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

What a performer! I've been leery of buying "off-brand" equipment ever since I got into the photography game. I've always leaned toward matching brand to brand, because they know their business and nothing else can compare, right? Finally, though, I branched out a bit and trusted the recommendation of friends whose photography I respect, and I bought this bad boy to pair up with my Nikon D7100. One word - WIN! I've shot with Nikon's 105mm macro before, and it's no slouch, to be sure, but this lens isn't either, and it comes in at a lower price point (especially if you catch it on a sale for $569 like I did). I bought it without testing first, based on the aforementioned friends' recommendations, and right out of the box, I knew I had a winner. Compared to the Nikon, it just feels more solid. It seems like it weighs about a pound more than the comparable Nikon, in fact, which may be off-putting to some, but tends to give me more confidence in the build.... Where it differs from the higher priced Nikon is in the max aperture (f22 vs f32 on the Nikon), the focus speed when not limited to specific ranges (the Nikon locks a bit faster when hunting through the entire range), and the noise level from the stabilization (this one is much more noticeable. Not overbearing, but definitely louder). I can say this, though. I know when I'm going to be shooting macro vs. standard, so limiting the focal range with an easy to reach switch takes away the disadvantage in focus speed, and the noise from the OS practically disappears into nothingness once you're acclimated to it, so that's 2 of the 3 comparisons that, to me, don't make a difference in the world. As far as the aperture, will I miss the 1 stop difference between f22 and f32? To be honest, I'll never know, but I doubt the difference will be worth $230 to me at this point, so I'm going to risk saying "nope" to that. Picture quality is spot on, and comparing shots in my catalogue from both lenses doesn't show any difference to my eye, even when zooming in to full screen. Pixel peepers might be able to find something, but digging through all the detail that I can handle nets stunning results from both lenses, both in macro and standard ranges. The sharpness is spot on, distortion is minimal, and the bokeh is dreamy! Macro shots, product shots, portraits... for the price of this lens, even at $669, it's hard to justify another 100-200 bucks to brand match in this instance. I'm "all-in" for this lens!

I purchased this lens used from Japan and have found it to be excellent. It's as solid as a rock and the 100mm focal length means that your shadow does not spoil the image when taking macro shots. Attached is a photograph of a pitcher plant taken at the Arboretum in Wilmington, NC with a Nikon D5600. The crop, illustrating the hairs preventing the insects from exiting, shows the level of detail that can be obtained.

I'm 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. I'm 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 I'm 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 haven't found this to be necessary. Colors seem to be exceptionally rich and true. (Purely subjective I know, but that's how it looks to me.) (3) Lightroom does have a profile for this lens, but so far I'm 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. I'm shooting Sony with in-body stabilization so this is a new experience for me and so far I'm liking it. (Sony shooters -- don't 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.

A lente chegou antes do prazo previsto

Very nice and it arrived on time

What a beast of a lens this is. I use the lens for everything, not just macro, as it's the sharpest lens I've ever used. Even at 100% on a 24MP sensor, the images are usually close to perfect. The times they are not are unlikely to be the fault of the lens, as it proves itself much of the time. The optical stabilisation (vibration reduction) works very well for stationary items. I haven't had results quite as good as some reviews have suggested, but on a good day I can take the shutter speed down to around 1/30th and get a lovely sharp image, but often I need a higher shutter speed than that. The OS definitely does improve things though and is very worth having. I've read many comments about the OS being noisy - But I don't understand why that's a problem. It's a low noise that you can barely hear and nobody further than a few feet away would even notice. Like any mechanical thing, you're going to hear it when it's sitting right by your face. So don't be put off this lens from comments about that. Auto-focus is accurate and consistent after calibrating to your camera (it's imperative to set the fine tune correctly for the sharpest images, if you have that option on your camera). Focusing is quiet and fast, and the lens does not rotate as focus adjusts. Manual override works well too, with a nice feel that isn't too loose or too tight. Resolution is excellent. I haven't done scientific tests but in the real world, I'm very impressed with the clarity and resolution of even distant objects. I have found one of the best tests of this is to look at distance buildings in your photos at 100%, and see how clear the bricks are. Although I'm not sure of exact numbers, the sweet spot for this lens seems to be around f9, and the images are faultless at this aperture. Even shots taken down to f4 are excellent, but you will notice a lack of clarity if you're pixel-peeping distant objects. I haven't used it much at wider than f4 so cannot give any accurate info about the quality wide open. For macro, the lens's intended use, the images are fantastic. Even down to f22, when you need more depth of field with macro work, the quality is very good. It's a heavy lens and you really notice this when using it on a tripod, as if you don't have the tripod head screwed tightly in place it's easy for the weight of the lens to pull the camera down and you risk damaging it. This isn't a fault of this lens of course, but is something to be careful of when in use. One thing to note with this and any other lens that has some sort of vibration reduction, is that it's only helping keep the camera effectively steady. If you're shooting anything that's moving, even just a little, you need to take that into account when calculating what shutter speed to use in the same way you would when using a non-OS lens. I highly recommend this lens, even for pro use.

ottimo obbiettivo per macro e non solo anche per il ritratto a f2,8 da un sfuocato molto bello consigliato

The delivery was as promised and smooth. Comes in original pkg.. And the lens is very good for Macro photography. It’s super sharp , good bokeh .. become my favourite lens for macro..