I spent the weekend at the Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar with two Sigma ART lenses you’ve probably been seeing around the internet lately — the Sigma 28–45mm f/1.8 DG DN | Art and the Sigma 135mm f/1.4 (ART) — and I mounted them on my Nikon Z9 using the Megadap ETZ21 Pro+ Sony E → Nikon Z autofocus adapter. Short version: the lenses are gorgeous, the 28–45mm is a deceptively versatile little beast, the 135mm is glorious (and heavy), and the Megadap adapter made it painless to shoot them on the Z9 with no obvious performance sacrifice.
Below are my impressions from shooting during the seminar, along with some background on each lens and why the Megadap matters if you like mixing mounts.
Sigma 28–45mm f/1.8 DG DN | Art — zoom that behaves like a prime
This is one of those lenses that changes your mental kit list. It’s the world’s first full-frame zoom that holds f/1.8 across the range, and it really does behave like a set of very nice primes — sharp straight through the frame, with pleasing rendering and bokeh. For event and photojournalism work, the focal spread is beneficial: 28 gives you room, 35–40 is classic documentary/portrait territory, and 45 brings you in when you need it. The autofocus system (Sigma’s HLA / high-response linear actuator implementation for the DN line) is quick and smooth for stills and video. On the Z9 via the Megadap, it focused responsively and provided the shallow depth of field I wanted without the hunt or lag you sometimes expect when adapting lenses.
Practical notes: it’s larger than a typical 35mm prime, but not uncomfortably so. I liked how the zoom feels balanced on the Z9 and how usable f/1.8 was at 28mm for low-light seminar shooting.
Sigma 135mm f/1.4 ART — a portrait lens that eats background and serves it back soft
If you shoot portraits, editorial headshots, or want a super-tele short-portrait lens, the 135/1.4 is the kind of lens you’ll want to spend time with. It’s big and solid — you can feel the engineering — and the optical performance is what you expect from Sigma’s ART line: subject separation, gorgeous bokeh, and excellent resolution. It’s not a pocket lens, but it gives you that “subject pops out of the frame” look that single-lens portraits benefit from. On the Z9 with the adapter, it tracked and locked on without drama in my sampling of seated-portrait shots and candid captures.
Practical notes: Weight and size are crucial considerations if you plan to hold your device all day. If you have the room in your bag and the shooting scenario calls for long, shallow-DOF portraits, it’s worth it.
The Megadap ETZ21 Pro+ adapter — the unsung hero
What made shooting those two Sigma lenses on a Nikon Z9 straightforward was the Megadap ETZ21 Pro+ (Sony E-mount lens → Nikon Z-mount body) adapter. There’s a lot of adapter options out there; the Megadap Pro+ sits near the top of the list because it supports electronic communication, AF, aperture control, and it’s built with practicalities in mind: weather sealing, improved electrical contact plating, customizable buttons, and mechanical upgrades that make lens mounting/release more robust. In short, it’s designed to keep modern electronic lenses functional when moved between ecosystems.
Two detail points worth calling out:
- Thickness / mechanical fit — some cheaper adapters add significant spacing or play that can affect infinity focus or mount robustness. The Megadap family advertises a thin adapter ring (listings specify a 2 mm dimension for related models), which helps preserve flange distance and optical behavior when adapting FE lenses to Z bodies. That thin-but-solid construction matters — it’s part of why my adapted lenses focused accurately on the Z9.
- Real-world AF & performance — reviews and hands-on tests (including long-form reviewers who’ve used the ETZ21 Pro/Pro+ on high-res Nikon bodies) report that AF performance for many modern Sony/third-party FE lenses is very usable — single-shot AF and subject lock are reliable for stills. Continuous tracking performs well with lenses that have fast AF motors. That matches my experience at the seminar: no noticeable drop-off in AF responsiveness or tracking for the Sigma lenses I tried. As always, results vary lens-by-lens, and firmware updates for both lens and adapter can improve behavior.
A few takeaways for people who shoot events and stories
- Suppose you’re considering the Sigma 28–45mm. In that case, it’s a great one-lens solution for low-light, documentary, and interview situations where you want the look of primes but the flexibility of a zoom. It’s become one of those lenses I’d reach for when I need speed and range in a compact kit.
- The 135/1.4 is a specialty tool — offering huge payoffs for portraiture and subject isolation. However, be prepared for a heavier carry and to budget time for composition, as the shallow depth of field requires deliberate framing.
- If you need to mix-mount lenses on a Z-body, a high-quality adapter like the Megadap ETZ21 Pro+ is a practical option that preserves AF and electronic functionality for many lenses, which can save you from buying duplicate glass across ecosystems. Do check compatibility lists and keep adapter firmware up to date.