SIGMA 70-200mm F/2.8 DG DN OS Sports Lens Announced – Full Frame, Fast Telezoom for E-mount and L-mount

Lens News

by Omri Keren LapidotNovember 17^th, 2023

SIGMA announced their new 70-200mm F/2.8 DG DN OS Sports lens. The new telezoom will complete the mirrorless F/2.8 trio, sometimes referred to as “the holy trinity” of lenses. The 14-24 f/2.8 DG DN takes the wide end, the 24-70 F/2.8 stretches across most mainstream focal lengths, and the new 70-200 will cover the long end.

Rumors about the new SIGMA 70-200mm F/2.8 DG DN OS Sports lens have been circulating for quite some time now, and today SIGMA put an end to the speculation. The new lens is a part of SIGMA’s Sports series. As part of SIGMA’s Global Vision, lenses are divided into three segments: Art for most high-end, fast aperture prime lenses (and some zooms), Contemporary for basic zoom lenses, and slower, more compact primes, and Sport for high-end tele lenses aimed at sports and wildlife.

Design and ergonomics

As a professional-level telephoto zoom, the Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG DN OS includes various features, control points, buttons, switches, and rings. All are encased in a hardened weather-sealed chasse. These include an aperture ring (as well as zoom and focus rings, of course) a click/de-click switch for smooth aperture transition in video, a custom three-position switch, an OS mode switch, a focus range limiter, an AF/MF switch, and three AFL (autofocus lock) buttons around the front of the lens. Specific cameras may use them as custom buttons. All of this fits into a 1285g lens (tripod leg detached).

The new lens incorporates several new technologies and features, some of which have already been incorporated into other SIGMA lenses. The autofocus motor is a High Response Linear Actuator (HLA). This motor may be found in SIGMA’s 60-600mm super tele, but the 70-200 autofocus works with two units in conjunction to achieve fast autofocusing.

The Optical Stabilization (OS) unit uses the latest algorithms. This should result in 7.5 stops at the wide end and 5.5 stops at the telephoto end, regardless of the internal stabilizers. These are SIGMA’s numbers at this point, so we’ll have to take a deeper look once the lens is out in the field.

Optical design

The Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG DN OS Sports boasts a rather complex optical formula, but that’s in line with most 70-200mm zooms. The formula is made of 20 elements in 15 groups, including 6 FLD elements (yellow), 2 SLD elements (blue), and 3 aspherical elements (red lining).

Such a complex design is essential for maintaining a high level of optical performance across the aperture and zoom range. The new lens should also align with its two zoom sisters in terms of color and rendering. Cinematographers out there will be delighted to see the minimized focus breathing on this lens:

Who is it for?

The 70-200mm focal range is considered a classic among stills photographers. Every system features at least one such lens, while most established systems offer two or more, differing in aperture or other features. 70-200mm lenses cover most mainstream tele needs, from portraits to indoor sports, and from wildlife to journalism. With the new 70-200mm F/2.8 DG DN OS, SIGMA catches up with the rest of the industry, offering a modern, mirrorless, full-frame lens, shaving off about 30% of the older model’s weight, improving most, if not all, mechanical and optical aspects of this classic.

Alternatives

In recent years the industry has seen an impressive evolution in the 70-200mm department. Canon took the most radical approach with their RF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM lens. Letting go of the traditional internal zoom design, Canon managed to produce the smallest 70-200 f/2.8 on the market, without any significant optical compromise. Anyway, as the new SIGMA is only available in e-Mount and L-Mount, we’ll take a look at alternatives under this scope.

L-mount alternatives

Panasonic’s offerings are quite limited. The company offers the rather massive Panasonic Lumix S PRO 70-200mm f/2.8 O.I.S. lens. While excellent in terms of optics and solidly built, this one has a rather traditional design resulting in over 1.5kg in weight. It also costs about $500 more. The LUMIX does support a nice clutch mechanism for linear, repeatable manual focus and will sync stabilization with LUMIX cameras.

E-mount alternatives

Sony offers the excellent FE 70-200mm f/2.8 GM OSS II. This is the pinnacle of Sony’s GM series, with every conceivable feature and perk. Though the SIGMA isn’t far behind in that regard the FE 70-200mm weighs almost 300g less (1045g including the tripod leg). Such a product won’t come cheap and the Sony will set you back about $2800, almost twice the price of the new SIGMA. If this is too pricey, there’s the Tamron 70-180mm f/2.8 Di III VC VXD G2. As the featherweight champion in this ring, it does compromise the tele edge for a lens much lighter and more affordable than all other contenders ($1300) There are also f/4 options available for both Sony and LUMIX.

Price and availability

The Sigma 70-200mm f/2.8 DG DN OS Sports is available for pre-order for $1497 or €1321.

So will the new lens complete your fast-aperture zoom set? Do you find it helpful for your type of work? Let us know in the comments.