( 6 reviews )
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( 0 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: May 18 2009
Very sharp lens but AF operation is very hit or miss, even at non-macro focus distances. Acceptable focus was achieved less than 25% of the time under standard lighting conditions. This may be specific to my copy as others have not reported this problem. I also had a Sigma 150mm macro that had to be returned for the same reason so I suspect that at least some of the EF-mount Sigma lenses suffer from this problem. Hopefully they will fix this as it is a wonderful lens excepting the shoddy AF performance.
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Posted: Apr 10 2009
Already in my possession is the older version of Nikon 105mm micro lens, I would like to explore a macro lens of a longer focal length. This lens is reasonably priced (I got it during promotion with the price just slightly higher than the sigma 150mm macro lens) and I have seen breathtaking photos taken by this lens on the internet. The photo quality of the images I have taken so far is excellent; the contrast and colour very close to Nikon lens. In addition, the lens has a good balance when handheld (I don't use a tripod and so I remove the tripod collar) with the hood. The advantage over macro lens of shorter focal length is the flexibility to work from a longer distance. Gone are the days when the butterfly, bees and moths would flee from the scenes when I tried to approach them. In addition, when I took this lens only on a trip, I can switch comfortably between taking small objects and birds from a distance. Today a black crowned egret flew past and I could take a reasonbly sharp photo of it. (Focus with HSM at a distant object is fast.) The disadvantages (which I can settle) are (a) its weight when compared with 105mm lens (b) the relative shallow depth of field when compared with 105mm lens and 150mm lens (c) the slightly greater challenge to ensure the entire object lies on the focal plane so that it is sharp all across (d) coating of the barrel of the lens (not as good as the Nikon lenses) However, since I can always increase the ISO by 1-2 steps and work with a smaller aperture, the resulting images can be as good as the other shorter lenes. Also, imagine taking just one lens instead of two when taking photos in the field is already a big incentive to give this lens a very serious thought. To summarise, both the Sigma 150mm and Sigma 180mm are very strong contenders in the macro photography. In my case, since the prices of the lens during promotion are insignificant, I have no problem taking the longer lens. But if the prices resume to normal and the difference is big, I will have a bigger problem deciding which lens I should pick. For this 180mm lens, I have taking photos of jumping spiders, tiny bees, butterflies, small flowers,... and the images are crisp, sharp, colourful and better than I've ever dreamed.
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( 1 of 1 found this review helpful ) Posted: Feb 6 2009
Very strange, I ordered this lens off Amazon about 10 days ago for much, much less. I just got it and it does look to be a gray market lens -- meaning it is meant for sale in another country (I am in the U.S.). The only difference between it and a U.S. lens is the length of the warranty and where you send it for service. I do wish they did say it up front that it was gray market but I did get it for just over $500 so I may keep it and roll the dice. It has an impressive build quality, nice heft ( I don't find it heavy at all but I am used to swinging a 500mm lens lately) and I will post more after I give it some more testing with it on my D200.
