Sigma Telephoto 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS

Comments about Sigma Telephoto 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

I shoot macro....that means shooting a grain of sand and blowing it up to the size of your head and perfectly in-focus. If your looking for fast focus this is not your lens, but if you are like most macro photogs you are shooting on a tripod or with lots of light. Do yourself a favor and save your pennies for a ring flash. There is a whole world that's beautiful, but not always visible to the naked eye. This lens has the most wonderful bokeh of any macro lens I own. It's built like a tank and you can keep it forever. Good glass does not go bad, cameras do. Buy it!!!!!

Comments about Sigma Telephoto 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

I use this for macro and portraits. I get super sharp results HAND HELD with both my 7D and 450D. I prefer to use a monopod however because more of the pictures turn out tack sharp.
This lens is great to work with! Not too heavy.
Only thing that isnt great is its not weather-proof and autofocus speed isnt the best. its ABIT slow, but still fast enough for most situations. I do NOT regreat buying this lens!!

Comments about Sigma Telephoto 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

This is a very fine macro lens, with excellent sharpness and good working distance. The build is very sturdy (a bit heavy as a result). Color rendition is very nice. I chose this rather than spend the extra $200 on the Canon 100 f2.8 L with stabilization. I have to use a tripod to get good images anyway.

Comments about Sigma Telephoto 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

I bought this to learn macro photography...its harder than i thought...the lens produces some om my best pictures with the colors popping out. Have used to take many candid street and portrait shots as well. I am very happy with this lens.

Comments about Sigma Telephoto 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

I have a Canon 5D Mark II and use it with the Canon EF 25 II Extension Tube for Macro Photography. It makes a great outdoor portrait lens also.

Sharp and easy to use.

No complaints.

Comments about Sigma Telephoto 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

Neg:
Auto focus worthless in macro mode.
Sharpness little bit less then Canon L lenses.
Lots of AF hunting. Slow AF.
Pro:
DOF great.
Great value/price rate.
Good build quality

Comments about Sigma Telephoto 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

The wife loves it for macro. Quick, smooth, quiet focus. Granted its not an "L" lens but it appears to take sharp, clear photos. Works nicely with a wimberley gimbal head and plate. So far so good and its had quite a work out though granted mostly during daylight hours, so can not comment on low light conditions. Not too bad for some portrait work as well

Comments about Sigma Telephoto 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

I purchased this lens to replace a 100mm Canon Macro that was lost (long story). I have to say, I have never been happier about losing a $600 lens. Frankly, the Sigma blows the canon lens away. The images are crisp and the feel is sturdy, Auto focus is slow but I never use it for macro anyway. Net - I still love Canon ... but if you need a nice macro this is the lens.

Comments about Sigma Telephoto 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

I was shooting with a Nikon 60mm, very nice lens but getting close can be a real problem. So I looked at the Sigma 150 and Nikon 105. Both appear to be excellent lenses, what settled it for me is that Sigma was less and had the lens collar for mounting on a tripod. Good parts, the lens is sharp, with the range set to the macro or normal settings focusing was very quick and quiet, not bad for full range (but slower than the 60mm.)

Since VR doesn't work in macro mode on the 105, not having it wasn't an issue and I'm pretty sure it was the big part of the cost difference.

On the bad side the focusing is backwards from my other Nikon lenses, not a big deal just a little irritating. Also, for some reason Sigma just can't figure out how to make a lens hood that hooks on easily.

One other thing, that you can't really blame Sigma for, is that with the 150, lens shake is significantly more notible with the 150 then the 60 particularly when getting in close. Which means better technique, tripod or faster shutter speed. I use the R1C1 system so I can use pretty fast shutter speeds which help a lot.

I did notice that it was MUCH easier to get close in shots with the 150. I was shooting some butterflies and was able to get the head area easily without spooking them. Couldn't do that most times with the 60mm.

I'm looking forward to using it for other stuff too, so for me this is a much more useful lens.

Comments about Sigma Telephoto 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

Been shooting with this lens for around two weeks, and so far it has done well. I use it for macro and close up shots. I have the Kenko ext tubes to get greater than one to one mag.

The only con that I have so far is the finish that Sigma put on it, it scuffs quickly and is hard to keep looking good.

For half of what the Canon 'L' costs with a really good picture, I`m very happy with it.

Comments about Sigma Telephoto 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

My first photos with this lens was not macro, but a live indoor stage production event! I did not expect much as the reviews says that this lens is not accurate or fast with auto-focus, especially in low light conditions... I had it on a 50D body, set on servo-AF, high speed drive and mostly ISO 800, at F2.8. I took about 250 shots. I was completely surprised at the focus accuracy - not a single miss-focus due to the lens. Autofocus was more than fast enough for action shots. This lens is very sharp and with the speed and accuracy of the autofocus it can easily be used for close sport events. Built quality is very good. Macro is excellent, as expected. The mount and hood that comes with the lens is a huge plus. Compared to the 180mm L CANON this lens focuses much faster, is as sharp, has similar built quality and costs less than half the price. I have not used the 100mm CANON so I can't comment, but compared to what this SIGMA offers I would not look too hard at the CANON if I had to make the choice over again. I am very quality orientated, and this lens meets all my requirements. If you're worried about weight then you should stay with the smaller lenses. This lens is not heavy when compared to other quality telephoto lenses. If one wants quality I think one should expect a lens to weigh more. (Show me a lightweight L-series...) Maybe this unis is above-average, but my experience with this lens do not agree with comments of either inaccurate or slow focus. That said, I don't autofocus for close-up work and to rate a macro lens on autofocus performance for close-up work is simply irrelevant.

Comments about Sigma Telephoto 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

The images rendered by this lens is incredible! Color and contrast is accurate and stunning. Definitely 'L' glass quality. The build is solid and high quality and the finish is great and should wear extremely well. When outfitted with my 5D Mark II and a Gitzo Travelers carbon monopod and RRS High Capacity monopod head the lens is easy to handle and highly effective. Another thing, the bokeh is a sight to behold.

I debated on getting this lens vs. Canon's 100mm macro and I'm glad I chose this lens. I wouldn't give it up for any $$$. You won't be disappointed in the results and the stunningly beautiful images this lens is capable of.

Comments about Sigma Telephoto 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

It's big and heavy but very sharp and easy to use

Comments about Sigma Telephoto 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

I bought this lens to use with my XSI. I wanted to get into macro photography and use it for portraits as well. I spent a few weeks reading numerous reviews and the constant quality of the photos. My first set of photos in macro and portraits blew me away. The pictures I took came out very sharp and great color and contrast. This lens quality is identical of Canon L series lens. The blurry backgrounds on portraits are excellent. The macro photos are very good. I took numerous photos during an snow/ice storm and the macro of snow crystals on plants were amazingly sharp when blown up. The lens is heavy, but I find it well balance and not a problem. The built is very good and it comes with a hood and a very good lens bag. I can't see spending the money on the Canon 180mm. You won't regret buying this lens. The lens is very slow on AF, but using macro you should be using manual. You won't regret buying this lens.

Comments about Sigma Telephoto 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

I do a lot of macro photography and, up until now, have used a 100 mm macro or a telephoto zoom with "macro" capability. I decided to go to get the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro lens to give me a faster lens with a greater working distance. I am thrilled with the results. Image detail, sharpness and color are great and at f/2.8 or even 3.5, it is so easy to isolate your subject and keep the background beautifully out of focus !

The lens is quite large and heavy but it is very comfortable to use, even hand-held and it has very nice balance. The Sigma finish is very good.

The long and short ... I love the lens !!

Comments about Sigma Telephoto 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

Late last year, I bought the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 Macro Lens for my budding interest in macro photography. First, I did some online research, including at [...], then got this lens. What a boon to my early efforts this lens has proved. I can hardly take a bad photograph with it. My neighbor has a large rose bush whose branches hang over the fence into my yard, at about 8 feet elevation. The white roses bunch. Recently, handheld, using available daylight, I snapped a photo of one bunch, with this lens on my Canon XSi. Besides cropping and darkening the background, the photograph required very little editing beyond setting the mid-point grey tone in the image software. The lens captured the fine petal veins and subtle tonal gradations across the petals. The visual satisfaction of viewing this photograph repeats itself each time I rest my eyes on it. My live-in asked me to frame the photograph to put it on the kitchen table. Thankfully, I must have received a good copy of this lens. Only once did I notice a faint line of chromatic aberration on the white edge of a rose petal contrasting with a very dark background, although strong daylight conditions may have contributed to this CA. Since then, I have not seen CA in my images using this lens. (In any event, this defect corrects fairly easily using the burn tool with a small brush set to highlights mode and the exposure at 100 percent, while running this brush along the edge like a surgeon.) I also own the Canon EF-S 60mm f/2.8 Macro Lens and the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens. Both perform as expected, and I issue no complaints. But when I do macro photography I typically turn first to the Sigma 150mm lens. Others have mentioned the convenience of keeping a distance from the subject while using this lens. As to lens weight, I say, “Man up.” It goes with the territory.

Comments about Sigma Telephoto 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

I use this lense for sports, macro, and portraits. It is fast, sharp, and focuses well on my Mark IIn. It's the best performer in my bag and the rest of my lenses are "l" glass.

Comments about Sigma Telephoto 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

Great lens for macro, portraits and day-to-day telephoto work. Sharp, clear and crisp output. f/2.8 will help produce great portraits with blurry background. The bokeh is very nice in this lens.

The only drawback is the autofocus speed. Of course I consider it normal for this focal length and min focusing distance. Also it's quite heavy, but at least you feel that the casing is very heavy-duty.

Comments about Sigma Telephoto 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

This is my favorite lens for shooting butterflies and other insects that are approachable. I still use my Sigma 70-300 zoom for insects that are hard to reach or may need more working distance (like dragonflies at pond's edge). I am very impressed with the results of this lens. It has produced outstandingly sharp and colorful images with my 40D. Before I purchased it I was worried about the weight for hand held shots but I have not found that to be a problem.

Comments about Sigma Telephoto 150mm f/2.8 EX APO Macro EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS:

I am a recent convert to macro photography and this lens is the perfect solution for me! It is sharp and well built. It is great for both macro and close portraits. It provides a good working distance from skittish bugs. Want to photography the eyes of a spider? This lens is for you!