Sigma 70mm F/2.8 EX DG Macro Lens for

Sigma 70mm Micro
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Good value micro lens… better than the Nikon 60mm micro in my opinion…also works well as a portrait lens.

It’s good, but it’s *not* a constant f2.8 lens (edit: most Macro aren’t!)
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Bought this to pair with my Nikon D90. It’s a sharp lens that’s very pleasant to use. As the other reviewer said, it’s a ‘nice’ length on an APS-C sized sensor, ~105mm. Sharpness is on par with the venerable Nikkor 50mm f1.8, IMHO. So that’s great. Not unexpected though, as this is supposedly Sigma’s sharpest prime lens and it’s a Macro lens, which by definition has to be tack sharp. Build quality seems very good too. All in all, it’s a nice lens at a good price.

Focus is slow compared to AF-S lenses, but only because there’s such a huge focal range. This lens does seem hunt a lot on my D90, even in bright light. It’ll often have to run the focus across the entire range to get a lock, and that’s a pain. However, flipping the focus limiter switch solves it and makes it focus just as fast as my other non AF-S lenses. So that’s ok. And for macro shots I’d usually be focusing manually anyway, so it’s not a big deal. But it’s just not quite as quick as my AF-S lenses.

I also don’t like the fact that the lens cap won’t snap on when the sunshade is screwed on. Makes it a bit of a pain when you’re out and about and want to cap the lens, as you’ve got to unscrew the shade (and put it somewhere – it doesn’t reverse) to put the cap on. A pain compared to Nikkor shades that allow the cap while they’re installed, even while reversed.

But there is one major negative that none of the other reviews have touched upon. And it’s nearly a deal-breaker for me. This is NOT a true f2.8 fixed lens. It is from 10ft to infinity, but below that the max aperture grows as the subject distance decreases. At 1:1 magnification, 3-4 inches away, maximum aperture is f4.8. This is not really what I had in mind when I bought this lens, and I may return it because it’s not going to work as well as I had hoped. I bought an f2.8 lens expecting a constant aperture. I was wrong. I actually think it’s a bit of deceptive advertising on the part of Sigma. Since it’s primary purpose is to be a Macro lens, they should be clear that it’s an f2.8 lens only at decidedly non-macro focal ranges. This is really an f4.8 Macro lens, which isn’t so great. So just be advised before you purchase this lens.

Followup:

Apparently, a variable aperture at decreasing macro distances is common to many macro lenses, including Nikon’s own 60mm f2.8 and 105mm f2.8 macro lenses. So I can’t pick on Sigma too much for this. I’m new to the world of dedicated macro lenses, and I didn’t know this ‘feature’ was just the way these lenses worked. Taking this into consideration, the 70mm Sigma is perhaps more deserving of four (4) stars, rather than three. I’d edit my star rating but I can’t.

This also makes me reevaluate my comments about potentially returning this Sigma. I was strongly considering returning the Sigma and picking up the 60mm f2.8 Nikkor Macro instead. I had assumed that the Nikkors would be truly constant f2.8 lenses. I would have been wrong! Since the Nikkor’s do this variable aperture thing too, I’m thinking I’ll just keep the Sigma – as other than this aperture thing, it’s a great lens. Lesson learned!

Awesome macro lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve never had a true 1:1 macro lens before this one, and I could not be happier. I chose this one because I’ve had good luck with Sigma in the past, and the focal length translates to about 105mm on my DSLR, supposedly the most common “workhorse” macro length. Extremely sharp photos, especially if you take your time and focus manually. The level of detail captured in a few of the photos I’ve taken with this lens has been described as “simply stunning” by a prosumer level photog friend. You’ll have a blast.

Super sharp lens
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I chose this as I didn’t want a 105 or 50mm macro, so far this is one of the sharpest lenses I have ever used, on par with the Pentax 70mm limited ( which is a great lens just can’t focus close ). Yes the lens is heavy and the AF is typical macro lens laboriously slow but for macros your typicaly shooting subjects that won’t need fast AF. Good rendering and good bokeh.

My only problem with the lens is it’s close focus, about 7 cm to get 1:1 is too close for insects and such, it’s not the normal close focus of 25cm they claim ( which is close focus in non macro mode with the limiter on ). I would have liked if they had mentioned that ( sigma ) so I would have known as it might be to tight for some ring lights and 1:1 with this lens.

Disappointed with the Sigma
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Optically the Sigma 70mm macro was a decent lens for macro, but not a good all purpose lens at all. The build quality really turned me off. I tried the Tamron 90 macro, better build quality, better optices for both macro and general use. Decided on the Nikon 105 micro with vibration reduction. About 300 bucks more but a world apart in build quality and optics. A truly professional lens. In fairness though, I have to say that for the money, the Tamron was OK.

Macro With Exceptions
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I must qualify my review by stating that shoot macro lenses in manual. I shoot flowers. I never goto 1:1. I’m using it on a Nikon D80 and a Nikon D300.

The Sigma 70 is a nice lense. It’s well built. It handles well. Color is acurate and contrast is good. My only issue with this lens is it is not sharp at F18 to F22 which is common amoung many macros. If I stay at F16 with moderate magnification then it stays sharp. As a matter of fact its shrpness at normal magnification is identical to the Sigma 50mm macro and Tamron 90mm macro. When I want higher magnification I goto a longer lens which is why I have 50mm, 70mm, 90mm and 105mm macro.

If you want to do macro work at less than 1:1 and you stay away from F18 and F22 then this lens will work fine. I gotten some great shots with it.

terrific
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
terrific lens, really sharp. seems like you get a lot of quality for a fair price. i have a couple of “L” lenses, and they’re great, and/but i don’t think an “L” glass version of this lens would be much better than this.

Amazing hunk of glass and metal
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
After researching macro lenses and considering my uses, I decided that I would get more use from a 70mm macro than other focal lengths such as 50 or 105. I see this lens as primarily a 70mm with macro capability for my purposes. And it is a great lens. Very sharp for all distances. Very nice color, contrast, etc. Solid construction, smooth focusing both manual and auto. This is a hunk of gear that is excellent in almost every way.

And HUNK it is. Heavy, big. Be prepared for this. Use a can of peas to get the idea. This isn’t a complaint; on my Pentax K10D, it balances well and is a pleasure to hold. But it will start weighing you down after time around the neck.

My negative comments: The lens hood should be sized tighter so that it stays in place when reversed and you place it in a bag. The Sigma ‘EX’ crinkle finish is fine but not my favorite. The supplied case is bigger than it needs to be and yet doesn’t provide much padding.

My most used lens. I didn’t know that 70mm on an APS-C sensor (105mm equivalence for 35mm) would be such a nice focal length but it has become my new ‘standard’ lens.

Recommended buy
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This lens performs better than I expected. I bought this lens for macro and with the 1:1 ratio, it gives great pictures. With its f/2.8 at 70mm (which is equivalent to a 105mm in digital) it does work brilliantly for portraits (I thought it could be slightly slow but it is not at all!).

At this price, it is a great lens to have in your bag.

Incredible, true 1:1 magnification!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Simply amazing. Crisp and sharp even at the lowest f/stop! The bokeh is beautiful, and the lens feels good in hand. I STRONGLY recommend picking up a Tripod with this one, it’s a little heavy on my Canon EOS 450D, and I find myself losing out on some real high quality shots cause of those shaky hands! Get a tripod and get this lens!

Tack-sharp
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
While of fairly substantial heft, the optics on this lens, as noted in many reviews, are terrifically sharp. If you judiciously use the focus limiter, it’s perfectly suitable (actually even excellent) for portraiture. The fast aperture also helps keep ISO (and therefore noise) low, too.

The detail in macro-closeups is truly remarkable!

Sharp macro lens
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Sigma 70mm F/2.8 EX DG Macro Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras Very satisfied with the sharp photos. The autofocus works well and I like the focus limit feature as allowing the lens to search the entire focus range for each shot requires several seconds. Easy switching from manual to autofocus, but no focus touchup. I get a little vibration during focusing if the camera is held at a certain angle. Overall, for the money this is an excellent lens.

Great Lens for a Great Price with a few caveats
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I purchased this lens about three months ago so I’ve had plenty of time to give it a thorough testing.

Pluses:

- this lens gives me nice sharp pictures from f/2.8 to around f/18

- great soft bokeh at f/2.8

- unlike the reviewer of June 2009, my lens DOES shoot at f/2.8 even when I am 2-3 inches from a subject at 1:1 macro

- very solid construction. I had the lens roll off of my fanny pack about 4 inches to a gravel surface. Didn’t bother it at all.

- no perceptible lens creep (even pointed vertically down)unlike my Tamron 18-250.

- nice price (I paid $439.00)

Minuses:

- the weird screw on lens hood!!! Sigma needs to really rethink this design.

- the need to move my position not zoom the lens (oops! that’s a minus on me for being too used to zoom lenses)

On the strength of this lenses pluses, I am considering purchasing, at least, one other Sigma lens in the near future.

I am a semi-professional shooting on a Canon 40D (soon to be 5D Mark II)

Excellent Lens
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is a great lens not only for macro shots. The image sharpness is excellent and mechanically the lens feels very solid. It’s an excellent lens at a competitive price.

Awesome lense, both for macro and regular shooting
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
After a lot of research, reading reviews and looking at sample photos from different macro lenses I ended up buying this one. It’s my first macro lense, so I I don’t have personal experience from other comparable lenses. But I do really love this lense.

It is quick with focusing and has smooth manual focus.

The picture quality is amazing. I especially like the soft blur of out of focus objects the lense gives.

One reason why I chose this lense was that it has coating layers on the glasses that limit glare in photos where strong light is in the frame.

The build seems really solid, and is a bit heavier than other lenses of the same lenght. It balances well with my canon xti.

Overall I’m very satisfied and I will take loads of beautiful pictures with this lense.

A great excellent macro lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
[[ASIN:B000GPKQHQ Sigma 70mm F/2.8 EX DG Macro Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras]

Prior to purchasing this lens, I did my research on macro lens, comparing technical specifications, prices and manufacturing countries. Contacting Nikon USA, the representative could not tell the manufacturing country. I had bad experience of owning a Japanese brand, made outside of Japan. Guaranteed by the manufacturer’s brand name is not good enough. I like to buy and use a quality lens, not a brand name!!!! When I contacted Sigma USA, I got a positive reply that the lens is made in Japan.

Great macro lens on my Nikon D700.

Picture quality: Excellent. 9 Diaphragm Blades creates smooth bokeh, great for portraiture.

Workmanship: Excellent

A full frame lens for serious photographers.

Competitively priced at Amazon.com.

Highly recommended.

Great Macro & Wide Aperture Lens
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have been very please with the results obtained through this lens. It is ultra sharp, has a great macro range and the f/2.8 lets me use it as a portrait or low light lens as well!

The only slight negatives I can see are its size (will fit full frame), a little on the heavy side but reasonable for a macro lens of this size with all that glass. It does sometimes have a problem auto focusing in macro mode in low light, but I usually shoot in manual focus to get exactly what I want. The focus limiter switch greatly helps with this if you are going to shoot in auto focus though, as you can limit it to the macro range or the infinity range in addition to leaving it open to its full range of both.

Sigma macro review
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is a great lens. We’ve taken some great shots of flora and fauna with it, also a few sports shots. Image rendition is excellent. We use it on Canon 30D and 40D bodies. It focuses quickly and without a lot of noise. We have no complaints at all with this lens.

Tremendous Value
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The Sigma 70mm F/2.8 Macro lens is a great performer, regardless of it’s low price point. This is a tack sharp lens that is also very good as a portrait lens on a cropped sensor camera. Highly recommended.

Long and Heavy
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The Sigma 70mm 2.8 lens gets an excellent review at [...] for its optics and image quality, and I think the 70mm focal length works well for close-up flower photos. I returned this lens only because I found it too long and heavy to keep steady while used with my monopod for garden and wildflower shots (it weighs 1.2 pounds). I just don’t find it practical to use a tripod on hikes in the hills.

If I buy another marco lens I’ll probably go with the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 USM for my Canon EOS Rebel XSi, which is significantly lighter and shorter.

Great Lens at a great price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve never been a big fan of Sigma Zoom lenses, but their prime lenses are top notch. I’ve been using the Sigma 105mm and 50mm macro primes on my Canon full frame bodies so I decided to pick this lens up for my Nikon D300 to give me a 105mm equiv lens for that system.

In a nutshell, this lens is fantastic. It is very sharp corner-to-corner on my Nikon D300. It is sharp wide open at f/2.8 and stays sharp up until about f/11, where it starts to soften just a bit. Lens construction is very sturdy and typical of the top-end sigma primes. Autofocus speed is adequate but not as fast as the best Nikon lenses. It also makes a little more noise when focusing. Manual focusing is excellent with a very smooth and precise feel. I really like this lens and it may be one of the sharpest prime lenses on the market. I highly recommend it.