Sigma 258306 105mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro Lens for Nikon DSLR Camera

Comment

I dont do a lot of macro but wanted a lens for beauty portraiture. This is hands down the best macro for general use photography for several reasons. 1: Autofocus speed is fast. Really fast. As long as you arent focusing from the front to back of its range its AF will impress. Its also silent which is a nice bonus. 2. Doesnt extend. This is more a personal thing, but an extending lens can distract models and unbalances the camera. 3. Stabilization. This is less important to me because I usually shoot with strobes and have IBIS, but great if you do any shooting in low light. Huge benefit for non-tripod users. I am also really impressed by the build quality and hood (which is adaptable for Full Frame or APS-C). Im not much of a tech-nut so I havent tested the sharpness extensively, but macro lenses are always sharp and this seems like it will be a perfect prime for all situations. If you can get it on sale its a no brainer, dont even bother looking at other primes in this focal length. At full price its more expensive than other macros, but if you like the 105mm focal length its absolutely worth the investment.

Show more

Comment

Beautiful photos... I almost feel like a pro. =) I like to consider myself an intermediate amateur. Figured Id save up and get this lens to use for macro photography AND as a portrait lens. It works well for both, BUT youll need to take into account a few things that I learned while using this lens. - This is not that fun to use with kids who run around. Not a great lens for casual use at the park, because you run into a lot of AF-hunt. Most photographers may already know this, but this is the first expensive lens Ive ever purchased. You can help by setting the lens to focus between 0.45-infinity instead of having full range, but it doesnt help that much. - Macro lenses, in general, will actually NOT shoot at the aperture stated at every distance. So you will not be shooting at f/2.8 with this lens at macro distances. Have plenty of lighting available. - This lens works pretty darn well indoors shooting at f/2.8. (Im talking about those dimly-lit gymnasiums that schools love to do concerts and ceremonies in.) - The DOF on this lens at f/2.8 is RAZOR SHARP. You can lose focus and have undesirable results if you dont do something as simple as having your focal point on an actual eyeball (as opposed to aiming for the face and hoping). With the magnification, it is pretty noticeable when you miss focus. I can add more details later as I run into them, but all in all, this is a great lens to have in your bag. Ill let a couple of photos speak for themselves. =)

Show more

Comment

Im writing this after only two days with this lens, but so far I love it. One of my favorite things to photograph is nature up close: flowers, butterflies, bugs, etc. Im finding this to be the perfect focal length for that sort of work, making it easy to fill the frame with a small subject and throw the background completely out of focus. The macro capability is excellent and Im amazed at how close I can get to a subject. There are a few specific observations that I can pass along so far. (1) One of the reviews that I found for this lens went into some detail regarding measurements they had made showing how the focal length and aperture change with focal distance (a real-world characteristic of macro lenses). They measured a true focal length of about 101 mm at infinity and about 75 mm at closest focus. The also measured the effective maximum aperture to be f/5.6 at closest focus (1:1 magnification). My experience tracks with that latter number, showing a need to dial in an exposure compensation of +2 EV when shooting around 1:1. (2) I process all my RAW files in Lightroom. Even with my good Zeiss 16-80 lens my normal practice is to add in a bit of vibrance to almost every image to get the look that I want on my calibrated monitor. (I prefer rich, vibrant colors for most images.) So far with this lens I havent found this to be necessary. Colors seem to be exceptionally rich and true. (Purely subjective I know, but thats how it looks to me.) (3) Lightroom does have a profile for this lens, but so far Im finding that turning on the profile correction makes essentially no difference -- the lens appears to be very distortion and vignette free, at least on my APS-C sensor. (4) This thing is BUILT. It has a sturdy, rugged feel to it. (5) The optical stabilizer seems to work very well. Im shooting Sony with in-body stabilization so this is a new experience for me and so far Im liking it. (Sony shooters -- dont try to use both in-body and lens stabilization at the same time. They will fight each other and can result in blurry images.) (6) The lens and hood together are quite long. If you add the hood extender (APS-C only) it is longer still. Just something to consider when you are figuring how to fit it in your camera bag. (7) Typical of Sigma, everything is included: front and rear caps, hood, hood extender, and a nice lens case and carrying strap.

Show more

Comment

Just got this lens for my Sony a77ii. Rather heavy and large but balances nicely on the camera. Love the OS and find it effective gaining about 2 stops. Did not notice any excessive noise. Auto focusing is near silent and accurate, maybe a little on the slow side. You can manually fine-tune focusing even in AF mode just by turning the focusing ring. The focus limiter is a useful addition since the in-camera focus limiter of the a77ii does not function with my Sigma lenses since the distance settings are not communicated between camera and lens. Optimum sharpness of this lens appears to be when stopped down to f5.6 and beyond.This is not much of a problem with a macro lens since you need to stop down anyways to get any kind of depth of field. The bokeh of this lens is about as good as it gets which seems to be a trademark of all the Sigma lenses I own. I highly recommend this lens to anyone that wants to dabble into life size macro photography. The focal length of 105mm gives you some needed working distance and adding a 1.4x teleconverter gives you even more versatility.

Show more

Comment

This lens is a trooper. I use it on both a D750 and D610 with a speedlight on the camera and rogue flash bender. I use this mainly for macro, but is also a nice portrait lens. I would share examples, but every time I attempt to post a picture my reviews get denied.

Show more

Comment

This lens was by far better than the Nikon 108. I have used Nikon since I started with 35mm in the 70s. This Sigma is a Japanese lens. Has edge to edge sharpness as compared to the Nikon. PLUS, its about 300.00 cheaper.

Show more

Comment

Love this lens. Have used for actual macro work with my d750 as well as portrait work, both close up and at a distance. Get great results with all. Very sharp, sturdy, solid feeling lens. Included hoods for full and crop sensor. Came with a very nice case too! Nice touch!

Show more

Comment

Amazing lens. Tack sharp images and brings to light details you cannot see with the human eye. The auto focus works fairly well, but i generally just prefer manual. Gorgeous bokeh. I wanted this lens for years and am not at all dissapointed. Comes with hood and nice case. It is quite heavy, but to be expected. I use this on my dx format d5200. Works great for small things and portraits especially for face shots. Performs well in lowlight and was perfect for fireworks this last 4th. The vibration reduction system works well but is quite audible. It makes a blueberry as large as the entire frame!

Show more

Comment

This lens is absolutely incredible! If you are even remotely considering buying a macro lens, go with this one! It is honestly amazing and the focus is tack sharp. I bought this for wedding ring macro photos for my business, but I am also a macro enthusiast when it comes to photographing insects and flowers as well. I cannot recommend this enough!

Show more

Comment

This lens had a problem. Occasionally, it would not focus. I tried it on two different bodies {D500 & D810} and it failed on both of them. I also tried other lenses which worked perfectly. I returned the lens. I dont think all of these lenses are bad, I just got a bad copy. 6th Ave Express was easy to work w/ to return it.

Show more