SIGMA 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary, Canon EOS R7, ISO 400, F14, 1/800s, 10mm

I am a multi-genre photographer, author, and creative based on beautiful Prince Edward Island, Canada. I am a photographer who often finds himself in remote or adventurous locations for the commercial and editorial assignments that I receive. I’ve　discovered, over time, that for me to get the best possible images that I need in the majority of situations, I have to be able to travel and work light, nimble, and very versatile. Being bogged down with heavy kit is most often a hindrance, in my world, and the more “free” I am physically when shooting, the more I find my creative eye can shine.

* The images without photograph data have been created with lenses other than SIGMA 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary

When SIGMA approached me about “test driving” the new SIGMA 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary for Canon RF Mount, which is—remarkably—the world's smallest and lightest ultra wide-angle zoom lens for APS-C cameras*, I have to say my interest was very piqued. I use a range of full frame and APS-C sensors in my work, depending on the assignment, and having the ability to go lighter than I’ve ever been able to go before with this new lens was very appealing.

*As an AF F2.8 zoom lens for mirrorless cameras with an APS-C sensor. As of October, 2023 by SIGMA.

Given a new lens to create with, my mind immediately went to a self-assignment to try to really test out and showcase what this lens is capable of. I decided to give myself a tourism-oriented project, and showcase my own backyard—Prince Edward Island—seeing that I often get hired to photograph tourism and location-based assignments for provincial, national, and international clients. I find they are assignments that require a great deal of diversity in your shooting: you capture everything from landscape to portraiture to adventure to long exposure and low light photography within a typical location-based assignment. This new lens seemed like a perfect fit for that eclectic mix of photography.

SIGMA 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary, Canon EOS R7, ISO 100, F10, 1/320s, 10mm

Prince Edward Island in the summertime is a dream; a beautiful Maritime mix of red rock shorelines, beaches, lighthouses, fishing villages, and chill island vibes. In short, an environment made for a versatile wide-angle lens.

The first thing that struck me when unpacking the lens and loading it up on a Canon EOS R7 was how incredibly light this lens was. I’ve shot for the better part of 20 years, and this was the lightest combination of lens and camera that I’ve yet picked up in the Canon shooting environment. Bonus, to be sure, because I planned a nice mix of scrambling, hiking, and general wandering over the course of my shooting. In addition to photography, I often take video footage during my various assignments for behind-the-scenes and educational content within my photography community, and the lightness of this set-up for video was hugely appealing to me.

SIGMA 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary, Canon EOS R7, ISO 100, F20, 1/30s, 10mm

SIGMA 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary, Canon EOS R7, ISO 200, F18, 1/160s, 10mm

During the course of this assignment, I wanted to test the 10-18mm’s artistic range, and deliberately photographed some images in the more “artsy” wide-open aperture aesthetic (shooting close to F2,8), while for others going much deeper in my depth of field (around F22) to test sharpness across a larger focal range, and to see how the lens handled the “sunburst” creative effect. In camera, I was excited by what I was seeing on my LCD and in my viewfinder—but how would the files look during the true test: when you load them on the computer? Often as a photographer I find you can be excited in the field only to be a little disappointed when you view your files on a monitor, realizing that they might lack key sharpness when viewed large.

SIGMA 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary, Canon EOS R7, ISO 400, F13, 1/640s, 10mm

SIGMA 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary, Canon EOS R7, ISO 200, F13, 1/400s, 18mm

To say I was impressed when I loaded my test shots, photographed with the SIGMA 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary, onto my laptop would be an understatement. While I gravitate towards prime lenses in my work, this small powerhouse of a lens resulted in exceptional sharpness and quality in my test images across the focal range, and immediately sold me on it’s capabilities within its focal length. I loved the creamy bokeh it produced closer to F2.8, and shooting closer to F22 resulted in a dramatic sunburst and great overall sharpness across the increased depth of field.

SIGMA 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary, Canon EOS R7, ISO 200, F2.8, 1/8000s, 15mm

SIGMA 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary, Canon EOS R7, ISO 200, F5, 1/2500s, 11mm

SIGMA 10-18mm F2.8 DC DN | Contemporary, Canon EOS R7, ISO 1000, F22, 1/50s, 10mm

I am a photographer who loves telling visual stories. To me, the gear I use should compliment this objective, and not become “the story”. I want my camera kit to be unobtrusive and minimal, but high quality and technically superior. When I trust my gear, the storytelling can happen with greatest fluidity. I’ve trusted SIGMA for almost the entirety of my career to be the compliment to the abilities I bring, myself, to the table. This small and mighty lens, ultimately, is just another chapter in that journey of trust…and I will excitedly add this lens to my arsenal.