Sigma 45mm f2.8 Contemporary L Mount Lens

[lanetomlane]

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We've just spent two weeks in Greece on the island of Kos. I took the SL2, the 24-90mm and the 16-35mm SL Vario-Elmarit lenses. At the last minute I also threw in the Sigma 45mm F2.8 Contemporary lens, a lens I've probably had for a year or so, but hardly used because I thought it would have such an inferior IQ compared to the SL Zooms.

Walking around one day I decided just to take the Sigma lens and on returning home, was blown away by the quality when I viewed the images on the computer. Certainly, in good light, I would have no hesitation in using it again.

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[oldwino]

It's a good lens. Maybe a little soft wide open and close up, but that can sometimes be used to your advantage...

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[blessingx]

28 minutes ago, oldwino said:

It's a good lens. Maybe a little soft wide open and close up, but that can sometimes be used to your advantage...

Same here. I do stop down to f/4 at times for this reason, but performance strong enough for me to consider a couple other of the rebranded "I-series".  

[jaapv]

Thanks - I just bought a mint pre-owned one for next to nothing. Looking forward to using it.

[lanetomlane]

6 minutes ago, jaapv said:

Thanks - I just bought a mint pre-owned one for next to nothing. Looking forward to using it.

Enjoy it Jaapv, I was certainly pleasantly surprised.

[BernardC]

2 hours ago, oldwino said:

It's a good lens. Maybe a little soft wide open and close up, but that can sometimes be used to your advantage...

That was part of Sigma's design philosophy. They wanted it to have a vintage feel up-close and wide-open. It's sharper when you go beyond arm's length, or when you stop-down. I don't do weddings anymore, but it would be great for a lot of the extra coverage: food, flowers, rings, etc.

[darylgo]

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Thanks for posting this info, I've been admiring this lens since it was introduced but haven't purchased it.  The price and size are compelling, Leica has ignored this segment of the market, perhaps they can't compete anywhere close to the price.  

[Chris Nebard]

I have the 45; it’s convenient & feels good to use - it just looks like it belongs on the camera. Some complain of that softness wide open but, as BernardC says, it’s a design choice and is only apparent at very close range anyway (at least to my eyes). It’s there to be used, for the subtle, pleasant glow, if it suits the shot. Stopped down I’m getting pictures I really like. Again, some disagree and think it’s very average - this may be me and my technical inability but I just don’t get that at all.  I’m in grave danger of committing a cardinal sin here but this lens might be about as enjoyable to use as an M lens on the SL2-S. And at least you’ll be sure the camera reads the aperture accurately whereas, with M lenses and the adapter, it is estimated and is sometimes recorded incorrectly. For me, anyway, it’s a great lens and is there to be enjoyed. 

[Alberti]

I talked with a lens reviewer/adviser, he said the Contemporary-labelled 45mm is great, has an all-metal construction and the quality would make it fit into the Art-label category, but placing the 'simple' lens into a category is a marketing choice. In fact, he hinted the build is on par with the equivalents from Wetzlar.

The 45 is 'small'. But I like the 35 or 40mm Summicrons better for size. 🥰 Of course. I'll have to wait for an adapter.

The 45-copy I bought was a new-in-box one, occ. No fingerprints, no dust. No chance of having rolled down a slope. LOL. Like I said, marketing is all about product/price/placement.

[Stuart Richardson]

It's a good lens...not a great lens. Build quality is very good, but the construction is not as solid feeling as the Leica lenses. I don't think this matters in practice. When I used it I found it had good sharpness at distance when stopped down slightly. As said, close up and wide open it is not sharp. I did not love the overall look, and I would be more forgiving if it were an f2 or 1.4 lens which got sharp at 2.8, but for me having to be at 4 or 4.5 to get a good result close up was less than ideal. In the end, I went for a 50mm APO Summicron and could not be happier. Obviously that is a much much more expensive lens and heavier/bigger. But it is also, in my opinion, a much much better lens. I am not down on Sigma...I have their 24mm 3.5 and 35mm f2 lenses, and I think they have a lot more to offer than the 45mm. The 24mm is sharp from wide open, and light and cheap for this focal length. The 35mm has a better overall character than the 45mm in my mind. It is a bit bigger, but also faster and sharper. I think if size is a true concern and you can bear losing AF, there are a lot of M lenses than can do this job better...not just from Leica, but also from Voigtlander. 

 

BTW, with respect to zoom lenses. The 45mm 2.8 is still a prime lens, and as such, it tends to be a lot better than zoom lenses, especially in the field. As good as the SL zooms are, they are still worse than good primes in their respective focal lengths, no matter what marketing likes to say. They are very convenient and cover a wide range of focal lengths in one lens. That is the best characteristic. They are especially good for portraiture (where your edges are often irrelevant), or for things where you can't carry multiple lenses easily. If you are looking for edge to edge quality, however, primes are still the way to go. In this case, a 45mm 2.8 could be a very good compliment to a SL kit with zooms, as Tom (I guess from your username, right?) indicated in the first post. Stopped down in the Greek light, I am sure the 45mm 2.8 gives really good images while being very compact and very inexpensive. As the light dies here in Iceland, however, I will stick to my lenses that are sharp at f2!

Edited October 27, 2021 by Stuart Richardson

[Simone_DF]

I have both the Sigma 45mm and the 50 Summicron SL, and I use them both. Each has its strenght. The Summicron wipes it away for sheer performance, but it's bigger, heavier, bulkier, and 10x more expensive. I'll see if I can post a photo of the two lenses side by side. The 45mm is cheap and small, and it's a very good performer. It's a perfect every day lens, I love its aperture ring and wish Leica did the same with the SL lenses. It has a very pleasing bokeh, at least to me it looks good. 

[ZHNL]

This is one of my favorite AF lens. It force me to have decent DOF by limit max aperture to f2.8 At close distance, its contrast is low and having SA, however, I love the look it gives as it is most likely for portrait at this range. This lens is small but has nice coverage that doesn't show much corner constrain (cat eye) compare to other modern glass. The Bokeh looks very good (note: not shallow but one of best I feel)    

It never wins any sharpness contest even stop down (it is a sharp lens after f4 though) but since I changed from SL2 to SL2S, this became a even less concern. If I can only have one AF lens for any L system, this will be it. It is that lovely. 

[augustwest100]

I’m no expert in image quality, but the small size and weight of the Sigma gives it a really nice feeling in use on the SL system for street photography and travel. It feels good, and the aperture ring is a nice plus. I prefer M lenses when autofocus is not needed. But this is one of the nicer options if you consider overall size and weight and need autofocus. Reminds me a bit of the way the Sony FE 55 1.8 felt on the A9. They go well together. That’s how I would describe the Sigma with the SL2S. 

[rickatwoodme]

I and and quickly sold this lens; it just didn't work for me image quality wise as others have noted. As a daily carry, it was replaced by the new-ish Lumix 50mm 1.8 - which is perfect, fast, silent focus and very light; The Sigma is much better built though, and all metal.. but the Lumix is darn sharp wide open even closeup, and focuses instantly and is even cheaper brand new. 

[tom0511]

I tried the Sigma 45 twice but since I also own the 35 and 50 Summicron and feel I prefer the rendering of the Summcirons (less, contrasty, better midtowns and overall smoother look IMO) I decided to not get the 45 Sigma. 

If I didn't have the Summicrons I would own the Sigma. For the price its a great lens and the smaller size is very appealing too.

 

[setuporg]

I packed Sigma 24/2, 35/2, 65/2, 90/2.8, and Panasonic 50/1.8 for a Thanksgiving trip.  The images are absolutely amazing and the camera felt a normal, not front-heavy as usual.  It's almost like packing an M with a bunch of small lenses.  Sure they are not APO.  But the photos are awesome.

[Olaf_ZG]

I bought the 45mm very cheap, for a price I couldn’t let go. As an all round lens, it might be ok, but for portraits I am not happy: it is too soft, but without character. Below an example, taken with the SL, but in comparison with an old ‘cron50, the latter wins.

That said, general photography is ok-ish, so I am not dissatisfied with the lens.

I hoped it could be an af-portrait lens, but it ain’t. Back to manual focus it is.

 

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[huwm]

Try the 65/2