• Categories
• Tips & Inspiration
• Reviews
• News
• Events
• Features
• Buying Guides
• Competitions

Sigma 10-18mm f/2.8 Lens for Canon RF Review

Having been announced earlier in the year, the release of the Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary Lens for Canon RF Mount is cause for celebration among Canon mirrorless camera users. It continues a trend with the introduction of third-party lenses for Canon’s mirrorless system, something users have eagerly waited for over the years.

Hands-on video review by Gareth Evans

The 10-18mm is Sigma’s second RF mount lens, following the 18-50mm f/2.8, which we covered in our hands-on Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 for Canon RF mount review.

In this Sigma 10-18mm f/2.8 Lens for Canon RF review, we explore whether the second release is an equally versatile option, covering an ultra-wide angle of 15-27mm (full-frame equivalent), which pairs well with the first lens, complementing its more standard focal range.

Whether you're considering this lens for your content creation, or simply curious about what Sigma has achieved, ourreview has everything you need to know.

How much is the Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 for Canon RF?

The Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary Lens for Canon RF Mount costs £649.00 and became available to order on 5th September 2024. This is a compelling price for such a versatile, portable, and high-quality zoom lens, all traits that Sigma lenses are known and appreciated for.

Sigma 10-18mm f/2.8 for Canon RF Key Features

Perhaps most notably, the Sigma 10-18mm f/2.8 for Canon RF is the world’s smallest and lightest f/2.8 ultra-wide-angle zoom lens for APS-C cameras. Despite its compact size, it offers features typically found in much larger and heavier ultra-wide zooms.

Other key features include:

• Sharpness across the entire frame
• Ideal for landscapes, travel, video, and online content creation
• 1:4 maximum magnification for close-up details and macro-style shots
• Ultralight 270g weight
• 62mm length with a compact 67mm filter thread
• Lightweight TSC construction
• Stepping motor for fast, quiet autofocus
• Made in Aizu, Japan, to the highest standards

As is common with ultra-wide lenses, there’s no lens-based optical stabilisation in the 10-18mm from Sigma. However, cameras like the Canon R7 offer a very useful 7-stops of stabilisation.

What is this 10-18mm lens good for?

With an equivalent zoom range of 15-27mm (35mm equivalent), the 10-18mm is considered an ultra-wide-angle zoom lens, making it great for a variety of subjects. This type of lens defies the trend of cumbersome, heavy optics, instead offering a lightweight design that’s easy to bring on any outing or trip.

Subjects it excels at include:

• Events, including weddings and live concerts
• Family and group photos
• Landscapes
• Street photography
• Cityscapes
• Architecture
• Interiors
• Travel and everyday snapshots
• Video
• Vlogging

Sample image ©Kanamori Reina Taken with Canon R10. Camera settings: 1/25 sec. f/8. ISO 400

How is Image Quality?

The Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary for Canon is designed with a focus on delivering excellent image quality, thanks to Sigma’s effective optical design. It features 13 elements in 10 groups, including three FLD (Low Dispersion) elements, one SLD (Special Low Dispersion) element, and four aspherical lenses.

These special elements help to reduce chromatic aberrations and distortion, resulting in sharp, detailed images across the frame. The FLD and SLD elements are particularly effective in minimising colour fringing, which is essential for capturing landscapes and high-contrast scenes.

The lens is also equipped with a 7-bladed aperture, which contributes to smooth, natural-looking bokeh when shooting at wide apertures. A rounded design helps create pleasing out-of-focus areas, adding depth to portraits and close-up shots.

Additionally, Sigma’s Super Multi-Layer Coating is applied to elements in order to tackle flare and ghosting, even in tricky lighting situations like shooting directly into the sun. This coating improves contrast and maintains colour accuracy, helping to produce results that are vibrant and true to the scene.

Sample sunset landscape ©Dave Brosha Taken with Canon R7. Camera settings: 1/50 sec. f/22. ISO 1000

Autofocus (AF) capabilities

Sigma has optimised the 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary lens to take advantage of Canon’s high-speed AF and Servo AF, ensuring it works flawlessly with face and eye detection, and subject tracking. While it may not be the absolute fastest focusing lens, it delivers quick, near silent autofocus thanks to a stepping motor and lightweight focusing group.

This allows photographers to capture moving subjects, whether in street photography, group shots, or similar genres, without needing the latest High-response Linear Actuator (HLA) from Sigma.

Sample ©Dave Brosha Taken with Canon R7. Camera settings: 1/2500 sec. f/5. ISO 200

Build Quality, Controls, and Ergonomics

As part of the Contemporary series, the Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN | C features a rubber gasket on the brass mount and is constructed from strong, lightweight Thermally Stable Composite (TSC) materials. It doesn’t come with all the bells and whistles, instead focusing on a sturdy build and excellent image quality over unnecessary controls and buttons.

Another notable ergonomic benefit is that the lens maintains near-consistent weight distribution when zooming in, allowing for the use of a gimbal stabiliser for video and vlogging, despite the extending design. This is ideal for hybrid creators and vloggers who want a lightweight setup with maximum stability for smooth shots and cinematic movements.

Sample ©Kanamori Reina Taken with Canon R10. Camera settings: 1/4000 sec. f/2.8. ISO 100

Best Lens Accessories

As noted earlier in this review an ultra wide zoom of this kind is perfect for both stills and video content, and with a compact 67mm filter thread you can add cost-effective Variable ND filters (VND) to balance exposure during sunlit or changeable conditions.

The Hoya 67mm Variable Density II Filter is a high-end VND option, which can also be used for long exposure photography, whereas the Hama 67mm Variable ND Filter falls at the budget-friendly end of the scale, yet offers +1 and +8 stops of exposure correction.

Other accessories for the Sigma 10-18mm f/2.8 DC DN Contemporary Lens include the PolarPro 67mm Shortstache Everyday Mist Light/PL Filter, which featured in our PolarPro Shortstache Everyday Filter Review and the Hoya 67mm UX II UV Filter, which might just save the lens if you have a mishap. We weigh the pros and cons of a UV protection lens filter in our blog too, which highlights the benefits of protecting the front element from accidental damage.

It’s considered essential to have a dust blower, lens wipes and other suitable accessories to clean a camera lens in order to maintain high image quality and reduce time editing out dust and smears from your shots.

Sample image ©Dave Brosha Taken with Canon R7. Camera settings: 1/1000 sec. f/16. ISO 200

Sigma lenses are constantly gaining popularity, and the release of this compact ultra-wide zoom will no doubt be met with a lot of enthusiasm from Canon APS-C camera users. Not only does it offer an alternative third-party choice, but it does so with a high-quality, cost-effective, and versatile option that will appeal to a wide variety of users who enjoy wide-angle subjects. It’s the world’s lightest lens of its type and strikes a balance between portability and image quality that suits many creators.

Check out more sample images and reserve your Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary Lens For Canon RF Mount today, and why not browse our comprehensive range of Canon mirrorless RF lenses to find the perfect alternative option for your needs.

If you’ve got an unwanted lens to sell, or other equipment which you no longer need, why not grab a free trade-in quote and discover how much you can save off the price of Sigma’s second ever zoom for Canon RF mount.

Share this post:

By Nick Dautlich on 05/09/2024