Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM Art Aperture Series @ 20mm: Flowering Creosote Bush in Sand Dunes, Figure on Dune
Get Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM Art at B&H Photo.
Published in my review of the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM Art is a look at performance at 20mm:
Includes full resolution images from f/2.8 through f/13 along with commentary that I think users of this lens should find very useful in making optimally sharp images.
Covers bokeh and color correction also.
I like the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM Art, and I think it is not only a very strong contender, but an outstanding value at about $1299. That Sigma can deliver this kind of performance for that price is a testament to very advanced and cost-effective engineering. That it can deliver satisfying imagery on 45 megapixels (Nikon D850) is impressive. Put another way, if my budget wasn’t strained so tightly, I’d want to have it in my bag.
That said, this series and others are important to understanding how to get the best out of the Sigma 14-24mm f/2.8 DG HSM Art, just as my review coverage of the Sigma 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM Art was and is. A lens can be bought and used, but unless its behavior is understood, sub-optimal results are virtually guaranteed on 36/42/45/50 megapixels even with the best lenses. That is one goal I strive for in my reviews, which are not comparable to lab tests.
What to do when dunes are heavily tracked with footprints? Chill out and do something different—I like the human figure here. Especially when concussed and having gotten up at 4 AM to drive over miles of washboard dirt road from Cottonwood Canyon, I wasn’t prepared to carry a lot of gear or hike fast and far. About half a mile out could be found a small herd of photographers where the dunes are little-tracked, each spaced a hundred yards or so apart!