Sigma has revealed that it is working on a slew of new lenses – which isn't all that surprising, for a lens manufacturer. However, it has singled out and teased one lens in particular: "a telephoto lens that has never existed before."
The tease was 'casually' dropped into a wide-ranging interview with Sigma CEO, Kazuto Yamaki – the man whose father founded the company in 1961.
Answering questions from Tim Berry, an executive from Sigma UK, Yamaki touched on all manner of subjects, ranging from the designer garden furniture at the company's Tokyo HQ to his love of British bands including Primal Scream and (fittingly) Aztec Camera.
However, the most interesting takeaway was the talk about Sigma's new lenses currently in development.
"Could you give us a teaser for something that's coming," asked Berry. "I know you can't probably say too much, but could you give us, just, something that we can look forward to in the next few weeks?"
Yamazki was characteristically coy about giving too much away, but did offer a tantalizing tease.
ABOVE: Watch the interview with Yamaki-san
"Actually we are learning[?] many projects right now, and I'm very excited about all of the new products we are now working on. So basically I, like all of our customers, am looking forward to the new announcement from Sigma.
"But one of the products that excites me a lot is a telephoto lens that has never existed before… Sports photographers and wildlife photographers might be very excited about the lens."
At this point, Berry pressed him whether the lens is "coming quite soon", but Yamaki's lips were sealed.
"Well, I can't tell when, but we are working very hard on that product."
Given that Berry led with the timeframe "in the next few weeks" in his initial question, it seems safe to say that there will be more information coming fairly soon. A few weeks takes us past Christmas and into the new year. And, of course, a certain trade event called CP+ 2025 is coming up on February 27 2025.
As to what this world-first lens could be, maybe it'll be a modern version of the "Bigma" bazooka lens. Maybe it will be a telephoto f/1.8 to complement the groundbreaking Sigma 28-45mm f/1.8. A 70-200mm f/1.8? Hopefully we'll find out by late February…
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Sigma is clearly taking aim at the best telephoto lenses. Take a look at the best Canon telephoto lenses, the best Sony telephoto lenses and the best Nikon telephoto lenses to see what it's up against.
