Given its bright aperture, Sigma's 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary ($659) zoom is impressively small. It works with APS-C sensor cameras from Canon, Fuji, Leica, and Sony and costs less than first- and third-party alternatives for those systems, including the Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 Di III-A RXD ($829). Moreover, its superb image quality, quick autofocus motors, decent macros abilities, and gimbal-friendly size outweigh its few ergonomic missteps. Between its affordable price and fantastic performance, the 10-18mm F2.8 easily earns our Editors' Choice award.

Editors' Note: This review was originally published on October 5, 2023. It has been updated to reflect changes in price and availability for additional camera systems.

Design: Extra Small and Extra Wide

The 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary's compact size is striking. It measures just 2.4 by 2.8 inches (HD), weighs 9.2 ounces, and supports 67mm front filters. It's a little slimmer and noticeably shorter than the Tamron 11-20mm F2.8 (3.4 by 2.9 inches, 11.8 ounces) and offers a slightly wider angle of view. Both lenses cover the APS-C sensor size only. In full-frame terms, the Sigma's focal range is equivalent to 15-27mm.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Sigma utilizes its typical composite material for the barrel, a tough plastic that's light and durable. Dust and splash protection are at the mount only, however, so you should add some cover if you want to use it outside on a rainy day. The front element has an anti-smudge fluorine coating, so fingerprints wipe away easily and water drops bead right off. That's a plus for a lens that you are likely to use outdoors.

I recommend using the included lens hood to protect the front glass and block stray light on bright days. The petal-style hood interestingly uses a new mounting mechanism. Line up the arrow at the top with the one on the lens barrel and push the hood on to attach it, or simply twist it counterclockwise to remove it. To put it on in the reverse position, line up the inward-facing arrow icon on the hood with the straight line on the barrel. This hood design is no better than a normal bayonet mount, but it's not any worse, either.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Sigma skips optical stabilization in favor of a small design and F2.8 optics. I tested the lens on a camera with a stabilized sensor, the Sony a6700, and got sharp handheld results with as long as a 1/4-second shutter. If your camera doesn't have stabilization, remember to bring a tripod along for long exposures and grab a gimbal for stable vlogs.

10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary vs. the Competition 

The 10-18mm competes against the aforementioned Tamron lens for the Fuji and Sony mounts, but you have first-party options to mull, too. Fuji's XF 10-24mm F4 R OIS WR adds optical stabilization and full weather sealing, for example, but it costs $999.95. Sony's closest alternative, the $749.99 E PZ 10-20mm F4 G, also has full weather protection but lacks stabilization. The E PZ is as tiny as the Sigma and a little lighter, but its F4 optics capture only half the amount of light, and its power zoom design might not suit everyone.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The 10-18mm Contemporary is also available in RF mount for Canon EOS R cameras with APS-C sensors. It's a welcome addition to the catalog, as the Canon RF-S 10-18mm F3.5-6.3 IS STM doesn't match the Sigma's F2.8 optics for light gathering or flare resistance. The RF-S 10-18mm includes optical stabilization and costs less, but its advantages end there.

There aren't any APS-C cameras in production that use the L-mount, nor are there lenses to compete with this Sigma. Nonetheless, some L-mount creators might look to the 10-18mm for Super 35 video, and I'd love to try it for photos with the discontinued Leica CL. If you're still using the CL (or a TL, for that matter), it's an easier purchase than the pricey, out-of-production Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11-23mm F3.5-4.5 ASPH. ($1,895).

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The L-mount version of the Sigma 10-18mm has the narrowest audience, but the versions for the Sony E and Fuji X mounts include a couple of novel features. For instance, you can change the manual focus ring response from nonlinear (default) to linear, as well as tune the autofocus response via the UD-11 USB Dock accessory ($59) and desktop app. Both are ultimately edge cases for this particular lens since the 10-18mm formula isn't ideal for rack focus shots, and the wide coverage won't benefit immensely from autofocus tweaks. The dock is more useful for telephoto lenses, and even then, its appeal is marginal.

Controls Are Kept to a Minimum

The 10-18mm's small barrel makes for tight control surfaces, so Sigma omits an aperture ring, a focus toggle, function buttons, and other useful on-barrel controls. The lens has just two rings—one for manual focus and a second to set the zoom. The focus ring sits in the center of the barrel and its ridged plastic texture makes it easy to find by touch. The focus ring is further ahead, to the extent that it touches the lens hood. It has ridges as well but uses a softer rubber material.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

I had some problems with the control arrangement in testing. Most zooms put the focus ring toward the middle of the barrel, so, frustratingly, I kept turning the wrong ring when I was out taking pictures. Granted, I had less than a week to try the zoom, so it's an issue that might go away with time.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The lens controls focus breathing optically, so there's no visible change in the angle of view when you shift focus. This is a plus for video, since blooms in angle may distract from a shot. And although the lens' wide view is less than ideal for rack-focus shots, focus breathing won't be an issue if you ever want to try this effect.

An STM motor drives focus for a snappy, quiet response. With the a6700, the focus jumps from close to far-off subjects in an instant. The lens focuses closest at its widest 10mm angle, where it can get 1:4 macros at a distance of 11.6 inches. At 18mm, the minimum focus distance jumps to 19.1 inches for 1:6.9 magnification.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

Sigma 10-18mm Contemporary: In the Lab

I matched the Sigma 10-18mm Contemporary with the 26MP Sony a6700 and Imatest software to check its contrast in the lab. The lens delivers outstanding resolution throughout its zoom range with stunning clarity right up to the edge of the frame at every focal length I tried—10mm, 14mm, and 18mm (3,000-3,500 lines). It maintains this level of performance through f/11. Picture quality takes a big step back at f/16, where the lens loses roughly a third of its resolution for just-okay results (2,500 lines). Details are soft at f/22 (1,600 lines).

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

It's worth using the smallest apertures to get sunstars, however. The same diffraction effect that scatters light and reduces effective resolution causes small points of light to render as 14-point starbursts. I took advantage of the characteristic for a wooded landscape scene. The tines lack the crisp, pinpoint edges you can get with some other lenses, but I spotted only a few small ghosts in photos at f/22 with the sun prominent in the frame. At wider apertures, the lens suppresses flare effectively. 

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The optics show barrel distortion at 10mm and the pincushion effect at 18mm. Distortion is not a real-world problem, however, as in-camera corrections remove it invisibly. If you use a Raw format, make sure to apply a correction profile if your editing software doesn't do so automatically. Sigma provided us with a prerelease look at its profile for Adobe Camera Raw and it proved effective at compensating for distortion in testing. The profile also compensates for any lateral chromatic aberration, which often appears as a purple fringing effect, though I couldn't spot any in uncorrected photos.

(Credit: Jim Fisher)

The 10-18mm makes sense primarily as a landscape lens because of its wide angle of view, but the combination of its close-focus abilities and wide aperture helps it draw some background blur. Defocused highlights are pleasingly smooth and round in my test images, and they avoid false color from longitudinal chromatic aberration entirely.

Verdict: Epic Views From a Small Zoom

We don't have many complaints about the Sigma 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN Contemporary. The svelte zoom lens is razor-sharp, focuses quickly, and matches up with APS-C mirrorless cameras quite well. Its very reasonable price more than makes up for the relatively few on-barrel controls and the nonstandard zoom ring position. No matter whether you are using a crop-sensor Canon, Fuji, L-Mount, or Sony camera, the 10-18mm brings excellent picture quality to the table for less than first- and third-party alternatives, so we're giving it our Editors' Choice award. That said, pro photographers who work out in the elements or who need to pack light (without a tripod) should still consider first-party options that offer the advantages of full weather sealing and optical stabilization.