Meaning of SIGMA Camera and Lens Terminology/Notation

SIGMA

A Japanese lens and camera manufacturer. Almost all products are produced consistently in Japan.

EX

Indicates a prime lens or a zoom lens that does not change F-value when zooming.

DC

Lenses specifically for digital cameras equipped with APS-C sensors.

DG

Lenses specifically for digital cameras equipped with full-frame sensors. Some can also be used with 35mm film SLRs.

DN

Lenses for mirrorless cameras.

OS

Abbreviation for Optical Stabilizer. Refers to the image stabilization function.

HSM

Abbreviation for Hyper-Sonic Motor. An ultrasonic motor.

ASP

Abbreviation for Aspherical Lens. Refers to an aspherical lens. Corrects distortions and other aberrations. Increases design freedom, improving lens performance, reducing the number of elements, and making them more compact.

APO

Telephoto lenses using special low-dispersion glass. Corrects chromatic aberration.

RF

Abbreviation for Rear Focus. Achieves faster focusing speed and reduced drive noise. A focusing method that moves the rear lens group.

IF

Abbreviation for Inner Focus. A structure where the length of the lens does not change when focusing.

II

Successor model to a lens with the same specifications.

Three "Product Lines"

Since 2012, all lenses have been reorganized into three category lines: "Art," "Contemporary," and "Sports."

Art

Developed by concentrating all design elements on the highest optical performance and rich expressive power. An artistic line that achieves a high level of artistic expression.

Contemporary

Incorporates the latest technology, balancing high optical performance and compactness, A high-performance line suitable for a wide range of shooting situations.

Sports

While maintaining advanced optical performance and expressive power, it directly responds to the photographer's intentions, A sporty line that demonstrates high mobility.

Foveon・Foveon X3

The American company Foveon is a subsidiary of Sigma. The sensor developed by the company is Foveon X3. It is the only company in the world to adopt the "vertical color separation method." Unlike general Bayer array sensors, it is characterized by being divided into three layers of RGB. Because it can capture the three primary colors with one pixel, it has high color resolution.

SA Mount

Sigma's unique bayonet mount.

MC-11

Model name of the mount converter. A converter for using Sigma SA mount interchangeable lenses and Sigma Canon interchangeable lenses with Sony E-mount bodies.

L Mount

A universal mount standard developed by Leica for its mirrorless cameras. On September 25, 2018, at Photokina, Leica, Panasonic, and Sigma announced their collaboration in the L-Mount Alliance. Sigma released the full-frame mirrorless camera "fp" adopting this mount.