This lens totally undermines the
whole bigger-is-better principle.

Street photography, portraits, natural, and urban landscapes... Is there anything this high-performance lens can't do? With a great zoom range from 18mm to 50mm, it's an absolute all-rounder. It's available with an L and an E-mount; I used the latter in combination with a Sony α6500. What a dream team!

I usually work with a Nikon D850 and SIGMA Art lenses, which are fantastic but also quite heavy. The first thing that struck me when I unpacked this lens was how light and compact it is, making it ideal for travel and street photography. This combination changes my whole style of photography. I can be really discreet and shoot from all kinds of unusual perspectives. It allows much more flexibility, and it's also easier and quicker to carry around. It's so convenient - you can even put it in your coat pocket if you need to. In terms of weight, it's not much heavier than a phone.

I do a lot of commercial photography work, including some well-known brands. I still notice that they only take you seriously if you show up with a big camera and bulky lenses. So, this SIGMA 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary in combination with a Sony α6500 might be met with a few disappointed looks - until they see what this combination is capable of!

I shoot most of my images with the SIGMA 24-70mm F2.8 DG OS HSM | Art. As this lens offers brilliant quality, I was particularly intrigued to see whether the images with the SIGMA 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary would come close to that level for a very similar equivalent focal range when paired with crop-sensor cameras. My question was answered on day one - it's a resounding yes! Whether commercial or non-commercial work, this lens makes it effortless. As mentioned, the picture quality is fantastic in terms of sharpness and the gorgeous, sexy bokeh!

In style with the versatility of this lens, I did everything with it: portraits, long exposures, streetscapes, and cityscapes. The latter is perhaps what I enjoy doing most. I've travelled a lot in my life, but a few years ago I decided to slow down because I wanted to have a base. That became Amsterdam, the city that ignited my love of cityscapes. You can walk along the same canal fifty times and discover something new on each occasion. New lines, different light, different dynamics... I also love reading what people post under my images on social media. Especially people who have lived in Amsterdam for years and get homesick after seeing my images. I like that. After all, you want to make a statement and evoke a feeling with your work.

The first time I visited Amsterdam, about twelve years ago, I wasn't at all impressed by the city. All those raving reviews I had heard about Amsterdam made no sense to me. It was way too crowded and busy. But when I came back a second time for a photo assignment, my opinion changed completely. I saw the city through my lens, and hate made way for love. There's so much to discover and see in Amsterdam.

Back to the SIGMA 18-50mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary. It's wonderful to discover a lens that suits my versatile and dynamic style of photography. Whether shooting fast paced portraits of cyclists on the narrow streets or composed landscapes, the versatility was apparent. As I said, it's a beautiful, compact lens with fantastic results. The details, the sharpness... It's pretty phenomenal. This lens completely undermines the widespread belief that 'bigger is better'!

Alejandro Loar