Here are some sample images I’ve taken with the Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary lens. It’s a fast prime designed for Sony’s E-mount cropped-sensor APS-C cameras in the Alpha range.
I’ve been using this lens on the Sony a6700. And I’ve also been using it alongside a Sony E 15mm f/1.4 G, which is a direct competitor. (I’ll post a side-by-side comparison of them separately.)
I’ll post my hands-on review separately, but I wanted to share here a larger selection of images than I can include in the main review.
What to know about these sample images
These were shot on a Sony a6700 in RAW and lightly processed in Lightroom Classic.
I haven’t applied extra optical corrections to these in post, but that’s not to say these are unadulterated optical versions. Because my objective here is to test typical real-world use rather than do scientific lab tests, I’ve left the default settings on.
But the default settings for this lens are different to the way they’re applied in the Sony 15mm f/1.4.
On the Sony lens, automatic corrections for issues like barrel distortion, chromatic aberration, and lens vignetting are applied automatically. And when you open the RAW files in Lightroom, the lens profile is automatically applied, and if you’re shooting JPG, the fixes are automatically applied in-camera to those JPGs.
But this Sigma lens does things a little differently. There is an embedded lens correction profile embedded automatically, but it reportedly only applies to chromatic aberration. That default embedded chromatic aberration fix is enabled for the images here.
It is also possible to apply third-party lens correction profiles in post-processing (Adobe, DxO, DIY, etc), but they’re not activated by default, so I have not applied those here.
Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary sample photos
You can click on each image for a full-size version for a closer look. And I’ve included key shooting data in each caption.
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 2.8; Shutter speed: 1/125 sec; ISO 8000; Exposure compensation: 0 EV. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 2.5; Shutter speed: 1/40 sec; ISO 320; Exposure compensation: 0 EV. I took this shot specifically for the many straight lines in the frame to get a sense of the barrel distortion. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 1.4; Shutter speed: 1/400 sec; ISO 6400; Exposure compensation: 0 EV. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 1.4; Shutter speed: 1/125 sec; ISO 200; Exposure compensation: -1.3 EV. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 1.4; Shutter speed: 1/125 sec; ISO 100; Exposure compensation: 0 EV. Up close, the narrow depth of field at f/1.4 makes it easy to pick out subjects with focus. That becomes less effective when you move back because of the wide-angle perspective. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 1.4; Shutter speed: 1/4000 sec; ISO 100; Exposure compensation: 0 EV. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 1.4; Shutter speed: 1/125 sec; ISO 320; Exposure compensation: 0 EV. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 1.4; Shutter speed: 1/125 sec; ISO 500; Exposure compensation: 0 EV. I took this shot specifically for the many straight lines in the frame to get a sense of the barrel distortion. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 1.4; Shutter speed: 1/125 sec; ISO 200; Exposure compensation: -1 EV. An interesting test of edge sharpness even at f/1.4 and up close. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 1.4; Shutter speed: 1/125 sec; ISO 1600; Exposure compensation: 0 EV. Testing out the bokeh, with the focus on the statue in the foreground’s hair. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 1.4; Shutter speed: 1/125 sec; ISO 400; Exposure compensation: 0 EV. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 8.0; Shutter speed: 1/125 sec; ISO 5000; Exposure compensation: -0.3 EV. Another good test of edge and corner sharpness, this time at f/8. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 1.4; Shutter speed: 1/125 sec; ISO 125; Exposure compensation: -0.3 EV. The skylight at the top is a prime candidate for chromatic aberration, but there’s no problem here (this is with the default lens profile activated). Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 1.4; Shutter speed: 1/125 sec; ISO 200; Exposure compensation: -1 EV. Again, up close, at f/1.4 it’s easy to pick out subjects with the focus point. That effect reduces as you move further away. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 1.4; Shutter speed: 1/125 sec; ISO 4000; Exposure compensation: 0 EV. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 4.0; Shutter speed: 1/1250 sec; ISO 100; Exposure compensation: 0 EV. When I took this shot, I was shooting it to compare the barrel distortion of this lens with that of the Sony 15mm f/1.4 G. And when I was taking the shot, I was struck by how much more barrel distortion this lens showed, particularly with the horizontal lines at the top and bottom of the frame. But what I didn’t realize at the time is that it wasn’t an apples-to-apples comparison, because their automatic lens correction profiles work differently. With the Sony lens, the automatic lens correction profile was automatically being applied in real-time to the version I was looking at through the electronic viewfinder. But with this Sigma lens, the default profile was only works with chromatic aberration. You can also apply an Adobe lens profile in Lightroom Classic (or DxO in their products) in post-processing if you wish, but it’s not automatic or in real-time. And viewed in that light, while there’s clearly barrel distortion here, it actually compares quite favorably with the Sony’s. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 1.4; Shutter speed: 1/320 sec; ISO 6400; Exposure compensation: 0 EV. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 2.2; Shutter speed: 1/125 sec; ISO 1250; Exposure compensation: -0.7 EV. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 16; Shutter speed: 1/800 sec; ISO 100; Exposure compensation: -1 EV. The sun is directly behind the intersection at the top part of this sculpture at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. But there’s not real problem with chromatic aberration (this is with the default lens profile enabled) or flaring. One thing I have done here is to clean up some ugly dust spots on the sensor from changing lenses; they’re especially noticeable at the small aperture of f/16. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 1.4; Shutter speed: 1/125 sec; ISO 320; Exposure compensation: -1 EV. Another example where, once you step back a bit, even at f/1.4 the focus point is quite forgiving because of the wide angle. That makes it a good option in low-light shooting even when you’re not trying to use bokeh. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 2.8; Shutter speed: 1/125 sec; ISO 2500; Exposure compensation: -0.7 EV. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 2.8; Shutter speed: 1/125 sec; ISO 200; Exposure compensation: -1 EV. Another good test of edge and corner sharpness, this time at f/1.4. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 2.2; Shutter speed: 1/400 sec; ISO 8000; Exposure compensation: -1 EV. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 1.4; Shutter speed: 1/125 sec; ISO 2500; Exposure compensation: 0 EV. Because of the wide angle, even f/1.4 at infinity focus (or near it) is quite forgiving. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 1.4; Shutter speed: 1/125 sec; ISO 640; Exposure compensation: 0 EV. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 11; Shutter speed: 1/125 sec; ISO 640; Exposure compensation: 0 EV. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 2.2; Shutter speed: 1/800 sec; ISO 6400; Exposure compensation: 0 EV. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
Contemporary 017 lens (35mm equivalent: 24 mm). Aperture: ƒ / 1.6; Shutter speed: 1/125 sec; ISO 2500; Exposure compensation: -1 EV. Photo by David Coleman / Have Camera Will Travel
