If you've been waiting for a lens that finally gives APS-C shooters the creative power of a fast zoom without the baggage or bulk of full-frame gear, you’re in luck. Sigma 17–40mm F1.8 DC Art is here, and it’s rewriting the narrative.
Sigma 17-40mm F1.8 DC Art is available since June 2025. It is a newly crafted lens for APS-C mirrorless systems, and not adapted from DSLR designs. This lens brings welcome innovation to the crop-sensor world. Offering a constant, ultra-bright F1.8 aperture across its zoom range, it’s both faster and more versatile than any F2.8 zoom. It also offers 1⅓ stops more light in a lighter and more compact package.
Premium Build & Pro Features
This is clearly a member of Sigma’s Art family. The lens feels every bit as well-made, with weather sealing, a premium lens hood with a soft-touch rubber collar and locking mechanism. It includes customizable buttons, and on select mounts you can adjust the aperture ring to click or move steplessly for smooth video work.
The light but solid build, just 535 g. It makes it ideal for handheld shooting or gimbal use.
Stunning Image Quality, with a Few Trade-offs
- Sharpness: Center sharpness is impressive even wide open at F1.8, across both 17mm and 40mm ends. Stopping down to F4 brings a slight improvement, particularly in corner performance.
- Flare & Ghosting: Sigma’s coatings do remarkably well to suppress flare, but you may notice some ghosting at F1.8. Those are soft enough to blend into the image, but more defined when stopped down.
- Bokeh & LoCA: The 11-blade rounded diaphragm offers pleasing bokeh, though it can show a “soap-bubble” highlight effect. Some longitudinal chromatic aberration (LoCA) is present wide open, but it’s manageable, especially if you stop down.
Overall, for images requiring sharp details and beautiful light rendition, this lens delivers, especially in the prized shallow-depth-of-field territory.
How Hybrid Shooters Maximize Sigma 17-40mm F1.8
If you’re into video, the Sigma shines. Its stepless aperture ring, internal zoom mechanism, and minimal focus breathing make it a dream for dynamic, run-and-gun shooting: perfect for gimbal rigs and cinematic moves.
APS-C’s King - At a Great Value
Sigma 17-40mm F1.8 easily claims the crown when it comes to fast, professional-level zooms for APS-C. With no real competition offering a constant f/1.8 in such a compact, versatile form, this lens stands alone.
Sigma 17-40mm F1.8 DC Art: Who This Lens Is For
- Professional APS-C shooters, looking for a fast, flexible zoom that cuts down lens changes without compromising image quality.
- Hybrid photo/video creators, especially those who run-and-gun with gimbals or care about cinematic control over aperture and focus.
- Landscape, architecture, street, and portrait photographers who need a dependable lens with a wide-to-standard range and bright aperture, even in low light.
Until another brand matches its specs in this compact APS-C format, the Sigma 17–40mm F1.8 DC Art deserves the title: the new king of zooms for crop-sensor mirrorless cameras.
Additionally, I encourage you to watch two videos that I recorded just before the premiere. Enjoy!
More sample photos:
