Best Sigma Lens for Video (2023 Guide & Reviews)

Sigma lenses are an optimal choice for anyone looking to get into cinematic video creation.

Sigma manufactures some exciting lenses, including standard primes, wide zooms, and super telephoto lenses. These lenses are available for various mounts, including popular full-frame, APS-C DSLRs, and mirrorless mounts. Their Art series lenses are widely known for their excellent build quality and weather sealing.

This article will examine some of the best Sigma lenses for video shooting. Many of these lenses are designed to withstand the challenges of nature and come with excellent weather sealing. Some have excellent fast apertures perfect for capturing a shallow depth of field. Many have image stabilization built-in for steady hand-held shooting.

Related Post: Best Fuji Lens for Video

QUICK OVERVIEW

Products	Features
EDITOR’S PICK 4.6 800+ 800+ Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art DG HSMSigma 35mm F1.4 Art DG HSM	Full-frame format One FLD element PRICE RANGE: Under $900 Full-frame format One FLD element PRICE RANGE: Under $900 Check price at Amazon
TOP PICK 4.8 300+ 300+ Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN ArtSigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art	Full-frame format Maximum aperture f/1.4 PRICE RANGE: Under $1200 Full-frame format Maximum aperture f/1.4 PRICE RANGE: Under $1200 Check price at Amazon
MOST REVIEWED 4.8 3500+ 3500+ Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN ContemporarySigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary	APS-C format lens Maximum aperture f/1.4 PRICE RANGE: Under $350 APS-C format lens Maximum aperture f/1.4 PRICE RANGE: Under $350 Check price at Amazon
BUDGET PICK 4.8 3000+ 3000+ Sigma 30mm F1.4 Contemporary DC DNSigma 30mm F1.4 Contemporary DC DN	Designed for the APS-C mount Maximum aperture f/1.6 PRICE RANGE: Under $250 Designed for the APS-C mount Maximum aperture f/1.6 PRICE RANGE: Under $250 Check price at Amazon

Best Sigma Lenses

Sigma 35mm F1.4 Art DG HSM

The 35mm f/1.4 is a personal favorite of mine. This lens and the 50mm prime, another one I often reach for, make quite the powerhouse kit. This lens is considered a standard prime, and you could shoot several genres using this focal length.

You can shoot street photos, weddings, group shots, and certain landscapes; although this is not a wide-angle lens, the 35mm focal length offers an angle of view of 63.4-degrees which is good enough for some landscape shots.

The fast wide aperture captures a lot of light in all conceivable situations. Compared to a kit lens with a maximum aperture of f/3.5, this one provides two and 2/3^rd-stop extra light.

This is a high-speed lens, and in good light, you can experiment with the fastest shutter speed that your camera is capable of firing. You can also still capture a decent enough exposure in low-light situations, such as when shooting indoors or using artificial lighting like street lamps or neon lights.

The fast wide aperture also helps in terms of bokeh. Nine rounded aperture blades make up the aperture diaphragm. This results in a nice beautiful bokeh.

Regarding focusing, the lens is very sharp across the frame. It uses a stepping motor-driven autofocusing mechanism. The switching mechanism for focusing speed and focus can seamlessly adjust for near and far subjects, leading to swift, smooth shifts when taking videos.

The lens also has a full-time manual focusing override for precise focusing adjustment.

That said, the lens exhibits a bit of focus breathing when rocking. This is subtle yet very much present.

The internal construction of the lens includes both low dispersion elements as well as aspherical elements. This ensures that the lens can easily counter the issues of spherical and chromatic aberrations.

Also included in the construction of the lens is a super multi-layer coating. This coating ensures that the lens can counter the problems of flares and ghosting better than lenses that do not have the coating.

It’s pertinent to mention that this lens falls under Sigma’s Art series lenses category. These lenses are designed for optical superiority.

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Sigma 24mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art

A 24mm lens is a fantastic piece of optic equipment because it can be used in various situations. It’s an excellent lens for wide-angle, cinematic shots. The angle of view offered by the lens, 84.1 degrees, is fantastic as it ensures that the lens can capture a lot of the scene.

Plus, the fast wide aperture of f/1.4 means it’s possible to isolate the subject from the background for those shallow depth of field shots.

Fast wide aperture is also helpful for shooting in low-light environments. You don’t have to push the ISO too to get the desired outcome in less-than-desirable lighting conditions.

Just because this is a wide-angle lens doesn’t discount genres like portrait photography. You will have little distortion if you keep the subject towards the middle of the frame.

Speaking of wide-angle field of view, this feature is excellent for videography. You can use this for capturing the stunning shallow depth of field shots. This is the sort of lens that works for B-rolls too.

This is a Sigma Art series lens, and true to all Art series lenses this one comes with advanced optics and excellent construction. The lens’s construction includes three ‘F’ low dispersion elements and four special low dispersion elements. Together these elements help to reduce chromatic aberrations.

Along with these, the lens also has a pair of aspherical elements. These elements ensure that any spherical aberrations are managed.

Even the outer construction is outstanding. The lens is an all-metal construction and comes with a metal mount. That said, the lens does not come with weather sealing.

For some reason, it doesn’t have a rubber sealing gasket at the rear mount, which means it’s susceptible to the elements and inclement weather.

The lens has a super multi-coating layer to control flare and ghosting. It also helps with capturing better contrast and better color accuracy.

Sigma’s hypersonic motor powers autofocusing. Consequently, autofocusing speed and accuracy are very good. The lens is equipped with a full-time manual focusing override. This allows for precise on-demand manual control over the focusing.

Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 Art DC HSM

This is a truly versatile lens on many counts. First, the lens offers a constant maximum aperture across the focal length, f/1.8.

The constant aperture is an excellent feature for videographers. This is because they can now change the focal length and zoom in and out without worrying about the aperture changing and changes in exposure.

Then you have to remember that this lens is designed for crop camera systems (APS-C); therefore, there is a crop factor involved. The focal length you get on a 35mm format is 28.8 – 56mm, which covers the essential everyday photography requirements.

This is one of the rarest wide zoom lenses in the business. The fast wide aperture is equivalent to several f/1.8 primes, such as the 28mm, the 35mm, the 40mm, and the 50mm, all rolled into one. This Sigma lens is therefore equivalent to four individual camera lenses.

This lens can shoot street photography, landscapes, interiors, architecture, group shots, weddings, and environmental portraits.

The construction of the lens is comparable to Sigma’s other Art series lenses. The engineers at Sigma have used thermally stable components (TSC) to manufacture the lens. The advantage is that the lens does not extend or contract in extreme heat or cold.

You can comfortably take this lens in any weather, and there will be no change in its optical performance. This lens is nothing like you’ve seen in an APS-C/crop format before.

However, there is also a major disadvantage along with all the positives in construction quality; this is that the lens does not come with weather sealing. Sigma has put so much into the construction of this lens, yet they have not provided it with a rubber gasket or weather sealing.

This means that despite the lens’s resistance to extreme temperatures with no degradation in optical quality, the lens cannot be exposed to inclement weather and to dusty and dirty environments.

Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary

There are rarely great lenses explicitly designed for the crop camera segment. Sigma is one of those few manufacturing brands that manufacture great APS-C lenses for various crop camera mounts. We just learned about the 18-35mm f/1.8 Art DC HSM; this Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN is another such lens.

The 16mm is best suited for wide-angle shots – it’s not a very versatile lens. You can shoot landscape shots, street shots, interiors, and groups at 16mm and an effective focal length of 24mm on a 35mm format. You can also shoot weddings and events with this lens.

This is an excellent lens for expansive panorama footage and b-rolls, however, not as effective as a portrait lens. You could probably still use this lens for shooting environmental portraits where the subject is placed right in the middle of the frame.

This prevents distortions from impacting the facial and body features of the subject. The corners of the frame are more susceptible to distortion than the frame’s center.

I need to write about the maximum aperture of this lens, without which this discussion would be incomplete. The fast f/1.4 aperture is extremely useful for background blurring and, in other words, subject separation.

Subject separation allows you to isolate the subject from an otherwise boring background you don’t need. It helps you to create that cinematic look that you crave.

Also, the fast wide aperture will help you to achieve good exposure even in low light conditions. You can use any lighting source to capture stunning videos and stills.

I like that this lens has a stepping motor-powered autofocusing technology, not a normal ultrasonic motor-powered system. Stepping motors are a tad slower, but they’re smoother, and for video shooting, they’re preferred over the traditional autofocusing motors.

Despite not being an Art series lens, it’s beneficial that this lens has weather sealing built-in.

Sigma 24-70mm F2.8 DG DN Art

The 24-70mm is a highly sought-after focal length designed for a wide range of photography requirements. The 24-70mm covers the essential prime focal lengths such as 28mm, 40mm, 35mm, and 50mm.

The maximum aperture is a constant value of f/2.8. As a videographer, someone looking to capture a steady, shallow depth of field, the constant aperture is useful.

The primary USP of the lens is through the versatile focal length range that extends from 24-70mm. You can shoot a lot of genres using this focal length, from street photography to weddings, to events, portraits, groups, landscapes, cityscapes, interiors, and everything in between.

I would mainly use the lens for two subjects: landscapes and portraits. Though the lens’s long end does not conform to the minimum requirement for portrait photography (85mm), you can take a few steps back from your subject to capture a perfect composition.

In terms of landscapes, the lens is optically very sharp at 24mm and is a perfect companion if you’re on the road for long durations.

The only thing is wide-angle lenses have a limitation; they tend to push background elements further away. You will notice this fact when shooting at the widest focal length.

This is the sort of lens you can mount on your camera, and you have no reason to take it off unless you want to swap it with the versatile 70-200mm or the 18-35mm F1.8 Art DC HSM we discussed previously. You cannot shoot fast action or sports and wildlife with this lens; those are the only exceptions. The focal length is not suitable for those uses.

One thing that may create a problem for you is the absence of image stabilization on the lens. This is still not a problem for mounts with body-based image stabilization.

But for mounts that don’t have body-based image stabilization, you have to use a shutter speed faster than the lens’s focal length.

Weather sealing ensures that the lens is usable in inclement weather without any issues. Rubber gaskets have been used at strategic points of the lens, ensuring that the lens can withstand splashes and dusty environments without any problems.

Sigma 30mm F1.4 Contemporary DC DN

Prime lenses are optically superior to zoom lenses. Well, not all of them, but it’s the general rule. This is because a prime lens has fewer moving parts inside the lens barrel. Therefore the engineers can concentrate on the lens’s optical quality, including its sharpness, contrast, and color accuracy, rather than having to split attention to the zooming function of the lens. A prime lens is also, on average, lighter than a zoom lens.

The effective focal length on a 35mm format equivalent is 45mm (crop factor of 1.5x). No point in using this lens on full-frame cameras because the lens will disregard much of the frame. So, you will lose light, and you will also lose resolution.

The 30mm f/1.4 is neither too wide and not too long. It’s just about the right focal length for experimentation with a few genres.

You can shoot street photos and group shots and wouldn’t find yourself constantly stepping backward. At the same time, the lens is good enough for taking a few environmental portraits.

If you keep the subject towards the center of the frame, you should find little distortion bothering you. In any case, distortion is mainly present towards the frame’s corners and periphery.

The major USP of the lens, however, is the fast f/1.4 aperture. You can shoot a lot of stuff in low light conditions at that aperture, and you will never regret that you don’t have a flash on you. You don’t even need to use the pop-up flash on your camera.

I believe the best light is always off-camera, so this lens gives me freedom from the pop-up flash.

With this lens, you will need to shoot at fast shutter speeds in broad daylight. This is the sort of lens in which you need an ND filter to stop down some light so you can shoot wide open. I recommend using at least a two-stop ND filter if you want to get the same f/1.4 bokeh without blowing your highlights.

The f/1.4 aperture does another thing very well, and you guessed it right. I am referring to the bokeh performance. The 9-blade aperture diaphragm creates rounded beautiful smooth bokeh.

Sigma 28-70mm F2.8 DG DN

Significantly cheaper than the 24-70mm lens we covered earlier, this is an economy version of the photography world’s (arguably) favorite zoom lens. You get the same f/2.8 constant maximum aperture across the focal length, which is a great option. That gives you the freedom to capture a shallow depth of field.

But there are cons, one of which is that this lens isn’t fully weather sealed. This lens does not have the same weather sealing as the 24-70mm f/2.8. You shouldn’t be using this lens in challenging weather, so you have to be careful when heading outdoors for a shoot.

Another con that will probably sway your decision is the optical sharpness of the lens across the frame. Corner sharpness is a matter of subjective assessment, as some people overlook it completely while others pay it more mind.

If you’re a landscape photographer, you will probably have the sky at two corners of the frame, and the other two corners will have ground elements, meaning that corner sharpness will catch your eye.

If you’re a street photographer focusing on the subject in the middle of the frame, however, then corner sharpness probably does not matter that much. The corner sharpness of the 28-70mm f/2.8 is a little soft.

Coming back to the lens pros, this is a very lightweight and compact design. At 470 grams, this is much lighter than the 24-70mm f/2.8 Sigma discussed above and many other comparable standard zoom lenses. That means if you’re traveling and need a lightweight lens that you can leave on your camera, this is a real contender for that spot.

In terms of autofocus, this lens features Sigma’s stepping motor-powered autofocusing mechanism. This is near silent and has a very smooth autofocusing mechanism, making it ideal for videographers.

Sigma 85mm F1.4 DG DN Art

An 85mm prime lens is a must-have for any portrait photographer. Just like a landscape photographer can’t afford to leave home without a wide angle zoom or at least a prime, a portrait photographer’s kit is incomplete without an 85mm prime. There are a few 85mm primes with an aperture wider than f/1.4 and this lens is one of those rare lenses.

The 85mm is at the lower end of the focal length range – it’s considered perfect for shooting portrait photography. Two more prime lenses are also trendy for shooting portraits. One is the 105mm prime, and the other is the 135mm prime.

The 85mm is a short telephoto lens designed for portrait enthusiasts. This includes portrait videos. This may be limiting for some, but may also be ideal depending on your personal videography style and platform.

Then again, the lens’s effective focal length becomes 127.5mm when you mount it on a crop camera. That’s almost touching the upper limit for an ideal portrait length. You can quickly shoot sports and other genres with tighter framing and a longer effective focal length.

If you’re a video enthusiast, you will find the fast wide aperture lens great for subject separation from the background. The f/1.4 maximum aperture melts anything in the background and foreground.

This is one of the fastest 85mm primes in the business with autofocusing. The Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM and the Canon RF 85mm f/1.2 L USM DS are the two others faster than this lens. I have not considered the manual focusing Rokinon, Mitakon, and Samyang lenses and the M43 Panasonic lenses in this mix.

Also did not consider the Voigtlander Nokton 42.5mm f/0.95, which has an effective focal length of 85mm in a 35mm format.

At f/3.5, it’s 2/3^rd stop faster than your average f/1.8 lens and nearly three stops faster than your moderate kit lens with an aperture of f/3.5. This is a  considerable advantage when shooting in low-light situations. You don’t have to push the ISO all the time to compensate for the lack of light in the scene.

The 11-blade rounded aperture diaphragm gives a beautiful round bokeh, which is another advantage of this lens.

Sigma 56mm for E-mount

This lens is designed for crop camera systems. It has a maximum aperture of f/1.4 and an effective focal length of 84mm on a 35mm format equivalent. Even though this lens is designed for crop camera systems, the effective focal length makes it an ideal portrait length, despite it being on the lower end of the portrait length spectrum.

This is an excellent lens for shooting, weddings, and sporting events, especially indoor sporting events, where the maximum aperture of f/1.4 will come in handy. You can take it outdoors and shoot in unfavorable weather because the lens is equipped with weather sealing.

The maximum aperture of f/1.4 comes in handy in low-light shooting situations. This means you can obtain well-lit images in any shooting environment. In good lighting situations, you can freeze action with this aperture. If your camera permits fast shutter speeds, this is one lens you will love using.

You can also use an ND filter with this lens. Using an ND filter allows you to shoot with a wide-open aperture and capture those shallow depth field shots in broad daylight.

For someone shooting videos, a fast aperture is an excellent tool for background separation. Using this lens, you can isolate the subject from the background and foreground and create smooth bokeh.

85mm isn’t the best focal length for shooting landscapes, but the lens may still work for certain styles.

The only con you’ll encounter with this lens is the lack of image stabilization. For camera systems with built-in body-based image stabilization, this lens will perform without any issues, but for individuals who enjoy handheld video shooting, this may be an inconvenience.

Sigma 24-105mm F4.0 Art DG OS HSM

There are multiple 24-105mm lenses available in the market and this particular construction is designed for full-frame camera systems. The lens has a constant aperture of f/4 across the focal length. This is an Art series lens and comes with the appropriate build quality.

That said, it must be kept in mind that the lens does not feature weather sealing, so if you’re planning to shoot in gloomy weather, ensure the lens is not exposed to heavy rain.

The construction of the lens is very solid. It feels sturdy in the hands, but at 885 grams, the lens is heavy to wield. Fortunately, the lens features optical image stabilization, which is handy when shooting videos with a hefty lens.

The 24-105mm focal length is a versatile one – you can do a lot using this lens. You can use the wide-angle focal length for shooting landscapes and cityscapes, while the zoom focal length covers 85mm and 105mm, which are great focal lengths for shooting portraits.

You can shoot weddings, events, a little bit of sports, portraits, and everything in between. Fast action and wildlife are the only categories this lens is not ideal for.

The focal length isn’t too long to give you sufficient safety distance, and the aperture isn’t fast enough for freezing action unless you push the ISO too high.

So, that’s all for our version of the best Sigma lenses for video!

With the list, you can find the right lens for any photography type, including portrait, landscape, macro, and even vlogging.

Hope you find the perfect Sigma lens for videography.

Which lens are you going to buy? Let us know in the comment section below!