Customer Reviews

Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM APO HSM IF Macro Lens for Olympus and Panasonic SLR Cameras

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had a Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro and it was working quite well for me but I longed for a little more working distance. When Sigma came out with the 150mm f2.8 Macro, I tried researching it but couldn't find much info because it was such a new lens, I found the MTF charts on the Sigma Website and it was amazing. This lens was very close to the performance of the Sigma 180mm macro and Canon's famed 180mm f3.5 L. So I went ahead and bought it. It was a little pricy but I thought I could always return it if I didn't like it.

My first impressions taking the lens out of the box was very positive. It was quite compact for the focal length and was very well made. It balanced quite well on my 20D. I never liked Sigma's EX finish but I could live with it. The EX finish looks cheap to me,particularly the golden ring, and the EX badge, but it's better than Sigma's old design. The only thing I like about the EX finish is that it seems very durable. Even after heavy use there are no marks or scratches on the lens body and every time I wipe the lens body with a damp tissue, it just looks like brand new. The focus ring is nicely ribbed and wide but it didn't have the kind of damping Canon L lenses have, so it felt a little loose. The tripod ring is made of the same material as the lens body itself, but it didn't feel as smooth as the Canon's L like the 70-200 2.8IS and the 300mm f4 IS. One advantage Sigma's tripod rings have over Canon is you don't have to take it off the tripod to remove the lens. You just pull a knob and the ring opens allowing you to remove the lens. This is good if you have it all set on the tripod and want to quickly remove it for some hand held shots.

As far as it's optical performance is concerned, it's an absolute gem. When I review the pictures from this lens, all worries and niggles about price, finish etc dissapear and I'm glad I own it. I compared it against Canon's 135mm F2L which is one of Canon's sharpest lens,and this lens compares very favourably against it. In fact it is just as sharp as the 135mm at comparable apertures. But the 135mm is a stop faster and has faster focussing but that's a whole different story.

In short the lens is everything one can expect out of a macro. Excellent build, very sharp, good colors, excellent bokeh (out of focus areas). What else would one want? The focussing is slow, but it's a macro lens and that's how macro lenses are. The minimum aperture is 22 which may deter some, but I don't shoot slower than 22 anyway because of diffraction limitations.

This lens is just perfect for it's intended purpose. Needless to say, I sold my Canon 100mm in a jiffy.

Sigma's EX line is the Sigma equivilant to Canon's L series. These are Sigma's top of the line lenses and the 150/2.8 Macro is no exception.

This is one of the finest mid-tele macro lenses out there. I've been able to get some incredibly sharp shots with this lens. The 2.8 aperture means you can do some low-light shooting and that you'll blur out everything but your subject. Depending on how close your subject is and how good you are at focusing, you might blur out some of the subject at 2.8 as well.

This is a great lens for product photography to macro bug shots to mid-range tele subjects. Just don't expect fast focusing. Using the focus limter switch helps for tele shots, but seems to make things slower in macro. (Normally, using the limiter should HELP when shooting macro!)

The pluses are: included case, strap and hood. The 2.8 and incredible sharpness. The focus limiter switch. And the very decent working distance.

The minuses are essentially slow focus and hunting when shooting macro. Some purists would suggest you should be using MF instead of AF for macro anyway and they have a point. My old eyes don't see as well as they used to so AF is important to me.

In conclusion, if you're looking to get a mid-length telephoto lens, especially for macro, you can hardly do better, particularly for the money. Sure, the Canon 180/3.5L will give you better color and contrast, but at nearly three times the money.

This is a great lens!

I have the Nikon 60 Micro lens and wanted something with more working distance. In the Photozone.de test, it was amazing. Very high resolution, even at f/2.8. And very low CA's(chromatic abberations). So I bought it and does it deliver that kind of performance? Yes it does! Sharpness and color redention was stunning. And at 1:1(life size on the negative or digital sensor), there's more than 7 inches working distance. Build quality is excellent. It's mostly metal construction. The focus ring has a nice dampened feel to it. The new Sigma rear caps fit tighter and do not come off. But they're a little harder to mount. About autofocus performance, it's fast, but hunted in low light with the Nikon D50 while shooting motocross. But that's a weakness of the camera body, not the lens. On the F100(a high end Nikon film camera), it was lightning fast and dead on. Yes it is a full frame lens, so it can be used on 35mm cameras also. There's a tripod collar and it makes for a well balanced setup when on a tripod. The collar is removable making it easier to do handheld shooting. The maximum aperture of f/2.8 allows more flexibility in low light. The filter thread is 72mm, and filters this big get expensive. It is a good all around telephoto-sports, portraits, landscapes...you name it. Just because it's labeled a macro doesn't mean a lens is good for macro only! It's not cheap, but if you want a solid performer that's great for all occasions, this just may what you're looking for.

I've owned this lens for about 5 months now, and it is exceptional. Sharpness and color rendition are spot on and it is difficult to imagine any improvement (this lens really is tack sharp, it is a bit sharper than the 600mm IS). The extra 50mm on top of "typical" 100mm macros provides needed working distance with skittish insects. AF is quick (for a macro), silent, and accurate (for a macro). It even doubles as a pretty good tele, except that the focus speed cannot compete with a real tele. All macros are this way since the focus speed is compromised by the need to rack out the optics far enough to focus at 1:1. Does portraits too, though your subjects might find the optics to be a bit too sharp for their liking.

The focus limiter is a thoughtful and useful touch, as is the tripod ring. The build on this lens is excellent and it feels like a tank. Friction on the focus ring is perfectly damped which is especially important for a macro lens. The finish is nice and has held up to some heavy use (which is surprising since the same has NOT occured with the 50-500mm Bigma). No complaints at all with this lens. I recommend this lens over all of the ~100mm competitors due to the extra 50mm of reach, especially if you work with insects.

This lens is very sharp. I usually buy Canon L but I made the exception for this one after reading other reviews. This lens is on par with L sharpness and gives you some good working distance if you are shooting something that scares easy. Be warned though, if this is your first macro lens and/or first experience with macro photography, when you get close, your focus area is tiny and particularly at f2.8! If you don't already have one you may want to get a tripod as well. I was able to get some hand held shots with a lot of light from a window so I could use higher f stops.

I purchased this lens for macro nature photography, and is paired with either a Canon 20D or a Canon 1DS MK III. I chose this focal length because of the enhanced working distance over a 100 mm lens. The lens is tack sharp, and autofocus works well except for close macro work (where you would opt for manual focus anyway). I have used the lens with Kenko extension tubes, and it works flawlessly. It is every bit as good as Canon L glass at a much lower price. It includes a tripod collar and a very well-made cushioned lens case (not those ineffective pouches Canon uses!). What more can I say? It is a flawless piece of equipment.

This lens is fast and extremely sharp. I am using it on a D200 and it is great. I am deployed in Iraq and this lens is one I can feel comfortable about walking around with. It's built like a tank. It accepts the teleconverters which makes it even better. Buy this lens from 47th St Photo. Best prices.

great lens and a great price. it has a nice feel to it. not too heavy and not too light. autofocus is somewhat slow but that is expected from a macro lens. otherwise its a great lens

This lens is amazingly sharp, it is right up there with anything else on the market, including Canon's L lenses. It's one of the sharpest lenses I have ever owned in over 25 years shooting. It is well built, and includes a good lens shade and tripod collar.
It is a macro lens, you need to keep that in mind. Macro lenses tend to be slow focusing. They also have very shallow depth of field at close distances. These are not valid criticisms of this lens, it's just the nature of macro lenses and macro photography. If you are doing macro photography you should be using manual focus at least 95% of the time. You will also need to use a tripod with this lens. If you hand-hold this lens for macro work, you'll never get the results it is capable of.
Buy this lens, use it properly, and you'll be thrilled by what it can do.

After reading almost only good things about the Sigma 150mm Macro i decided to buy one myself. I am very satisfied with the product. The images the lens products are very good. The only thing i can think of what bothers me a little bit is that the focus is a bit slow, but thats not really a problem. Therefore it is very silent. :) The lens is made very well with good materials. So if you want to start taking macro pictures go and get the sigma 150mm.