Sigma 50-120mm F2.8 DC OS review – this brilliant little telezoom is so good I might have to buy one myself

Amateur Photographer verdict

This large-aperture telephoto provides fine image quality in a remarkably small size, and at a relatively accessible price point, too. It’s an easy recommendation for APS-C users.Pros

• Extremely small and lightweight
• Very good optics
• Fast, silent autofocus
• Good close-up capability

Cons

• Cats-eye bokeh at 200mm
• Not available in Nikon Z

The Sigma 50-120mm F2.8 DC OS | Contemporary is a telephoto zoom lens for APS-C format cameras. It’s available in three mounts; Fujifilm X and Sony E, on which it offers a 75-180mm equivalent range, and Canon RF, where it gives 80-190mm equivalent (sadly, no Nikon Z version is available at launch). The lens is remarkably compact in size, at less than 10cm long, and it’s very attractively priced, too, at $799 / £699.

Sigma 50-120mm F2.8 DC OS at a glance:

• $799 / £699
• Large-aperture telezoom for APS-C cameras
• 99mm long and just 390g
• 23-55cm minimum focus
• Canon RF, Fujifilm X and Sony E mounts

With its moderate telephoto range, this lens should be ideal for such things as portraits, close-ups, indoor sports, or picking out details in landscapes or architecture. It’s not really long enough for field sports, though, or anything but the tamest wildlife. So if you’re primarily interested in these subjects, I’d recommend going for something more in the 200-300mm class instead.

Perhaps surprisingly, this lens doesn’t have any direct competitor from Canon or Sony – neither makes a large-aperture APS-C telezoom. And in comparison to Fujifilm’s venerable XF 50-140mm F2.8 R LM OIS WR, the Sigma 50-120mm is a fraction of the size and less than half the price. This reflects that fact that the two lenses are built for different audiences, with Sigma targeting everyday users and the Fujifilm aiming higher towards pros.

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