Re: Will Sigma ever release the 18-50mm F2.8 zoom for EF-M?
nnowak wrote:
User1303423862 wrote:
Will Sigma ever release the 18-50mm F2.8 zoom for EF-M?
Does the Canon ban on 3rd party AF lenses for the RF mount apply to EF-M as well?
No. The EF-M mount Sigma primes are still for sale.
The RF issue is messy and it is unclear which patents Canon felt were being violated. Canon RF mount cameras support two different communication protocols. RF lenses use a new high speed communication protocol, but the camera can "dumb down" to the old, slower EF protocol for use with adapted lens. Sort of like a laptop with a USB 3.1 port still supporting USB 1.0 peripherals. Canon actually patented the ability to support dual communication protocols.
To date, all of the 3rd party RF mount lenses that were introduced (and now dropped) used the old EF protocols. Those 3rd party lenses could be thought of as EF lenses with a permanently attached RF adapter. No reverse engineered RF protocols were used in these lenses. Patents on the EF protocols expired decades ago, and the EF-M mount uses the standard EF protocols with a slightly revised electrical pinout. It is possible the RF patent infringement claims revolve around some mechanical features such as the dimensions of the mount or the pinout of the electrical contacts.
I would love to have this bright sharp standard zoom for my carry-around camera, and I really (really) don't want a SONY alpha.
The only other option would be a Leica APS-C camera in L mount, and they're not as well specced as M cameras in many ways (but nice in others).
Sigma has also announced that the 18-55mm f/2.8 will be coming to the Fuji mount by the end of the year, but Sigma has yet to announce any future plans for other systems.
Should I just be content with my 18-55 zoom with its competent IS and shoot higher ISO as the light falls?
Your only other option is adapting the fairly large and heavy EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS or Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 OS.
Really informative, thanks for this reply. I have an older EF mount Sigma F2.8 zoom (non-IS though). It's great, but as you said, a bit big and heavy for the M system.
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