Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM available in July for around $799 / £800

Sigma USA has announced its 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Art lens for APS-C DSLRs – the world’s first constant F1.8 zoom – will be available from July at a street price of around $799. Meanwhile the recommended retail price will be £799.99 in the UK, and €999 in Europe. The company has also said the lens will be available for Pentax and Sony mounts, as well as the Canon, Nikon and Sigma mounts originally announced. It covers a 27-52.5mm equivalent range and offers the depth-of-field of a constant F2.7 lens on full-frame. Click through for more information and to link to our first impressions of shooting with the lens.

Note that the ‘Recommended Retail Price’ of £799.99 (€999 in Europe) is a subtly different thing from the US $799 ‘street price’: it’ll probably settle down to a lower figure after the lens has been on sale for a bit. UK prices also include VAT, while US prices are quoted without sales tax, and of course EU buyers get more favourable warranty terms. So the discrepancy isn’t quite as great as it may appear from a simple currency conversion.

Click here to read our first impressions of shooting with the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM – including real-world samples

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Press Release
Specifications

Press Release:

Sigma Corporation announces pricing and availability for new 18-35mm F1.8 lens

World’s first F1.8 constant aperture zoom lens to arrive in U.S. early July

RONKONKOMA, N.Y., — June 14, 2013— Sigma Corporation of America, a leading researcher, developer, manufacturer and service provider of some of the world’s most impressive lines of lenses, cameras and flashes, today announced that its new Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Art lens will arrive in the United States early July for the street price of $799.

As the market’s first zoom lens to achieve a maximum aperture of F1.8 throughout the entire zoom range, the 18-35mm was created for DSLR cameras with APS-C size sensors, which translates to a focal range of 27-52.5mm on a 35mm camera. This lens will be available early July in Sigma and Canon mounts, with Nikon, Sony and Pentax mounts to follow.

“Sigma users are really excited about this lens. They’ve been watching the new Art line very closely – and their reaction to our initial announcement of this lens has been fantastic,” said Mark Amir-Hamzeh, president of Sigma Corporation of America. “More than 50 years of innovating with photography equipment has helped us build new generation lenses like the 18-35mm F1.8. We’re confident that photographers who focus on landscape, portrait, still-life, studio, close-up and casual shots will love this lens.”

The 18-35mm F1.8 is the latest addition to the company’s Art line of lenses, designed under the new Global Vision. The Global Vision lenses have a sleek new design with the manufacturing year stamped on the barrel, and are categorized by use into one of three groups: Art, Contemporary and Sports. The Art category delivers high-level artistic expression through sophisticated and abundant expressive power.

The new 18-35mm F1.8 lens features Sigma’s improved AF/MF switch and the use of Thermally Stable Composite (TSC) compound material, which has a high affinity to metal parts, consistently performs well at extreme temperatures, and reduces the size and weight of the lens. The lens’ Super Multi-Layer Coating reduces flare and ghosting and provides sharp and high contrast images, even in backlit conditions. Sigma’s Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) ensures a silent, high-speed AF function, while its nine-blade, rounded diaphragm creates an attractive, round bokeh at large-aperture settings.

The 18-35mm F1.8 lens is also compatible with Sigma’s new USB Dock, which is available for the street price of $59, enabling photographers to update lens firmware and adjust focus parameters from their computers.

For information about Sigma Corporation of America, visit www.sigmaphoto.com.

Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM specifications

Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM

Comments

I will definitely be buying one in Pentax mount. Good job Sigma!

probably before they announce 18-45/1.8

Just do it in PENTAX mount, Sigma! Come on!!!!!

I love prices here in UK!!!!! THE ARE SO NICE!!!

$800 USA -> £800

it is not THAT sad with current pound->dollar rate of ~1:1.6 like it used to be – few years ago the rate was 1:2.1 effectively doubling the price (!)

but still, it is huge overpayment…

you can opt for grey market-no-manufacturer warranty to chase the lower price, but for honest, normal users it is a robbery IMHO

And that UK price includes taxes which pay for things like decent medical care for UK citizens (unlike in the US) and much better maintenance of things like public roads.

First serious review here:
http://slrgear.com/reviews/showproduct.php?product=1609

and compare against
Nikon 24-70/2.8: product=1121
Canon 24-70/2.8L2: product=1494

feel sorry they didn’t test it on 1Ds3
need a 30+MP APS-C camera to challenge D800 + 24-70.

Serious?
Look at this statement:
“For Nikon users, there is the similarly-spec’d 17-55mm ƒ/2.8G ED-IF AF-S DX lens, featuring an identical focal length range, ƒ/2.8 aperture and Vibration Reduction”.
Enough said. These guys do not know what they are talking about.
This doesn’t mean that this Sigma lens is not great, I’m just saying that this slrgear website has lost all credibility for me.

Holy crap! I am totally getting this for my August’s wedding reception shoot if this price is real! It should go well with my D7000!

Sigma has done the impossible again!!

If they glue this lens on a DP body, let Leica place their red dot on it, it would be bargain selling at $11799 (at least relative to the F3.5 to F6.4 Leica just released at 3K…)

This will be amazing on the Sony SLTs with in-body stabilization.

Great price! Kudos to Sigma!

Ripping off the UK as usual . Tax is only a fraction of the difference the rate is 1.56 Dollars to the Pound – that means the lens should be £512 + Tax + Import duty , about £650 not £800 Greedy Barstards

First complaint of the day! 😛

But I agree with your entirely

As the article takes the trouble to remind us, the UK price will settle further than the US price, bringing them even closer together.

When I was thinking about buying a 120-300 OS a few months ago, the UK price was significantly lower than the US price.

Sigma Germany says the recommended price is 999 Euros…

it is so nice to see the product made in other country (japan in this case?) to be “targeted” for different countries with such huge differences in price

burn in hell, sigma marketing department! =)

/your faithful sigma lens user for many years

Fascinating lens at a great price. I’ll be great to see it in the wild.

WoW is all I can say!

$799. SERIOUSLY?

The Sigma 30mm f/2.8 EX DN for my NEX was the best £99 I ever spent.

This new Sigma 18-35mm could equal that, albeit at significantly higher cost, as I’d barely ever change lenses.

BTW, I wonder how much this lens will be in the UK. $799 is £510, right Sigma?! 😉

The 30mm is certainly a superb lens – Though making excellent f2.8 primes should not be problematic nowadays, especially so close to ‘normal’ FLs.

no… it is £800 …

Source?

Ah yes, at the top! Sure it didn’t say that before, though I was half awake at the time.

Shut up and take my money Sigma!
This price also gives a VERY good idea about how ripped of we get from CaNikon!

Good price for constant f 1.8 aperture zoom! Let’s hope the street price would be lower 🙂

Sigma has been doing their homework lately and it shows.

A few tired, old, Jurassic, lost-the-plot brand names are just rebadging cameras these days…

Keep on truckin’ Siggy!

$799? Eh… I think they forgot the extra 1?

$7991 would be too much, wouldn’t it?

Their next interchangeable Foveon would be cheap. Hopefully.

The SD1 is already cheap

looking forward to DPR’s review on this lens at 35/1.8 and f/2
against Canon 35/2IS on 35mm format

Uhm, why?

just wait for the review and you will know it.

Are you saying it will work on FF @ 35mm?

Though, comparing a prime lens to a FASTER zoom is quite unique for APS-C.

keep an open mind and you will see a beautiful world. I don’t mind it’s 35mm format or 1″ whatever, I’m just interested in what we can get out from the equipment.

This will become a new APS-C classic from Sigma after their 30/1.4 unless they have some notable and surprising quality issues, given their latest efforts in that department. That’s a pretty high ratio of good lenses from them lately. Admittedly still few to draw conclusions from, but I do think this new intitiative should have even Nikon and Canon worried.

I’m so tempted right now to rearrange my setup to just have this one and a Nikkor 70-200 f/4.0. Getting so much from so few lenses.

Any mention of when one could expect the Sony version?

Ok, well… this is something 🙂 Thank you Sigma for miracles!
But then question arises – why to sell other worse lenses on much higher price tags?
And I realy do hope again, that first party Lens makers will learn from this again.

BRAVO.!!!!

Now, I can consider buying the Pentax K-5IIs.

That would also give all the other brands a run for their money.

After all the disappointing news from Leica, at least we can end the week with something exciting. Sad Leica need Sigma to show the way.

However, please don’t say too much yet before they revise the price.

Now, DPR has to get on their job to give us a full review.

Shall we all say GOODBYE to Leica eventhough we are Leica fans.

Now I’m just waiting for my 24-50mm f2 for full frame that I have always wanted from Sigma 🙂

Sweet price, and the review on slrgear is superlative.

My checkbook would have been a lot safer if this had come in for the four-figure price I expected.

Now? Well … I’ll have to avoid creating 800 imaginary dollars (read: more credit card debt) that I’ll talk myself into having. 😉

Yep, this makes me reconsider to stay with the good old DSRL, except if this would come in Fuji mount … heck, would even put this on m43. Now if only Olympus could make its 14-35/2 available as an updated, smaller version. But certainly never at this price point.

Count me in as impressed.

Cheers

I’m in the same boat of you! I was looking for a new mirrorless camera and now this lens makes me think again about my photographic future, the olympus version for 4/3 mount is almost 3 times the price and weigther! I hope sigma will come out with a micro 4/3 version of this beauty…

I have the Nikon 35mm f/1.8G and it pretty much stays on my camera all the time. I love it! The only problem is I have to step back in order to get more of the scene (which sometimes I physically can’t)

This new Sigma lens will give me a much wider angle on the 18mm end… all the way up to the 35mm I’m already used to!

And the price isn’t too bad either! Very excited!

That is a simply awesome price.

unless you are in the uk..

Sigma has just revived APS-C market. I am sure there is a grat party going on right now in Pentax headquarters.

Considering the stallar optical performance (assuming no severe QC issues), that price point is nothing short of spectacular!

One can expect that sales of this lens will go at the cost of Sigma’s own 20/24/28mm f/1.8 primes, and even the 30/35mm f/1.4’s, but somehow I think this lens will become so popular that the net result will be a huge boost to Sigma’s sales. And, as someone noted, it might have people think twice about going full frame. APS-C just became a worthy contender again!

I don’t think they will affect the 20/24/28’s that much as they are FF lenses predominantly, but the 20mm might have been purchased as the widest lens at f2 or faster available in crop sensor land previously.

30mm might falter a bit, still has a speed, size and price advantage. The 35mm shouldn’t be a contender due to price and being aimed at FF, the 30mm ‘should’ be more popular for crop.

But yes, this lens on it’s own will be a major boost for crop sensor shooters – Especially given some of the speed and prce advantages of crop cameras.

Don’t forget that APS-C owners (especially those bying primes) often buy lenses with the intention of “going full-frame” at some point… Or maybe I should say “bought” now that the 18-35 could change people’s plans 😉

this lens does not compete with 20mm or 24mm primes on 35mm full-frame. 28mm up depend on performance tests.

@ yabokkie – Why do people always assume we must be talking FF? I don’t care in the slightest about your mythical FF. Get it? Got it? Good.

we can talk about both.
don’t have to be holed or hanged up in one place.

I think the price is more likely supposed to be $1799.. At least my local retailer here in Finland sells it for 1499,90 €…

799$ would have been crazy anyway! 🙂

It’s $799. BH Photo it’s $799, in Australia it has been $799 for a week or so. That $1500 price was a placeholder because many presumed it would be expensive – Remember there has NEVER been a lens like this to benchmark from.

If this is the case then it’s superb! And I hope that the local resellers will update the prices here too!

They will very soon. This is official pricing from the manufacturer.

Sigma doing the diametric opposite of Leica’s X Vario announcement A great performing, market relevant product with outstanding value

I’m impressed!

Sigma have always been able to offer something a little different and at prices that undercut the Camera manufacturers but I was really expecting this to cost a lot more considering how they have upped their quality control recently, it seems like they have improved their manufacturing processes and not increased prices, that is a fantastic price for what is a unique lens that nobody else, not even the camera makers themselves can offer an alternative to.

Wow! I guess it would be out of stock until 2014. It is pre-order time! (And it causes me to reconsider getting that speed-booster.)

Will definitely consider this lens. From the photo, it looks like the zoom rotates in the usual direction of a Nikon. I thought Sigma always made lenses that rotated the other way, like a Canon. Did this change recently or does it depend on the mount?

With Sony SLT bodies, this would be extremely awesome low-light lens since you can take advantage of image stabilization. Easy 2-3 extra stops.

Thank you Sigma! good price. I for one will be buying one.

you may want to check out the new review of the lens at IR/Slrgear. Not saying too much that they’re quite impressed. This is going to be one hot seller!