Est. 1961 · Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan (manufactured in Aizu, Fukushima) · 6 lenses
Sigma Corporation was founded in 1961 by Michihiro Yamaki in Setagaya, Tokyo, initially producing tele-converters and replacement lenses for the Japanese SLR market. The company expanded steadily through the 1960s and 1970s, building one of the first independent third-party zoom lenses (the High-Speed Zoom 39–80 mm, 1973) and entering the full-time autofocus market in 1985 alongside Minolta's α-7000. By the 1990s Sigma was Japan's largest independent lens manufacturer, supplying Canon EF, Nikon F, Pentax KAF, Sony A, and its own Sigma SA mounts in volume.
Sigma's manufacturing is unusual among its peers: every step from glass molding through final assembly takes place at a single factory complex in Aizu, Fukushima Prefecture. The company also runs an unusually deep R&D investment for its size, and acquired the Foveon Inc. CMOS-sensor business in 2008. The Foveon X3 sensor — a stacked three-layer design that captures full color at every pixel rather than interpolating from a Bayer mosaic — powered the Sigma SD9 (2002), SD14, SD1, and the dp Quattro fixed-lens compacts (2014), all of which earned dedicated followings for their distinctive rendering.
The defining shift came in 2012 with Sigma's Global Vision lineup, which restructured the entire catalog into three product families — Art (premium primes and fast zooms targeting maximum optical quality), Contemporary (compact, all-purpose lenses), and Sport (long-focal-length telephotos and supertelephotos). The Art-series 35 mm f/1.4 DG HSM (2012), 50 mm f/1.4 DG HSM (2014), and 85 mm f/1.4 DG HSM (2016) collectively repositioned Sigma as a serious premium optical designer rather than a budget alternative, with measured optical performance frequently equaling or exceeding first-party L, S, GM, and ZEISS competitors.
In 2018 Sigma joined the L-mount Alliance with Leica and Panasonic, and in 2019 launched the fp — a then-record-smallest full-frame mirrorless camera — followed by the fp L (2021). The mirrorless-native DG DN Art and DC DN Contemporary lens lines, designed from scratch for the short-flange L, Sony E, Fujifilm X, Canon RF, and Nikon Z mounts, now span fast wide-angles to portrait teles. Sigma remains a family-owned company, led since 2012 by Kazuto Yamaki — the founder's son — following Michihiro Yamaki's death.
Notable designs: 35mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art, 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art, 85mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art, 14mm f/1.8 DG HSM Art, 105mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art, 28mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art, 50mm f/1.2 DG DN Art