Lee Filters have recently released the SW150 lens adapter for the Sigma 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM | Art lens. Designed to compete with the legendary Nikon 14-24mm f/2.8 (one of my primary choices for Iceland) and the more recent Canon 11-24mm f/4 L lens. All three of these lenses have pedal shaped hoods integrated directly into the barrel of the lens and bulbous front elements, leaving no options for more traditional screw-in front filters. To overcome this drawback, Lee developed the SW150 filter system.
With previous lenses, like the Nikon 14-24mm or Sigma 20mm, the three part adaptor ring from Lee would compress where the barrel became bulbous. Unfortunately, Sigma placed the focus ring of the 12-24mm f4 Art lens right in that spot, and it’s a long way from the pedal-hood. I couldn’t determine how the engineers and designers from Lee were going to overcome this problem and keep the focus ring accessible, but they pulled it off with the use of a split washer. The design works well and holds the filter adaptor solidly in place. No worry of it coming off. In fact, I regularly leave it permanently attached to the lens without issue.
There are a few drawbacks to the SW150 holder for the Sigma 12-24mm holder. The first is that it can only be used from 13.5-24mm without hard vignetting into the left and right side of the frame, showing the tabs that hold the filters in place. Not a huge concern, but something to be aware of depending on your shooting style. The second concern is using the circular polarizer with the SW150 system. Even minor rotations to the front filter begin to creep into the frame at such a wide angle. The final drawback of the system is the light falloff when using the Little or Big Stopper with such a wide angle lens. There is a noticeable 3-stop falloff as you get into the extreme corners. Minor correction can be achieved in Lightroom, but due to the shape of the vignetting, it’s not easily correctible with a single slider.
In my opinion, the benefits of the system far outweigh these costs. The ability to carry a single mattebox system with multiple adapter rings and only one set of filters is much easier to manage than numerous sizes of filters, and multiple entire filter holders that some of the other systems use. Overall, a fantastic solution to provide filtration on the Sigma 12-24mm f/4 DG HSM | Art lens.
Sample Images
Lee SW150 with the Little Stopper and 0.9 Graduated Neutral Density Filter
Lee SW150 with the 0.9 Graduated Neutral Density Filter
Lee SW150 with the 0.9 Graduated Neutral Density Filter
Lee SW150 with the Little Stopper and Circular Polarizer
Lee SW150 with the Little Stopper and Circular Polarizer
Lee SW150 with the Little Stopper and Circular Polarizer
