of the Wisconsin culture. Perch is the fish of choice; Walleye Pike or Bluegill might be an alternate. And it’s customary to include potato salad, cole slaw, and rye bread with your meal. I personally love shrimp and haddock, so that was the meal I chose to photograph last Friday night. One thing that can’t be captured in an image is the ambience of small town supper clubs like Parnell’s Place, but being able to carry out the food will suffice for the next few months.

To change things up a bit, I chose the SIGMA 14-24mm lens on the SIGMA fp camera so I could go wide and capture the entire plate of food. This was shot with available light from the kitchen and dining room with just a little kick from window light. I chose an F/stop that kept the food in the front of the plate in focus but allowed the focus to drop off as it went back. To me, this brings your eye to the to main elements of the meal. And, while bringing in the human element of my wife’s arms holding the plate, it still keeps the background from distracting.

This project of photographing take-out food from local restaurants continues, and will continue even after we will be able to visit those places in person. I even give the restaurants access to the images used on Facebook and Instagram to use on their own social media pages to showcase their offerings. This is my town, this is my community, and this is how I can use my skills and talents to help.

Consider reaching out to the local Visitor’s Bureau, Chamber of Commerce, and Downtown social channels to launch your own similar project in your neighborhood. Like the Oshkosh CVB, like SIGMA America’s support of local charities during these times, and like so many other great pop-up givebacks we’re hearing about from coast to coast, we can all find ways to lend a hand to our community right now. 

PHOTOGRAPHING THE ESSENTIAL WORKERS OF MAIN STREET, USA

While the “closed” sign appears in almost every business window in my area because of the COVID-19 lockdown, there are those friends of mine that continue to do what they have to do, because they have to do it. Essential workers… essential people.

And while not considered essential by the “Safer at Home” standards in Wisconsin, I find it essential to being a photographer that I continue to create. And there are ways to do that in a safe and responsible manner. So within those guidelines, as well as wanting personal safety for myself and my subjects, I started a personal project to capture my friends living and coping with life today.

The Montello theater is representative of so many businesses with signs indicating they are closed. I was first attracted by how haunting the building lights looked at dusk. After taking a few frames of the building, a lone car drove past, and I knew it was my shot.

Over the years, my favorite downtown coffee shop has been Planet Perk. A lot of memories taking my mom there, having gatherings with local photographers, as well as my own sanctuary for good coffee, a quiet atmosphere and internet access. While understanding the need to social distance and quarantine, I still worry about my friends that run local restaurants in these trying times. Business does go on for a lot of restaurants by switching to carry-out or delivery services. So, I photographed Planet Perk owner Kenneth Osmond at the front door of his empty restaurant waiting for a customer to pick up their food.

My friend Julie Schmidt is a nurse at one of the local hospitals. She pulled into my driveway on a rainy, dreary morning to see how I was coping. One look at Julie’s face through the rain-speckled car window and I knew I had to capture the moment. I had her put her mask and eye guard on to show what she wears every day at the hospital, symbolic of all the medical care professionals in our area. Autofocus was difficult with this image because the camera wanted to focus on the raindrops on the window. So, I just flipped the lens switch to manual focus and made sure the focus was on her eyes.

While so many friends are sheltering at home, it was also apparent which friends were still providing services I have been taking for granted. A good example is Michele, who delivers my mail. I never worry about my mail delivery. It’s always there. Rain. Snow. Sub-zero temperatures. Even COVID-19 quarantine. Magazines, checks (well, when there was work), prescriptions from the pharmacy. Always there. Since I was using this project to be creative, I wanted to be as creative as possible. Since the SIGMA fp camera is so small, I put the camera complete with 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN Art lens inside the mailbox for a point-of-view perspective. To keep not only myself, but Michele safe, I texted her what I wanted to do and was ready for the shot when she drove up.

Sometimes, the essential people are essential people in our lives, such as elderly relatives in care centers. While kept away from family in order to stay safe, not all older people understand this, or understand computers as a way of staying in touch through social media or online video chats. But sometimes, all it takes is seeing a relative showing you the current photo of your new great granddaughter through a window to put a smile on your face. This was another case where autofocus was having a difficult time because of reflections on the glass, so it is very easy with the SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art lens to switch into manual focus and lock onto her eyes.

While we are obviously concerned with the current health crisis, there are still needs that require talking to a doctor, nurse, or counselor. And since it may be difficult to visit a practitioner in real life, the internet helps out with services like Telehealth. Counselor Gail Rabe is one of those practitioners who visits via video chat. I used the SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art lens to capture just enough of the living room to give the sense of location and picked an aperture of F4 to keep the laptop in focus while letting the background blur slightly to be less distracting.

And some of those essential people live right in our own homes. My wife, Charlene, was designated an essential at the company she works for, which meant setting up a home office. As many who work from home have found, setting up the computer is the easy part. Keeping projects going and communication happening involves email, texts, phone calls, Zoom and team meetings… and working throughout the day and night as needed. To capture the feeling of working those long hours at home, I chose the SIGMA fp camera to photograph Charlene through the “home office” window.

FIRST LOOK: SIGMA 35MM F2 DG DN CONTEMPORARY LENS

SIGMA is getting very good at reading my mind. In the very recent past they have introduced three mirrorless zoom lenses (14-24mm F2.8 DG DN | Art, 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Art and 100-400mm DG DN | Contemporary), which were exactly what I needed as a working professional photographer to handle just about any assignment. Then they added the perfect portrait lens (85mm F1.4 DG DN | Art). And then they added the perfect macro lens (105mm F2.8 DG DN | Art).

What else was on my mind, SIGMA? You guessed it… compact prime lenses designed specifically for full-frame mirrorless cameras. Smaller, lighter and more economical than their DSLR counterparts… but just as sharp.

Specifically designed for L-mount and Sony E-mount mirrorless cameras, the 24mm F3.5 DG DN | Contemporary, the 35mm F2 DG DN | Contemporary and the 65mm F2 DG DN | Contemporary are part of SIGMA’s new I series of lenses. Think “Innovative” and “Impressive”. These all-metal lenses borrow their design from the 45mm F2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens that received rave reviews, as well as SIGMA’s line of cine lenses.

As I unboxed my new 35mm F2 DG DN | Contemporary lens, it became obvious how well the all-metal lens complimented my Sony camera. It has a classic, retro look, featuring a manual aperture ring and tough metal lens hood.

There was also something extra in the box — in addition to the familiar plastic lens cap, there was a metal lens cap that attaches to the front of the lens magnetically. And as someone who is always forgetting where I put my lens cap, the optional magnetic lens cap holder (with a handy carabiner clip) is another useful accessory.

But, of course, looks aside, the real test is how well this lens performs. I’m not the type of photographer that is going to put this lens through bench tests and give you a lot of numbers and graphs about lens performance. There are experts to do that. For me, I need to hit the streets and see in real life what it can produce.

The 35mm focal length has always been a versatile workhorse in my stable of lenses, one that can easily go from landscapes to portraits to group photos. My first chance to put the lens to use was while watching the sun come up from a local park. My first idea was to capture a long peninsula with silhouetted trees (see above), but then a little piece of rock art caught my eye (below). I framed the rising sun inside the opening in the rocks for a dramatic silhouette. This was the perfect opportunity to take advantage of the manual aperture ring to bracket my exposure. The ring has a firm click at each 1/3 f-stop setting as well as being able to click into full automatic mode.

The lens seemed a perfect fit for my Sony camera as I walked around my local downtown area. Because the lens is smaller and lighter, it is easy to carry around, or even slip into your jacket pocket. Meeting a friend for coffee led to an impromptu portrait session in a local coffee house. I love using a 35mm for a wide portrait, positioning the subject to one side of the frame and letting the environment fill in the other side. Eye AF locked on and quickly followed the movement of Jessie’s eyes as I had her change positions. But the real thrill of this lens was seeing how incredible the sharpness was. At F2 her eyes were both in focus and piercingly sharp, while the background dropped off to a beautiful, creamy blur. The rounded nine-blade diaphragm does an incredible job with bokeh.

Autofocus with this little lens is quick and accurate. I panned a few passing cars and focus easily locked on and tracked them in dim light. And the lens takes advantage of the built-in image stabilization of my Sony camera.

Manual focus is focus by wire. Coupled with the manual focus magnification in my camera, it was smooth and easy to focus on stars to capture a star trail image from my back yard.

As a regular user of both E-mount and L-mount lenses, this is a definite addition to my camera bag. The 35mm focal length is very versatile. And don’t let the small size fool you… this lens is built to professional standards, and with its all-metal construction, it is built to last. And most importantly in my final analysis… the SIGMA 35mm F2 DG DN | Contemporary is so sharp it can be used for any work assignment a client hands me.

A WEEKEND IN CHICAGO WITH THE SIGMA 28-70MM F2.8 DG DN CONTEMPORARY LENS

Big cities not only fill me with wonder and excitement, but also countless photo ideas. Zipping past Wisconsin farm fields on the Amtrak Hiawatha headed toward Chicago, numerous photographic possibilities kept popping into my mind.

And sitting beside me, locked onto my Sony A9 II, was the new SIGMA 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary lens. This lens, so small and lightweight, looked as if it was designed for travel. The lens and camera fit easily in my backpack, joining my iPad and a Platypod (a flat tabletop tripod) for an adventure in the the big city.

It was also a change from past trips because even with some Covid-19 restrictions still in place, I could travel from Wisconsin to Chicago. A chance to venture out again, observe, record, and share life.

As the train pulled into Chicago’s Union Station, I made a major change to my shooting game plan. Usually, I like to consider the various aspects of the lens I’m shooting with and take photos that will specifically accentuate them. But now, I just wanted to let my creativity run wild and let the pictures happen, knowing that would be the best way to show you what this little lens is capable of producing.

During previous trips to large cities, I would often only take a prime lens. Photographing in a city usually brings out the street photographer in me, pushing my creativity to see life through a single focal length.

But sometimes, traveling opens my creativity to more than what just one prime lens can capture. This time, I wanted flexibility to shoot wide as well as tight, and let my creativity feel unlimited.

The following images show not only what I felt compelled to capture during my brief trip to the city, but also how truly versatile the SIGMA 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN | C can be for travel.

Heading back home, and reviewing my photos on the back of the camera, I was happy with what I saw and was able to capture. The real truth, however, is reviewing them on the computer at full size. And that displayed the sharpness of the little SIGMA 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary. Not only small and light, but fast to focus and very sharp images. Oh, and did I mention easy on my budget? I think I have met my new travel companion.

ALL THINGS AVIATION WITH THE SIGMA 150-600MM DG DN OS SPORTS LENS

As I unpacked the new SIGMA 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS | Sports lens, just in time for the 2021 EAA AirVenture Oshkosh air show, I had a little flashback to 2015. That’s when SIGMA sent me the classic 150-600mm Sports lens for my Canon 1DX to try out at an air show. And from that day forward, the 150-600mm has been synonymous with air show photography because of its sharpness and versatility. Not to mention, that lens was a tank that could stand up to the elements and handle anything a photographer might run into while traveling.

Fast forward six years and a lot has changed… I’ve gone from large DSLR cameras to smaller mirrorless cameras, and SIGMA lenses have changed to meet the mirrorless demand, by being smaller, lighter and sharper. And the new 150-600mm is no different. Plus it’s still built like a tank to stand up to the weather and rough handling.

So, the thought of walking around photographing eight days of “all things aviation” with a new, smaller SIGMA telephoto zoom put a smile on my face. Since I was photographing for Plane and Pilot magazine, there would not only be air show action, but a full variety images to tell the story of the event.

So what impressed me when the event was over and I reflected on the images as well as handling of the lens? Well, the simplest review is that it’s a SIGMA lens, which means sharp, user-friendly and will fit my budget. But going deeper, is that the performance is something that will advance my creativity as well as keep my clients happy. The new SIGMA 150-600mm DG DN OS | Sports doesn’t disappoint.

A Great Lens for Aviation Photography

The headline here says it all, but here are some specific takeaways I had when testing out this lens:

Weight
I grabbed the 150-600mm Sports lens / Sony A9 II combo from the kitchen counter to load into the car on the first morning of the show, and literally stopped in my tracks because the combo felt so light. The original 150-600mm Sports lens for DSLRs weighs 6.3 pounds, while this updated version weighs just 4.6 pounds. The difference is significant, especially if you are walking around an air show all day with the lens over your shoulder.

Sharpness
While I try not to go overboard with pixel peeping, I will check a series of images of an airplane flying by to make sure I locked on and got the shot. And what I noticed were really, really sharp images, even sharper than the original 150-600mm Sports for DSLRs.

Optical Stabilization
When photographing action, be it football, cars or airplanes, I maintain a high shutter speed to freeze the subject. But when panning on airplanes landing, the opposite holds true. I’m still looking for the subject to be frozen, but with a blurred background, creating the feeling of movement. Depending on the speed of the airplane, I may be as high as 1/125s to keep the plane in focus while still producing a blurred background. The real test, however, is not just keeping the plane in focus and blurring the background, but trying to get a full propeller circle. And I was getting these shots (below) with this lens! SIGMA claims up to four stops of optical image stabilization, and I definitely agree.

Thoughtful Features for Professionals

Yes, the lens is light, sharp and offers excellent stabilization. But for working professionals, the little things — small touches that many shooters might not notice — make this lens an even better companion. For example:

Arca Swiss Compatible Foot
The lens foot includes an Arca Swiss dovetail for quick tripod mounting (all my gear is set up with Arca Swiss mounts, so a thank you to SIGMA for adding this). While my daylight photography is all handheld, the rail came in handy for the night air show fireworks.

Lens Protection
The lens comes with not only the distinctive SIGMA padded case and standard pinch cap for the front element, but also a larger front lens and hood cover (which I much prefer over just the pinch lens cap).

Zoom Torque Switch
The dual action zoom (zoom ring or push/pull) also features a torque switch (Lock, Tight and Smooth) to customize the lens to your zooming preference. The new “Tight” setting lets you maintain a certain focal length with no zoom creep, but still gives you the ability to zoom on the fly if needed.

Minimum Focusing Distance 
The 150-600mm DG DN OS | Sports features a close focusing distance of just 23 inches at 180mm, increasing its versatility, and allowing me to photograph tight portraits and candid shots, perfect for storytelling at an event like this.

Autofocus Performance
This lens provides high-speed, accurate autofocus utilizing a stepping motor and a high-precision magnetic sensor, which made it easy to track aircraft flying by at several hundred miles per hour.

Closing Thoughts on the SIGMA 150-600mm DG DN OS | Sports Lens

The new SIGMA 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS | Sports lens is a definite home run for an aviation photographer like myself, shooting with a Sony E-mount body, or any L-mount camera. It not just carries on the finer points of the classic SIGMA 150-600mm Sports lens for DSLR cameras, but improves them in a smaller, lighter package.

Now to try out this lens for football, soccer, BMX races, auto racing………

HIT THE STREETS WITH THE SIGMA 20MM F2 DG DN CONTEMPORARY LENS

One of the best ways to kickstart my creativity when I’m exploring a city is to try a new focal length lens. That change from a zoom lens to a prime, or from my favorite 35mm lens to, say, the SIGMA 20mm F2 DG DN | Contemporary I series lens, pushes me to look at the world in a new, wider perspective. And for me, a 20mm prime is actually an old friend, being one of my favorite lenses when I started out as a photojournalist.

I have always been naturally drawn to telephoto lenses, so in contrast, a 20mm lens forced me to get closer and more intimate with what was before me, and I soon learned that such a wide lens — even if it might create some distortion on the sides — was more than a lens for just photographing a scene as wide as I could. I learned to put my subject off-center at times, so as to emphasize it more than just include it in the composition.

The latest 20mm on the block

So it was surprise as well as pleasure when SIGMA announced a new 20mm I series lens in early 2022. I mention it specifically as an I series lens because it is part of a subset of SIGMA Contemporary line lenses that have very unique features.

The seven lenses in that series are all-metal construction. They include a manual aperture ring (as well as the convenient “A” automatic setting). And the I series are designed to take advantage of the latest lens technology for mirrorless cameras (available in Sony E-mount and L-Mount).

But, full disclosure, as an older photographer that at times reminisces about the early days, I really love the retro look. While a technical reviewer might be more concerned with the special glass elements and coatings, I just love the way it looks on my cameras.

Seeing the streets through the SIGMA 20mm F2 DG DN | Contemporary

Of course, what counts is performance. I had the privilege of putting the lens through its paces as photojournalist might. But the most fun was walking the streets of Chicago and capturing the city, the people and the streets.

My 20mm F2 DG DN | Contemporary lens was mounted on a 61-megapixel SIGMA fp L camera, giving me a conveniently small paring to carry around in my coat pocket. To immerse myself in my personal retro feeling of street photography, I shot in RAW and set my Tone to black and white. This allowed me to stay in “street mode” when I checked a capture on the rear LCD, while also having the ability to create a color image while in post production.

Of course, street photography doesn’t have to be captured in a big city or just in black and white. Sometimes that moment you want to capture needs to be in color. And you can find those moments even in the town you live in, like this photo of my friend Sarah against a huge floral mural in Oshkosh, WI.

Would I recommend it?

Absolutely. The SIGMA 20mm F2 DG DN | Contemporary lens handled great on the street in Chicago, being sharp, versatile and small enough to have camera and lens easily fit into my coat pocket. I didn’t crop any of the images so I could illustrate how sharp this lens is edge to edge, but one of the advantages of a lens this wide is that you can crop when you need to.

Another advantage I found was that despite its extremely wide angle of view, the lens takes normal 62mm filters. No more large lens filter adapters and expensive glass plate filters needed.

The best recommendation I can give about this lens? I pre-ordered one before it was released, and I can’t wait for my next trip to a big city to use it.

TRAVEL LIGHT AND SEE MORE WITH THIS WIDE-ANGLE ZOOM LENS

So what does a weekend vacation, a cold boat ride and nine miles of walking around Chicago have in common? Answer: they would have been fleeting memories had I not carried a camera with me, paired with a convenient wide-angle zoom lens mounted on that camera.

I should mention that when traveling my preference is usually for a zoom lens rather than a prime because of the flexibility of the focal range. But, I don’t usually go wide-angle.

Recent trips to Chicago, however, reminded me that I’ve haven’t always capture that feeling of the city because my lens choices didn’t go wide enough. Enter the SIGMA 16-28mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary lens.

First Impressions of the 16-28mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary

Checking out the specs, the lens had a lot going for it.

• It’s F2.8 so it is going to help me capture moments in dimly lit areas, at night, as well as indoors.
• It’s internal zoom! That means the lens doesn’t extend when zoomed, which keeps it well-balanced no matter the focal length.
• It’s really small and light, so it fits easily in the backpack I use for traveling.
• It’s a SIGMA Contemporary lens, so to me it means the lens is on the cutting edge of technology. More specifically, it is designed exclusively for modern mirrorless cameras, and constructed with top-quality glass and tough (yet lightweight) materials.
• It’s a SIGMA lens, so it is really sharp!

My SIGMA 16-28mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary is L-Mount, so I can share it between my SIGMA fp and Leica SL2S cameras. And, although the lens is designed for full-frame mirrorless cameras, it works just fine on my Leica CL crop-sensor camera. The lens is also available in E-mount for those photographers using Sony cameras.

Since this lens is so small and light, I decided to pair it with the equally small and light 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary lens SIGMA introduced in 2021. Just in case I wanted a little more reach. But my plan was to use the 16-28mm the most because I have this tendency to shoot tight in a lot of situations, and since this was vacation, and fun… I wanted to capture the big picture. Often times a wider picture tells more of the story.

But enough words for now… let’s take a trip through Chicago!

Sightseeing with a Wide-Angle View

I prefer traveling with a regular backpack instead of a camera bag because it doesn’t announce to everyone that I am a photographer. I bought a padded insert from my local camera store to protect the camera gear in the backpack. With lenses as small and light as these two SIGMA Contemporary lenses, there was plenty of room to spare with little added weight.

One of the first things that catches my eye in big cities like Chicago is the architecture. The colors, the lines, the different shapes and textures all come together to form beautiful art on every block. And being able to zoom out to 16mm and capture the buildings makes this lens ideal for travel.

One technique I use is to stop down all the way (F16 or F22) and include the sun in the background of my composition. I love the effect the sun star gives. I’ll also use the wide-angle view to my advantage to include foliage from a tree to frame a building, giving me not just the contrast of light and dark, but also that of nature and man-made skyscrapers.

While walking around provides an engaging, first-person perspective of a big city, taking a boat tour offers a view that’s completely different, and much wider.

Although windy and a bit cold, the cruise on Lake Michigan to view the entire Chicago skyline was well worth it. And well worth having a zoom as wide as the 16-28mm with me. The wind did make the lake choppy, but being able to open up to F2.8 was a real advantage to be able to maintain a fast enough shutter speed to keep my cityscapes sharp.

As much as I love taking advantage of autofocus (and the autofocus is fast and sure with these lenses) the boat cruise at night definitely required manual focus at times. My SL2S camera is a little weak with contrast autofocus in low light, so I switched over to manual focus. The 16-28mm manual focus ring was smooth and consistent, and made so many of my night images possible.

Although the most obvious use of a wide-angle lens might be to shoot something like a skyline, I also like to use that wide-angle capability to push me to get closer to a subject, making you feel part of the scene.

Next to the boat dock, the sweet sounds of a saxophone drifted along Michigan Avenue, provided by local musician Derrick Tate. Moving in close, locking focus on Derrick, and then changing composition to include the city in the background was a great exercise in experimenting with your creativity.

The Verdict on the SIGMA 16-28mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary

Most of my photography involves action and sports, using SIGMA Sports and Art line lenses. But shooting with the SIGMA 16-28mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary lens has opened my eyes to what a great choice a Contemporary lens like this can be for my “lens arsenal”.

This 16-28mm lens highlights the achievements that SIGMA makes with the Contemporary line of lenses. While “small, light and sharp” are the three words that first come to my mind, there are other advantages of Contemporary lenses like this: The use of the latest technologythat will communicate seamlessly with my cameras. The advanced design that incorporates internal zoom. The simplicity, with just one AF/MF switch on the lens itself. The fact that you get these benefits at a price lower than Art and Sports lenses, without missing out on sharpness or quality.

Want a real world example? After my trip to Chicago, I put this lens to the test on several real assignments for my clients. Don’t let the size and weight fool you into thinking that this is not a professional lens. It has handled everything from shooting on a movie set, to fireworks for a tourism client, to photos for a college magazine, all with beautifully sharp images.

So here’s to the next lens I purchase this summer… the SIGMA 16-28mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary. Whether on its own or paired with the 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary, you’ll be ready for any trip.

SIGMA 16-28mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary

SIGMA 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Contemporary

FIRST LOOK: SIGMA 23MM F1.4 DC DN CONTEMPORARY LENS

SIGMA always seems to have a little surprise when a new lens is introduced. As I held the new SIGMA 23mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporarylens in my hand, I wondered what special surprise this lens would reveal. At first glance, the 23mm is a nice little lens for my crop sensor cameras. With an effective focal length of 35mm, I thought it would be a wonderful lens to use on the street. After all, the 35mm focal length is not only one of my favorites, but also for a lot of my photographer friends.

The lens is small and light, too – about the same size as the 30mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary. So far, nothing too surprising. So what was the secret with this lens?

Impressions of the SIGMA 23mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary

I found the answer quite quickly after I shot a few frames and looked at the images on the back LCD. As I zoomed in, they seemed… sharp. Really sharp!

After viewing the images on the camera screen, I was excited to see them on the computer. Now the images seemed even sharper. Honestly, I’m used to sharp images from my SIGMA lenses, but these images really jumped out at me SOOC (straight out of camera) as they say.

So what SIGMA just created was a super-sharp 23mm lens that gives me the equivalent angle of view of a 35mm lens, as well as an F1.4 aperture that not only lets in a lot of light, but is sure to give beautiful bokeh and soft backgrounds. And it all fits on my small, relatively inexpensive crop sensor camera. It just keeps getting better, because SIGMA just gave us what is comparable to a 35mm F1.4 Art lens (like these options for full-frame cameras) in a much smaller, more affordable package.

And with a lens like that, why should I just keep it on the street… this lens is going to be great for travel so I can photograph cities, landscapes, people, portraits, and even food and still life images for my social media.

Now I was excited to head out and take some pictures with this little lens. I left my Sony a6000 series camera in the bag, and opted for the Sony ZV-E10. The camera and lens fit easily in my jacket pocket, so it was easy to carry around and see what would capture my interest and imagination. Of course, my day began with some coffee as I planned my route to Milwaukee. You can see how small the SIGMA 23mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary lens is… so easy for travel, compact enough to slip into nearly any jacket or bag.

Exploring with the 23mm F1.4 DC DN | C

As I explored Milwaukee and my hometown of Oshkosh, the SIGMA 23mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary made a great companion. It’s a natural focal length for street photography, works perfectly in low light, and is ideal for environmental portraits that show off the surroundings without distorting your subject. Here are some of my favorite shots from a busy weekend!

Have you ever had those ideas that seem good, but you’re just not sure if it’s going to work out? This was one of them for me. I loved the look of the ice on a patio light, but the light was pretty high up and the ground was all ice. So I carefully held up the camera as high as I could and composed on the rear LCD screen and just hoped for the best. (Yes, even professional photographers hope for the best sometimes.)

Final Thoughts on the 23mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary

As it turns out, SIGMA did have a surprise for me with the 23mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary lens. A surprise of this being one of the sharpest lenses in the Contemporary lineup, and also a surprise in what a perfect lens this is for your camera bag. Perfect for street photography. Perfect for portraits. Perfect for just carrying around so you can capture those moments that move you.

And while this lens is designed primarily for APS-C cameras – like the compact Sony body I used, or FUJIFILM X Mount cameras – it’s actually a great addition to a high-megapixel, full-frame camera as well, considering the light weight and sharp image quality. A crop sensor lens on a high megapixel camera, like the 61-megapixel SIGMA fp L, will still result in a very useable file size for photos. And if you shoot video, APS-C format lenses are great options for 4K video without breaking the bank.

If you’re looking for a truly versatile prime lens that is portable, fast, and ultra-sharp, it’s hard to go wrong with the SIGMA 23mm F1.4 DC DN | Contemporary. It’s sure to surprise you in the best ways possible!

THE ULTIMATE AIR SHOW PHOTOGRAPHY LENS: SIGMA 60-600MM F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS SPORTS

I fell in love with the original SIGMA 60-600mm DG HSM OS | Sports lens when it was introduced back in 2018. Not that my trusty SIGMA 150-600mm DG OS HSM | Contemporary lens didn’t excel at sports and action photos, but now, with the ability to shoot as wide as 60mm, I could use one lens to cover most outdoor action assignments. And for me specifically, this became the perfect lens for air shows. I loved that lens so much it was always in the car with me because it could transform any idea I had into a great photo.

Could perfection be improved upon? Of course it could if you’re SIGMA! In 2023, they introduced the new SIGMA 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS | Sports lens for Sony E-mount and Leica L-Mount… not just a lens specifically designed for mirrorless cameras, but with a new High-Response Linear Actuator (HLA) motor, and 6-7 stops of stabilization with what is called OS2.

And it is SO sharp.

I first tried the lens on a trip to photograph airliners in Los Angeles in January and was so impressed by the performance that I put all my Canon camera bodies up for sale and switched over to Sony so I could use this lens for my air show coverage.

Taking the SIGMA 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS | Sports into the field

How does the 60-600mm DG DN OS | Sports actually perform at an air show? Well, I just used it daily for 9 days at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh to capture the event for several clients, and can say if an aviation photographer could only carry one lens to photograph an air show, this is the lens.

The first thing you find impressive about this lens is that it can capture just about any subject you want to photograph with its one-of-a-kind 10x zoom – not just air show planes flying past you, but portraits, detail shots with its magnification ratio of 1:2.4, and anything in-between.

The versatility of this lens is unmatched. And that is why I kept running into photographers on the grounds at Oshkosh who were carrying a SIGMA 60-600mm lens (either this one or the DSLR version).

One advantage of this lens you might not think about right away is that just one lens on your camera means no dust on your sensor. Want to know why I mention that? 😄 Because I made the mistake of changing lenses outside on my first day at AirVenture and had a number of dust spots to remove in post. Air shows are often somewhat windy and dusty, so not having to change a lens is one of those hidden benefits. Not to mention this is a SIGMA Sports line lens, so it is completely dust and splash-resistant for use in tough conditions.

Photographing the world’s biggest air show with the 60-600mm DG DN OS | Sports

The first thing you think of when photographing at an air show is obviously the action in the sky. Here are a few examples from the EAA AirVenture 2023 to demonstrate what this lens is capable of – plus a few handy tips for your next air show experience.

A challenge for all aviation photographers is finding the correct shutter speed to have some propeller blur (see below examples) while still keeping the moving airplane in focus. I personally start out in shutter priority mode with a speed of 1/400 of a second. I set the OS switch to “2” which is designed specifically for panning (“1” is for general handheld shooting). After I get into the rhythm of panning along with the aircraft as it passes, I’ll start lowering my shutter speed so I can get more blur in the propeller.

One thing to keep in mind is that even with great technique and a great stabilization system like SIGMA’s OS2, you are still playing a game of percentages to get razor sharp photos. It’s not the lens or the camera, but trying to follow the erratic movement of an airplane doing aerobatic maneuvers.

An equal challenge is when photographing jets flying by at 600mph. While you don’t have to worry about a propeller, you have to work extra hard just to keep the plane in your viewfinder. Luckily, this lens is well-balanced, so I feel comfortable following along with these incredibly fast aircraft. To make sure my shots are sharp, I use a shutter speed of 1/1250 up to 1/4000 of a second to make sure I freeze the action, plus the fastest frame rate my camera allows.

I can’t forget the obvious benefit of zooming in tight as planes pass by you, then zooming out to capture the entire formation. With a 10x zoom lens like the 60-600mm, there’s no need to grab another camera or change lenses.

Not all interesting air show photos are in the sky, but can happen on take off and landing. It’s a great time to put your panning skills to the test, which is made easy with the 60-600’s OS2 stabilization technology. Panning T6 aircraft taking off at 1/50 of a second produced some nice background blurring. I also tried to see how slow I could hand hold when a special P-51 started up its engine. I got a very nice propeller blur at 1/15 of a second thanks to the incredible stabilization in the 60-600.

Another example of this lens’s versatility is that an air show only lasts about four hours, and most dedicated attendees will spend at least 10-12 hours there. So there are a lot of hours for you to look for other photo opportunities. Sunset for me means at least one trip to the “warbird” area to look for feature photos with warm light. After photographing the side of a P-51 Mustang, I moved in closer to capture the detail and color from the exhaust heat on the side of the plane.

When I realized how close the 60-600mm can focus, I went looking for detail shots that would be good counterpoint to airplanes in the air. The close focus of this lens made it easy to capture something many people miss when looking at the North American T6 (see below). There is a penny wired in, which is supposed to be of the date of the last overhaul.

People are also great photo subjects at an air show. From pilots to spectators, to the daughter of a photographer friend of mine. I should also mention that backgrounds at an air show are also pretty busy, but it was easy to isolate Ella (below) at longer focal lengths to avoid distractions and also get a beautiful bokeh behind her.

The evening air show gave me an opportunity to really put the lens to its biggest test. Could I use an F4.5-6.3 lens to shoot in dim light… or even at night? The lens is super sharp. The stabilization super great. So I chose my Sony A9 II camera because it’s good at high ISO, and as a sports shooter, I’m comfortable with a high ISO like that.

Jets in the evening light were easy with the ISO only going up to 2500. The light and clouds were fantastic as a backdrop to the F22 jets performing for the crowd.

The last air show act was flying in the dark with pyro lighting the airplane. I was at ISO 12800 with a shutter speed of 1/250 second and easily captured the colorful action above me.

Final thoughts on the SIGMA 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS | Sports at EAA AirVenture

After a long week and thousands of images to edit from EAA AirVenture Oshkosh, the one constant for me was how many great photos the SIGMA 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS | Sports lens produced. Not just the air show, but close up details, portraits and everything in between. I loved the original DSLR version, but I love the DG DN mirrorless version even more – improved sharpness, better image stabilization, quicker focus motor. I can’t fail at delivering these images to clients, and I know I can always trust SIGMA and my 60-600mm Sports lens to deliver for me.

FIRST LOOK: SIGMA 70-200MM F2.8 DG DN OS SPORTS LENS FOR L-MOUNT

The introduction of the new SIGMA 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS | Sports lens is fantastic news to all of us using L-Mount system cameras. (Cue Jared Polin of FroKnowsPhoto mentioning L-Mount and from the background comes a deep voice announcing the “L-Mount Alliance”)

As of now, the fast-growing L-Mount system includes a variety of camera and lens makers, most notably Leica, Panasonic, BlackMagic Design, DJI, and of course, SIGMA. And finally, a compact, lightweight 70-200mm workhorse lens is finally available for every L-Mount mirrorless camera.

Can’t wait? Check out the lens now at sigmaphoto.com

No L-Mount kit is complete without a 70-200mm!

The 70-200mm F2.8 lens has always been one of my most frequently-used lenses. Perfect for portraits, sports, events and landscapes. And now completely redesigned for mirrorless! That means smaller, lighter and sharper. And at a price that fits my budget ($1499 USD at launch).

Plus, I now have that perfect F2.8 trio of my 14-24mm F2.8 DG DN | Art lens, my 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Art lens… AND now the 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS | Sports lens. Seriously, with these three lenses, there is so much you can photograph… so many assignments you can take on and bring back amazing results.

From a personal perspective, there are certain assignments I find the SIGMA fp is perfect for, just as I find the Leica SL2-S is a great street camera for me. (On a technical point, I should point out that not all Leica cameras use L-Mount lenses. The SL model does. I picked up a used SL2-S version because it is incredible at capturing images in low light). And, the full-frame Panasonic Lumix S series is a great, versatile camera system that so many of my friends use for video.

Of course, the best way to fall in love with this lens is to get out there and photograph something with it. I like street photography, but every time I’m in a big city using, say, a 24mm or 35mm lens, I have this little voice in my head saying “wide angle captures a lot of things… but what if you had a telephoto lens with you? What if you had a lens that would allow you to zoom in to capture the graphic element of city buildings as well as being less noticeable with street portraits?” Sure, a purist street photographer might shudder at the thought of a telephoto zoom… but for me it’s all about the moment. Capturing that moment in time. Unfortunately, the size and weight of telephoto lenses in the past has always been a limiting factor when it comes to street photography. Until now.

First impressions of the 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS | Sports

Lightweight and compact, perfect for the city

Which brings me back to the new SIGMA 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS | Sports lens. I took to the streets of New York with it to finally capture the telephoto perspective of a big city. My first impression? I could not believe how small and light this lens is, all in a super rugged package. SIGMA designed the lens with inner focus and zoom so the lens remains the same length no matter what your zoom or focus is at. Whether on the street in New York or back home capturing portraits in Wisconsin, this lens is a workhorse.

This lens is almost a pound less than the SIGMA 70-200mm F2.8 DG OS HSM | Sports for DSLRs (not to mention the additional weight of the MC-21 mount converter). But you really have to pick the lens up to realize how light it is. And that makes it very easy to carry around all day.

Rugged construction for use in any conditions

It also rained for two days when I was in New York recently, but no worries, because this is a Sports line lens, which means not only a dust and splash resistant lens, but one that has a water and oil repellent coating on the front element.

Razor sharp with gorgeous bokeh

I expect every SIGMA lens I have to be sharp. But even as sharp as the previous version was, this lens is sharper. Sure, the MFT charts show you how much sharper, but it’s something you have to see for yourself when you zoom in on a portrait and look at how sharp those eyelashes are. And the fast F2.8 aperture is outstanding for natural light and low light portraits. Plus, the 11-bladed diaphragm creates a beautiful, smooth bokeh.

Game-changing image stabilization

Much like the sharpness of this lens, you have to experience SIGMA OS2 lens stabilization to see you good it is. The SIGMA 60-600mm DG DN OS | Sports lens blew me away with my first working experience with this advanced stabilization, and the new 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS | Sports lens does the same. SIGMA lists it as 7.5 stops at 70mm, and 5.5 stops at 200mm!

How did it perform in the real world? How about hand holding rapids in a river at 1/2 second. Or capturing the never-ending movement of people and traffic in New York at 1/5 second, handheld. These shots show how incredibly effective SIGMA’s OS2 system is, but in person it is even more impressive.

Excellent autofocus performance

Not only were sharpness and stabilization outstanding, but I was amazed by how quickly this new lens focused. This lens features two HLA (High-response Linear Actuator) units to drive the focus elements, which results in lighting quick and accurate focusing. It was so easy to lock focus on my friend Laura during an autumn bike ride in Wisconsin. Combining a slow shutter speed and the new OS2 in Mode 2 (for panning shots), I was able to get Laura in sharp focus while the background was a colorful blur of autumn colors.

Video features and practical controls

As a photographer, most of my experience with this lens involves shooting stills. But hybrid shooters and dedicated videographers will also find that the SIGMA 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS | Sports is a really good video lens, with features specifically intended for video work.

The most impressive one is that there is virtually no focus breathing. You can change your focus drastically, and the composition of the image does not change in your viewfinder. It’s amazing to watch in action.

In addition, the lens groupings have been designed so there is better balance to the lens when it is attached to a gimbal (those little attention to details!). The manual aperture ring can be set to click, which I like for still photos… or de-clicked which you might like better for video.

Of course, there plenty of other controls and conveniences that SIGMA lenses are known for. These include:

• Built in tripod socket with a removable foot (the foot also includes the Arca Swiss dovetail).
• Three programmable Auto Focus Lock (AFL) buttons on the barrel.
• OS switch where you can select “1” for normal stabilization and “2” for panning.
• Focus Mode switch
• Focus Limiter switch
• Custom Mode Switch, optimized for use with the UD-11 USB Dock (L-Mount only) — this allows the user to customize the OS effect in the viewfinder, as well as the focus limiter distance.
• A cool new hood, which is similar to the hood on the SIGMA 60-600mm Sports lens (made of carbon fiber-reinforced plastic)
• Manual aperture ring (click on or off)

Is this the 70-200mm lens for your L-Mount camera?

If you’re anything like me, then you have been anxiously awaiting this lens for a while. And I can tell you, the wait was worth it.

For Leica, Panasonic, SIGMA, BlackMagic, and other camera brands that have joined the L-Mount alliance, there’s no better telephoto option if you want versatility, speed, sharpness, and durability, all in a lightweight package. The SIGMA 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS | Sports lens is finally here, and it’s exactly what L-Mount needed!

TIPS FOR PHOTOGRAPHING A SOLAR ECLIPSE WITH SIGMA TELEPHOTO LENSES

If the number of articles popping up in my daily news feed about the upcoming solar eclipse are any indication, this is going to be the most watched AND most photographed event of the year. The experience of watching the eclipse hit totality and the sky darken is something you will never forget. It’s also something you won’t see again in the United States for another 20 years. And personally, the photographs I have taken of this phenomenon will be something I will always cherish.

I was fortunate enough to photograph the last total solar eclipse on August 21, 2017, and my photographs bring back an unbelievable experience every time I look at them. So, with the experience I learned photographing the eclipse back in 2017, let me share with you my plans for the April 8, 2024 eclipse.

Essential Equipment for Photographing a Solar Eclipse

Perhaps the most important aspect of photographing a solar eclipse is preparation, and that starts with getting your equipment ready.

My plan is to use two cameras with long telephoto lenses. I know my SIGMA 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG DN OS | Sports lens will capture great photos on a 61-megapixel Sony A7R V, but I’m also thinking the “dream setup” is going to be the new 500mm F5.6 DG DN OS | Sports lens in L-Mount on a SIGMA fp L camera. Because I’m choosing this combination in L-Mount, I’m able to take advantage of the TC-2011 2x Teleconverter (which is only available for L-Mount). That gives me 1000mm on a 61-megapixel camera for an incredible amount of detail.

As a backup camera for feature photos of others photographing the eclipse (as well as the possibility of a wide-angle time-lapse of the eclipse), I’m also taking along a SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Art lens and a 70-200mm F2.8 DG DN OS | Sports lens along with a Sony A1 camera.

Other great options for lenses include the 150-600mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS | Sports lens (for Sony and L-Mount), the 150-600mm DG OS HSM | Contemporary (for Canon and Nikon), and the 60-600mm F4.5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Sports (for Canon and Nikon). If your goal is to frame up a detailed close-up at the moment of totality, any one of these telephoto zooms is sure to get the job done.

And, if you are using a crop-sensor camera, consider the SIGMA 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG DN OS | Contemporary lens a great alternative for Sony and L-Mount cameras, because it will give you an effective focal range of 150-600mm. Likewise, the 100-400mm F5-6.3 DG OS HSM | Contemporary will give you the same reach for APS-C format Canon and Nikon cameras.

When it’s time to get set up, each camera will be on a sturdy tripod and have a remote trigger option (a physical cable or smartphone connection) so I can photograph with both cameras at the same time.

One thing to keep in mind is that while the tripods will keep my cameras pointed in the right general direction during the eclipse, the sun will be moving so I will be manually repositioning each camera every minute or so.

Shop SIGMA Telephoto Lenses

Solar Filters are a MUST

Let’s not forget one of the most important items when photographing the eclipse… solar filters for each lens so you don’t damage your camera sensor.

Back in 2017, I bought solar filter sheet material and glued it to the correct diameter skylight filter for the lenses I was using. While that worked, I have a better solutions in 2024.

Haida makes high-quality solar filters in thread sizes from 67mm to 95mm. My new SIGMA 500mm DG DN OS | Sports lens has a 95mm front filter size, so I’ll be using the Haida Solar Filter ND1000000 on that lens.

Get a Haida solar filter at B&H

My SIGMA 60-600mm lens uses a 105mm filter, so I will have to use my handmade 105mm filter covered in solar filter material.

And let’s not forget the photographer when it comes to solar filters… as in “eclipse glasses”. Even when working between two cameras at the height of the total eclipse, there are still those moments when you want to just look up and take it all in, and solar viewing glasses are absolutely necessary to protect your eyes.

Settings and Shooting

Getting the correct exposure for the eclipse is pretty easy just by looking at the LCD on the back of the camera, but it doesn’t hurt to have a plan before the moment arrives. Looking at my metadata from my 2017 photos provides a good starting point:

• ISO in the 100-400 range. I’m giving myself some flexibility here to compensate for the loss of brightness as the eclipse progresses, but generally, a low ISO is preferable to keep noise to a minimum.
• F-stop from F6.3 to F9. Generally lenses are sharpest in the middle f-stops, so I may start around F8 and allow changes as the brightness diminishes. One tip is not to go to F22 or F32 (or your minimum f-stop) because lens diffraction may soften your images. There’s no need for an expansive depth of field, so use the aperture that you find the sharpest overall.
• The best way to adjust exposure in a situation like this is by changing shutter speeds. My metadata from 2017 puts my shutter speed in the 1/500 second for a good starting point.
• RAW image format to allow the most adjustment in post production.
• Manual exposure mode on the camera to give the most accurate (and consistent from shot to shot) exposure control.
• Once the eclipse has entered totality, the solar filter can come off (temporarily) and exposure adjustments need to be made to make up for the loss of brightness. An interesting note from the Mr. Eclipse website is that “The corona has a surface brightness a million times fainter than the photosphere,” so make changes accordingly, and quickly.

When at full totality, I’m going to bracket my shutter speed a bit more than I did in 2017. Since you have a pretty dark image with just the corona, it’s easy to want to overexpose. The downside of that is losing detail in the corona when you zoom in during post processing. Bracketing will give you more options.

The Most Difficult Part(s)

Now for the hard part… watching the weather for the days preceding the eclipse and figuring out exactly where to go to photograph it.

In 2017, I did a somewhat short road trip from Oshkosh, WI to the Shawnee National Forest near Carbondale, IL. This year my plan is going to be similar, with options to Iowa or Missouri if weather is better to the west, or to Indiana if weather is better to the east. There is a lot of talk about the odds for clear skies being better in Texas, but that’s a bit farther than I want to travel.

I can’t give advice on where you should go, but it only takes a quick internet search to find maps on the path of the total eclipse across the United States and figure out what might work for you.

I also downloaded The Eclipse App for my iPhone that gives detailed info for each state the path of the eclipse passes through.

And the other hard part…

Getting home.

Here’s the biggest thing I learned from the 2017 eclipse experience – getting to a good spot is pretty easy. Watching the eclipse is something you will never forget. But getting home is going to be the big challenge. The Interstate going north to Wisconsin was jammed with traffic for hours after the last eclipse. Even pulling off for a long break didn’t result in traffic getting any better. So my plan this year is to stay put and edit my images right after the eclipse. Kick back for a few hours and let traffic start clearing. Then I’ll start the trip back home as sunset approaches. I’m hoping by then a lot of the traffic will have been alleviated. I’ll also look for smaller roads as I work my way north.

And, as a final backup, I have an air mattress in the back of the Bronco and I’ll just sleep a few hours and head back the next day. Sometimes, a once-in-a-generation event calls for a little adventure.

Final Eclipse Tips

• Gas or charge up often on the way to your destination so you always have plenty of range (and heat for a chilly night sleeping in the car).
• Bring plenty of water and food for the trip just in case things don’t go exactly as planned.
• Make sure you have charging capability in the car for camera batteries, your laptop, your phone, or other electronic essentials.

And most importantly, there’s this question: Why go through all of this when your photos will look like everyone else’s photos?

Simple… because they are YOUR photos.

It is an experience unlike anything else you have ever photographed. At some point, between adjusting exposure and triggering both cameras, I will stop and just look at what is happening. Look at how dark the sky has become. Look in awe at the dark sun with the corona. And wonder what people thought of this hundreds of years ago. It’s an experience you will never forget.

FIRST LOOK: SIGMA 24-70MM F2.8 DG DN II ART LENS FOR L-MOUNT

You won’t find a big red sticker with the words “New and Improved” on the new SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN II | Art lens when you first unbox it. There is just a subtle “II” inscribed on the box and lens barrel. But when you take it out of the box it feels a little bit lighter, it looks a little bit smaller, and it has the new distinctive, sophisticated look of the latest SIGMA lenses.

There is now the familiar manual aperture ring that is present on SIGMA DG DN prime lenses, plus a switch to click or de-click the movement, and a switch to lock the aperture mode (auto or manual). There are two focus hold buttons. And of course, there is the dust and splash-resistant build employed by the latest SIGMA Art line lenses.

But what about the changes you can’t see? What hidden advantages make this already fantastic redesign truly “new and improved”?

Features beyond the lens barrel

Inside the new SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN II | Art lens you’ll find:

• Improved optical performance with new glass materials and aspherical elements (6 FLD glass elements; 2 SLD glass elements, and 5 double-sided aspheric lenses)
• High speed autofocus drive speed because of a high-response linear actuator (HLA). Maximum drive speed is up to 3x faster than the previous version!
• Minimum focus distance of 17cm (at 24mm) and a magnification of 1:2.7 for excellent close focus capability
• MTF characteristics (sharpness, contrast, edge-to-edge performance) surpass the previous, highly acclaimed 24-70mm DG DN lens
• Improved sagittal flare reduction in the corners
• Weight reduced by 10%
• 11-blade rounded diaphragm for nice, smooth bokeh

But while the specs sound nice, the real difference is when you mount the lens to your camera. It’s when you take your first shots with it that you notice it does focus quicker. It’s when you download and zoom in on your computer screen that you notice the images do look sharper.

The SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN II | Art in the field

While this lens can be a workhorse in the hands of a professional, it can also be a wonderful, artistic tool in any photographer’s hands.

I put the L-Mount version of the new lens through its paces on the SIGMA fp L camera as well as the Leica SL3. Both are 60 megapixels and the high resolution makes a good test for performance.

Should you upgrade to the SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN II | Art?

So if you’re happy with your current SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN original version lens, why would you upgrade? Aside from the lighter, smaller, faster and sharper? 😊

Here’s my thought on that – I make a lot of my living with my SIGMA 24-70mm lens. I did with the original 24-70mm F2.8 DG HSM | Art lens on my Nikon a few years ago. I still do with my DG DN version on my Sony cameras. This lens carries the weight of most of the work assignments I photograph. It’s the lens I rely on to not just deliver to a client, but to make them happy. It’s a dependable lens that pays the bills. It has to be dependable and it has to do the job.

And now it will do the job even better. Remember… lighter, smaller, faster and sharper.

Conclusion

If I had to recommend just one lens to almost any photographer, a SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 lens would be the best choice. You can use it for landscape. For portraits. For travel. The versatile focal length range is perfect for so many uses.

In fact, if I could just take one lens on a trip, it would be my SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN | Art lens. And now, add the “II” to that lens, because I definitely want “lighter, smaller, faster and sharper” and this new lens absolutely delivers.

Woman with pink background:

Sigma 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens- ISO 500; f1.4 at 1/2000 second. https://blog.sigmaphoto.com/2018/sigma-art-lenses-for-sony-e-mount-hands-on-report/

The announcement by Sigma that the Art series of prime lenses would be offered in Sony E mount definitely put a smile on the face of this user of Sony cameras. While I tend to use camera bodies from several manufacturers, I have been finding several aspects of the Sony system are better fitting the needs of my current clients. And while my Sigma lenses perform great using the Sigma MC-11 Adapter, offering lenses in Sony E mount, to me, means recognition as well as commitment by Sigma for the growing number of Sony shooters. To put an even bigger smile on my face, I had the privilege to use four of the E mount Art primes this summer.

While zoom lenses tend to get the most use in my newspaper and aviation work, a prime lens just seems to scream “creativity” to me. A prime lens slows me down a bit so I can feel the photograph I see coming together in front of me. It feels more deliberate. To many, a prime lens might relate to extreme sharpness, shallow depth of field when shot wide open and beautiful bokeh- but to me it also means I don’t just stand in one spot and zoom, but have to physically move in or out to align the image in my imagination with the reality in front of me.

I found that especially true when asked to take some outdoor portraits of my friend Anneliese. With the new E mount Sigma 85mm f1.4 Art lens on a Sony A9 camera, I set out to photograph her with the concept of shallow depth of field so the concentration went to her sharply focused eyes. To do that, I used not only continuous AF, but also eye-AF on the camera. I like that continuous AF is always compensating for little movements by the subject. And eye-AF is a Sony setting that allows the camera to lock in on Anneliese’s eye and stay in focus despite the movements of her head or my movements to reframe the composition. One of the advantages of the new Sigma E mount primes is they officially support continuous Auto-focus as well as quicker eye-AF. I like shoot in silent mode and with the new lenses, there is no searching noise.

Putting these attributes to work on a real newspaper assignment, I took the 85mm Art lens on a Sony A9 to photograph a local music festival. I chose the 85mm again because I prefer staying tight on the action or subject. I was amazed at the fast continuous auto focus under extreme lighting conditions. And the sharpness blew me away.

An assignment to shoot the controls for a World War ll airplane for Flying Magazine was the perfect job for the 24mm Art. I wanted the controls to be prominent in the photograph with the background dropping out of focus. I always use back button focus, and in doing so, prefer continuous auto focus. I wanted to keep the natural lighting in the cockpit, which resulted in hand holding the camera at a slow shutter speed. Since the new Sigma E mount lenses support Sony Steady Shot, or in body image stabilization, it was easy keeping the subject in focus at 1/15th of a second.

I think after using prime lenses for a while, you start to “see” a composition based on a focal length. That is why I chose the 35mm Art lens to capture dawn along a fishing dock. Mounted on a Sony A7R3 camera with a Tiffen variable ND filter, 35mm gave me the composition I was looking for. And while the Sigma MC-ll is a fantastic adapter allowing you to use your Sigma lenses on your Sony camera, it is also reassuring to know that with early morning dew settling on your camera, you are using a lens with a brass mount, weather seal and a solid connection.

There are times when I just head out looking for whatever photos I might come across. I find those are good times to put on a prime lens and use it as a creative exercise. It’s a fun little exercise for me because it pushes me to be creative. And that creativity can show up in some of the strangest places. Such as…lunch. If you’re active on social media, you might be one to take a photo of a great meal to share with your friends. And most of the time it’s easy to just grab your phone and snap a photo. But a real lens and a real camera do a much better job. And with so many of today’s cameras able to transfer photos using built-in wifi, it takes about 30 seconds more to raise the bar from a phone photo to a great photo.  In this case, I just happened to have my Sony A7R3 with the Sigma 50mm Art with me at lunch. And the lighting…the colors…the cheese curds being used to make a Wisconsin Cheeseburger just screamed “take my picture!”  And I did. And a quick transfer from camera to phone to social media and I had shared a great meal, a great restaurant, and a great photo with my friends.

The Sigma Art series of prime lenses, now available in Sony E mount, are a fantastic addition to the Sigma family. I’ve tried to show you the practical and creative uses I’ve found for the lenses, but it’s also important to note the technical side of these lenses:

·         Continuous Autofocus is now supported
·         Does provide a rubber to seal at the mount to protect against dust. MC-11 is not weather sealed
·         Brass mount
·         Quicker Eye-AF
·         compatible with video
·         less ‘wobbling’ on the AF

Steady shot works with both EF 50 and MC11 as well as Emount 50 art on R3 and a9. AF-c makes noise and minor searches with EF/MC combo but no noise at all with E mount.