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

Sigma Launches 3 Lenses With a World First

Sigma is well known as one of the most innovative lens manufacturers in the photography world, who consistently push the boundaries of optical performance while keeping pricing quite accessible.

With today’s announcement, Sigma continues to innovate by launching three new full-frame mirrorless lenses, including the world’s first 135mm f/1.4 DG Art and the world’s first 10x zoom, which starts from an ultra wide 20mm. The second-generation 35mm f/1.2 DG II Art is also coming, joining the next generation of flagship Art Series lenses as well as a brand new all-in-one zoom from the Contemporary line.

Released on 2nd September 2025, all three lenses are available in Sony E and L Mounts, and include:

• 135mm f/1.4 DG Art
• 35mm f/1.2 DG II Art
• 20-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DG Contemporary

These cater to both stills photography and video content, with upgrades throughout including to autofocus speed, handling, optical quality and more. The 35mm Art lens is a second generation design with updated housing and optical technology, while the 135mm and 20-200mm are completely new, with a bright prime and an all-in-one zoom.

This first look review covers everything you need to know, from how each new Sigma lens compares to earlier models, to the most useful features, with images and specs for each. So whether you’re looking to upgrade your current lens or get an entirely new one for your storytelling, join us and explore, which of these lenses could be perfect for your needs.

Next we take a look at the world-first 135mm f/1.4 and what makes it such a special lens.

The World’s First 135mm f/1.4 Prime Lens

135mm prime are a relatively unsung favourite among portrait photographers, due to offering such flattering compression, a longer working distance and exceptional subject separation. With the launch of the Sigma 135mm f/1.4 DG Art Lens for Sony E and 135mm f/1.4 DG Art Lens for L Mount, Sigma has created a world first as this is the only 135mm prime lens with such a fast f/1.4 aperture with autofocus for full-frame mirrorless cameras. With its unique rendering and shallow depth of field, this lens gives photographers an edge in fields like weddings, fashion and portraiture.

That extra brightness from the f/1.4 aperture means better light gathering, but perhaps more importantly it gives you even greater control over depth of field. Subjects can really stand out with exceptional clarity, while the background melts away with creamy defocus and rounded bokeh thanks to the new 13-blade aperture design. This Sigma telephoto lens is perfect for isolating subjects from distracting backgrounds, and can be used in plenty of situations where the subject is able to pop off the frame.

Sample by Marc Haers. Sigma 135mm f/1.4 DG Art Lens for L Mount with Leica SL 2. Camera settings: 1/160 sec. f/1.4. ISO 50

This release follows the Sigma 135mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art, which is the only previous 135mm lens for mirrorless users and dates way back to 2017. That lens was adapted from a DSLR design, whereas the new version is completely redesigned for mirrorless, with a floating focus system and dual HLA motors that provide quicker, quieter AF and better balance.

This is one of the most exciting new Sigma lenses of late, and one which gives photographers a new option to expand their repertoire with a relatively compact design for what it offers. Available now for £1,649.00, this lens is sure to attract attention from professionals and enthusiasts who want the best that Sigma has to offer.

Sample Ara Coutts. Sigma 135mm f/1.4 DG Art Lens with Sony A1. Camera settings: 1/8000 sec. f/1.4. ISO 250

Read our blog on the many possibilities of a 135mm lens to explore why this is such a powerful focal length and how you could incorporate it into your workflow.

This is a real achievement for Sigma that strikes a balance between brightness, performance and handling while staying reasonably portable, and will undoubtedly become one of the most respected portrait primes ever for digital cameras.

Despite the 135mm being a difficult lens to top, join us as we explore Sigma’s second-generation 35mm f/1.2 lens, which is another huge release that will appeal to a variety of advanced photographers and filmmakers.

Sigma's Second-generation flagship 35mm f/1.2 DG II Art Lens Arrives

The mark II Sigma 35mm Art lens is only the second full-frame mirrorless lens Sigma has updated, following the Sigma 24-70mm f/2.8 DG DN II | Art, which we reviewed here. Also available in two mounts with the Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DG II Art Lens for Sony E and Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DG II Art Lens for L Mount, the new generation highlights just how important the 35mm focal width is for content creation. Many photographers and filmmakers consider a 35mm prime to be one of the most versatile storytelling focal lengths, with slightly more context in the frame than a 50mm, but without the distortion of wider lenses. You can find out more about this focal length in our blog post exploring why 35mm lenses are so popular.

Sample Yuichiro Fujishiro. Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DG II Art with Sigma Fp L. Camera settings: 1/100 sec. f/1.2. ISO 4000

With an f/1.2 maximum aperture, Sigma’s premium 35mm lens lets in approximately 1.4x more light than an f/1.4, which is especially useful for shooting in low light. It also includes a new floating focus system, which is driven by two HLA focus motors, and provides improved AF speed and precision with quieter performance for both stills and video.

The optical design has also been revised with four double-sided aspherical and three SLD elements for enhanced resolution and even more reduced aberrations. The lens is quite a bit smaller and lighter than its predecessor too, yet has even more Art line handling features like an aperture ring with lock and de-click switch, AF/MF switch, two customisable AFL buttons, and comprehensive weather-resistance. This really is Sigma’s flagship 35mm lens, and it shows this with all of the bells and whistles.

Sample Abigail Steed. Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DG II Art with Sigma Fp L. Camera settings: 1/320 sec. f/1.2. ISO 100

The Mark II is unquestionably smaller, lighter and faster, which equates to approximately 30% lighter and 20% shorter. It also has more responsive autofocus thanks to the addition of two focus motors and a floating focus system, which should deliver improved image quality from infinity to close-up.

The mark II is also far better suited to video, not only due to the AF improvements but also thanks to the de-clickable aperture ring and significantly reduced focus breathing, not to mention the weight saving.

Whichever subjects you shoot, the ability to achieve such a shallow depth of field with a lens that isn’t significantly larger, heavier, or indeed at £1,299.00 more expensive than a comparable flagship f/1.4, is quite an achievement and sets a new benchmark for E and L mounts.

Lastly we discover more about the all-new 20-200mm Sigma zoom lens.

The World’s First 20-200mm Lens

With the 20-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DG Contemporary Lens Sigma has broken into new territory, developing the world’s first zoom lens for full-frame mirrorless cameras that achieves both 20mm at the wide end and a 10x zoom ratio. Despite this accolade it’s really compact and lightweight with an extending design that starts at 115.5mm and an overall weight of just 550g.

This makes it one of the best Sigma zoom lens ever for travel and everyday creativity when capturing subjects as diverse as landscapes and city, street, portraits, video and action. If you can see it this lens will help you to capture it, albeit without the same low light capability as the two flagship Art Series primes, which launched at the same time.

Sample Syuheiinoue. Sigma 20-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DG Contemporary Lens for Sony E with Sony A9 II. Camera settings: 1/50 sec. f/5. ISO 1600

The zoom encompasses:

• Ultra-wide for landscapes, interiors, and vlogging
• Standard for environmental portraits, street and everyday snaps
• Mid-telephoto for portraits, events, and more distant subjects
• 1:2 magnification ratio between 28-85mm for half-life sized macro close-ups

It also features:

• Fast, quiet autofocus via Sigma’s HLA motor
• A zoom lock switch and focus mode switch
• Weather resistance and a front coating to repel dust and smudges

With a price of £799.00 for both the 20-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DG Contemporary Lens for Sony E and 20-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DG Contemporary Lens for L Mount we’re certain this will be popular amongst photographers and creators who want to upgrade from a kit lens or simply want a lightweight all-in-one zoom. It’s small, fast enough and caters to a variety of subjects while still being very affordable.

Sample Syuheiinoue. Sigma 20-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DG Contemporary Lens for Sony E with Sony A9 II. Camera settings: 1/200 sec. f/3.5. ISO 250

Here’s a quick recap of these three new lenses from Sigma in September 2025, including two world firsts and one second-generation update, which are available now for Sony E and L Mount:

1. Sigma 135mm f/1.4 DG Art - The world’s first 135mm autofocus prime with an f/1.4 aperture, which is capable of extraordinary subject separation.
2. Sigma 35mm f/1.2 DG II Art - A second-generation that is around 30% lighter and 20% shorter than the original, with upgraded autofocus, reduced focus breathing and better close-up performance.
3. Sigma 20-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DG Contemporary - The world’s first full-frame mirrorless zoom lens to start at 20mm, with an incredibly useful 10x zoom range and half-macro performance in a compact 550g body.

If you’re thinking about upgrading you can sell us your current equipment and use the value to offset the cost of a brand new Sigma lens. Get a fast, free quote on our simple trade-in page now to see how much you could save.

Share this post:

By Nick Dautlich on 09/09/2025

Nick Dautlich

Senior Content Writer and Product Reviewer

Nick Dautlich is the Senior Content Writer and Product Reviewer at Park Cameras, with over 15 years of photography experience. A Sony Imaging Professional and expert reviewer, Nick has worked with major brands such as Canon, Sony and Nikon. His work is also featured on Vanguard World UK’s website, Capture Landscapes, and Shutter Evolve. Nick’s photography includes National Trust projects and magazine covers and he is passionate about landscapes and storytelling. Nick also enjoys hiking and teaching his children about nature. Learn more on his profile page.