Sigma 150mm f/2.8 EX DG HSM APO HSM IF Macro Lens for Nikon SLR Cameras

What a fantastic lens.

The shots are in crisp detail. Internal IF makes it a very easy lens to play with. It has a nice weight to it but not too heavy. Superb working distance. And best of all, very bright f2.8!

For the price it was worth every penny. There might be better macro lenses, but this is the best one for Fourthirds shooters. You won't find a better macro carry lens than this one.

If you like taking nature or macro shots, this is a must-have lens in your photographic arsenal.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

This is my first Sigma lens but third overall Macro lens. I want to have a longer shooting range from nervous critters, but yet, can't justify spending $1,800 on the Nikkor 200mm f4 macro. I use this to take macro shots as well as portrait shot.

The pros are

1.) Excellence build quality - wolid feel in my hands.
2.) The image quality if fantastic, very sharp, and wonderful smooth DOF when open it all the way up, and unbelievaly beautiful colour.
3.) At f2.8, it is fast even in a low light condition.
4.) Good for both portrait and macro.
5.) Affordable value for money lens

For me, the two cons are: -

1.) Heavy
2.) No VR

Due to the two cons above, the image can become blurry easily, at a lower speed. I "solve" the problem by using a monopod to support the weight and to reduce the up-down movements which caused the blurness.

I'm glad that I made the decision to buy this lens. It is one of my favourites along side the Nikkor 35mm f1.8.

Used it on 5D. Macro lens AF is slow and deliberate, hence the precision in extreme close range. So AF speed shouldn't be a negative for a dedicated macro lens such as this one.

Pro:

1. Solid build quality. I wouldn't say it's L quality. But good in its own way. (questionable longevity though: my 2 year old Sigma EX 24-70/2.8 is squeaking loudly on MF, I don't even remember using MF on that lens).
2. Great tripod collar design! The turn and pull lock/unlock is so much better than those by Canon or Tamron - quick, straightforward, and secure.
3. IQ is not disappointing at all, on par with my excellent Tamron 90 macro and perhaps a bit less than the fantastic Tamron 180 macro. It's already sharp wide open. Stop down it's even better than excellent! I would say the IQ of this lens is definitely L quality if not
even better! (comparing to the excellent Canon 200/2.8L II)
4. Very effective AF range limiter: macro range, tele range, full range.
5. AF is quite accurate, much to my relief! Of course, serious macro shots will need the MF, but for everything else AF is very handy!

Neutral:

- MF is not as smooth as I expected. My Sigma 10-20 EX got extremely smooth MF, so are the Tamron macros and the Tokina 11-16. MF on this lens feel forced and tight.
- Not cheap at all (got new for $599, most of the places sell it for $700+)

Con:

- Nit picking here: the lens feels not so well balanced on 5D. Strangely enough, my Canon 100-400 push/pull feels more balanced than this lens. I am definitely gonna use mono-pod at least for any serious shooting.

Bottom line:

A great long macro + tele portrait lens, very versatile, top IQ. No fast action shots here, sorry. But for everything else, this is one of the few best you can find!

And I am very happy with it. Wanted to get into Macro but didn't want to spring for the Nikor. This one got excellent reviews. One reviewer who was not a big Sigma fan said this is the only Sigma he considers to be the equal of Nikon. Have been snapping bugs in the yard and getting some very nice shots. Impressed with the build, feels solid, mostly/all metal. I also added the Sigma 1.4 teleconverter to get even closer shots. Very nice combo.

IMO people who are complaining about depth-of-field and focusing don't really understand macro lenses.

I had this lens just for a couple of weeks. But it already amazed me. It's incredibly sharp at F2.8 and it's totally usable.

Focus is fast on my D700, and my friend tried on his D200 Body, the focus is much slower. This one can be used to shoot sports as well. Closeup shots are fantastic!! I just love it.