Wide-angle zooms—particularly the brighter f/2.8 variety—tend to be a bit bulky and pricey due to the wide view. But, Sony E and Leica L mount shooters have a new option—Sigma’s 16-28mm f/2.8 DG DN Contemporary lens. The newly announced glass weighs just under a pound and comes in at just under 4 inches long. The price sits at just under $900.

The lens is an internal zoom, which means the length doesn’t change as the lens shifts from 16mm to 28mm. It’s built with five FLD elements as well as four aspherical elements. These pieces work together to fight aberrations.

[Read: Sony Announces the Super Light FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II Zoom]

Ultra-wide angles tend to suffer from a softness at the edges as well as more extreme barrel distortion. Sigma says that the lens has “excellent field curvature correction” to fight edge softness.

Many ultra-wides have front optics that are too curved to accommodate filters. The front of Sigma’s 16-28mm f2.8 lens, however, is flat enough to accommodate filters. Front filters are often more convenient than the rear-mount type. However, the Sigma 16-28mm does appear to have a bit of plastic around the front edge.

The lens uses a stepping motor for autofocusing. The manual focusing ring can  be set to linear or non-linear. And while the lens is lighter than many similar ultra-wides, the focal length range is a bit more unconventional. The 12-24mm is the more common range to find. But, by going slightly less wide, Sigma has managed to create a smaller optic.

[Read: Nikon Z 9: Peek Inside This Mirrorless Speed Demon!]

The lens is also comparatively less than other f/2.8 wides. The Sony FE 12-24mm f/2.8 GM, for example, is nearly $3,000, while Canon’s 15-35mm f/2.8 and Nikon’s 14-24mm mirrorless lenses are $2,400. But, the Contemporary line isn’t Sigma’s best optics—Sigma’s 14-24mm f2/.8 DG DN Art is the higher-end choice with a $1,400 price.

The 16-28mm f/2.8 DG DN lens will be available in late June, in the Sony E-Mount and Leica L-Mount, with a retail price of $899.

sigma-global.com