Sigma Telephoto 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro Autofocus Lens for Canon EOS USA

Comments about Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS:

I use this lens for macro and portrait. For 1.6x crop sensor, this lens is in perfect range, especially for portrait. The f2.8 also offers a great background blur for candid shots. The image taken is SUPER sharp! Definitely a good alternative for expansive canon 100mm f2.8. But you get what you pay for. I am really not used to the lens without USM motor. The focus is too slow and noisy. But it is not as heavy.

Comments about Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS:

I exclusively use this lens for all my food photography- It opened up a whole new world!Great construction, and extremely sharp detail!check out photos shot with the Sigma 70mm 2.8 @ www.caratompkinsfoodphoto.com

Comments about Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS:

Is an optically perfect lens with no distortion, chromatic aberrations almost imperceptible, very sharp, easily equated to one of the sharpest lenses I've used: Canon 90mm 2.8 TS. And very nice and soft bokeh too.

The speed of the auto focus is not so slow if used with the limiter, and it's very accurate, do the job perfectly for portraits, fashion... The little noise it's not a problem for me. The only bad point, I found is that you can not use the lens cap and hood at the same time.

70mm it's an interesting focal length for a prime lens.

Comments about Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS:

I needed a lens for copying artwork, did some homework and ordered the Sigma 85mm f1.4, which is a good lens but soft on the corners, even at 5.6/f8. Did some more homework and the Sigma 70mm surfaced as a better lens for what I needed, so ordered one, did a comparison, and returned the 85mm. The 70mm is sharper than the 85mm in the Center, and blows the 85mm out of the water on the edges, and has quite a bit less lateral CA also. It doesn't have the narrow DOF of the 85mm, and the focusing is sloow(but veeerrrry accurate). It's for use mainly in the studio for, art, portrait, and product photography so I don't see the slow focusing as a problem. Seems solid and well built. Highly recommended for sharpness, color, good contrast, low CA. From what I've read, and from my initial testing, its one of the sharpest lenses around.

Lens cover won't attach with the hood on, which is strange, but I'll buy one that fits over the end of the hood.

Comments about Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS:

Macro and Portrait

Comments about Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS:

It has become one of my favorites. It is also very sharp with good color rendition. The reviews are good for a reason.

Comments about Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS:

[...] I'm so satisfied – this is the best choice "Price-Quality" for Macro! Thanks again!

Comments about Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS:

Great, Sharp quality.
Light, and fast AF.

Con:
Extends very far while trying to focus.

Comments about Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS:

I have had this lens for 2 weeks and have taken over 2000 photos with it, mostly of flora native to South Texas. The lens is slow to focus unless you use the limit feature. Photos do come out sharp and consistent. It does allow you to get the small detail found in many of the flowers, leaves, seeds, and fruit of plants. I have been able to use most of these photos for Identification and educational functions

The 1:1 ratio makes your subject a lot larger than I thought it would once you have the photo on a computer screen.

Comments about Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS:

I use this lens for both portrature and freehand macro shooting. For both uses it is exceptionally sharp. For those who use a focus rail in their macro photography you should be aware that the front element moves a considerable distance. Other complaints would be an old fashioned style manual/auto focus system where the manual focus ring can't be used when AF is on. I did see some slight purple fringing around the highlights of some silver oboe keys in the portrait af an oboe player, but that is the only example of CA's that I have seen with this lens. Also when extreme changes are made in focus distances the AF can get confused. This has never been a problem in the portrait studio however. Those issues aside the image quality is excellent and the focal length is good for the aps-c sensor, plus it can be used on a full frame sensor.

Comments about Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS:

I mainly use this lens for close-up work like insects and plants. It is ideal for a full frame high resolution sensor and is sharp from edge to edge.
I can't find any faults at this stage.

Comments about Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS:

I tried Canon 100 f 2.8 from [...] and Sigma 70 f 2.8.In my opinion this Sigma more sharp and this focus distance more usable for portraits.The AF little slow but for my macro work it's not a problem.The build quality is perfect and price tag less than Canon brother.Highly recomended.

Comments about Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS:

I was searching for a longer focal length prime lens and had no experience with Sigma. A friend of mine was very high on the brand so I decided to give it a chance. I have to say the lens exceeded my expectations, with very true colors and (to my eye) a distortion free image, even at the edges. The focus is fast and quiet. I would recommend this lens to anyone!

Comments about Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS:

I own 5 Canon L lenses, 2 of which are primes. I shoot mostly portraits, many landscapes, and occasional macros. I took a leap of faith when ordering this Sigma prime, having read many reviews about this lens. Am I glad I did: This lens's sharpness appears to be on the same league as my L primes, color reproduction is superb, and build quality is excellent. The lens also comes with the included padded case and lens hood, but at a non-L price. I was pondering about purchasing this lens versus the Canon 100mm Macro. I decided to go with the Sigma lens, since I already have the 135 and 200 from Canon. In addition, 70mm will serve me well for portraiture shots and occasional macros, either on my 5D or 20D. Highly recommended.

Comments about Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS:

Using it for about 2 years now. It is one of the sharpest, if not the sharpest lens I ever used! Its optical performance equals to best of Canon's L series lenses for fraction of what L series would cost.
And its bright, incredibly bright!I have 2 other prime macro f/2.8 lenses, and I have hard time with them if I need to focus manualy in low light. With this lens I never had this problem because image in viewfinder appears so bright and clear.
Of cause it is excellent lens for close-ups and macro, as it reaches true 1:1 reproduction and even slightly better. It is also great for product photography as it has excellent accuracy in color reproduction in addition to its sharpness and dead on focus. I also often use it for portraits, both as general portrait lens, and for extreme close-up portraits. Its let you do type of shots where eye fill entire frame, and eye iris is tuck sharp while tips of eyelashes is nicely bluried.
In summary in "bang for a buck" category its hard to beat what this lens offers.

Comments about Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro AF Lens for Canon EOS:

I got this lens last month from B&H and did my first wedding with it last night in very dark and difficult conditions. I used it with my back up camera (Canon XSi) with the Speedlight 580 EX II. I was looking for a fast prime L series lens made by Canon as I find the optical quality of L series lenses to be of very high standard; I was unable to find a full frame 70mm 2.8 prime made by Canon, so I decided to take the chance with the Sigma 70mm 2.8.

The performance of this lens is excellent; At 2.8 images were so sharp, that you could see the eye lashes in great detail of people photographed full length. contrast is also excellent with excellent color. The focusing is quick and true when used in low light conditions.