Sigma recently launched their new 24-70 F2.8 DG DN Art lens designed for mirrorless cameras, so now Alpha Shooters looking for a fast f/2.8 24-70 zoom lens now have a choice between the new Sigma lens, the Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 Di III RXD or Sony’s own FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM lens.
Thankfully Gerald Undone has already done the hard work by comparing all three lenses in this excellent video comparison.
The following is a summary of his video:
The Tamron is the cheapest of the three lenses and it’s also the smallest and lightest weighing in at 577g. The Sigma is noticeably heavier than the Tamron at 852g but is still the same height when retracted at 70mm. The Sony G Master is the heaviest of the three and weights 922g, it is also the most expensive lens in this comparison.
The price that you pay is reflected in the build quality as the Tamron feels cheaper to hold than both the Sigma and Sony and it is also missing the useful customizable function buttons. The focus and zoom rings are also not dampened. Both the Sigma and the Sony make no sacrifices when it comes to build quality and functions, they are definitely built better than the Tamron.
The Sigma has the smoothest focus ring of the three and also the largest throw that makes focus pulls for video much smoother.
All three lenses present very minimal distortion at their respective wide-ends and are distortion free by 35mm. The Sigma has the shortest minimum focus distance at 24mm of just 18cm compared with 19cm for the Tamron and 38cm for the Sony, although the Sony is the only lens with a constant minimum focus distance while both the Tamron and Sigma are variable.
When it comes to the autofocus all three lenses focus very quickly but the Sony had the highest number of keepers in Gerald’s tests at 88%, closely followed by the Tamron at 82% then the Sigma at 77%, all tests were done on his Sony a7III.
All three lenses are very sharp but from Gerald’s tests it appears that the Sigma is the sharper lens in the center and the Sony is sharper around the edges of the frame, the Tamron comes slightly behind both lenses for both central and edge sharpness.
The Sony has the best control over vignetting when shooting wide-open, followed by the Tamron then the Sigma but by 50mm you don’t see any difference. The Sigma however performed best when it came to fringing control, followed by the Sony then the Tamron.
As for the bokeh it looks like the Sigma is the winner here with the smoothest and roundest bokeh balls followed by the Sony then the Tamron, of course bokeh is always a very subjective subject.
The Sony G Master has the best flare resistance, followed by the Sigma then the Tamron.
If you are looking for a fast f/2.8 standard zoom lens then you now have three great lenses to choose from.
If autofocus is very important to you then the Sony is probably still the best choice for now, otherwise the Sigma is most definitely the best buy. However, if you want the lightest travel friendly lens and don’t mind sacrificing a little build quality then it’s unlikely that you will be disappointed by the Tamron.
Do you plan to add one of these lenses to your gear bag? It would be great to hear which one in the comments below.
I am new to this group as I just bought a Sony A7c, which came with the uninspiring Sony 28-60 kit lens. So I want to upgrade the lens. Both the Sigma and Sony now have a new version of the 24-70 lens. How about a comparison of those two?
Was a really awesome video from Gerald. I own the Tamron currently and it’s been an absolutely workhorse for me. Recently I’ve found when editing between footage shoot on my 16-35 (Sony F4) and 70-200 (Sony 2.8) the colour and general image quality seem to have a noticeable difference, which is making me consider biting the bullet for the GM lens.
The Sony FE 24-70 F2.8 GM is definitely due an update, I’d hold off for a little while if you are not desperate.
That video of Gerald Undone is covering the older Sigma 24-70 that was adapted by Sigma to Sony mounts, originally that lens designed for DSLR. The new 24 – 70 DG DN was built specifically for mirrorless Sony and has different characteristics. It’s also much shorter and lighter then the previous Sigma 24-70. I also follow Gerald he does great work and has covered the newest Sigma 24-70 DG DN comparing it to the older one in a video, I forget which one though.
Maybe that was in a different video? The video I’ve embedded definitely features the DG DN version, you can see this at 1:24 in the video. Gerald does go a cracking job!