Macro Comments on the Sigma f:2.8, 105mm macro lens

Dewman · 12-11-2014, 02:46 PM

Originally posted by BrianR

About 5 years ago when I was looking to buy a macro lens I spent days looking at reviews and sample photos. The conclusion I came to is that any of the dedicated 1:1 macros were all pretty darn awesome, especially in terms of sharpness. The 90mm tamron, 105mm sigma, and pentax DFA 100mm were my prime contenders as I wanted something that had AF so it could do double duty as a fast midrange telephoto. I ended up with the pentax since the price difference was small at the time, but I'm positive I would have been happy with any of them.

Incidentally, I also started with the hope of bird photography but realized a macro lens was much more affordable and I'm much faster than most small scale subjects, especially flowers and weeds

, so they can't flee the way birds can. If you limit yourself to feeder birds that get used to you standing next to the feeder after 15 minutes, a 100mm macro can do pretty well here too with some patience

. 100mm is also great for nests and fledglings that aren't smart enough to flee from humans yet (sensitivity and caution required

).

That's flash used poorly

Thanks for your contribution, Brian. I too have pretty much narrowed my list down to the three you mentioned. I like all three brands, as I have other lenses from those companies.... and they all perform well. I'm a pretty loyal kinda' guy when it comes to Pentax, but in this case, I might wander off a little!

I like the possibility of using the lens as a birder. I hope to put up some hummingbird feeders next spring and I can shoot through a nearby window, so in this case, the lens could pull double duty. The Sigma is really tempting, if for no other reason than I get such good results from a 28-80mm Sigma 1:2 macro.

Last edited by Dewman; 03-25-2015 at 04:36 PM.

BrianR · 12-11-2014, 03:04 PM

Hummingbirds can be defeated with enough patience, there are plenty of pictures of them eating out of feeders while sitting on peoples hands

. The dfa100mm non-WR (the one I have) is pretty reasonably priced used if you want to ride some brand loyalty around. The FA version before it also seemed highly praised but is significantly heavier.

The birding opportunities are of course much lower than with a 300mm+ lens, but they do come up

:

Dewman · 12-11-2014, 05:14 PM

Originally posted by BrianR

Hummingbirds can be defeated with enough patience, there are plenty of pictures of them eating out of feeders while sitting on peoples hands

. The dfa100mm non-WR (the one I have) is pretty reasonably priced used if you want to ride some brand loyalty around. The FA version before it also seemed highly praised but is significantly heavier.

The birding opportunities are of course much lower than with a 300mm+ lens, but they do come up

:

Hmmm.... is that a whippoorwill?

BrianR · 12-11-2014, 09:28 PM

Originally posted by Dewman

Hmmm.... is that a whippoorwill?

Juvenile cliff swallow, found on the road

. The photo is a clickable link to flickr with more details, and my stream is in my signature. Most of the images in it are from my DFA100mm.

esrandall · 12-15-2014, 01:43 PM

I've shot with the Sigma 105mm, and I own:

Tamron 90mm
Sigma EX 50mm
Sigma 50mm (MF)

All four have delivered some great shots for me, and people have responded favorably to what I post (500px, PF, etc.) despite my skill level, so a true macro lens in your hands would yield some smoking results. The Tamron 90 was my workhorse early on, but I scored a deal on the Sigma EX 50, and it's ease of handling has moved it to the front. Pretty much everything I do is hand-held at this point, so a person with more skill/patience/lighting knowledge would do really well with any of the lenses I own. I always see you post flowers, so a decent 50mm might be a good bet. Both of my 50's are nearly half the size of the Tamron, so if you have shaky hands, the shorter FL could be a good help if you were to shoot hand-held. The only caveat would be working with a flash on that shorter FL (sometimes introduces shadows into the mix).

There is a chance that Santa might drop a Sigma 70mm or Pentax 35mm Limited into my kit (I inadvertently saw a text convo between my wife and my best friend about both lenses

). If that does indeed happen, and you are still looking, I would probably be looking to sell at least one of the macros from my current lineup (I scored both 50's from sellers that didn't know what they had, and would be more than willing to pass those same savings onto the next person), or you can just call it a day, and pick up a nice Pentax M 100mm f/4 for $100ish -- and get back to shooting

https://500px.com/spockasmick

12-11-2014, 02:46 PM	#16
Dewman Veteran Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Idaho Posts: 5,492 Original Poster	Originally posted by BrianR About 5 years ago when I was looking to buy a macro lens I spent days looking at reviews and sample photos. The conclusion I came to is that any of the dedicated 1:1 macros were all pretty darn awesome, especially in terms of sharpness. The 90mm tamron, 105mm sigma, and pentax DFA 100mm were my prime contenders as I wanted something that had AF so it could do double duty as a fast midrange telephoto. I ended up with the pentax since the price difference was small at the time, but I'm positive I would have been happy with any of them. Incidentally, I also started with the hope of bird photography but realized a macro lens was much more affordable and I'm much faster than most small scale subjects, especially flowers and weeds, so they can't flee the way birds can. If you limit yourself to feeder birds that get used to you standing next to the feeder after 15 minutes, a 100mm macro can do pretty well here too with some patience. 100mm is also great for nests and fledglings that aren't smart enough to flee from humans yet (sensitivity and caution required). That's flash used poorly Thanks for your contribution, Brian. I too have pretty much narrowed my list down to the three you mentioned. I like all three brands, as I have other lenses from those companies.... and they all perform well. I'm a pretty loyal kinda' guy when it comes to Pentax, but in this case, I might wander off a little! I like the possibility of using the lens as a birder. I hope to put up some hummingbird feeders next spring and I can shoot through a nearby window, so in this case, the lens could pull double duty. The Sigma is really tempting, if for no other reason than I get such good results from a 28-80mm Sigma 1:2 macro. Last edited by Dewman; 03-25-2015 at 04:36 PM.

12-11-2014, 03:04 PM	#17
BrianR Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,332	Hummingbirds can be defeated with enough patience, there are plenty of pictures of them eating out of feeders while sitting on peoples hands. The dfa100mm non-WR (the one I have) is pretty reasonably priced used if you want to ride some brand loyalty around. The FA version before it also seemed highly praised but is significantly heavier. The birding opportunities are of course much lower than with a 300mm+ lens, but they do come up:

12-11-2014, 05:14 PM	#18
Dewman Veteran Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Idaho Posts: 5,492 Original Poster	Originally posted by BrianR Hummingbirds can be defeated with enough patience, there are plenty of pictures of them eating out of feeders while sitting on peoples hands. The dfa100mm non-WR (the one I have) is pretty reasonably priced used if you want to ride some brand loyalty around. The FA version before it also seemed highly praised but is significantly heavier. The birding opportunities are of course much lower than with a 300mm+ lens, but they do come up: Hmmm.... is that a whippoorwill?

12-11-2014, 09:28 PM	#19
BrianR Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,332	Originally posted by Dewman Hmmm.... is that a whippoorwill? Juvenile cliff swallow, found on the road. The photo is a clickable link to flickr with more details, and my stream is in my signature. Most of the images in it are from my DFA100mm.

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12-15-2014, 01:43 PM	#20
esrandall Closed Account Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Sumner, WA Photos: Albums Posts: 965	I've shot with the Sigma 105mm, and I own: Tamron 90mm Sigma EX 50mm Sigma 50mm (MF) All four have delivered some great shots for me, and people have responded favorably to what I post (500px, PF, etc.) despite my skill level, so a true macro lens in your hands would yield some smoking results. The Tamron 90 was my workhorse early on, but I scored a deal on the Sigma EX 50, and it's ease of handling has moved it to the front. Pretty much everything I do is hand-held at this point, so a person with more skill/patience/lighting knowledge would do really well with any of the lenses I own. I always see you post flowers, so a decent 50mm might be a good bet. Both of my 50's are nearly half the size of the Tamron, so if you have shaky hands, the shorter FL could be a good help if you were to shoot hand-held. The only caveat would be working with a flash on that shorter FL (sometimes introduces shadows into the mix). There is a chance that Santa might drop a Sigma 70mm or Pentax 35mm Limited into my kit (I inadvertently saw a text convo between my wife and my best friend about both lenses ). If that does indeed happen, and you are still looking, I would probably be looking to sell at least one of the macros from my current lineup (I scored both 50's from sellers that didn't know what they had, and would be more than willing to pass those same savings onto the next person), or you can just call it a day, and pick up a nice Pentax M 100mm f/4 for $100ish -- and get back to shooting https://500px.com/spockasmick