You know…I never…ever do gear reviews. Most of the time you can find them easily online, read 3-4 different ones and get the idea of how you’d benefit from it. Well the main reason I’m going to do a SIGMA 24-35 F2 ART review is simply because there do not seem to be any from wedding photographers! Almost EVERY other lens is reviewed extensively….this one, nah. There’s a few yeah but none from whom I think this lens was intended for.

Okay so where to start? I have never done one of these so I’m just going to be blunt and basic through the review so everyone can know what the hell I’m talking about haha. I’ll get a few of more obvious things out of the way first. Is it sharp hell yes. Is it sharp at the 24-35 wide open, hell yes. Ok so there you have it, the SIGMA 24-35 F2 ART is extra crispy throughout the entire range. Is it built like a tank? Of course. Anyone familiar with the ART line knows these guys are tough and made of metal. It’s not weather sealed though so whatever. So it’s sharp and built tough, end of discussion for me on quality. Insert pics below hahaha.

 

Now for the more interesting stuff in my opinion. How do you use this very limited prime / zoom? Before we get into that though understand that I started with primes ( 24, 28 and 35 ), sold all of those for a 24-70 which I used up until a few months ago when I bought this. I liked my 24-70 a lot. 80% of the time though I would use it between that 24-40mm range…it just seemed like the other 30mm was wasted. I really can’t stand that 40-70mm range, I couldn’t tell you why or even begin to understand myself…but I don’t like it and never shoot it. When I used to use primes I loved how crispy all the glass was, even wide open at 1.4 it still looked awesome. What I hated was switching lens or being stuck with one focal length. Zooming with primes is your feet and that was totally ok…unless your backed against a wall and have to switch a lens when a great moment was happening…” oh hey can you two hold up for sec while I switch this up”…I NEVER want to utter those words. So yeah both had there positives and negatives. Then I bought this guy.

It’s almost the best of both worlds to me. It is HELLA sharp at F2, can get wide enough for me at 24 and caps at a nice 35. It’s essentially the 24,28 and 35 prime all rolled into one. Which to me is great because I get that F2 speed for low light situations and the exact focal range I use at weddings other than my 70-200. It allows me to carry three total lens to nail down everything we want to get instead of lugging around 5-6 lens and switching all the time…I’m over that shit hahaha. I get to shoot SIGMA 24-35 F2 / 100 2.8 macro during prep and SIGMA 24-35 F2 / 70-200 2.8 for the rest of the day rocking creatives, family, wedding party and reception. It’s that simple. I used to rock an ultra wide 16-35 F4 but to be honest…I felt like having that option of going that wide was more of a hinderance than a blessing. It would often stretch people on creatives as well that I didn’t like and grew tired of. So I ditched it. 24mm is PLENTY wide enough to rock some EPIC images and at F2 fast enough for those dark churches we all love to shoot in HAHA.

After a few weddings testing I have to say, other than my 70-200 which I use 70% of the wedding day the SIGMA 24-35 F2 ART will definitely be used the other 29.9% haha. Shit who knows I may start using it more than that, it’s quite possible I have found the perfect lens to compliment my style.

While you’re here feel free to check out some of the other incredible weddings I’ve been a part of as well as advice you’ll need when debating that First Look!

May + Mike | FCC Los Angeles Wedding

First Looks. Traditional VS Modern and why you should always choose the latter.

Leslie + Vlad | El Encanto Santa Barbara Wedding

Ryan + Trent | El Matador Malibu Engagement

Emily + Joseph | Hacienda Heights Country Club Wedding

Gail + Brian | Figueroa Mountain Wedding

I want to tell YOUR story and be you’re NEWHALL MANSION WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER! Chat with me today to see if your date is still available!