Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro Lens

The Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM represents what might be considered the middle ground for macro lenses. With a 105mm focal length, image stabilization and a test-leading weight of 725g you get a lot of lens for $770. The weight makes holding your DSLR steadier than when shooting with lighter macro lenses.

With mounts available for Canon, Nikon, Sigma and Sony DSLRs, this is often the third-party lens of choice for photographers who can’t quite afford DSLR manufacturer lenses but require many of the same features. Once you factor in image stabilization, the cost between lenses with and without it is significant.

The Sigma takes up where the Tokina and Tamron left off in terms of features and handling. Bridging the gap between these two and the Canon and Nikon offerings, the Sigma is a solid lens with some high spec features. The image stabilization is on the noisy side, but provides the added bonus of being able to shoot at slightly slower shutter speeds than usual. The autofocus isn’t the quietest, but for close-up subjects manual focus is more commonly used.

The Sigma is a reliable performer in terms of image quality, with marginally softer results than the Canon at f/2.8 in the center of the frame. Push out to the edges and it just beats the Canon. However, once you hit the mid-range apertures the Sigma falls behind the Canon, Nikon and Tamron lenses. But this is under test conditions and once out in the field the Sigma is a very able performer – you wouldn’t be disappointed with the results. There is a minute, if not negligible, amount of chromatic aberration visible at f/2.8 but this disappears very quickly when you stop down.

Pros

• Excellent functionality
• Impressive performance
• Image stabilization system
• Good magnification

Cons

• High price
• Large and heavy

Bottom Line

The Sigma lens presents a bit of a conundrum. On the one hand it’s not quite as sharp as the Tamron, which is cheaper, but on the other it possesses many more features and is cheaper than the Canon and Nikon options. It’s a well-built optic with all the features you could ever need from a macro lens, and although it’s not the best performer with the lens test chart, it’s still one worth considering.

Pro glass

With its EX designation, Sigma promises that both the lens’s build and optical quality befit the demands of the professional user, and our lab testing comfortably verified this claim.

It produces negligible distortion and chromatic aberration. Better still, not only is it one of the sharpest macro lenses available, its consistency across the frame is just as impressive. Even when used at the widest aperture, it matches the mid-aperture performance of its rivals.

Hopefully, Sigma will provide the lens in a wider range of mounts; in the meantime Canon and Nikon users should start saving up for it, because it really is an impressive optic.

• The focus limiting switch on the Sigma lens offers no fewer than three options, which helps keep ‘hunting’ to a minimum when shooting objects up close

• Designed for use with full frame digital SLR cameras. May also be used with smaller APS-c size sensors with a corresponding effective increase in focal length to about 150mm with most cameras
• Focuses down to 1:1 magnification ratio at its closest working distance of 12.3 inches
• A hood adapter, lens hood, front & rear lens caps are included with the lens
• Filter size 62mm

One of the most recent arrivals on the macro scene, this Sigma lens boasts an image stabilization system that claims to provide a maximum four-stop benefit. It also contains a floating system and internal focusing, as well as a Hyper Sonic Motor with full-time manual focus override. It confirms focus quickly and is remarkably quiet; only when the optical stabilizer is used does it make a little noise.

Specifications

Sample Shots

• sigma 105mm f 2 8 ex dg os hsm macro images