| Author: | | amateur dirt farmer Registered: December, 2014 Location: probably out in a field somewhere... Posts: 41,636
6 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 1, 2018 | Recommended | Price: $270.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | build quality, color rendition, clarity, bokeh | | Cons: | lens hood, no longer available new | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-3
New Or Used: Used
Autofocus: 9
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I've read in several different blogs/reviews that this is supposed to be the 2nd best macro that Sigma has ever produced - better than the 50mm, better than the 105mm (but not the 180mm), so when a used copy came up for sale here on the Marketplace, I inquired about it.... and glad I did...
the short of it: this lens is amazing - it rivals the D FA 50 Macro I have for stupendous resolution, color, and clarity....
the Sigma 70 is a native 1:1 macro lens, with no quickshift, no WR, and a pain-in-the-ass hood that makes you choose between it and the standard lens cap, since you cannot use both... I put a 67mm lens cap on the end of the hood all month and called it good.... additionally, the hood does not reverse for storage, because it's a screw-in hood, rather than a bayonet.... who thought of this?
aside from that, this lens is a stunner... it's versatile, reasonably quick at f2.8, has a focus limiter, and the manual focus even has a decent tactile feedback to it...
but the photos:
 spider by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr
 quilted by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr
 cosmos by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr
 hay meadow by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr
 Finnegan by Pepperberry Farm, on Flickr
to me, this is a viable alternative to the D FA 100/2.8 Macro and it's a shame that Sigma no longer offers it in a k-mount...
if you can find a good copy at a decent price, buy it - it is a worthy addition to your collection...
the rest of my flickr album for this lens:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepperberryfarm/albums/72157700519962604/page1 | | | | | | | Senior Member Registered: January, 2016 Posts: 127
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 31, 2016 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp images | | Cons: | focus hunting at times | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: K-3
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I purchased this lens from a forum member because I wanted a decent macro lens. I was also hoping that it would double as a portrait lens, given its wide aperture and focal length. I cannot be more pleased! My initial practice shoot was spent primarily taking photos of the various flowers in bloom around my yard just to see how the lens handled. I did have some focus hunting issues, and although the lens has a focus limiter, it didn't help much. I prefer using the lens on manual for macro anyway. There was no hunting with subjects far afield. There is a learning curve on many lenses, but with patience, by the end of the weekend I was making excellent shots. The DOF on a lens like this, wide open at close distance, is microscopic--practice is needed.
Honestly, this is my favorite lens now! The image quality is spectacular, even wide open, which I cannot say about all of my faster lenses. I took some portraits and actions shots that were equal in quality and clarity, and I will admit, I was doing some serious pixel peeping, which I normally avoid but couldn't resist because the results were so amazing with this lens!
No adjustments were made to these pics except cropping:
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 | | | | | Forum Member Registered: January, 2015 Posts: 71
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 29, 2015 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Could be the sharpest lens available for Pentax | | Cons: | Short for insects when used on its own, but pairs well with TC's to address this. Really nothing else. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 10
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-50
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The optical quality of this lens puts it in the league of Zeiss and Voigtlander macros that go for many times more money. Tack sharp across the whole frame from f/2.8 to f/11 with a slight drop off (but still great) at f/16. Lab tests that one can find online suggest that this holds for full frame as well, though I have only used it on APS-C.
I do not notice a difference in sharpness between f/5.6 - f/10 with/without the Sigma APO 2x EX or Tamron-F 1.4X Pz-AF MC4 attached, both of which I have used to get closer than 1:1 macro. Aberrations and softness get amplified by even the best TC, but the baseline is so good here that there are no practical consequences at optimal aperture settings. As such, I almost always use this with the Sigma 2x for bugs due to the reach advantage of the 140mm effective focal length.
70mm is nice for portraits on APS-C, but there is a certain clinical sharpness that doesn't look quite right, even at f/2.8. Resolution can always be reduced in post (but never added) so this is hardly a negative.
Sigma 70mm EX DG Macro + Sigma APO 2x EX Teleconverter + Sunpak Auto DX 8R Ring Light at 1/8 power
f/10, 1/160, ISO 100, handheld
The original image is sharper than it appears here, the upload to Pentax Forums seems to compress all my images and make them look worse, even when I stay within the file size and resolution restrictions.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: May, 2014 Location: Galway - Ireland Posts: 213
4 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: May 10, 2015 | Recommended | Price: $600.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | amazing sharpness, micro contrast rendering, build quality | | Cons: | None ? | |
WHO IS IT FOR ?
The 70mm is a great multipurpose focal length if you are on the close up side. Portraits, street photography, gastronomy and macro... It is just perfect for all.
I also use a lot this lens for video because of it is so sharp and so cinematic.
HANDLING
This lens has almost the same size and weight than the 105mm macro from sigma, which is well sized on an Pentax camera.
It extends a lot in macro 1:1 position (almost double) but I don't think it is a real issue.
The focus ring is very smooth and it is nice to use it manually (for video for instance it is a reaaaaal pleasure).
AUTOFOCUS
The autofocus is very precise. Even if it is not the fastest AF I have experienced, it is great for most purpose and specialy great for macro !
IMAGE QUALITY
>SHARPNESS
This lens is VERY sharp from wide open. Honnestly it is the sharpest lens I have in my bag and the sharpest I have tested so far (cf. comparison below). This lens delivers amazing micro-contrast and this look great even in low scale. The overall image rendering is on a top level.
>MACRO
Top sharp, with 1:1 ratio. Well, it is not possible to have a better combo for macro purpose. This lens is a must !
With enough light the result is crispy like hell...
>BOKEH
Bokehs are really great and reasonably soft, in macro pictures the result is pleasing.
>CHROMA ABERRATIONS
Not flawless but not a real issue ! There can be little fringing (purple) but it is not problematic in field conditions.
>FLARE
I did not notice any flare issue for this lens.
>COLOR RENDITION
Neutral ! It is not warm in the asahi style, but not blue. Perfect for me at least.
>DISTORSION
There is no distorsion (maybe 0,01%, who cares ?  )
>VIGNETING
Not an issue as the largest aperture is f/2.8. Nothing to care about !
COMPARING TO SIMILAR LENSES
>105mm macro Sigma f/2.8 EX
This lens is in the same family than the 105mm macro EX f/2.8 from Sigma. It is clear that these two lenses delivers similar kind of results. But I believe the 70mm is realy a better lens : it is sharper (I sometimes discover contrast through this lens that I didn't see with my eyes  ) and the 70mm focal length is better if you want to use it handhold (you can have top sharp results from 1/100 instead of 1/160).
I have both lenses, but if I was to choose only one of them I would definitly take my 70mm macro.
>70mm Pentax f/2.4 limited
The 70mm lens from Pentax is very sharp too ! Honnestly for portraits, you can use the Pentax lens (more discret and the AF is slightly faster on K3). But for macro you can't. The Pentax lens is really interesting, and if you don't really need macro it can be a great buy !
CONCLUSION
If you can afford this lens and if you love Macro, buy it right now because it is a gem. I guess it is the sharpest lens you can buy for less than 1000-1500$ and you will never regret it.
I am not sure that this lens is still produced for K mount, but there are still some of them available and my advice is that you should not wait much longer 
SAMPLE PICTURES
The pictures inserted here comes from my 500px gallery and have been processed to taste from RAW files through DxO OP. However there is no local sharpening through JPEG edition.
A few more on Flickr (not processed)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124013107@N08/16141832236/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124013107@N08/15981972317/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124013107@N08/16272612491/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/124013107@N08/17053598361/ (this one was shot during a movie scene)
Even if it is hard to believe, there is not micro contrast added numerically in these pictures...
| | | | | | | Pentaxian Registered: August, 2008 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 11,251
3 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: October 29, 2010 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Incredible IQ | | Cons: | screw on hood | |
I love doing macros and many macro lenses are very sharp so how to choose? I also love doing portraits so I was looking for a lens that has a double talent as a macro and portrait lens. I find that for portraits 55mm are the minimum and 90mm are already a bit too long (on APS-C). So the 70mm of the Sigma fell right into the usable range for me. For very nervous critters having a higher focal length to get more stand-off distance can be beneficial but I find the 70mm to be still very usable.
The lens is already mighty sharp starting from f/2.8 (wide open) and I don't think any faster makes sense for the vast majority of portraits where you want to keep both eyes in focus.
The lens is so good that Imaging-Resource use it as their cross-brand reference lens to compare cameras with each other. The photozone test rates it sharper than the Tamron 90mm and says it's bokeh is "very smooth and buttery". PopPhoto calls it "faultless".
It is really good for doing product shots. How about some nice leaf shots? You may also want to check out this Sigma 70 vs Tamron 90 comparison.
Optically, I think it is very hard to fault this lens, but there are a few small downsides. There is no manual aperture ring so you cannot put it on extension rings and shoot it at any other f-ratio than f/22. If one really wants to go beyond 1:1 while using a lower f-ratio, close up filters or (potentially gutted) teleconverters are alternatives. However, the immensely shallow DOF at close distances will probably require the use of an f-ratio near f/22 anyhow.
As other posters I wish the hood weren't of the screw on type so that it could be reverse-mounted.
Because of the long focus throw, focusing the lens can take longer than usual. However, I reckon on a K-7 or K-5 with a fast screw drive the AF times will be more than acceptable in particular in combination with the focus limiter switch. The long focus throw is really nice for macro work and I find manual focusing easy and to be a good experience with this lens.
Love the fact that it is a full-frame lens so when that Pentax FF body eventually arrives...
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: March, 2019 Location: Hengelo Posts: 32
2 users found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 30, 2020 | Recommended | Price: $194.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | build quality, focus, field of view, macro | | Cons: | none | | Sharpness: 9
Aberrations: 8
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 9
Camera Used: Pentax K5
New Or Used: Used
Autofocus: 9
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Yes, this is what I wanted. Last year I decided to invest in my Pentax K5 including the lenses.
Camera investment is waiting for the new APS-C body, but the lens investment started.
After a thorough reading and listening to different opinions, I decided to try my luck at the digital marketplace.
And there it is. A fine macro lens, although not the Pentax brand, still appreciated by many.
Bought it and used it now for a couple of months. It is definitly a gem.
Use TAv mode, come close, use back button focus. Adjust the apperture to a smooth F8 or F10 and then there are the nicest macro's.
Both the Sigma 70mm and the Pentax 15mm now are the lenses most on my camera.
Waiting for the new aps-c to have them both on my camera's at the same time.
Both inside photography
as outside photography
 | | | | | New Member Registered: July, 2009 Location: Western Massachusetts Posts: 10
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 3, 2015 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 10 |
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Sharpest lens I've ever used in 45 years ' work with Nikon, Pentax, Rollei and 4x5 gear. Autofocus is slow, but more than half the shots I take with this are and always would be manually focused anyway.
As for the widely-ridiculed screw-in hood, it's a perfect handle for the polarizer I keep on this lens at all times. A bayonet-mount hood would just be in the way, even with the removable (and easily lost) sliding insert that Pentax thoughtfully provides on some of its hoods.
| | | | | Junior Member Registered: March, 2011 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 34
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: September 2, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $390.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | IQ, Sharpness across the board | | Cons: | Hood, but not important | |
I had researched enough that the bizarre hood was no surprise and the autofocus - well, it is a macro lens after all and I knew that manual focusing when doing macro was critical anyway. I was down to this, the older Sigma 105mm macro and the Pentax DA 100 WR, but leaned towards this because the 70mm length has more flexibility for me as a general lens. So I bought this used from another forum member about 3 weeks ago and have been very happy!
From the first shots I knew that I was going to have plenty to learn to maximize DOF, focus and lighting. Lighting, in particular, is critical if you are going to use a smaller aperture for better DOF. Still working on the lighting, but I built a crude bounce card that helps my Metz flash do the job pretty well by bouncing the light down right near the extended length of the lens. I still have a ton to learn and may buy an inexpensive ring light, but I have to say that I have never had as much fun playing with a lens and at the same time, it helping me learn more about controlling my camera manually.
While these are not the best, they are a bit representative of some early shots.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/100143780@N03/9647691248/ < This was shot through a (dirty!) dual pane window, manual focus.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/100143780@N03/9583835605/ < Not quite 1:1, but close
http://www.flickr.com/photos/100143780@N03/9549411669/ < The very first shot I took with the lens! Flower is about 1/4"
http://www.flickr.com/photos/100143780@N03/9596086078/in/photostream/ < Same flowers but using my crude bounce card. More light, better DOF, but not necessarily better - just different. This is what the lens allows you to experiment with.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/100143780@N03/9585051904/in/photostream/ < Not a macro shot, but just to show this is capable 70mm lens in its own right!
I cannot say this is better than other good macro lenses like the Siggy 105 or Pentax FA or DA WR 100mm since I have not used them, but I can say this is a wonderful lens and a great addition to the kit!
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: May, 2011 Location: Providence, RI Posts: 368
1 user found this helpful
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: January, 2009 Location: Rochester, MN Posts: 765
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 25, 2012 | Recommended | Price: $375.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Sharp, contrasty, detail rendering, versatility | | Cons: | Large/heavy | |
A great lens all-around. Fantastic IQ with sharpness that isn't matched by many other lenses (it's on par with my FA limiteds...43 and 77 stopped down, in this regard), realistic detail rendering, and great micro-contrast. These features apply both in the macro realm and as a short telephoto for everyday use. It's equally strong at longer focus distances. AF wasn't the fastest ever, but the focus limiter switch was certainly helpful and I never found AF time obtrusive. Great focal length on APS-C for head/shoulders portrait work indoors. The only down side for me was the size/weight, which ultimately led me to transition to the FA 77, as I wanted something more compact in the short telephoto range. However, I'd highly recommend the Sigma 70 to anyone looking for a macro lens, or looking for a short telephoto with macro capability. It's an outstanding lens.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: May, 2009 Location: Vancouver, B.C. Posts: 6,513
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: November 29, 2009 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | ultra-sharp at wide open, bokeh , colours, very high contrast | | Cons: | quite slow AF, especially during close focus. hood is not snap on. | |
one of the best non-Pentax lens acquisition that I had ever bought for Pentax. I bought this lenses after getting some great comments coming from respectable owners of the lens and they are right. reasons for getting this lens is I needed a much shorter telephoto than my 85mm , and with a decent constant aperture speed. 2.8 is fine with me. also the fact that I needed something AF and close-focusing capability for candid portraiture shots with very nice color rendition and bokeh. I hate to say this but this lens shames the DA70 in terms of sharpness, colours and OOF rendering. no matter how sharp the DA70 is, it is not that as crispier or sharp as that of the Sigma 70. the only obvious advantage of the DA70 is it's compact size and fast AF. downside of the Sigma is the sluggish AF due to maybe long focus throw caused by it's macro feature. the focus-limiter seems to help a bit for both macro and telephoto use. however, as I seem to use this lens more often, I find it seem much faster to focus now. for me, the macro feature is just another added bonus since my main concern for this lens is only for telephoto use. but don't think that it's macro is no good. it's macro is excellent, probably at par with the FA50/2.8's sharpness. since owning this lens, it made me wonder of abandoning the extensive use my FA100/2.8 macro which is also a great lens for portraiture but not as sharp and contrasty as that of the Sigma 70.
another con of this lens is the lens hood is a screw on type which is annoying. I hope to find a better alternative snap-on lens for it.
*forgot to mention that this lens is designed for FF camera which makes it an ideal and flexible lens for both systems. 105mm equiv. on APS-C camera and a 70mm on FF.
 | | | | | Senior Member Registered: February, 2009 Location: Lévis, Canada (Québec) Posts: 144
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: February 6, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $550.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Sharp! Sharp! Sharp! | | Cons: | Slow AF. | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 9
Bokeh: 9
Handling: 8
Value: 10
Camera Used: K-5, K-7, K10D
New Or Used: 10
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I bought this lens as an alternative to the DA 70mm F/2.4 Limited. For roughly the same price, the Sigma was also a real macro performer, although heavier. I wasn't disappointed.
I wasn't doing enough macro photo to justify owning this lens, however. So instead of letting it gather dust in the closet, I sold it to a friend to buy myself a nice DA*50-135mm ED [IF] SDM lens.
Sharpness is out of this world. Already very sharp wide open, it's razor-sharp from F4 to F11. Still very sharp at smaller apertures. Very good contrast too, even wide open, where it's just a bit less contrasty. We're talking Leica / Carl Zeiss grade, here. The resolution potential of this lens surely exceeds the requirements of the K10D, K-7 and K-5 sensors.
Vignetting is almost non-existent. Distortion is impossible to see. Flare resistance is above average but not perfect: avoid shooting with the sun in the frame or just outside, if possible.
Lateral CAs are very low, even by today's standards. Longitudinal CAs are visible wide open but get under control stopping down the lens. Purple fringing can occur wide open in contrasty situations (like the reflection of the sun on shiny metal) and is easily corrected in post-production, like lateral CAs.
The bokeh is absolutely fabulous at short distances (macro) and still on par with most specialized lenses (DA70 Ltd) for portrait-like situations.
The lens is a dedicated macro tool, so it's not built for AF speed. As a result, the AF is sluggish (and noisy) even with the limiter on. The lens extends quite a bit in macro shooting.
The lens is also heavy, but it's solid.
All-in-all, a remarkable optical achievement, with very little to complain about.
So unless you're not much into macro photography (or if you want a light, compact lens), there's no reason to go for the DA70mm F/2.4 Limited when the Sigma 70mm F/2.8 EX DG can give you similar, if not superior results.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: December, 2007 Posts: 8,237
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: January 5, 2009 | Recommended | Price: $400.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Incrediby sharp | | Cons: | none | |
I sold my Viv 105 after I got this lens - never thought I'd find one sharper than the Viv, but this matches it, and maybe has better color than the Viv.
I love to use it as a general shooter in addition to macro work. It's pretty heavy, so it doesn't replace the DA 70 or 77ltd in ease-pf-use, but it's sharpness and contrast are just as good as those two.
 | | | | | Site Supporter Registered: June, 2015 Location: Ellicott City, MD Posts: 76 | | Review Date: March 13, 2019 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Tack sharp, Awesome bokeh | | Cons: | None | | Sharpness: 10
Aberrations: 10
Bokeh: 10
Handling: 9
Value: 9
Camera Used: KS-2
New Or Used: Used
Autofocus: 9
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I bought it here on this forum and it's a really great lens. The only cons I can think of may be the weight and the screw on metal hood. Most people won't consider them cons either and therefore I haven't listed them as such. It is great for macro photography and portraits.
| | | | | Veteran Member Registered: January, 2014 Posts: 370 | | Review Date: June 22, 2015 | Recommended | Price: None indicated
| Rating: 9 |
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I have had this lens for less than a month. It is already proving wonderful for certain types of portrait work, macro and a certain type of landscape I like to take.
The DOF can be tricky, but also beautiful. I would love to see how this works on my K3 and if I can find an adaptor (no luck so far) to use it on the K3.
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