When it comes to choosing a nice lens, one can always find themselves at their wits’ ends. Some lenses offer great performance, while others have a better form factor. However, to find one that can bridge the gap between price and performance is always a challenge. If you are an L-mount user, you may have seen some expensive options from Leica or Sigma. But worry not. There are some budget offerings too, and we are here to showcase two such lenses.
Sigma 17mm F4 Contemporary
Why is it great? The 17mm is good when it comes to design. It is lightweight, small, and has a close 12 cm minimum focusing distance. For a non-macro lens, you also get a nice 0.28x reproduction ratio. It is also quite fast, even when subjects are walking towards it, such as dogs or kids. There is also a nice luxurious build, and it feels great in your hands. The lens has some sealing at the mount; that’s all. This means you can’t take it out during rains.
What makes it unique? The L-mount Sigma lens offers a nice wide-angle view and colors and creates good photos. The character is also great. You get some nice bokeh at minimum focusing distance, and the background looks like a zoom burst due to some perspective distortion and blur. Moreover, points of light are rendered pretty well, too. Those going for color will like how soft and muted they appear. The lens character is also nice, especially when it is shot against direct sunlight. The images are also sharp, without overdoing it.
Who is it for? The 17mm is perfect for L-mount users who like to shoot landscapes, products, stars, and events. It also has a lot of character, so you can use it for environmental portraits.
The subjects are nicely crisp but without being painfully so. The edges do have a bit more softness than the center. But unless you are cutting off the subject on the edge or extreme corner, it’s still plenty sharp.
Sigma 20-200mm F3.5-6.3 DG DN
What makes it great? When it comes to its autofocus, the lens is snappy and locks focus quickly; it also has a nice minimum focusing distance of half a foot. This means people shooting faster subjects will not necessarily lose out on the shots. The other strength is that images are sharp and clean. There is also no vignetting or aberrations across the zoom range.
Why is it unique? There are many plus points with this lens. It has a fast aperture in its class. It is also quite flexible in terms of zoom, which is 10x. There is also some nice weather resistance, which means it can withstand some challenges outdoors. It is also lightweight, feels nice in your hands, and is an all-around lens for under $1000. Moreover, it is a simple lens with basic controls.
Who is it for? The L-mount lens is great for those who want to shoot landscapes, cityscapes, weddings, portraits, birds, and photojournalism.
One of the biggest considerations when purchasing any lens is the quality of the images it produces. Sigma has been making some clinically sharp lenses with natural color reproduction for over a decade.
