Sigma A 14-24 mm f/2.8 DG DN review - Distortion

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Sigma A 14-24 mm f/2.8 DG DN

23 December 2019

Arkadiusz Olech

6. Distortion

In the case of the smaller APS-C sensor distortion remains visible only at the 14 mm focal length where it amounts to −2.19%. In the middle of the focal range it drops to an imperceptible level of −0.30%, then it changes sign and, at 24 mm, it turns into pincushion variation of an equally imperceptible level, +0.37%.

The situation changes dramatically after passing to full frame: at the shortest focal length you have to deal with quite high barrel distortion getting to −4.18%. It's a result practically identical to −4.22% showed by the Sigma A 14–24 mm f/2.8 DG HSM. Still it has to be noticed that the mirrorless model took a shortcut here because it features slight moustache distortion as well, unfortunately more difficult to correct than the ordinary 'barrel' variation. If you limit yourself to the 1:1 markings, so a place where you still cannot notice bent lines caused by moustache deformations, the distortion result jumps to −4.83%.

In the middle of the focal range distortion doesn't bother us almost at all, amounting to −0.93%. You can describe the maximum focal length in similar terms because distortion at that place, and more precise its 'pincushion' variation, amounts to just +0.71%.

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It's a pity the Sigma didn't manage to correct this aberration a bit better. On the other hand distortion is one of easier aberrations to correct with the help of software (but only at a cost: after cropping images you loses some part of field of view) and if, leaving it as it is, the lens manages to improve its performance in other categories, perhaps it is a price worth paying.