Sigma Contemporary 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN

Sigma Contemporary 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN

Sigma
98 Overall Score
vs
AstrHori 6.5mm F2.0 6.5mm f/2 Fisheye 7mm

AstrHori 6.5mm F2.0 6.5mm f/2 Fisheye 7mm

AstrHori
26 Overall Score

What Buyers Say

Sigma Contemporary 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN

88 out of 100 high confidence 91 reviews

The Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary is widely praised as a compact, lightweight, and sharp standard zoom for APS-C mirrorless cameras. Users consistently highlight its excellent image quality, fast f/2.8 aperture, and affordable price as major strengths, making it a popular upgrade from kit lenses. Common criticisms include the lack of optical stabilization and a poorly designed lens hood, but overall sentiment is overwhelmingly positive.

Pros
  • Excellent image sharpness
  • Compact and lightweight design
  • Fast f/2.8 constant aperture
  • Great value for the price
  • Fast and silent autofocus
Cons
  • No optical image stabilization
  • Poorly designed lens hood
  • No weather sealing
  • Plastic build quality
  • Zoom ring direction opposite to Fujifilm
👍 Image quality 25
🤔 Build quality 12
👍 Value for money 18
👍 Size and weight 20
👍 Autofocus performance 10
👎 Stabilization 8

AstrHori 6.5mm F2.0 6.5mm f/2 Fisheye 7mm

72 out of 100 low confidence 8 reviews

This manual fisheye lens delivers a distinctive circular image with strong distortion that many users love for creative shots like skateboarding videos and travel photos. Build quality is praised as solid for the price, but compatibility issues on Canon mirrorless and full-frame cameras are a notable drawback. Focusing is tricky due to the manual-only design and narrow depth of field at wide apertures. Overall, it's a fun, affordable lens for those who understand its limitations.

Pros
  • Solid build quality for the price
  • Fun creative fisheye effect
  • Compact and portable
  • Good value for money
  • Sharp image in center
Cons
  • Manual focus only, tricky to use
  • Compatibility issues with Canon mirrorless
  • Small image circle on full-frame cameras
  • No autofocus
  • Cannot use lens filters
👍 Build quality 4
👍 Value for money 5
👎 Manual focus difficulty 4
👎 Compatibility issues 3
👎 Image circle size 2
👍 Creative effect 4

Scores

Travel
Sigma
100
AstrHori
27
Budget
Sigma
96
AstrHori
27
Street
Sigma
96
AstrHori
22
Professional
Sigma
91
AstrHori
14
Portrait
Sigma
88
AstrHori
17
Macro
Sigma
88
AstrHori
37
Video Cinema
Sigma
85
AstrHori
14
Landscape
Sigma
77
AstrHori
18
Wildlife Sports
Sigma
76
AstrHori
13

Specifications

Sigma Contemporary 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DNAstrHori 6.5mm F2.0 6.5mm f/2 Fisheye 7mm
Optics
Typezoomfisheye
Focal Length Min18 mm6 mm
Focal Length Max50 mm6 mm
Elements136
Groups105
Aspherical Elements3★—
ED Elements1★—
CoatingSuper Multi-Layer Coating—
Aperture
Max Aperturef/2.8f/22
Min Aperturef/2.8f/2
Constant✓★✗
Diaphragm Blades79★
Build
MountSony EMicro Four Thirds
FormatAPS-CAPS-C
Weather Sealed✓★—
Weight0.29 kg0.27 kg★
Filter Thread55 mm—
AF & Stabilization
AF Typestepping motor★manual focus only
Stabilization✗✗
Focus
Min Focus Distance121 mm★200 mm
Max Magnification1:2.8★—

Pros & Cons

Sigma Contemporary 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN

  • Strong social proof (90th percentile)90th %ile
  • Strong macro (90th percentile)90th %ile
  • Strong aperture (86th percentile)86th %ile
  • Strong af (85th percentile)85th %ile

AstrHori 6.5mm F2.0 6.5mm f/2 Fisheye 7mm

  • Strong macro (82nd percentile)82nd %ile
  • Strong build (71st percentile)
  • Below average optical (1st percentile)1st %ile
  • Below average af (15th percentile)15th %ile
  • Below average user sentiment (16th percentile)16th %ile
  • Below average aperture (22nd percentile)

Pricing

AstrHori 6.5mm F2.0 6.5mm f/2 Fisheye 7mm is €530 cheaper (4.5x less).

Sigma Contemporary 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN0.144score per dollar
vs
AstrHori 6.5mm F2.0 6.5mm f/2 Fisheye 7mm0.171score per dollar

AstrHori 6.5mm F2.0 6.5mm f/2 Fisheye 7mm offers 1.2x better value for money

Sigma Contemporary 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN

AstrHori 6.5mm F2.0 6.5mm f/2 Fisheye 7mm

Verdict

★ Winner: Sigma Contemporary 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN

Scores 98 overall, wins 9 of 9 usage categories and 7 of 21 specs.

Sigma Contemporary 18-50mm f/2.8 DC DN Better at:

MacroBudgetStreetTravelPortraitLandscapeProfessionalVideo CinemaWildlife Sports

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