Sigma 28-70mm Contemporary vs Sigma 24-70mm Art for the Lumix S5 II?

[lipwen]

Hi, as my Lumix S5 II is arriving soon, I am going to need a standard zoom to pair with it, I am not considering the Lumix S Pro zooms because they are out of my budget at the moment. This lens will be my general purpose lens for both stills and video.

I am aware of the physical differences (size and weight) of both lenses. My questions about this comparison are:

1. I know the Art is probably gonna be sharper, but are the differences in image quality big enough to warrant the extra bit of cash to go for the Art?

2. How does the weather sealing of the 28-70mm hold up? It seems that the Art will have more thorough weather sealing, but can the 28-70mm handle a bit of rain?

3. If you use the 28-70mm, how often do you find yourself missing the 24mm focal length?

Those who have used both, which one do you prefer?

 

[Quentinquirelino]

I have only the 28-70. I don't know if how much better the 24-70 is, but I think it will be noticible at the wider focal length and less noticible at the longer focal length.

Regarding wether sealing, I also have no comparison to the 24-70. But I never felt unsecure with the 28-70.

I don't miss the 24mm at all because I also have the excellent 20-60 kit lens, which is also better at wider focal length compared to the 28-70. But I don't mind, because both lenses have different proposes.

 

[CH_CH]

I have (had) the 28-70 (for sony). TBH i found it a bit unremarkable, did not like the rendering much. But very lightweight, AF is fast.
I prefer the 20-60 (I know, not f2.8) FWIW.
the 24-70 I have not tried. I have other sigma lenses that I love.

 

[pdk42]

I bought a used Lumix 24-105. It's a great lens and it wasn't expensive. No more than a new Sigma 28-70.

 

[GuyFinley]

This question can really only be answered by you and what you want to do with it.

If you are after the absolute best in quality and build; it's no contest, the Art.

If you're looking for a smaller and lighter lens to travel with or a walkabout lens that is still of great quality but a lot more portable, get the Contemporary.

I have the Art, it's a tank, but what it produces is stunning.

 

[RBecker]

I bought a used Lumix 24-105. It's a great lens and it wasn't expensive. No more than a new Sigma 28-70.

If you can get the 24-105 new or in best condition for the price you paid I think it‘s a no brainer (I wait for such an offer in Germany….). This lens is a solution for 70-90% of every day situations. The other options 20-60, 24-70 and 28-70 are a little bit more special and therefore a bit less general. But every lens make sense, depending on individual needs…

 

[pdk42]

If you’re a landscape shooter like I am, a relatively slow zoom lens with a big range is a very compelling option - so long as it’s delivering excellent optical performance. When I was using m43 as my main landscape kit, the 12-100 was my go-to lens - superb IQ and amazing OIS. Now I’ve moved onto L mount FF, the 12-100 has been replaced with the 24-105. Optically, they are very similar, and both offer superb sync IS to help with reducing the need for a tripod. Aside from its smaller range, I’m very happy with the 24-105.

But if I could get an L mount 24-200 that performed, I’d buy it almost irrespective of price. I briefly ran a Nikon Z7 a few years ago and bought a copy of the 24-200 - I pre-ordered and got one of the first. It wasn’t a bad lens, but it was far from the IQ of the 24-70 f4 I got with the camera. In the end, it didn’t deliver for me so I moved on. Nikon subsequently have produced the 24-120 which looks like a superb performer - probably slightly better than the Lumix 24-105, but it doesn’t have OIS and I think the extra 15mm reach is too little to gain for loss of stabilisation.

It seems we’ll be getting a Lumix 24 or 28 - 200 later this year. I’m really hoping for great things there. If it delivers optically and has OIS then it’ll be an immediate buy for me. I suspect it’ll be an f4-f6.3, but that’s OK. Performance at f8 is what will matter so far as I’m concerned.

 

[Lsake]

If it were me, and I had no zoom lens at all, and the choice was between these two… then I would probably be going with the 24-70 f2.8.
I would not like to be limited to 28mm at the wide end if it was my only lens.

With my Limix 20-60mm I tend to set it to 24mm f5.6 as a default, then go to 20mm or 60mm when necessary.

What I would really like is a 20-50mm f2

 

[Miker]

If it were me, and I had no zoom lens at all, and the choice was between these two… then I would probably be going with the 24-70 f2.8.
I would not like to be limited to 28mm at the wide end if it was my only lens.

With my Limix 20-60mm I tend to set it to 24mm f5.6 as a default, then go to 20mm or 60mm when necessary.

What I would really like is a 20-50mm f2

Leica is rumoured to be coming out with an 18-50 FF zoom. They do make a 10-25/1.7 for mft with Panasonic. F2 would be huge and insanely expensive, but 2.8 might be possible.

 

[Jonathan-Mac]

I went through the same decision process last year and eventually went with the 24-70mm Art lens. The reasons were:

1. I don't mind the size and weight when I need the capabilities of a fast zoom. When I need smaller and/or lighter I use primes, which I prefer shooting with anyway.
2. I thought I'd really miss the extra 4mm at the wide end and, even though the 20-60mm is superb, I didn't want to end up swapping lenses when getting a zoom whose purpose is to reduce the need to swap lenses.
3. Although the 28-70mm is reportedly very good, the 24-70mm is supposed to be better.
4. I was lucky at the time there was a Sigma offer of €100 off the full price at the time I bought.

The 24-70mm is an excellent lens and the only negative I have to say about it is that it doesn't have an aperture ring. I expect a future version to add that but who knows when. It is heavy and therefore not suitable for everyone, so be sure you're willing to handle that. If you go for the Art lens then make sure you get a copy with a serial number of 55641775 or above - that indicates when the problem with the dust seals was fixed.