Sigma Teases Telephoto Lens ‘That Has Never Existed Before’

Sigma’s refreshingly candid CEO, Kazuto Yamaki, sat down with Sigma UK’s Tim Berry for a nearly half-hour-long interview concerning a diverse range of topics, including Yamaki’s favorite photographers, why Sigma remains a “Made in Japan” brand, and an upcoming lens.

Near the very end of the wide-ranging interview, Berry asks, “Now I have to ask you because I have you here, and I can’t go away without asking you. Could you give us a teaser for something that’s coming. I know you can’t probably say too much but you could give us something that we can look forward to in the next few weeks?”

“Okay, that’s the most difficult question you’ve asked today,” Yamaki replies, smiling. “Actually, we are [working on] 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 looking forward to the new announcement from Sigma.”

“But, one of the products that excite me a lot is a telephoto lens that has never existed before,” Yamaki continues.

“Really?” Berry excitedly interjects.

“Yes, so sports photographers and wildlife photographers might be very excited about the lens.”

Yamaki stops short of saying when the new telephoto lens will be announced, but it is worth noting that the Camera and Photo Imaging Show 2025 (CP+) is quickly approaching and will take place in late February and early March 2025 in Yokohama, Japan. Sigma, alongside many other major camera and lens manufacturers, is a confirmed exhibitor at CP+ 2025, so an announcement there would not be surprising in the least.

PetaPixel‘s Take

As for what the teased telephoto lens could be, the possibilities are nearly endless. A telephoto lens that has never existed sounds exciting and rules out certain focal lengths and aperture combinations.

Sigma has made many great telephoto lenses over the years, including primes and zooms for mirrorless cameras. The recent Sigma 500mm f/5.6 DG DN OS Sports is a standout, with PetaPixel calling it “stellar.” Sigma could be looking at a longer or faster prime, but there is not necessarily a lot of space to make a wholly unique prime lens.

There is more untapped potential in the telephoto zoom space. Sigma’s 60-600mm f/4.5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports lens is a highly versatile zoom, and its slightly lower-zooming 150-600mm f/5-6.3 DG DN OS Sports, seen at the top of this article, is among the best values in all of telephoto lenses. There’s a lens in Sigma’s cupboard that is very exciting to pro photographers: the 120-300mm f/2.8 DG OS HSM Sports from over a decade ago. This lens remains available for DSLRs but has yet to make its way to mirrorless.

Could Sigma take another swing at a super-fast telephoto zoom lens for mirrorless photographers, perhaps something a bit wider on the wide end, like the fantastic (and expensive) Canon RF 100-300mm f/2.8 L? Sigma could take advantage of improved optical technology and designs and make an f/2.8 zoom that’s a bit longer than 300mm at the telephoto end. That would be incredibly exciting.

As Yamaki explained to PetaPixel at CP+ 2023, the company uses three sources of inspiration when designing new lenses. First, the product planning team comes up with proposals, and these employees are photographers themselves, so they know what lenses they could use in the real world. Yamaki adds his ideas into the mix. That’s the second source. Finally, the third source for lens ideas is the optical engineers. Like product planners, they’re also photographers, but they better understand what is possible to achieve at specific price point targets and with modern optical technology.

Sigma, which moved to a beautiful new headquarters a few years ago, fosters a very open exchange of ideas. Despite being CEO, Yamaki works in the same space as his employees, including the engineers, so there is a constant flow of ideas. Whatever Sigma’s next lens will be, the concept has certainly been batted around between product planners, designers, engineers, and the CEO himself sometime in the last few years.

Sigma has been releasing excellent lenses one after another at a torrid pace — the company released six new lenses in 2024 alone. It sounds like 2025 will kick off with a bang, too.

Image credits: Sigma