Hi I'm Gordon from camera labs and this Is my review of the sigma 17 mil F4 dgdn An ultra wide angle prime lens for full Frame mirrorless cameras and spoiler Alert is one of the most fun lenses that I've tested in a while announced in April 2023 at a price of 599 or 549 Pounds it's initially available in Sony E or Leica L mounts and sigma loaned me A sample to try out the 17 mil F4 dgdn Joins sigma's ever-expanding Contemporary I series of compact Full-frame mirrorless lenses all share Similar styling and provide affordable Access to some interesting focal length SN apertures as the widest model in the Series to date the 17mm F4 is ideal for Dramatic landscape and urban photography As well as being perfect for video Work Especially handheld vlogging where the Broad coverage can accommodate the crop Of additional digital stabilization Without becoming uncomfortably tight as A result as you'll see it also allows Impressively close focusing of just 12 Centimeters from the focal plane I'll Show you all of that in this review but Let's start with the design the 17 mil F4 is satisfyingly compact measuring 64 Million diameter 49 mil in length and Weighing just 225 grams you'll barely Notice it when mounted on your camera And videographers will easily Accommodate it on a small gimbal system
Like previous models in the Contemporary Eye Series it has a metal body ribbed Control rings and weather sealing at the Mount albeit not throughout the entire Barrel my test sample was made in Japan Working outwards from the lens mount is A switch for auto or manual focus Followed by an aperture ring from F4 to F22 in one-third increments with an a Position for body base control note this Ring is not the clickable then towards The end of the barrel is a well-damped Manual focusing ring and finally a 55mm Filter thread like other I series lenses Sigma supplied the 17 with a choice of Two lens caps one a traditional Spring-loaded plastic cap and the other Small metal disk that's held in place With magnets the latter is a fun Alternative which snaps into place quite Satisfyingly but I mostly use the Plastic cap which is also easy to fit or Remove when the supplied aluminum petal Hood is fitted speaking of which here's How that looks the lens employs internal Focusing with a stepper motor and you're Watching it right now on the Sony a74 Set to single AF mode and at very close Range now some Sigma lenses hunt a Little in AFS mode on the Sony's but not The 17 here which confidently lands on a Target without a wobble that said Switching it to continuous AFC mode does Speed things up a little while remaining
Accurate it's a quick and quiet focuser In use now here's the same test but for Video filming 4K 25p with a single AF Area again in the middle of the frame It's not a particularly demanding Scenario with an ultra wider F4 even at Close range But the lens proves it can Be driven smoothly for video use here Next for face tracking again with the Lens wide open at F4 but this time you Using the full AF area here you can see The lens and Camera combination easily Refocusing on me as I move around the Frame and it'll also give you an idea of The broad coverage that you get ideal For handheld vlogging as I'll show you Later now for Focus breathing here with The lens close to F22 and manually Focusing from Infinity to the closest Distance and back again as I focus the Lens closer the field of view reduces a Little but not by a significant amount Especially considering the focusing Range you're seeing is from Infinity to Just 12 centimeters and back again as Such I don't think it would become Distracting for video in general use Okay now if my Optical test starting With my distant landscape scene angled So that details run into the corners You're looking at the image here without Lens compensation applied and now with Distortion compensation set to Auto in The Sony where it corrects for some
Barrel Distortion with a minor crop Since this is how the lens is designed To be used all of the images I'm going To show you from this point onward words Have got lens Corrections applied Switching to the F4 version and taking a Closer look in the middle of the frame Where I focus the lens shows excellent Detail right out of the gate with no Benefit in the middle detail to closing It any further this quality is Maintained up to f8 but from f11 onwards The image begins to soften due to Diffraction so I'd only advise shooting Smaller than f8 if you absolutely need a Broader depth of field returning to the F4 image and moving into the far Corner Shows the lens maintaining crisp details Although there is some darkening due to Vignetting as you close the aperture This vignetting lifts and it's mostly Gone by f8 but again closing it any Further will begin to soften the result So the sigma 17 F4 is a decent performer Wide open at F4 delivering a flat field With sharp results from corner to corner I'd certainly be very happy shooting With it between F4 and f8 moving on I Realize this isn't the ideal lens for Flattering portraits or shallow depth of Field effects but I still wanted to show You what you can get at f 4 from Reasonably close range now like all wide Lenses you have to be careful about
Distortion if you get too close to the Camera or move away from the center of The frame but if you zoom in on the Details here you can at least see that The lens is very sharp in this test While 17 mil may not be a natural choice For Stills portraits it is perfect for Handheld vlogging where the wider the Better here's the sigma 17 on the Recently launched Sony zve E1 using Ibis Alone where you can see it's ideal for Capturing the scenery around you note That the lens does not have Optical Stabilization of its own so any Compensation you see here is applied by The body next here is the zve E1 set to Active steady shot which allows Ibis to Move across a broader area for greater Compensation albeit requiring a minor Crop as a result I measured this crop Factor at about 1.12 times making the 17 Act more like a 19 but that's still more Than wide enough for most and finally The zve1 with its new Dynamic Stone shot Mode which applies additional digital Compensation for an even smoother result Albeit this time with a much tighter 1.44 times crop and that's turning the 17 into a 24 or thereabouts it's Naturally become much tighter as a Result but I think it's just about Acceptable here for this kind of video Anecdotally I found that Sony's own Lenses do seem to work a little bit
Better with the various steady shot Modes but the results here still give You an idea of what to expect with the Lens on a Sony body Using the sigma 17 F4 mounted on the new Sony zv E1 vlogging camera content Creators camera sorry I've got Dynamic Active stabilization enabled here so This is everything switched on this is The best stabilization available on this Camera see my review of it for more Details and I'm recording the audio with The built-in microphone with its Windshield although it is a very very Breezy day anyway I'd say this is pretty Impressive considering this is One-handed at arm's length and believe Me the camera itself really is wobbling Around okay let's get on with the rest Of the review So far you've seen the sigma 17 tested From about 50 centimeters or more from The subject where the F4 aperture can Only deliver mild blurring in the Background but its secret weapon is Being able to focus much closer still in Turn allowing you to achieve more Blurring than you might expect so here's My Pokeball test with the lens position Near to its closest focusing distance And with the aperture wide open at F4 Here you can see not only how sharp the Ornament is in the middle but also the Potential for bokeh blobs even though
The fairy lights here aren't really too Far behind taking a closer look at the Rendering does show some outlining and Textures within the blobs neither of Which is ideal but viewed as a whole Image I don't really mind the result Closing the aperture down gradually Reveals the shape of the seven blade Adapter system and as before I stick to The F4 to f8 range for the best looking Results that said if you're after Diffraction spikes here's what you'll Get with the object closed all the way Down to F22 when pointing at a bright Point source but I dig address so let's Get back to the close-up performance as It really is a highlight of the 17 mil Here's a shot taken as close as I could Focus where the lens is capturing about 100 millimeters across the frame this Roughly confirms sigma's quota of 1 to 3.6 as the maximum magnification when Shot at 12 centimeters from the focal Plane now this minimum distance the Front of the lens Barrel is actually Only about four centimeters from the Subject so you will need to be careful About casting Shadows but there's still Loads of potential for dramatic shots at Close range as I'll show you during my Final verdict oh and as always you can Access some of the original sample Images that I'm going to show you then My review page for the lens at
Cameralabs.com the 17 mil F4 dgdn is a Viable and fun addition to sigma's Contemporary eye series of compact and Affordable full-frame lenses here's a Relatively low cost Ultra wide lens That's small and light but well built With fast focusing and sharp results Corner to corner ideal for expansive Landscape gapes large buildings or tight Interiors the icing on the cake is an Impressively close minimum focusing Distance of just 12 centimeters allowing You to capture dramatic images combining Macro details with expansive Auto wide Backgrounds and in some cases with Surprisingly shallow depth of field Effects the wide coverage is also Perfect for handheld vlogging and gives You plenty of latitude for accommodating The crops of enhanced stabilization Modes sure the F4 aperture isn't Particularly bright but there's little If anything else to really complain About for the money and surprisingly few Rival prime lenses around this length And price samyang's older 18 mil 2.8 may Be an even cheaper option for Sony Owners but the sigma comfortably Outperformed it in my tests and I'd say It's worth spending the extra on Meanwhile element owners have Panasonic's Lumix s 18 mil F 1.8 to Consider but while it's over two stops Brighter it is larger heavier and about
50 more expensive overall the sigma 17 Mil F4 dgdn is a useful capable and fun Lens that provides a taste of the Exotic Without breaking the bank or your bag I Really enjoyed shooting with it and it Comes highly recommended I'd love to Hear what you think in the comments and Whether the sigma 17 is now on your most Wanted list and in the absence of a Sponsored section in this video to slow You down you can help me out with a like And a follow and if you're feeling extra Generous I'm always up for a coffee or You could treat yourself to my own Camera Photography book there's links For everything including the latest Pricing in the description below thanks For watching and I'll see you next time Bye
