Macro shooting, Sigma style-ee

Advantages: Good build quality and good value for money .
Disadvantages: Sigma`s claims not met and a slow auto focus .

...Owners and uses of DSLR cameras will know that there are dozens of different lenses that can be attached to the cameras to enable different types of photography to be done correctly. The original or kit lenses that come with most DSLR`s are capable of doing a bit of everything but only at low levels, if you want to take certain images, get long zoom possibilities or shoot creatively then you need to get the right lens for the right job. One favourite with a lot of DSLR users is Macro photography which is basically shooting close ups of things, the average camera lens will only focus properly at a minimum distance of around 59cm whereas a macro lens will let you get in much closer. This particular lens (Sigma EX macro lens - 50 mm F/2.8) allows you to focus on objects as close in as 20cm. Sigma make many other claims about...

thebigc1690 23.02.2009 · Read review
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Review of Sigma EX macro lens - 50 mm F/2.8

Mighty Little Macro

Advantages: High Quality. Sharp. Good package for price.
Disadvantages: No HSM or Internal focusing.

...I have owned this lens (in Canon mount) for some time and use it frequently. Being a DG designated lens, it is suitable for use on both FF (full-frame) and cropped sensor APS-C digital SLR cameras. I use my example on Canon EOS 5D and EOS 400D digital SLR cameras where on the latter, it effectively becomes a 112mm focal length f/2.8 Macro lens with larger than 1:1 'life-size' reproduction ratio potential. Very useful! The 'EX' designation which, in SIGMA terminology, relates to 'EXCELLANCE' and their 'professional' quality range of lenses which generally, exhibit a somewhat higher specification, build quality, finish and design feature-set than their 'DC' range of lenses. It therefore comes in the familiar smooth matt black 'crinkle finish which is quite attractive and so far, apparently hard wearing. Although this unique finish does...

davecham 04.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of Sigma EX macro lens - 70 mm F/2.8

Sigma EX 150mm f/2.8 DG HSM APO Macro

Advantages: Optical quality. Build quality. Price.
Disadvantages: Could come free with Cornflakes?

...I purchased this lens after a great deal of research and seeking out 'actual' image files (full size ones) which had been taken using this lens specifically. These were viewed at 100% size in Adobe Photoshop to ascertain quality and compare to similar images from other lenses. In my opinion, this was the best lens of this sort of focal length that I could buy. Better even than the far more expensive Canon EF 180mm f/3.5 L Macro. One of the best macro lenses available is the Canon EF 100mm f/2.8. However, depending on your luck (Sigma's quality control isn't completely up to speed!), the actual sample you purchase may be either 'not quite' so good as the Canon 100/f2.8, 'just as' good or, if you're really lucky (in which case, bung a few quid on the Lotto!) even 'better' than the Canon 100/f2.8. In any case, if like me, you want to...

davecham 28.12.2008 · Read review
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Review of Sigma EX macro lens - 150 mm

Macro Madhouse

Advantages: Great for domestic customer
Disadvantages: Nightmare for commercial ussers

...I was quite pleased when I saw that this store was listed as it gives me the chance to have a right good moan!!! You see I unlike most of Macro's patrons am a legitimate business user, In the area I live we are restricted in the field of wholesalers so Macro and a couple of smaller outlets have the monoply. I am going to write this op purely from the perspective of business users. As stated in other ops Macro was originally intended only to be for business customers, but things change and we all have to live with that, thats fine and I accept their reasons for doing so, however it has now gotten out of hand. Very often my spend at Macro would be several thousand pounds a visit, stocking up on booze for the two pubs I was running, food for the restaurant, napkins, industrial cleaning materials etc etc. Now here comes the problem...

karen001 19.08.2002 · Read review
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Review of Makro (Shop)

Good MACRO at last.

Advantages: Small, compact , easy to use.
Disadvantages: Heavy on batteries

...I have now tried 3 different digital cameras and I think I have found the one I most prefer. I sell on Ebay quite a lot and I needed a camera that has a good to brilliant Macro facility. Every other one that I tried out let me down in this department. Fortunately I always take out exchange insurance and manage to get my money back and the insurance payment as well. The Samsung Digimax 430 has a lot to offer. I am not a great Techno- head so most of the details are from the box as well as my own experience. Firstly lets take a look at the camera. I find it small (Aprox 4? x 2?) and fits inside my hand. Silver in colour, as most are these days. The 30 x 25mm view monitor is inset into the back panel. The control setting switches are easy to use and clearly marked. Now the technical bits. 4.0 Mega Pixels 11 x Optical 2.8 max...

nigelblue 26.10.2004 · Read review
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Review of Samsung digimax 430 digital camera

Sigma AF 150mm APO f/2.8 HSM

Advantages: Crips, sharp, contrast full images; silent focusing; f/2.8 apature
Disadvantages: no image stabiliser

...This listing on ciao doesn't have a model number for focal length so I am going to review the Sigma APO 150mm f/2.8 Macro lens Before I purchase products I do extensive research on them; I read magazines and scour the internet looking for absolutely every bit of information I can before I buy. When deciding on buying this lens it was no differentl; I must have ready 2-3 magazines reviews and a dozen internet review sites before deciding which macro lens to purchase The reasearch I conducted showed that there two VERY good macro lenses available; the Sigma 150mm f2.8 and the Canon 100mm f/2.8. After investigating these two lenses further I found that the Canon was contiously rated as the best possible Macro lens (in the price category - there are Canon L series macro lenses which would cost 4 times the price) but the Sigma was...

stueng 28.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Sigma EX macro lens - 150 mm

The Double-Edged Sword

Advantages: Build quality, enables a great range of macro shots, eye-popping sharpness and colour
Disadvantages: Macro gearing makes AF sometimes a bit slow.

...Why You Want One ------------------------------ If you are serious about macro photography (especially wildlife) then you need to seriously consider this lens. The Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L Macro is a specialist prime lens for extreme close-up photography at up to 1:1 size. That means that (for a 35mm frame) the image recorded of an object is the same size as that object. But unlike most macro lenses, this one is a telephoto lens as well, being 180mm focal length. The normal use of a telephoto lens is to allow subjects to be photographed from far away. The normal use of a macro lens is to allow subjects to be photographed from very close-up. What this lens allows is the photographer to take very close-up photos from relatively far away. The fact that you can be some 30cm remote to the subject and still take a 1:1 macro photo...

buyer991 07.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of Canon EF 180mm f/3.5L USM Macro

Sigma EX DG 70-200mm f2.8 HSM Macro

Advantages: Build quality. Finish. Range. Fast maximum aperture.
Disadvantages: Image quality not as good as expected. Chromatic Aberration.

...removed whenever you choose to use the lens hand-held. Being an EX DG lens, it is suitable for use on either FF (Full-Frame) or APS-C cropped sensor cameras when it effectively behaves like a 105-300mm f/2.8 (on Nikon APS-C), 112-320mm f/2.8 (on Canon APS-C) or 119-340mm f/2.8 on Sigma DSLR cameras. These make interesting options on the APS-C size sensor cameras and it can be assumed the camera has a completely different set of values when used with such cameras to those when used on full-frame. Interesting? The fast f/2.8 maximum aperture provides great fun for shallow DOF (depth-of-field) shots where particularly at the 200mm end of the zoom, depth-of-field is excitingly shallow. Whilst the lens is referred to as 'macro' within it's descriptive title, the term is used somewhat loosely. True macro lenses provide genuine 1 to 1 life...

davecham 28.12.2008 · Read review
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Review of Sigma EX telephoto zoom lens - 70 mm - 200 mm F/2.8

Sigma AF 70-300mm f4-f5.6 APO DG Macro

Advantages: Decent quality on a budget but only for APS-C digital SLR's.
Disadvantages: Really quite poor when used with full-frame digital SLR's.

...I have owned and used the APO Macro version of this lens in NIKON mount for around a year before selling both the lens and my Nikon outfit. I now use Canon DSLR's but please, don't hold this against me! I also have a friend who has the cheaper non APO version, so it is interesting for me to be able to compare the two directly. This is not a 'EX' (Excellence) designated lens and as such, finish is not quite to the same high standard as those so marked, although still a similar black, slightly crinkly finish, which is, it has to be said, very nice. Generally, build quality is of a pleasing and substantial quality. Certainly better than Canon's budget lens range in my opinion and frankly, I would be surprised if most in the know, did not agree (Canon excluded of course!). Finish and fit is to a good level and materials used are...

davecham 29.12.2008 · Read review
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Review of Sigma telephoto zoom lens - 70 mm - 300 mm F/4.0-5.6

You'll love the macro modes

Advantages: Great image quality. Dual memory slot
Disadvantages: Viewfinder only 90% of frame

...The Fujifilm S602 is my first digital camera. Having owned a SLR camera before I wanted a camera with a similar format and feel. I wasn't disappointed with the S602. In fact, I'm well pleased with it! The one thing that swayed me towards the S602 was the 1cm macro as I like to take close-ups of flowers. The detail was superb and the colour vibrant. I was pleasantly suprised with the quality. The camera also excels in normal photography, with overrides for almost every setting - very SLR-like. The dual memory slots allows you to choose your memory type, and will support a Microdrive in the CFII slot. Battery life is better than expected having bought several sets of high capacity Nimh batteries. The usage of AA batteries disappointed me at first, but I can see the logic in it now - you can stick a set of Duracels in if your...

Pandemonium 25.05.2003 · Read review
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Review of Fujifilm FinePix S602 Zoom