Sigma A 28-105 mm f/2.8 DG DN review - Summary

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Sigma A 28-105 mm f/2.8 DG DN

12 November 2024

Maciej Latałło

11. Summary

Pros:

solid, weather-sealed construction,
very good image quality in the frame centre across the whole focal range,
good image quality on the edge of the APS-C/DX sensor,
slight longitudinal chromatic aberration,
low lateral chromatic aberration,
low astigmatism,
very low vignetting on the APS-C sensor,
sensible performance against bright light,
silent, quick, and accurate autofocus,
negligible focus breathing,
unique parameters.

Cons:

huge vignetting on full frame,
distinct distortion on both ends of the focal range,
noticeable spherical aberration that makes itself felt especially in the middle of the focal range.

This test was pretty work-consuming – I had to check four focal lengths and make additional measurements to show the real scale of the spherical aberration in this lens. Still, the Sigma was also a joy to test. In my case, checking the performance of interesting instruments with original parameters is always a great fun.

Combining the 28-105 mm focal range with the f/2.8 aperture meant there would be some compromises, especially that Sigma priced their new lens quite moderately. Its current price tag amounts to $1500 and I admit it doesn't seem too high for such an original construction. I didn't have any doubts that this lens would have distinct vignetting and distortion – both these aberrations can be easily corrected by software. Of course every correction has its price but here Sigma managed to offer some spare field of view to make the correction as efficient as possible without limiting declared parameters.

Still noticeable spherical aberration is not especially nice and, to be honest, a quite surprising flaw. Its presence lowered the maximum performance of the Sigma and influenced our final assessment. Of course this assessment remains high because, with such exorbitant parameters, the lens still is able to offer you very sharp images across the whole focal range and apertures in the frame centre and on the edge of the APS-C sensor. On slight stopping down it is also true for full frame.

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We should be pleased with the fact that the producers still try to surprise us with new solutions. The Sigma A 28-105 mm f/2.8 DG DN is certainly such a surprise and we admit in the end, it proved to be very nice.