Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro Lens

Top positive review

Great lens

Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2024

Brought this along to Costa Rica and found it perfect for capturing small fauna, bugs, flowers etc. Solid lens. Arrived on time in original packaging. Pleased with this purchase and expect to use it a lot. Good for portraiture also.

Top critical review

Critical reviews›

Katie

Not worth the price

Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2015

Firstly, when I received this in the mail, I should have known something was off when the inner box had the tape already cut open, like maybe it had been returned before. Already a bad start for a first time, non-nikon buy. Anyways, slow/hard time focusing, even with adequate light. And I couldn't get one single shot as sharp as I would like, using tripod, manual and auto focus, lights, larger aperatures, and all, very frustrating. Lots of vignetting, so much that I needed to correct it in every shot in Lightroom. Now, I am by no means a professional, but this lens, at this price, was not worth it for me, and I had to return it. Maybe I'm just spoiled by my excellent nikon 85mm 1.4, but I have also tried the nikon 105 macro, from borrowlenes.com, with some pretty awesome results and photos. The only reason I gave it two stars is because it was "pretty" aesthetically: heavy, nice, lens hood fit really snug on backwards (something my nikons don't do) BUT just because it looks nice doesn't mean it can take nice photographs. Thank you, Amazon, for your wonderful customer service and for letting me return this lens!

6 people found this helpful

2,337 total ratings, 1,136 with reviews

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

From the United States

Amazon Customer

Great lens

Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2024

Style: Nikon SLR CameraSet: US VersionVerified Purchase

Helpful

Damon Ellis

Great lens!

Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2016

Style: Nikon SLR CameraSet: US VersionVerified Purchase

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!

9 people found this helpful

Helpful

William A. Parmley

An Instant Favorite

Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2015

Style: Sony SLR CameraSet: US VersionVerified Purchase

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.

27 people found this helpful

Helpful

Ray B.

Great for portraits and macro; worth the money

Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2018

Style: Nikon SLR CameraSet: US VersionVerified Purchase

Beautiful photos... I almost feel like a pro. =)

I like to consider myself an intermediate amateur. Figured I'd save up and get this lens to use for macro photography AND as a portrait lens. It works well for both, BUT you'll need to take into account a few things that I learned while using this lens.

- This is not that fun to use with kids who run around. Not a great lens for casual use at the park, because you run into a lot of AF-hunt. Most photographers may already know this, but this is the first expensive lens I've ever purchased. You can help by setting the lens to focus between 0.45-infinity instead of having full range, but it doesn't help that much.

- Macro lenses, in general, will actually NOT shoot at the aperture stated at every distance. So you will not be shooting at f/2.8 with this lens at macro distances. Have plenty of lighting available.

- This lens works pretty darn well indoors shooting at f/2.8. (I'm talking about those dimly-lit gymnasiums that schools love to do concerts and ceremonies in.)

- The DOF on this lens at f/2.8 is RAZOR SHARP. You can lose focus and have undesirable results if you don't do something as simple as having your focal point on an actual eyeball (as opposed to aiming for the face and hoping). With the magnification, it is pretty noticeable when you miss focus.

I can add more details later as I run into them, but all in all, this is a great lens to have in your bag. I'll let a couple of photos speak for themselves. =)

35 people found this helpful

Helpful

albionphoto

Great for the price but not equal to the Nikon 105mm macro

Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2021

Style: Nikon SLR CameraSet: US VersionVerified Purchase

I'm not normally a macro photographer but with opportunities to point my long zooms at motor racing being somewhat limited I wanted to try my hand at something I could do at home. This is the first macro lens I have owned (although I've used several over time) and it attracted me because it has image stabilization, an f/2.8 maximum aperture and true macro (1:1) image reproduction. The price was very attractive too. I've used this quite a lot in the past 12 months, so here's my review. I primarily use this on a Nikon D500 equipped with a grip or on a Nikon D4.

Construction - This lens has a polymer barrel and a metal mount. It is quite heavy and I have found it to be well made and easy to use.

Sharpness/Image quality - Very good. It's not as good as the Nikon 105mm macro but it was half the price. I sometimes have to apply sharpening to it but overall it is sharp enough for my needs. It is prone to chromatic aberation and this needs to be managed quite carefully with lighting to avoid purple fringing which can be very noticeable and then be difficult to fix.

Handling - This lens is slightly front heavy. The switches are easy to use. I'm happy with this lens on a Nikon D500 equipped with a grip. It is well balanced but I think it might be a bit awkward to use on a smaller Nikon camera such as the D3500. It does make some weird noises when focusing which is a bit of a concern. I think this is the autofocus motor. The focusing is quick though. It did not need AF calibration on my camera.

Image stabilization - Frankly this is the worst aspect of this lens. It is poor and might as well not be a feature of the lens. If your tripod/ball head is good enough then I recommend turning the image stabilization off. It won't help you when it's turned on and can degrade image quality too.

Conclusions - I'm no expert at macro photography which is mainly due to inexperience with macro lighting. This is a very good lens for the price. It handles very well on camera and is well built. It does make some weird noises when focusing which is a bit of a concern but the focusing is fast and it didn't need focus compensation on my camera. The only real failing is the image stabilization which I have found to be poor. It's better to have a good tripod and ball-head than to rely on the stabilization. This is a great lens for the price and competes well with the Nikon 105mm macro and the Sigma art 105mm. Expert macro photographers and professionals may prefer to use the more expensive lenses but this is well worth it for me and my needs.

9 people found this helpful

Helpful

Juan Camargo

Great workhorse lens!

Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2016

Style: Nikon SLR CameraSet: US VersionVerified Purchase

Lens has been WONDERFUL!!!

I thought it was going to be a compromise--I was looking for a tele that was reasonable in price and good fast aperture. Apparently, that is in the $1K range. There aren't many primes in the tele range, either. So, when I found out about this one, I figured I would give it a chance. Well priced, highly rated, and image samples found on the net are all very good. So definitely worth it!

Positives:
--Great image quality. Seriously, super sharp and great out of focus areas
--Awesome portrait lens.
--the macro is very accurate
--thing is built like a tank
--image stabilization is very good.
Negatives:
--since it is built like a tank, it is a little heavy. Makes the camera feel a little unbalanced
--Wish it were more like 120mm or so (but that's a personal gripe lol)
Other:
--Use the full size lens hood. It comes with full size, and APS-C hood, but the full size is more than enough, plus you can screw on to the lens backwards and make lens profile much smaller than you can with the APS-C hood.

GREAT lens, especially for the $$!

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

Eric Randall

Works perfectly with the Nikon FTZ adapter

Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2020

Style: Nikon SLR CameraSet: US VersionVerified Purchase

Love this lens. 80% of what I do is with a macro lens, and after migrating to a Nikon Z6...I was left with few options that allow autofocus - something my old eyes need. I had the Tamron 90mm G2. Which was excellent for DSLR. But it's also the last G2 lens in Tamron's lineup awaiting the firmware update for the Z-series cameras...date unknown. Tired of waiting, and while it produced beautiful images, the weather sealing was trash (lots of internal dust on a prime...). I loved the original Sigma 105mm when I shot Pentax, so I figured I'd give it a go for the Z6 + FTZ adapter. No way was I forking out $800 for the Nikon 105mm (soft lens IMO). Well the Sigma is excellent on the FTZ adapter, and while on the heavy side, balances nicely enough on my Z6. Image quality is fantastic, and even though there is no weather sealing, I have nothing for internal dust after over 5k shots put through it (most of which are in dusty, muddy flower fields).

Great value (I paid $360 for this British grey market copy) and excellent handling/image quality, makes me question weather I'll even bother taking a look at the upcoming S series macro. Highly recommended!

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

KS56

Great Macro lens!

Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2017

Style: Sony SLR CameraSet: US VersionVerified Purchase

Just got this lens for my Sony a77ii. Rather heavy and large but balances nicely on the camera.
Love the OS and find it effective gaining about 2 stops. Did not notice any excessive noise.
Auto focusing is near silent and accurate, maybe a little on the slow side. You can manually fine-tune focusing even in AF mode just by turning the focusing ring.
The focus limiter is a useful addition since the in-camera focus limiter of the a77ii does not function with my Sigma lenses since the distance settings are not communicated between camera and lens.
Optimum sharpness of this lens appears to be when stopped down to f5.6 and beyond.This is not much of a problem with a macro lens since you need to stop down anyways to get any kind of depth of field.
The bokeh of this lens is about as good as it gets which seems to be a trademark of all the Sigma lenses I own.
I highly recommend this lens to anyone that wants to dabble into life size macro photography.
The focal length of 105mm gives you some needed working distance and adding a 1.4x teleconverter gives you even more versatility.

4 people found this helpful

Helpful

T-Virus

Small subjects, huge impact

Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2024

Style: Nikon SLR CameraSet: US VersionVerified Purchase

Not my first Sigma lens, but my first macro lens.

This is mounted to a Nikon D850.

The first picture (the casing and flag) is a focus stacked picture using the Focus Shift Shooting feature in the camera, light room and photoshop.

The second picture (snail eye) is hand held in the morning in bunny slippers.