Compare lenses

Leica Vario-Elmar-TL 18-56mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH vs Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Contemporary

The Leica Vario-Elmar-TL 18-56mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH and the Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Contemporary side by side, computed from this guide's catalogue.

Which to pick

Pick the Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Contemporary if you want optical stabilisation, which helps most on bodies without it; more reach (to 450mm equivalent); a wider view (from 24mm equivalent); and a fit on more cameras (131 against 25 in this guide). On these specs the Leica Vario-Elmar-TL 18-56mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH has no clear advantage: choose it if the price, the handling or a lens you own decides it.

Still torn? Ask the guide about the Leica Vario-Elmar-TL 18-56mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH and the Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Contemporary

Specs side by side

Rows that differ are in full colour; the better value is marked where one is better by any measure.
Spec	Leica Vario-Elmar-TL 18-56mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH	Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Contemporary
Maker	Leica	Sigma
Focal length	18-56mm (zoom)	16-300mm (zoom)
Full-frame equivalent	27-84mm on APS-C	24-450mm on APS-C
Maximum aperture	f/3.5-5.6	f/3.5-6.7
Made for	APS-C	APS-C
Mounts	L-Mount	Sony E, Fujifilm X, L-Mount, Canon RF, Nikon Z
Stabilised	no	yesstabilised
Autofocus	yes	yes
Zoom range	3.1×	18.8×more range
Weight	not listed	615 g
Cameras it fits	25 in this guide	131 in this guidefits more cameras

Focal range, in full-frame terms

Leica Vario-Elmar-TL 18-56mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH: 18-56mm on APS-C, like 27-84mm.

Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Contemporary: 16-300mm on APS-C, like 24-450mm.

Aperture

Leica Vario-Elmar-TL 18-56mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH: f/3.5 wide open.

Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Contemporary: f/3.5 wide open.

Each opening drawn to scale against f/1.4: a smaller f-number lets in more light and blurs the background more.

Field of view

How wide each sees, at each end, on the sensor it was made for.

Cameras they fit

25 cameras in this guide take both, so either works on the same body. In all, the Leica Vario-Elmar-TL 18-56mm f/3.5-5.6 ASPH fits 25 and the Sigma 16-300mm f/3.5-6.7 DC OS Contemporary 131.