Sigma 24 mmf/1.4DGHS MI A £600/$850

A Heavyweight LENS that really delivers

Sigma’s Art lenses are designed to inspire creative expression, and a key element is their wide apertures to enable a tight depth of field. An added bonus is that you can freeze action with fast shutter speeds, even in dull lighting conditions.

Not much bigger than the Nikon 24mm f/1.8 lens, the Sigma is nevertheless nearly twice as heavy and feels robust and sturdy. It’s certainly more affordable than Nikon’s directly competing AF-S 24mm f/1.4G lens, at £1790/$2000.

The barrel and other parts are made from TSC (Thermally Stable Composite), while the mounting plate is brass, and it’s compatible with Sigma’s USB Dock for updating firmware and customising settings. Performance Performance is exemplary. The ring-type autofocus is fast, near-silent and unerringly accurate, while image quality is excellent. Sharpness is superb across the whole image frame, only dropping a little in the corners at the extra-large f/1.4 aperture, where vignetting is also quite noticeable.