Sigma 19 mm f/2.8 EX DN review - Build quality

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Sigma 19 mm f/2.8 EX DN

15 May 2012

Arkadiusz Olech

3. Build quality

There are already some competitors of the Sigma 2.8/19 in the Micro 4/3 system – the appropriate comparison is presented in the following chart. It would be difficult to compare them directly because two of the lenses, shown in the chart, are “pancakes” and the Voigtlander is a lot faster than the Sigma and fully manual to add. Also in the Sony system there is hardly anything to compare the Sigma to. It’s worth noticing, though, that the tested lens can be a certain alternative to the 2.8/16 “pancake” if you can make do with a noticeably narrower field of view.

In the picture below the tested Sigma 2.8/19 is positioned next to the Sigma 1.4/30.

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The tested lens starts with a metal mount with contacts. The mount surrounds a rear element, about 15 mm in diameter, which is hidden inside the barrel about 1 cm deep.

The body of the lens itself is very ascetical. First we see a narrow, immobile and ribbed ring behind which there is a smooth part of the casing with the name, the serial number and the range of the lens’s focusing mechanism. The next element is a manual focus ring, almost 17 mm wide, covered by rubber ribs and featuring electronic transmission. It means that turning it gives an effect only when the lens is connected to a working body. Running through the whole distance scale takes a turn through about 90 degrees.

With that manual focus ring the lens ends. At the front you can find a non-rotating filter thread, 46 mm in diameter, which is surrounded by an inscription with the name of the lens and the information that it was produced in Japan. The front element is immobile, small and noticeably convex. Its diameter amounts to about 20 mm.

It’s a pity the Sigma constructors didn’t think of a place for a distance scale and a depth of field scale on the barrel. In a fixed focal lens of this class both features would be very desired. When it comes to the inner construction we deal here with 8 elements positioned in 6 groups. Three elements are aspherical. Inside, you can also find an aperture with seven diaphragm blades which can be closed down to the value of f/22.