Sigma I series lenses are an interesting set of lenses, currently including 7 lenses with 20mm, 24mm, 35mm, 45mm, 65mm and 90mm. The focal length covers from wide angle to medium telephoto, which is suitable for shooting on most subjects. We have used this set of lenses many times and took them through Chongqing and Lijiang. After using it many times, we have some insights into it.
TIPS:
How to understand "I"? It represents the Incredible Optical Quality, Impressive Build Quality and Innovative User Experience, with the goal of becoming a "small and advanced fixed-focus lens". They are all micro single lens that supports full frame, and offer Sony E-mount and "Malayson" L-mount.
▎Q: After using Sigma I series lenses many times, what is the biggest feeling this set of lenses gives you?
Xiao Xue: My biggest feeling about Sigma I series lenses is that they are "good-looking"!
Now everyone is a good-looking player. The overall appearance design of this set of lenses in the I series is actually quite different from the previous lens designs of Sigma . They are all made of all metal materials and have a strong texture. The lens has a unified vertical texture design, which looks pleasing to the eye when used, and it also shows very exquisitely when it appears in other people's lenses.
Secondly, there are many focal lengths of the I series, with the widest range of 20mm and the longest range of 90mm, from ultra-wide to medium-telephoto, covering the more commonly used fixed-focus lenses. Although the aperture of the I series lens is not particularly large, the maximum aperture such as f2 and f2.8 is actually very practical, and the lens size is not too large. So I think the I series lens is a good companion for us to shoot streets in the city.
Dog Brother: actually has a very small and exquisite lens, taking the high-end and fashionable route, basically covering the focal length of hanging head that everyone uses. Although the aperture is not large, the maximum aperture quality is very excellent. Whether it is taking photos on the machine or using them to shoot videos, it has good performance.
For users who travel around the world with one camera, the I series lens is very suitable for carrying around, sweeping the streets on the road, or going out to party with friends... are all very good choices.
Editing Light Bulb: My biggest feeling about this set of lenses is that they are light, because we used to hike in Tiger Leaping Gorge in Yunnan with Sigma FP, FP L and three I series lenses. The hiking route includes climbing and going down the mountain. This set of shooting equipment is put into our backpack, and it will not cause much burden.
▎Q: Compared with other manufacturers with the same focal range, what are the advantages of I series lenses?
Dog Ge: In fact, in terms of design concept, the I series lens is never to meet the needs of the focal length. The reason why this series was born is to bring users the smallest and most exquisite appearance and the lightest use feeling. For example, Sigma actually has a variety of products with different aperture sizes in focal lengths such as 24mm and 35mm, which fully demonstrates that Sigma hopes to be a better choice for users who pursue the best portability.
Therefore, in the context of pursuing large aperture lenses, the product design concept of the I series itself is a kind of "subversion".
Due to its small size, moderate weight, and excellent large aperture quality, the I series lens has another place to use it - it is very suitable for use with DJI Ronin 4D, which is a good addition to its current native bayonet lens.
▎Q: If you want to select one or two lenses for external shooting, which one would you choose? Why?
Xiao Xue: first choose 35mm F2, because I remember using this lens. What I like most is its closest benchmarking distance. As a 35mm lens, its closest distance is 27cm. In fact, the pictures taken will have a very wonderful feeling because it has a wider perspective and perspective, and then it can be taken very close-up.
and 35mm is also my favorite focal length. Daily shooting, such as street shooting, has a wide field of vision. If you want to get closer, you can get closer by yourself. It is a feeling of being able to attack and retreat and defend.
And the other one must be 90mm F2.8, which is the longest one in I lens. I like the telephoto lens , which is also very suitable for close-ups, still lifes and portraits, so I feel it is very good.
Dog Brother: still need to make choices based on the shooting subject and shooting environment.
I series lenses have one biggest feature - portability, so there is actually no telephoto. We believe that 90mm can only be considered a center-focus telephoto, and the entire series is actually more ultra-wide angle, wide angle and medium-focus. Basically, they are all hang-up focal lengths. A very important point when choosing is to play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses.
So, if I am wandering around the city, I might choose 24mm and 65mm. The advantage is that 24mm can be relatively more expandable in the city, while 65mm can take pictures of some relatively friendly perspectives, and is more close-up and more controllable than 45mm or other focal lengths. If you are shooting videos, for example, installed on DJI Ronin 4D, then for the sake of easy control, 45mm is actually a good choice.
Editing bulb: I will choose 35mm F2 because I will use it more often to shoot videos. 35mm is the focal length we call Pijin Oil, and the composition can be changed through the movement of the body. And this focal length is also very suitable for time-lapse shooting.
In addition, the F2 aperture is not particularly large, but overall it is very sufficient. Faced with some darker environments, I can reduce the camera's sense of height and get a better overall picture quality.
is in addition to this, 90mm F2.8, because in video creation and photo shooting, sometimes close-up images are needed, as well as some more compressed images.
▎Q: In addition to the picture quality and performance, what other surprises are there in the I series lens?
Editing Light Bulb: Last October, DJI released its own movie machine, Ronin 4D. We got the machine in advance, but it could not provide us with many shots. However, since the Ronin 4D can be directly replaced with an E-mount, we used the Sigma I-series lens on the Ronin 4D. It is precisely with the assistance of Sigma I series lenses that we have room to play when shooting samples. Otherwise, there is no way to shoot a complete film with just a DL bay 35mm F2.8.
At the beginning, after the I series lens is installed, it needs to be calibrated in Ronin 4D. After the calibration is completed, it is very smooth whether it is autofocus or manual focus of to . The subsequent Ronin 4D has undergone a firmware upgrade, adapting to all I series lenses except 20mm F2, so you can no longer calibrate it, just like the E-mount microscope, ready to use. The
I series lenses are small in size and can be leveled very easily after being matched with Ronin 4D. Because the special feature of Ronin 4D is that it has four axes, it places some restrictions on the size, circumference and weight of the lens. Some brands of fixed-focus is very large. If it is put on Ronin 4D, it is difficult to level, and it may even be impossible to install, but the I series can be leveled easily.
Dog Brother: The I series lens is small, but it is shot with DJI Ronin 4D. The video quality is very excellent. Moreover, the color of Sigma lens is relatively neutral, so the color restoration is very real, and it is also very convenient to adjust color in the later stage. Moreover, because they are a set of lenses, their colors are relatively uniform. Whether it is wide-angle or telephoto, the color matching of the picture in the later stage will not be troubled by color difference.
In addition, their resolution is relatively high, and the details of the picture are performed very well after taking it. In fact, the F2 or F2.8 fixed-focus lens will have a stronger outline than the zoom head, so the three-dimensional feeling of the character or subject is relatively strong.
▎Q: Is there anything you feel regretful about the I series lens?
Xiao Xue: Because when we were shooting outside Lijiang, we had many details and small scenes worth taking, so we used 65mm and 90mm.
is best to put on the tripod in this case, because the body and lens have no anti-shake. Once the light is relatively dark, it may be false when the video is shot. There is no way to be too stable when shooting videos. It may require different degrees of stability to be achieved later.
Editing light bulb: Currently, the longest lens of the I series is 90mm F2.8. In fact, sometimes it is not enough. For example, if you take pictures of the snow-capped mountains in Lijiang, it is not enough. The compression feeling of 90mm is actually not enough.
▎Q: If the I series will launch new products later, what are your expectations?
Xiao Xue: As a Fuji user, my selfishness is that I hope Sigma can produce APS-C version of the I series lens, which can be smaller in size, and some I series fixed-focus lenses with X-mounts should be very beautiful when paired with the Fuji body.
Editing bulb: I hope Sigma can use ultra-wide-angle lenses such as 16mm or 14mm, and when shooting landscape delay light themes, it can give us more perspective choices.
TIPS
"I"I" series is not independent of the existing Art, Sports, and Contemporary series product lines, but a concept under them. So in the future, there may be "I" series lenses of the Art product line.
