It wasn’t just Sony that had a big day yesterday! Sigma also announced the arrival of four APS-C lenses for the Canon RF mount: a 16mm f/1.4, 23mm f/1.4, 30mm f/1.4, and 56mm f/1.4. These fast prime lenses bring the total number of Sigma RF lenses up to six – all APS-C so far.
I wrote about these lenses back in April and talked about what they might mean for Canon going forward. It’s no secret that Canon has been very slow to allow third-party autofocus lenses for their EOS R system, and I don’t need to re-hash all those details here. But I will say that I hope this marks a positive step toward a more open RF mount. I’d like to see some of the best third-party full-frame lenses available for Canon users one day, like the Sigma 14mm f/1.4 Art or the Tamron 35-150mm f/2-2.8.
The other two existing Sigma lenses for the RF mount are the Sigma 10-18mm f/2.8 DC and 18-50mm f/2.8 DC. With this set of six, Sigma has completed the miniature roadmap that they published in April. Whether we will get more Sigma RF lenses any time soon remains to be seen.
In any case, regarding the specific lenses released today, they look like very promising options for Canon APS-C shooters. Light, bright primes are always welcome in my book. And since Canon already has a great APS-C camera with IBIS (the 33-megapixel EOS R7), there is potential here for an excellent travel photography kit.
Sigma says that the 16mm and 23mm lenses will be available on January 23rd. The 30mm and 56mm lenses will be available even sooner, on December 5.
I’ve listed the specifications and prices of all four lenses below. If you plan to order any of these lenses, you can support Photography Life by pre-ordering with our affiliate links.
Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC
- Full Name: Sigma 16mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary
- Mount Type: Canon RF (also available for M4/3, Canon EF-M, Sony E, Leica L, Fuji X, and Nikon Z)
- Focal Length: 16mm prime
- Angle of View (APS-C): 79° 54′
- Maximum Aperture: f/1.4
- Minimum Aperture: f/16
- Aperture Blades: 9, rounded
- Filter Size: 67mm
- Lens Elements: 16
- Lens Groups: 13
- Special Elements: 2 aspherical, 2 special low dispersion (SLD), 3 FLD elements
- Super Multilayer Coating: Yes
- Fluorine Coated Front Element: No
- Electronic Diaphragm: Yes
- Vibration Reduction: No
- Internal Focusing: Yes
- Control Rings: Focus
- Function Buttons: None
- Switches: None
- Focus Motor: Stepping motor
- Minimum Focus Distance: 25 cm / 9.8 inches
- Maximum Magnification: 0.1x (1:10 magnification)
- Mount Material: Metal
- Weather/Dust Sealing: Yes
- Dimensions (Length × Diameter): 90 × 72 mm (3.6 x 2.8 inches)
- Weight: 415 g (0.91 lbs)
- MSRP: $489
- Lowest Sale Seen: $414 in other mounts (Pre-order here)
Sigma 23mm f/1.4 DC
- Full Name: Sigma 23mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary
- Mount Type: Canon RF (also available for Sony E, Leica L, and Fuji X)
- Focal Length: 23mm prime
- Angle of View (APS-C): 60° 30′
- Maximum Aperture: f/1.4
- Minimum Aperture: f/16
- Aperture Blades: 9, rounded
- Filter Size: 52mm
- Lens Elements: 13
- Lens Groups: 10
- Special Elements: 2 aspherical, 3 special low dispersion (SLD)
- Super Multilayer Coating: Yes
- Fluorine Coated Front Element: No
- Electronic Diaphragm: Yes
- Vibration Reduction: No
- Internal Focusing: Yes
- Control Rings: Focus
- Function Buttons: None
- Switches: None
- Focus Motor: Stepping motor
- Minimum Focus Distance: 25 cm / 9.8 inches
- Maximum Magnification: 0.14x (1:7.3 magnification)
- Mount Material: Metal
- Weather/Dust Sealing: Yes
- Dimensions (Length × Diameter): 77 × 69 mm (3.0 x 2.7 inches)
- Weight: 345 g (0.76 lbs)
- MSRP: $599
- Lowest Sale Seen: $549 in other mounts (Pre-order here)
Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC
- Full Name: Sigma 30mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary
- Mount Type: Canon RF (also available for M4/3, Canon EF-M, Sony E, Leica L, Fuji X, and Nikon Z)
- Focal Length: 30mm prime
- Angle of View (APS-C): 48° 12′
- Maximum Aperture: f/1.4
- Minimum Aperture: f/16
- Aperture Blades: 9, rounded
- Filter Size: 52mm
- Lens Elements: 9
- Lens Groups: 7
- Special Elements: 2 aspherical, 1 high-refractive index
- Super Multilayer Coating: Yes
- Fluorine Coated Front Element: No
- Electronic Diaphragm: Yes
- Vibration Reduction: No
- Internal Focusing: Yes
- Control Rings: Focus
- Function Buttons: None
- Switches: None
- Focus Motor: Stepping motor
- Minimum Focus Distance: 30 cm / 11.8 inches
- Maximum Magnification: 0.14x (1:7.3 magnification)
- Mount Material: Metal
- Weather/Dust Sealing: Yes
- Dimensions (Length × Diameter): 71 × 69 mm (2.8 x 2.7 inches)
- Weight: 285 g (0.63 lbs)
- MSRP: $369
- Lowest Sale Seen: $289 in other mounts (Pre-order here)
Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC
- Full Name: Sigma 56mm f/1.4 DC DN Contemporary
- Mount Type: Canon RF (also available for M4/3, Canon EF-M, Sony E, Leica L, Fuji X, and Nikon Z)
- Focal Length: 56mm prime
- Angle of View (APS-C): 26° 54′
- Maximum Aperture: f/1.4
- Minimum Aperture: f/16
- Aperture Blades: 9, rounded
- Filter Size: 55mm
- Lens Elements: 10
- Lens Groups: 6
- Special Elements: 2 aspherical, 1 special low dispersion (SLD)
- Super Multilayer Coating: Yes
- Fluorine Coated Front Element: No
- Electronic Diaphragm: Yes
- Vibration Reduction: No
- Internal Focusing: Yes
- Control Rings: Focus
- Function Buttons: None
- Switches: None
- Focus Motor: Stepping motor
- Minimum Focus Distance: 50 cm / 19.7 inches
- Maximum Magnification: 0.14x (1:7.4 magnification)
- Mount Material: Metal
- Weather/Dust Sealing: Yes
- Dimensions (Length × Diameter): 58 × 69 mm (2.3 x 2.7 inches)
- Weight: 290 g (0.64 lbs)
- MSRP: $529
- Lowest Sale Seen: $424 in other mounts (Pre-order here)
Being a fan of both Canon and Sigma I hope we don’t have to wait too much longer for a full-frame RF lens line-up from Sigma. The lens mount adapter for RF is great for using my EF lenses but makes for a tight fit in an already cramped camera bag. Hoping this release means a full-frame line is coming soon.
I’m not sure it’s likely – these lenses only exist because Canon is allowing Sigma to make them. If Canon doesn’t want competition with their full-frame glass, that’s the final word. (I think it would be shortsighted, but then again, no one is paying me to run Canon!)