The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 06/20/25

Nikon D200, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 06/19/25

Nikon D200, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 06/18/25

Nikon D200, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 06/17/25

Nikon D200, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

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Nikon D200, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

CCD Resurgence: Images with an iconic award-winning Nikon D200 DSLR with a classic Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4 wide-angle, a fully manual-focus retro digital setup with a unique CCD sensor aesthetic.

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I took the Nikon D200, and the Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm 1:3.5-4, a new copy of the legacy, as I have sold off the one I already had to a buyer, back to visit an old haunt recently, the park where I used to frequent, before moving away from that location a few years ago.

It was a quiet and quaint day, though, as the park, which seemed to have been through an intense upgrade recently, was not as active as it was during a long weekend.

The Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm 1:3.5-4, the world’s first wide-angle zoom lens when introduced in 1979, emerged during a transformative period in lens design as an answer to photographers’ demands for a portable wide-angle solution that could replace four prime lenses: 21mm, 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm.

The lens pioneered the integration of the ultra-wide focal lengths into a single compact system with its 12-element, 12-group optical design with a floating element system to minimize distortion and aberrations.

The lens was made available with Canon EF, Minolta/Sony A, Nikon F, and Sigma SA mounts, and adapts to modern APS-C and Micro Four Thirds systems with equivalent focal ranges of 32.1–60.9mm for APS-C DSLRs, and 42–70mm for Micro 4/3s.

The lens weighs 465 grams, measures 105mm in length, has a 67mm filter thread, and the manual zoom ring rotates smoothly across a 64° arc. The lens is notable for its all-metal construction, fixed hood, and, to some extent, historical significance.

The Nikon D200, introduced in 2005, is a significant milestone in the evolution of digital SLR (DSLR) cameras. The camera, distinguished by its magnesium alloy body, combines advanced features from Nikon’s high-end D2X with functionalities for the enthusiast, and is categorized as a mid-range model positioned between entry-level models and professional-grade equipment.

The DSLR is fitted with a 10.2MP CCD sensor, Nikon’s Multi-CAM 1000 autofocus module equipped the D200 with 11 focus points, and offered advanced tracking modes such as Closest Subject Priority Dynamic AF. Weather-sealed buttons and joints, a feature absent from competing models during the period, allow the camera to be equally used in challenging conditions. The camera weighs 830 grams, body only.

Handling-wise, the D200 was optimized for intuitive controls, with a layout similar to the D2X for easy transition between the two. Direct-access buttons are available for ISO, white balance, and image quality, while the 2.5-inch LCD has a 170-degree viewing angle. The D200 was also used as the chassis for the 'Frankenstein' Fujifilm FinePix S5 Pro.  

Despite their ages, with the camera well into its twenties and the lens well past forty-five, both were exceeding agile and performed well beyond expectation. Images here were zoomed and framed in Aperture-priority mode with the camera set to its base ISO, lens aperture to f/5.6, and focusing almost hyperfocal close to its infinity end.

Nikon D200, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

Acquiring the kit, nominally available from auction listings, will not cost an arm or a leg either.

The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 04/18/25

Nikon D200, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 04/17/25

Nikon D200, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 04/16/25

Nikon D200, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 04/15/25

Nikon D200, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

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Nikon D200, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

CCD Resurgence: The Nikon D200, and the legacy Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4 for a delightfully nostalgic, and fully mechanical shooting experience.

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An interesting legacy lens I re-acquired recently was an excellent condition two-ringed Sigma Zoom-Gamma 21-35mm f/3.5-4, a lens I had before, sold because it was developing haze within its elements.

The copy is in excellent overall condition, clean and tidy all around, with excellent condition glass, and different from the first copy, which came with an Olympus OM mount; this one had a Nikon-F mount.

The two-ringed version updates the earlier and original push-pull zoom, the Sigma Zoom 21-35mm f/3.5-4.2, which was released in 1986.

The two-ringed Zoom-γ, a solid built with 7 elements in 7 groups, was the first wide-angle zoom produced for the SLR camera market. This version was released in 1979 and enjoyed a rating of Sharpness (8.5), Aberrations (8.5), Bokeh (9.0), Handling (9.0), and Value (9.0) at PentaxForums.

Fitted to the Nikon D200, the lens is equivalent to a 31.5 to 52.5mm zoom on a 35 full-frame camera, a versatile range suitable for full-body portraits, landscapes, and street photography. At the long end of the zoom, at 52.5mm, the focal length is still within the standard of a 'normal lens' where images are seen with natural perspectives similar to what the eye sees.

The lens, well used and near enough to be in the forties now, is still exemplary of a robust build, with a smooth focusing ring and zoom functions. The aperture ring is quite stiff, though. With the zoom markings on the inner barrel faded and barely visible, I was neither too keen to do a zoom walk with the lens set at its 21, 24, 28, and 35mm focal lengths.

For the vintage enthusiast, the Sigma Zoom-Gamma AF 21-35mm f/3.5-4, despite its variations, is still worth looking at as an option with a low-end start on the auction market. The combination of solid build quality, potential longevity of use, decent optical performance when stopped down, and historical significance as one of the first wide-angle zooms for the SLR camera market makes it a worthwhile consideration for collectors and users.

Nikon D200, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

The Nikon D200, introduced by Nikon in 2005, is an advanced/enthusiast-level digital SLR camera positioned between entry-level and high-end models in Nikon's lineup. The camera has a robust magnesium alloy body, fitted environmental seals, and a 10.2MP APS-C CCD sensor, considered advanced for its time.

Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4, The Twin Towers

Analog Diary: Film photography favorites, the Petronas Twin Towers with the all-metal Sigma Zoom-γ (Gamma) 21-35mm f/3.5-4, a lens widely recognized as the world's first wide-angle zoom lens for 35mm film SLRs.

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I was at the location of the Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, recently with another camera, but found that the 28mm wide-angle zoom I had on the camera wasn't wide enough to capture both of the twin-tower elements in a single frame as I would like it to be. The decision to visit the location again, with another camera, was the better choice.

For the second visit, I took the ultra-wide-angle Sigma Zoom-Gamma 21-35mm F3.5~4 mounted on the Olympus OM-2SP, and I was able to capture the set of amateurish images I was looking for.

Launched in 1979, the one-touch Zoom Gamma 21-35mm lens was the world’s first wide-angle zoom, an area that Sigma continues to excel in today. The lens was a solid metal and glass construction with 7 elements in 7 groups, and comes complete with a built-in floral hood, and a rotating front element with a diameter of 67mm.

While I have used the lens only occasionally, initially for image samples with the lens adapted to the digital Pen E-P5, and then only of late, I do have high regard for the lens - for its built quality, the zoom range it offers, images it renders, and its worth as a keeper.

Olympus OM-2S, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

The lens, which is almost a rarity, came almost complementary with the purchase of an Olympus OM body. By itself, listings of the lens on auction sites are far and few in between. You may, instead, find more instances of the follow-up Sigma Zoom-Gamma II 21-35mm F3.5~4.2 being offered in the listings or something that will cost you an arm and a leg in the form of the Leica Vario-Elmar-R 21-35mm F3.5~4 Asph.

Olympus OM-2S, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

These images were shot on a roll of a recently expired Kodak ColorPlus 200, post-processed on Olympus Viewer 3 (OV3), and print sharpened on Google NIK Sharpener Pro3.

The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 05/10/19

Olympus OM-2S, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 05/09/19

Olympus OM-2S, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 05/08/19

Olympus OM-2S, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

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The Galleria: Photo of the Day, 05/07/19

Olympus OM-2S, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

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Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4, In The Park

Analog Diary: Film photography favorites, images with a Sigma Zoom-γ (Gamma) 21-35mm f/3.5-4, a historically significant lens widely recognized as the world's first wide-angle zoom lens for 35mm film SLRs.

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The Sigma Zoom-Gamma 21-35mm f/3.5-4 is quite a remarkable lens, with good image quality and a zoom range that is hard to replicate or replace. The lens was launched by Sigma in 1979 as the world's first wide-angle zoom lens.

The lens is a solid all-metal and glass construction, with 12 elements in 12 groups, 105mm in length, weighs 450 grams, comes with a non-rotating front element, takes 67mm filters, and has a built-in floral pattern hood.

I also did an earlier post with the lens mounted on the digital Pen E-P5, which includes images shot at various focal range equivalents, but felt that the equation is not complete without a similar post with the lens mounted on what it was originally designed and produced for, an SLR film camera.

Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

This session here was down at the park, on a hazy day, with shots mainly of the landscape. The images, as you can see, turned out to be sharp, clear, and better than expected. They were shot on a roll of expired Fujifilm Superia 200, post-processed on Olympus Viewer 3 (OV3), and print-sharpened on Google NIK Sharpener Pro3.

Olympus OM-2S, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

EndNote: For those who are interested in a bit of technicality and an approach towards rectifying the 'fix' of the infinity focus problem of Sigma Gamma, please visit the site here.

Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4, The Zoom Range

Olympus PEN E-P5, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4 @21mm

Cameras and Lenses: Testing the zoom range of the vintage Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4, a robust all-metal build and manual mechanical controls lens, the world's first wide-angle zoom, on an Olympus PEN E-P5.

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Testing out the zoom range of the Sigma Zoom-Gamma 21-35mm f/3.5-4, the first 2-ring version of Sigma's Gamma series of ultra-wide-angle zoom lenses. This version was introduced in 1979. Economical, as it covers all four of the most important wide-angle focal lengths, the 21mm, 24mm, 28mm, and 35mm, in one compact combo.

Olympus PEN E-P5, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4 @24mm

Olympus PEN E-P5, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4 @28mm

Olympus PEN E-P5, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4 @31mm

On an MFT (Micro Four-Thirds) digital, the Zoom-Gamma 21-35mm f/3.5-4 will be a standard zoom with the equivalent focal lengths from 42 to 70mm. The lens incorporates Sigma's unique floating element system, virtually eliminating all aberrations throughout the entire zoom range.

Olympus PEN E-P5, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

It is a super solid all-metal lens with 11 elements in a 7-group construction, weighs about 465 grams, and measures 105mm in length. The f-stop range is 3.5 to 22 with half-stop clicks, and the lens is fitted with a floral-pattern hood and takes in a 67mm filter size.

Olympus PEN E-P5, Sigma Zoom-γ 21-35mm f/3.5-4

Images were shot with the lens mounted on the Olympus PEN E-P5, at the focal length indicators of 21mm, 24mm, 28mm, 31mm, and 35mm. Post-processing and print finishing were done in Olympus Viewer 3 (OV3) and Google Nik Sharpener Pro 3.