by Jeremy Gray

published Wednesday, February 9, 2022 at 7:30 a.m. EST

Sigma has announced the seventh lens in its “I-series” of high-end compact lenses for mirrorless cameras. The new 20mm F2 DG DN Contemporary is the widest lens in the all-metal series, offering a 94.5-degree angle of view on full-frame cameras.

The lens, available in L-mount and Sony E-mount, weighs just 370 grams (13.1 ounces) and is only 72.4 mm (2.9″) long. The maximum diameter is 70 mm ( 2.8″) and the lens has a diameter of 62 mm. filter wire.

We were able to familiarize ourselves with the lens ahead of today’s announcement, although due to unforeseen technical issues our first hands-on images won’t be available until later this week. Still, we can tell you that the new 20mm F2 DG DN lens features the same excellent build quality as other I-series lenses, such as the first I-series lenses we tested a year ago.

Image courtesy of Sigma

The “Made in Japan” lens features a knurled metal focus ring that provides excellent grip and feel. The rotation is gentle but offers assured resistance. When focusing manually, which can be done by quickly pressing the arc-type AF/MF switch, it is easy to achieve precise focus. The lens also includes an aperture control ring. It is labeled F2 through F22 with one-third openings denoted by short dashes. There is also an automatic position (A) to the left of F22. The aperture ring features the same superb textured finish as the focus ring. By the way, the lens has a dust and splash resistant design.

Like other I-series lenses, the 20mm F2 DG DN C comes with a standard lens cap and a second magnetic lens cap. It also includes a textured lens hood that matches the style of the rest of the lens. The complete package is quite elegant.

Optically, the lens has a lot going for it despite its compact frame. The lens has 13 elements divided into 11 groups. Among the 13 elements are a single FLD, an SLD and three aspherical lenses. The lens features a super multi-layer coating and a nano porous coating to reduce ghosting and flare. Sigma has focused on sharp performance across the entire frame, even when shooting wide aperture. Additionally, Sigma engineers have worked to remove sagittal coma reflections, so the lens should perform well for night sky photography. We will test this aspect of lens performance as soon as the weather permits.

When it comes to autofocus, the lens uses a stepping motor autofocus system. In use it’s reasonably fast, although it’s audible when making focus adjustments. In terms of close focusing performance, the lens can focus as close as 22cm (8.7″), giving a maximum magnification ratio of 1:6.7.

The Sigma 20mm F2 DG DN Contemporary I Series lens will be available from February 25 at a suggested retail price of $699. Like other I-series lenses, it is available for both L and E mounts.

We’ll have a hands-on review of the lens available soon and aim to release the gallery images by the end of the week. Thank you for your patience.