In late 2019 I reviewed the Sigma 45mm F2.8 DN lens, and, while I loved the build of the lens, I concluded that it was a bit of an oddball. It was released in concert with a couple of other lenses, one being the uber-premium 35mm F1.2 DN and the other being the 24-70mm F2.8 DN ART. The design of the 45mm F2.8 was completely different than any other Sigma lens…including the other lenses it was released alongside. The optical performance was not very Sigma, either, with the emphasis being on the quality of the background blur rather than the sharpness of the lens (which I was frankly somewhat disappointed with). A year later, however, and things start to make a little more sense, as it turns out that Sigma was experimenting with a new sub-class within their Global Vision “Contemporary” line-up – the i-Series. These lenses are designed for those who love A) exceptional build and care over the tactile feel and handling of their gear B) who aren’t interested in their lenses being “clinical” but prefer beautiful, “analog” rendering rather than just sterile sharpness. Sigma is releasing two new lenses in the i-Series side by side, and both of them are beauties. One is the Sigma 35mm F2 DG DN that we are looking at today, and the other is the Sigma 65mm F2 DG DN that we will cover shortly. These lenses will soon be joined by a fourth lens in the series – the Sigma 24mm F3.5 DG DN. The i35 (as we’ll call it for brevity), will very likely be the most popular of this newly announced trio.

Why? Above all because of the popularity of the focal length, but also because after spending time with the lens, I think the i35 may be the most well executed package of any of the smaller aperture 35mm lenses available on Sony FE, with a truly gorgeous build, excellent autofocus, and similarly excellent image quality.

Sigma’s marketing of the “i-Series” has three concepts, “Identity – Celebrating your uniqueness | Iconic – A fresh approach to lens design | Instinctive – Intuitive user experience”. Most of that is, frankly, marketing gobbly-gook that sounded really clever to the marketing team (the same team that brought you “Contemporary” as a lens designation) but is rather meaningless in the real world. I’m not quite sure how purchasing a camera lens marketed to the masses is “celebrating my uniqueness”, but I digress. I’ll forgive the marketing mostly because the actual lenses are beautifully crafted and a real joy to use.

As we will also see, I think that Sigma has managed to strike a nice balance between a high quality rendering along with excellent sharpness. This isn’t a cold, sterile lens, but rather one with some character despite being well corrected. I had to compress my review cycle due to scheduling, but I was able to get a lot of great images with the lens nonetheless. It excelled at everything from landscapes to portraits to general purpose shots. There are focal lengths I enjoy more than a 35mm lens; they are just so versatile. You can watch for my review coverage of the lens, or just check out the photo galleries below.

Photos of the Sigma 35mm F2 DN

Photos Taken with the Sigma 35mm F2 DG DN

Gear Used:

Purchase the Sigma 35mm F2 DG DN @ B&H Photo | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Ebay

Purchase a Sony a7C @ B&H Photo | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Ebay

Purchase a Sony a9M2 @ B&H Photo | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Ebay

Sony a9 Camera: B&H Photo | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Ebay
Sony a7RIV Camera: B&H Photo | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK | Amazon Germany | Ebay
Sony a7R III Camera: B&H Photo | Amazon | Camera Canada | Amazon.ca | Amazon UK | Ebay
Peak Design Slide Lite: Peak Design Store | B&H Photo | Amazon | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK
Sony a6500: B&H Photo | Amazon | Amazon.ca | Amazon UK | Ebay
Peak Design Leash Strap: Peak Design Store | B&H Photo | Amazon | Amazon Canada | Amazon UK
BenQ SW271 4K Photo Editing Monitor – B&H Photo | Amazon | Amazon.ca | Amazon UK
Adobe Photoshop Creative Cloud 1-Year Subscription
Exposure Software X5 (Use Code “dustinabbott” to get 10% anything and everything)
Visit Dustin’s Amazon Storefront and see his favorite gear

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Keywords: Sigma 35mm F2, Sigma 35 F2, i35, Sigma 35mm F2 DN, DN, DG, 35mm, F2, Review, Sigma 35mm F2 Review, i-Series, Review, Sony a7C, Sony Alpha 7C, Sony a7C Review, ILCE-7C, Sony, Review, Hands On, Dustin Abbott, Real World, Comparison, Sharpness, Bokeh, Flare Resistance, Autofocus, Image Quality, Sample Images, Video, Photography, Sony a9, sony a7III, sony a7RIII, a7R3, Leica L

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