Sigma revives fastest-ever APS-C zoom for (most) mirrorless systems
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Sigma has announced the 17-40mm F1.8 DC Art, a super-fast standard zoom for APS-C. It will be available in L, E, X and RF mounts.
The 17-40mm gives a 26-60mm equivalent field of view on most APS-C cameras (27-64mm on Canon R-series cameras). Its constant F1.8 aperture enables low-light photography and greater flexibility in terms of depth of field. It allows whole-image light capture closely comparable to an F2.8 lens on full-frame.
Buy now:
Buy RF mount at Adorama
Buy E mount at B&H Photo
Buy E mount at B&H Photo
The lens is a spiritual successor to the company's groundbreaking 2013 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM Art lens for DSLRs, but extends a little wider and a little longer, further expanding its usability. That original lens was a significant addition to the then-current APS-C systems, but many DSLRs struggled to focus it consistently, especially when using off-center AF points. We've experienced no such challenges using the on-sensor focusing of mirrorless cameras with the new lens.
The 17-40mm features an internal zoom design, making it easier to offer a dust and moisture-resistant design, and uses linear motors to deliver fast focus. It's slightly shorter, slightly narrowed and, at 535g (oz) for the L-mount version, around 34% lighter than its DSLR predecessor.
While the 18-35mm wasn't the easiest lens to autofocus for stills, it became a popular choice as a manual focus lens for video shooters, as it offered an aperture value that usually requires prime lenses, without the need to swap lenses. The new 17-40mm offers an even more versatile range and ends up being better balanced for mirrorless mounts, since you don't need an adapter. There's a small degree of focus breathing at the wide end of the zoom and it's even less apparent at the long end.
The 17-40mm becomes the company's first DC lens for mirrorless to feature a dedicated aperture ring: something we'd love to see extended the existing range of DC primes. The new lens has a switch to de-click the aperture ring and another that locks the lens in or out of the 'A' position that passes control of the aperture across to the camera body.
The Canon RF version features a customizable control ring around the lens instead of an aperture ring, keeping its behavior in line with Canon's own lenses, presumably as part of the RF system specifications. This doesn't have f-stop markings, end stops, the lock or de-click switches, meaning it can function as something other than an aperture ring.
The Fujifilm X-mount version doesn't have an AF/MF switch, as this is controlled from the body. Instead, the switch changes the function of the lens buttons between AF On and AF Lock.
The other difference between versions for different mounts is that the L-mount version can be switched between linear and speed-sensitive focus ring response.
As with Sigma's 18-55mm F2.8 DC zoom, there's no version of the lens for Nikon's Z mount, which we can only assume comes down to Nikon restricting which lenses it will issue a license for, given Sigma has been given the green light to produce several of its other APS-C lenses for the system.
The 17-40mm lens will be availble from mid-July. In the US the 17-40mm F1.8 DC Art will sell for a recommended price of $919, excluding sales tax. In the UK the recommended price is £779 including VAT.
Buy now:
Buy RF mount at Adorama
Buy E mount at B&H Photo
Buy E mount at B&H Photo
We've had a chance to shoot with both the Fujifilm X-mount and Sony E-mount versions of the 17-40mm F1.8 and have put together a sample gallery from both systems.
Please do not reproduce any of these images on a website or any newsletter/magazine without prior permission (see our copyright page). We make the originals available for private users to download to their own machines for personal examination or printing (in conjunction with this review); we do so in good faith, so please don't abuse it.
Sample gallery
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Press release:
Ronkonkoma, NY, June 17, 2025 – Sigma Corporation of America, the US subsidiary of Sigma Corporation (CEO: Kazuto Yamaki. Headquarters: Asao-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa, Japan), is pleased to introduce the 17-40mm F1.8 DC | Art, the first Art lens for APS-C format since 2016, and the very first made exclusively for crop sensor mirrorless cameras.
This remarkable new lens is the direct successor to the groundbreaking 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM | Art for DSLR cameras, offering the user a wider angle of view as well as more versatility at the telephoto end. With an updated optical design, it delivers the image quality and brightness of a prime lens, along with the versatility of a zoom. This fast, flexible lens is also designed with video shooting in mind, featuring an inner zoom, high- speed and silent linear autofocus, and minimal focus breathing, as well as a dust and splash-resistant structure for use in virtually any environment.
Significantly lighter than its predecessor, the 17-40mm F1.8 DC | Art lens weighs only 535g (18.9 oz.) and is stacked with features that will appeal to photographers, filmmakers and content creators alike, no matter what camera system it is paired with.
The Sigma 17-40mm F1.8 DC | Art lens will be available in mid-July at authorized Sigma dealers for Sony E- mount, L-Mount, Fujifilm X Mount, and Canon RF Mount for a retail price of $919 USD.
Standard zoom lens with a large aperture and rendering capability comparable to a prime lens
Highly portable and versatile for any situation
Functions to support video production
The Sigma 17-40mm F1.8 DC | Art builds upon the groundbreaking innovations of the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM | Art, which earned high acclaim as the world's first F1.8 zoom lens in the photography and video industry. Thirteen years after its debut, this next-generation lens achieves not only superior optical performance but also a wider focal length of 17-40mm while reducing its weight by over 30%. This dramatically enhances the versatility of a large aperture standard zoom lens.
In addition to the fast and quiet autofocus driven by the HLA (High-response Linear Actuator), the lens incorporates an inner zoom mechanism and minimal focus breathing, ensuring outstanding performance for both still photography and video production. Sigma, the pioneer that stunned the world with the first-ever F1.8 zoom lens, has once again revolutionized the history of large aperture zoom lenses.
The Sigma 17-40mm F1.8 DC | Art has the convenience of a zoom with a constant aperture of F1.8 throughout the zoom range. Taking advantage of a large aperture comparable to a prime lens, the lens is suitable for low- light environments such as indoor and night scenes, as well as for expression using large bokeh.
The optical design, realized through the latest design and processing technologies, including the use of high- precision aspherical lenses, achieves excellent optical performance.
By emphasizing the correction of axial chromatic aberration and sagittal coma flare, the lens achieves high resolution even at the wide-open F1.8 aperture, rendering textures and fine details with stunning clarity.
The range of the Sigma 17-40mm F1.8 DC | Art has been expanded from its predecessor the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM | Art, covering 25.5-60mm in 35mm format*. From wide-angle tabletop photography to portraits that fully utilize the telephoto angle of view, users can take full advantage of the expressive power of the large F1.8 aperture while freely framing their shots without the need to change lenses.
Using advanced simulation technology and Sigma's Super Multi-Layer Coating, flare and ghosting have been largely eliminated, ensuring that the lens renders rich, high-contrast results in all conditions.
Employing an inner zoom mechanism, the overall length of the lens remains constant when the focal length or focus distance changes. This means the lens is easy to use and highly stable when shooting hand-held, on a tripod or gimbal, and even more resistant to dust and water contamination.
The Sigma 17-40mm F1.8 DC | Art is over 30% lighter and has a filter diameter of 67mm, which is one size smaller than its predecessor the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM | Art. Despite being a large aperture zoom lens, it is surprisingly portable. The expressive power of F1.8 can be used with a compact APS-C system, making it ideal for travel and everyday photography, as well as video production, where mobility is key.
In addition to a dust- and splash-resistant structure, the frontmost surface of the lens has a water- and oil- repellent coating applied, so that the lens can be used safely even in harsh outdoor environments.
Equipped with two AFL buttons*3, two that can be assigned any function from the camera menu. By placing them on the side and top, users can easily operate the buttons in either landscape or portrait positioning.
The adoption of HLA (High-response Linear Actuator) enables quiet, high-speed, high-precision autofocus. The smooth, stable autofocus is perfect not only for still photography, but also for single-operator shooting with a gimbal or vlogging.
The focus breathing is suppressed, minimizing changes in the angle of view caused by focus shift and enabling smooth, natural-looking focus pulls when recording video.
Equipped with an aperture ring*4 for intuitive control of the aperture. When shooting video, users can turn off the click switch for smooth, quiet aperture control. It also has an aperture ring lock switch*5 to prevent accidental changes to the aperture during shooting.
* Approximately 27.2-64mm for the Canon RF Mount version.*2 The product is designed to be dust- and splash-resistant but is not waterproof. When using the lens near water, etc., take care not to allow large amounts of water to splash on it. If water gets inside the lens, it may cause a major malfunction and render the lens unrepairable.*3 Functions can be assigned on supported cameras only. Available functions may vary depending on the camera used. The FUJIFILM X Mount version has an AF function button that can be used to select AF lock/AF operation via lens switch.*4 The Canon RF Mount version has a control ring instead of an aperture ring. It does not have an aperture ring click switch or lock switch.*5 If you turn it on in position A, the aperture ring will be locked in position A. If you turn it on in a position other than A, it will be locked in the range from open to minimum aperture, and it will not be possible to turn it to position A.
Principal specifications
Zoom lens
APS-C / DX
17–40 mm
No
Canon RF-S, Fujifilm X, L-Mount, Sony E
F1.8
F16
Yes
11
17
11
4 SLD elements, 4 aspherical
Yes
Linear Motor
Internal
No
No
535 g (1.18 lb)
73 mm (2.87″)
116 mm (4.57″)
Yes
Rotary (internal)
No
No
67 mm
Yes
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