Tech Tuesday—Sigma's 60mm f/2.8 MFT Lens First Look

October 29, 2013

By Laura Brauer

If you were at PhotoPlus Expo last week, you might have noticed some interesting and exotically painted models at the Sigma booth.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

© Theano Nikitas

As part of the Sigma Safari Experience (see video clips from the show here), Sigma pros gave demos and attendees were invited to shoot using a variety of cameras and lenses. I happened to have the Olympus OM-D E-M1 with me and decided to check out the Sigma Micro Four Thirds 60mm, f/2.8 prime lens.

60mm_f28_black

Sigma’s Micro Four Thirds 60mm, f/2.8 prime lens.

The lens, which is also available for E-mount cameras from Sony, was introduced earlier this year. It’s small, light and, best of all, our quick test shots were extremely sharp—sharper and more detailed than we would expect from a $350 lens. (And that’s the MSRP price, so you know you can get it for less.)

Focusing is smooth and, with the 2x crop of MFTs, the 60mm’s 35mm-equivalent focal length of 120mm, worked well for a quick series of portraits. I moved in fairly close and really liked the dramatic lighting effect but was even more impressed when I looked at the images on the camera’s LCD and then at 100 percent on my computer. To give you an idea of the type of sharpness and detail you can expect from the Sigma 60mm, f/2.8 MFT lens, check out the 100 percent crop of one of Sigma’s models above.