2 comments about Sigma 70mm F/2.8 EX DG Macro Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras.

1. After researching macro lenses and considering my uses, I decided that I would get more use from a 70mm macro than other focal lengths such as 50 or 105. I see this lens as primarily a 70mm with macro capability for my purposes. And it is a great lens. Very sharp for all distances. Very nice color, contrast, etc. Solid construction, smooth focusing both manual and auto. This is a hunk of gear that is excellent in almost every way.
   
   And HUNK it is. Heavy, big. Be prepared for this. Use a can of peas to get the idea. This isn't a complaint; on my Pentax K10D, it balances well and is a pleasure to hold. But it will start weighing you down after time around the neck.
   
   My negative comments: The lens hood should be sized tighter so that it stays in place when reversed and you place it in a bag. The Sigma 'EX' crinkle finish is fine but not my favorite. The supplied case is bigger than it needs to be and yet doesn't provide much padding.
   
   My most used lens. I didn't know that 70mm on an APS-C sensor (105mm equivalence for 35mm) would be such a nice focal length but it has become my new 'standard' lens.



2. I chose this as I didn't want a 105 or 50mm macro, so far this is one of the sharpest lenses I have ever used, on par with the Pentax 70mm limited ( which is a great lens just can't focus close ). Yes the lens is heavy and the AF is typical macro lens laboriously slow but for macros your typicaly shooting subjects that won't need fast AF. Good rendering and good bokeh.
   
   My only problem with the lens is it's close focus, about 7 cm to get 1:1 is too close for insects and such, it's not the normal close focus of 25cm they claim ( which is close focus in non macro mode with the limiter on ). I would have liked if they had mentioned that ( sigma ) so I would have known as it might be to tight for some ring lights and 1:1 with this lens.

No comments about Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX DG Diagonal Fisheye Lens for Nikon SLR Cameras.

No comments about Sigma 100-300mm f/4 EX DG IF HSM APO Fast Aperture Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras.

1 comments about Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DL Macro Super Lens for Konica Minolta SLR Cameras.

1. I have owned this lens for a couple of years. It is a reasonably good consumer lens, with some softness in focus, especially on the long side. The autofocus works quickly on both my Minolta cameras (Maxxum 7 and Maxxum QTsi), and works in relatively low light.
   
   On the down side, it is relatively slow (in terms of aperature), as you would expect from a consumer zoom, and when fully extended you will have difficulty getting a narrow depth of field, even when opened wide. Thus, I would recommend this lens only as a stop gap to fill in your lens kit. The fact that this extends from the portraiture sizes of 100 and 135mm all the way to 300mm lets this lens fill in some considerable gaps in a lens kit, but if you buy this lens I would recommend starting to save for a good 100mm and 300mm prime lens or a professional level 80 to 200mm zoom. It's contrast (good contrast makes your pictures really "snap") is acceptable, but certainly is not the kind of contrast you will get with a prime or a professional zoom.
   
   In terms of comparing to other lenses, this is less expensive than the 100 to 300 Minolta lens, though lacks some of the features of that lens that are especially useful on the Maxxum 7, appears to be a better lens than the 75-300 Minoltas, and has more range than the 70-210 Minoltas, plus it has the Macro feature.
   
   Please note that in rating this lens I am considering price as well as capability; if rated purely on capability, of course, I would have to rate it lower to leave room for the professional grade lenses that cost five times as much.

5 comments about Sigma 28-200mm f/3.5-5.6 DG IF Macro Aspherical Lens for Minolta and Sony SLR Cameras.

1. Great lens. Its metal body feels solid, unlike the ones the come with my camera which is made of plastic & feels like a toy. The pictures I took was clearer than the sony lens. The drawback is that it's on the heavy side & the auto focus mechanism is a little slower the the plastic one. All in all, you not only get your money's worth but you get more for your money.



2. I was very impressed with the quality of the shots from this lens. For this price it's hard to get a metal mount lens. Check DP reviews for a better picture, but it's quite sharp at mid level and doesn't fall off too bad towards the end. Definately a good buy.



3. This lens takes great pictures and I got it for under $100. However, when zooming, the lens "sticks" in the 100mm range. Since I photo mostly baseball with the lens fully extended, it doesn't bother me all that much. However, if I were constantly zooming in and out it would probably bother me more than it does. I am sure this is an anomaly and I was just too lazy to return the lens. I'd still recommend it, however; I can't give it five stars due to the less than smooth operation of the zoom.



4. Great lens ,sharp images and i felt its better than the sony lenses, it gives a good solid feel ...



5. I've not had much time to use this lens, but so far, it has performed very well. Seems to be a little sticky when zooming, but really doesn't interfer with lens operation. I consider it to be an excellent value considering its price vs performance. If I were a professional, I may be more critical, but as of right now, I'm very satisfied.

2 comments about Sigma 120-300mm f/2.8 EX DG IF HSM APO Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon SLR Cameras.

1. I've had this lens for about 1 year now and am very happy with it. I have no complaints with the quality of the unit or its photos. Some other reviewers have had a complaint with the mount screw holes, stating that they were of poor quality and stripped easily requiring the purchase of a new upgrade mount from Sigma. After using this lens extensively, I can authoritatively say that the mount is very good quality and should provide years of service free use. If you treat it respectfully, you won't have any problems. If you are interested in this lens, I would advise that you get it ASAP, because its price is rapidly rising every year. It has increased a full $400 in less than 8 months!



2. I shoot 2-3 sports events a week and while I love my D3 needed more reach (had been trying to shoot soccer & track meets with Nikon 70-200 & Sigma 100-300). I concluded after a lot of thought & soul searching it would be more strategic for me to buy D300/Sigma 120-300mm combo than a 200-400mm for the D3. [the 100-300mm is a great lens too, but that extra stop is so sweet!]
   
   For me, I definitely wanted a f/2.8 lens and felt a zoom would be more versatile than the Nikon 300 f/2.8 (& cheaper too).
   
   There's no question it's a heavy lens by most people's standards, but I always use with a Monfrotto 681B monopod (which I love too).
   
   Have only had this combo for about a 2 weeks but love it. The pictures are tack sharp, and the bokeh is awesome--rivaling Nikon 70-200mm IMHO. People always mention you have to get a good copy from Sigma but buying new I was fairly certain this would not be a problem, and I knew I could always send it right back to Amazon for another copy with no problem.
   
   [....]In summary this combo has helped me take my game to a whole new level, and I'm very, very happy with this lens.

No comments about Sigma APO Teleconverter 1.4x EX DG for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras.

1 comments about Sigma 18-50mm & 55-200mm DC Lens Set for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras.

1. Good lens overall. With this reasonable price, it is a rare find. The mounting is metal, which looks and feels much better than the Nikon's plastic mounting, which is disappointing. This is good buy.
   
   One comment on the bag that comes with the lens. It is a rather cheap bag with almost no padding so you cannot really carry the lens with it. To my opinion, it is better not to have a bag than having one that is useless.
   
   Hope this review is useful

5 comments about Sigma 15mm f/2.8 EX DG Diagonal Fisheye Lens for Canon SLR Cameras.

1. This is an excellent lens that does exactly what it's supposed to do. Optically, it's also excellent. You need to think seriously about whether you know what you're doing or anything about photography if you buy this for a Canon digital camera that's less than full frame.
   
   You should probably stick to point and shoots until you understand lens conversion factors. If you don't understand digital crop factors and can't read basic specs, you either need to hold your money or find a dealer that you can trust to explain it to you. But the manufacturer shouldn't be accused of making a bad product because you don't understand the specs.
   
   A previous user gives a poor rating because he either didn't read or understand the lens specifications. The rating was retain while most of the review was deleted because it simply didn't make sense. If you tried to use a 8x10 wide angle lens on a digital slr camera, you'd end up with a super telephoto because you're only using a portion of the image circle. Someone who calls this lens worthless because he bought first and thought later is blaming Sigma for his lack of attention to the laws of optics and of physics.
   
   When you buy lenses for digital cameras, you have to take your brains out of your boots. This is a fisheye lens that's excellent on digital cameras, You get the full fisheye effect on a full frame digital camera --- OR at full 35 mm. You don't get the same effect on most DSLRS. When Panasonic Lumix claims 28mm lens width in its new line, it's not serious, but is referring to the apparent focal length when compared to 35mm film.
   
   The lens can be used on cameras like the 20D or 30D which have a 1.6x crop factor. The news high speed top End EOS 1D Mark III will also have a crop factor of 1.3 while the 1ds and 5D are both full frame and will take full advantage of the 180 degree (on the diagonal) that this lens and other fisheyes offer. This lens is very good close to the optical quality of the Canon fisheye -- I've used both. But the game here is the intentional distortion on full frame. A standard wide-angle of this focal length does not cover 180, but something around 112 degrees -- on full frame.
   
   If you want an equivalent of the 16-35 used a 5D on your 30d, you need to buy the 10-22. Both are rectilinear, corrected for distortion. Even the high end 1D doesn't get flll benefit of the fisheye due to crop factor. There are optical gimmicks if you want the effect, but that's not appropriate here.
   
   The build quality of this lens is very good, not quite up to the level of the top drawer (and expensive) L lenses, but it is equal to Canon lenses for about the same price. It's difficult to use filters on this lens-- it isn't designed for them and filters would be makeshift -- and that big front element is vulnerable as with all of the real fisheyes. There are a couple of quirks that take a little getting used to in the controls for a regular Canon user.But I find it a little tricky going back to Leicas after too much time away -- and their controls vary with product. The images are high quality and a reasonably skilled photographer can produce excellent work with this lens without relyin entirely on fisheye cliches.
   
   Users of digital cameras with crop factors should consider the shortest focal length fisheye lenses, approx 8 millimenters which also producs a 180 degree image, but in a circle. While I don't get the circular image on the 20D that I do the 5D it does give a lot of the distortion and on the diagonal approaches 180 with the rectagular image. I haven't measure it and don't have a reason.
   
   The Sigma in a custom mount might produce interesting circular images on medium format film or digital sensors, but that would involve a careful matching of the mount to focal plane location. It is usually a waste of money to buy high end full frame lenses in shorter focal lengths for smaller digital sensors. You're paying for a lot of glass designed to cover a larger frame.



2. I love this lens, its wonderful and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it. If you want the distortion to be seen in "full force", you should use a camera with a 1.0x crop factor (full frame or 35mm film). You wont go wrong with this one. I like it better than the Canon one. It's tack sharp, great colors and contrast.



3. and it is definitely not on my favorites list. The vignetting is horrible on a full frame camera (5D). When I put it on my 30D the vignetting was still pretty bad (see image gallery, I added some.) Sharpness and color wise it's fine. The distortion is not as strong as I'd thought it would be. I got a similar look with the 24 1.4 canon L lens which is a much better lens. For a true fisheye, I'd probably go wider, like 10 mm. No more "off" brands for me either.



4. I bought this lens on a lark, and have enjoyed every second of my time owning it. I use it on my Canon 5D and on my Canon 40D, if I set my shots correctly, I have some of the most unusual, attractive and impressive shots in my Shot Library.
   
   The key to success with this lens is to set the shot correctly. I have found it takes more planning, a steadier hand (or Tripod/Monopod), than even my 100-400MM F/4-5.6L. With a telephoto lens, your area of focus is less a challenge than the 180 Degree worth of study when dealing with this lens.
   
   Don't get me wrong, this lens is FUN!! I've never enjoyed landscapes, portraits, artistic shots more than I have when I am using my 15MM Fish. For the Casual user, high end amateur, or for the seasoned professional, this lens is an inexpensive TOOL each of us should have to round out our lens bag. BUY IT!!



5. I have two full frame cameras that this lens does exactly what it is suppose to do at with excellent sharpness and color contrast. Don't use it much, but when it is needed there are no other lens that will match it for it's speed f2.8 and price. On an AP-C camera, e.g. 1.6 sensor, it is the equivalent of a 24 mm on my full frame. One should read before one buys.

1 comments about Sigma 12-24mm f/4.5-5.6 EX DG IF HSM Aspherical Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens for Pentax and Samsung SLR Cameras.

1. I was torn between the Sigma and the Pentax zooms at this focal range. they both seemed to offer to adequately provide the wide angle range that I needed to do the everyday shooting of building interiors and exteriors. Both were wide enough and seemed optically good enough. The test images I saw seemed like they might be sharp enough, and they were surprisingly free of spherical distortions for lenses that wide. Both lenses were reported to be prone to some bad optical flare effects from direct sun on the lens. It's all true for the Sigma at least. It could be sharper. It is, however, good enough if you're using your shot nearly full frame. If you're needing to crop much of the image the sharpness may not be there to get a good large print. the Sigma was about a hundred bucks under the price of the Pentax so I went for it. I have nothing to go on to compare the Sigma to the Pentax 12-24 zooms, except the sample images posted on Amazon and in other reviews on line seemed on close reading to favor the Sigma. I think they both are nothing to write home about in the sharpness department when you zoom way in. But they are still darned wide zooms and reasonably free of spherical distortion for a lens that wide. I'm getting good enough images and prints to use at 8X10, (without photo shopping any distortion out) provided I'm careful to frame the shot close to the way I want to print it.