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penghai
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Registered: May 21, 2002
Location: United States
Posts: 1042
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Review Date: Sep 7, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $599.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Excellent image quality, very solid build, excellent tripod collar.
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Cons:
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Weight, not so fast AF.
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This is a very solid lens with excellent imaging quality and color. I have a Canon 100 f2.8 macro as well. Compared to the Canon, this one is sharper and has much solid build.
When used as portrait lens, it gives better blurry background than the Canon 100 f2.8.
The only week part for this lens is AF speed. This may or may not be an issue. Since many people do not use AF for macro.
Another issue is weight. This lens is heavy compared to Canon 100 f2.8. Add a macro bracket and flash it could become very heavy.
The included tripod collar makes this lens very easy to switch from horizontal to vertical format.
This is an excellent lens. Highly recommended.
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 Sep 7, 2005
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PickledEyes
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Registered: Jul 29, 2003
Location: United States
Posts: 78
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Review Date: Aug 29, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Ths lens is as good as an 'L'. It is my first macro, and I'm loving it. Colors just pop, and are saturated very well across the frame. The 2.8 brightness allows for very shallow DOF. Has got to be seen to express.
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Cons:
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Being a Macro means SSLLOOWW focusing, and lots of hunting in low light. It might be a 2.8, but if you miss-focus, it takes forever. Tripod mount can't be removed.
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I got this lens as my first Macro, after leaning on the fence for the Canon 180L. It was a new lens at the time, and for me it was the price that got me to try it. I am very happy that I choose this lens, because it renders shots perfectly. My flower macros are sharper than sharp in some cases, and I wonder how the lens can pick up so much detail. I like the colors as well, because they seem to have a richness to them, as if a intensifier is being used.
The only thing one must take into account, is that it needs a tripod due to the weight, and the reach when doing Macros. I can hand-hold it in good light, but I wish sometimes that the tripod mount was removable. I like the lens so much that I bought the 50 macro to take on those days when I want to travel light.
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Aug 29, 2005
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Greg Dillard
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Registered: Jan 9, 2002
Location: United States
Posts: 38
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Review Date: Jul 28, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $539.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Quality optics. Professional build. Tripod collar and lens hood included.
Full time manual focus available that is smooth and precise.
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Cons:
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None so far!
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This lens is a best buy for the price! it compares favorably with my Canon 180L Macro and is better optically than my Canon 100 Macro at 2.8. On the 1 series bodies it balances beautifully for handholding with the bonus of quick tripod attachment. Sigma did it right with this lens!
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Jul 28, 2005
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FishHouse
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Registered: Jan 2, 2005
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 1
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Review Date: May 17, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: Not Indicated
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Excellent sharpness, even at 2.8. Fast autofocus and HSM is great. Comes with lens hood and tripod mount. Build quality is superb!
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Cons:
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None that I can think of.
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I was thinking of buying the Canon 100 macro and then this one was launched by Sigma. I'm very happy with the 150 mm which gives me more working distance. The sharpness in macros is very good and the lens is also a very good tele-lens, even at 2.8.
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May 17, 2005
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saaketham
Online
Buy and Sell: On
Registered: May 17, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 8380
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Review Date: Mar 19, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $599.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Solid construction, sleek look, sharp, excellent bokeh, more working distance, tripod mount/sturdy case/hood included!
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Cons:
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Focus hunting in lower lighting especially when focusing closely on small subjects, noticeably heavier than 100mm.
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I had the Canon 100mm macro before and loved that lens. This one looks like it's a very capable big brother of the 100. Sharpness, color and bokeh are excellent. Focusing is a bit weak, especially when close-focusing. The increase in weight (2 lb) is noticeable, compared to the Canon 100mm macro (1.3 lb) or the 70-200 f/4L (1.5 lb). Still, macros are typically taken with tripods, so it might not be a big deal. Comfortable working distance makes it easier to chase after flies and insects. Bottom line: Sharp, good color and bokeh, high quality images, very nice focal length for macro work. The lens comes with the tripod mount, a very sturdy case and hood! Excellent value for the money, IMHO.
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Mar 19, 2005
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John Black
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Registered: Jul 14, 2004
Location: United States
Posts: 3897
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Review Date: Mar 17, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $524.00
| Rating: 9
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Pros:
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Lightweight & outstanding balance - the lightest 2 pound lens I've ever used! Good AF for a macro lens. Nice build quality. Sharp and F2.8 is very good.
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Cons:
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Only goes to F22; a limiting factor for true macro efficianados.
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Started with Sigma 180mm; very heavy and awkward, AF was s-l-o-w with lots of hunting, and build quality was so-so. The 180mm had very bad back focus on my 20D, so I returned it and exchanged it for the Sigma 150mm F2.8 EX Macro.
What a difference! The 150 is very compact compared to the 180 and you can easily use it handheld. Pictures are sharp and I had no complaints on a 20D, 1D2 or 1Ds. Very nice lens and an all-around great value.
The HSM AF is okay; very good for a macro, but slow when compared to common lenses like a 28-135 IS. You can easily use this lens for portraits, but don't expect any action shots. The focus range/resolution isn't as fine as the 180mm, so on one side there is far less hunting, on the other side, MF isn't as precise. There is still far more travel in the MF ring compared to your normal lens, but dedicated macros like the 180mm have extremely refined MF rings for very fine focus adjustments.
Bokeh is good - say better than average, but not as nice as something like a 200L F1.8. Color & contrast are fine, but Sigma lenses don't have the "L" saturation. If you really, really like the colors from your 24-70L and 16-35L, the Canon 180mm L might be a better choice (but you'll pay for it!)
The Sigma makes for a nice middle of the road macro. A sharp lens, good build quality and it can pull double duty as a macro or portrait lens. If you are a serious macro photographer and need F40 and a high precision MF ring, consider the Canon 180mm L instead.
This lens did very nicely on a 1D2; never did anything serious with it on the 1Ds. Ultimately sold the lens to finance a 70-300 DO IS. I thought I could pull off basic macro shots with DO - whew, was I wrong! Really missed Sigma 150 EX after that...
B&H is expensive; bought mine from Delta International for $524. Zero problems. This is 3rd lens I've bought from them and their prices are very good compared to B&H. This lens is a good value - includes tripod ring, hood and soft bag, this makes it far cheaper than the Canon 100mm F2.8 Macro.
95%+ of the people who buy this lens will be impressed. Only the most serious macro shooters might feel let down - but they would know that beforehand since this lens has a max aperture of F22. If you're using a 20D/10D, etc., give serious consideration to the Canon 100mm F2.8 Macro; 150mm is pretty long on a 1.6x body if you don't need the extra working distance for things like insects, etc.
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Mar 17, 2005
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traveler
Offline
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Registered: Jan 8, 2002
Location: United States
Posts: 4011
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Review Date: Jan 27, 2005
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Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $500.00
| Rating: 10
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Pros:
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Professional build
Excellent balance with great magnesium tripod bracket included
All accessories included such as a padded ballistic nylon carry case, strap, end caps and tripod bracket mount
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Cons:
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None
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I must say this lens for me was both a gamble and a HUGE surprise. I have owned both the 100mm f2.8 and 180mm F3.5L macro lenses from Canon as well as the previous Sigma 180mm f3.5 APO EX HSM Macro. This lens compares more favorably with the Canon 180L than the others. It's level of precision in the manual focus ring, focus speed and accuracy are virtually equal to my Canon L experience. The balance of the lens makes it a joy to both handhold or use for critical tripod mounted application. I used it initially for both macro and tele use finding it equal in BOTH regards. The level of not only sharpness but contrast on this lens is highly commendable. I have not found the F22 aperture limit to be any issue whatsoever as most people will likely find themselves either using it macro between F8 and F16 or tele F2.8 to F8. The bokeh is also superb and It reminds me most of the creamy bokeh found on the 85mm F1.2L USM...high praise indeed. I can't recommend this lens enough as it completely exceeded any expectation I had for it's output quality.
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Jan 27, 2005
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Reviews
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Views
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Date of last review
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103
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299286
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Nov 5, 2017
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Recommended By
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Average Price
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98% of reviewers
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$548.89
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Build Quality Rating
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Price Rating
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Overall Rating
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9.60
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9.54
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9.6
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