Sigma 150 F2.8 Macro First Impressions

jbradc · 9th of May 2005 (Mon)

I spent some time this weekend playing around with the new lens and overall I am very pleased. Below are a few shots of the lens and my homemade macro bracket (Old stroboframe that I hacked up) and some shots taken with the lens as well. For larger images visit my website at http://shp.smugmug.com/gallery/525111

I am very impressed with build and image quality of this lens, it is my first Sigma lens so I was a little unsure when I placed the order.

Sorry for the large post

blinking8s · 26th of May 2005 (Thu)

*sigh* now i want one...

wtfmate · 26th of May 2005 (Thu)

Looks pretty good!

I recently picked up the Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro, I love that thing so far, its razor sharp and the colors are great!

condyk · 26th of May 2005 (Thu)

Great work. I just got the baby brother 105mm f2.8 DG. REALLY pleased with it. The world gets scary when you have one of these fella's!!

CyberDyneSystems · 26th of May 2005 (Thu)

I finally got the Canon 100mm just recently... I have t admit that this Sigma appeals to me even more... I think the focal length is perfect!

foxbat · 26th of May 2005 (Thu)

Those sample shots are wonderful, the sharpness and colours are exacting. Did you flash the moth? The contrast is fantastic.

jbradc · 26th of May 2005 (Thu)

The last shot of the moth was without flash. It was shot at 1/500@F8, ISO 400.

J Rabin · 26th of May 2005 (Thu)

Looks swell. Sharp, contrasty saturated images. Did you juice them a bit for saturation of sharpness or straight from camera?

I have always been disappointed with Sigma me-too lenses, but I think they've built a winner here that no one else has on the market. 20 cm working distance for only $650. HSM with full-time manual focus. Looks solid.
Is that a tent caterpiller?
J.

Bodog · 26th of May 2005 (Thu)

Got mine yesterday, just before company arrived, so haven't had much chance to really use it. Made a few test shots and it appears very sharp. I bought it for dual purpose, a short tele and macro. Appears I'll have to work around the focusing in that respect. It seems to require a manual assist to get from close up to distance, otherwise it hunts focus a bit. ( I think any long macro will have this weakness) Definitely a keeper for me.

Raj · 27th of May 2005 (Fri)

Very impressive indeed !
Congrats jbradc, you made a excellent purchase

Last photo is abolutely stunning !

jbradc · 27th of May 2005 (Fri)

Quote:

Originally Posted by J Rabin

Looks swell. Sharp, contrasty saturated images. Did you juice them a bit for saturation of sharpness or straight from camera?

I tweaked the saturation a bit in Camera Raw (Photoshop CS2). I shoot in the Adobe RGB color space and then adjust saturation during post processing.

jbradc · 30th of May 2005 (Mon)

Quote:

Originally Posted by J Rabin

...Is that a tent caterpiller?
J.

That is a tent caterpiller, they are everywhere around here this time of year.

TammieO · 30th of May 2005 (Mon)

Great sample shots. Now I want one too

MrChad · 30th of May 2005 (Mon)

How fast is the AF, would this lens also have use as a good sports tele?

jbradc · 30th of May 2005 (Mon)

Quote:

Originally Posted by MrChad

How fast is the AF, would this lens also have use as a good sports tele?

The AF is very fast, on par with Canon USM lenses. It would make a nice tele for sports, etc, but you would have to use the focus limiter. My experience shows that if it has to hunt at all for focus it can take a while to go from its closest focus (0.38 meters) to infinity.
The focus limiter has 3 settings:
- Full
- 0.52 meters to infinity
- 0.38 to 0.52 meters
I have used it for some non-macro shots and am very pleased with the image quality and speed.

9th of May 2005 (Mon)	#1
jbradc Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Lynchburg, Va USA Posts: 409	Sigma 150 F2.8 Macro First Impressions I spent some time this weekend playing around with the new lens and overall I am very pleased. Below are a few shots of the lens and my homemade macro bracket (Old stroboframe that I hacked up) and some shots taken with the lens as well. For larger images visit my website at http://shp.smugmug.com/gallery/525111 I am very impressed with build and image quality of this lens, it is my first Sigma lens so I was a little unsure when I placed the order. Sorry for the large post __________________ Website: http://www.jbradcampbell.com/ My Flickr Page http://www.flickr.com/photos/7hillsphoto/ Canon 5D Mark II, Sigma 12-24 EX, 24-105 L, Sigma 50 EX 1.4, 200 F2.8 L, Canon 1.4x II & 2x II Last edited by jbradc : 9th of May 2005 (Mon) at 14:58.

26th of May 2005 (Thu)	#2
blinking8s Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: w.kentucky Posts: 1,618	Re: Sigma 150 F2.8 Macro First Impressions sigh now i want one... __________________ blinking8s.com \| pixelpost photoblog application

26th of May 2005 (Thu)	#3
wtfmate Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 177	Re: Sigma 150 F2.8 Macro First Impressions Looks pretty good! I recently picked up the Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro, I love that thing so far, its razor sharp and the colors are great! Last edited by wtfmate : 26th of May 2005 (Thu) at 13:58.

26th of May 2005 (Thu)	#4
condyk Africa's #1 Tour Guide Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Birmingham, UK Posts: 20,732	Re: Sigma 150 F2.8 Macro First Impressions Great work. I just got the baby brother 105mm f2.8 DG. REALLY pleased with it. The world gets scary when you have one of these fella's!! __________________ Now full! Great African Photo Safari 2013 - Kruger National Park, South Africa click

26th of May 2005 (Thu)	#5
CyberDyneSystems Wait, all that time and all I get is "Cream of the Damn Crop" ?!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Providence RI Posts: 37,437 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Sigma 150 F2.8 Macro First Impressions I finally got the Canon 100mm just recently... I have t admit that this Sigma appeals to me even more... I think the focal length is perfect! __________________ GEAR LIST CDS' HOT LINKS My POTN Share Threads Jake Hegnauer Photography

26th of May 2005 (Thu)	#6
foxbat Goldmember Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Essex, UK. Posts: 2,425	Re: Sigma 150 F2.8 Macro First Impressions Those sample shots are wonderful, the sharpness and colours are exacting. Did you flash the moth? The contrast is fantastic. __________________ Andy Brown; South-east England. Canon, Sigma, Leica, Zeiss all on Canon DSLRs. My Gallery. Gear here.

26th of May 2005 (Thu)	#8
J Rabin Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: NJ Posts: 1,496 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Sigma 150 F2.8 Macro First Impressions Looks swell. Sharp, contrasty saturated images. Did you juice them a bit for saturation of sharpness or straight from camera? I have always been disappointed with Sigma me-too lenses, but I think they've built a winner here that no one else has on the market. 20 cm working distance for only $650. HSM with full-time manual focus. Looks solid. Is that a tent caterpiller? J.

26th of May 2005 (Thu)	#9
Bodog Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Peculiar, MO Posts: 1,306	Re: Sigma 150 F2.8 Macro First Impressions Got mine yesterday, just before company arrived, so haven't had much chance to really use it. Made a few test shots and it appears very sharp. I bought it for dual purpose, a short tele and macro. Appears I'll have to work around the focusing in that respect. It seems to require a manual assist to get from close up to distance, otherwise it hunts focus a bit. ( I think any long macro will have this weakness) Definitely a keeper for me. __________________ JimE Color? It's all relative...

27th of May 2005 (Fri)	#10
Raj Goldmember Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Tokyo, Japan Posts: 2,032 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Sigma 150 F2.8 Macro First Impressions Very impressive indeed ! Congrats jbradc, you made a excellent purchase Last photo is abolutely stunning ! __________________ 1DX, 5D, 20D with BG E2, Sigma EX DG 8mm F3.5 Circular Fish Eye, EF 15 mm f2.8 fish eye, EFS 10-22 mm f3.5-4.5, EF 24-70 F2.8 L mark ii, EF 24-105 f4 L IS, EF 16-35 f2.8 L , Sigma 35mm f1.4 A, 50 f1.8 mkII, 50 mm F1.2 L, EF f85mm 1.8, EF 100 f2.8 macro, EF 135 F2 L, Sigma 70-200 f2.8 EX HSM, EF 70-200 f2.8 L, IS USM mark ii, EF 100-400 f4.5-5.6 L IS, Sigma 18-125 f3.5-5.6 DC, APO 1.4x, G3, Cheapy Velbon Sherpa 435, Slick Carbon Fiber, Speedlite 430EX and 580EX with stofen OM-EW

30th of May 2005 (Mon)	#13
TammieO Goldmember Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Chandler, AZ Posts: 2,020 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Sigma 150 F2.8 Macro First Impressions Great sample shots. Now I want one too __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tammie 1DMkII

30th of May 2005 (Mon)	#14
MrChad Goldmember Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Chicagoland Posts: 2,815	Re: Sigma 150 F2.8 Macro First Impressions How fast is the AF, would this lens also have use as a good sports tele? __________________ I kaNt sPeL... [Gear List]

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