Sigma 258101 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro Lens Canon DSLR Cameras, Black

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Macro lenses are also great for headshots, with their close focusing capabilities. A macro lens is designed to render detail and colour beautifully, capturing sharp, detailed images. Just remember to turn your image stabilisation off on your camera or lens when shooting with a tripod, as this can have an adverse effect otherwise. The Sigma 105 Macro's AF system is definitely not one of its strengths - AF is slow, noisy and delivered a well-above-average number of OOF (Out of Focus) shots. Good choice for macro, but twice the price of the 105mm AF-D to do the same thing. VR is nice hand-held when used as a tele, but is of no help when shooting serious macro, which we do with strobes. Still, it’s nice to see companies under-exaggerate their specs rather than the more common alternative. Working Distance

Corner, maximum aperture, close focus: Tamron 90mm f/2.8 VC Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2× Tokina 100mm f/2.8 Nikon F 105mm f/2.8 VR Sigma 105mm f/2.8 OS Irix 150mm f/2.8 Best choice for macro on Minolta and Sony. There is no 200mm macro for Minolta or Sony, so this is the best there is, with flawless optics. And because the 58mm threads are no longer available, the lens cap no longer fits - the hood must be removed to install the cap or a 58mm filter.Some macro lenses have a ratio of more than 1:1, enabling them to record images on the sensor that are larger than the object in real life. You will have seen photographs of insect eyes or wings or snowflakes, for example. Since Sigma reverse engineers (vs. licenses) manufacturer AF routines, there is always the possibility that a new body might not support an older third party lens. It can be very frustrating. This is why we really recommend using a tripod, as you can take your time to adjust your focus carefully. As you can see, most “1:1” macro lenses can focus meaningfully closer than that. (In the image above, an exact 1:1 magnification lens would capture 36mm of the ruler.) The biggest surprise is the Nikon F 105mm f/2.8 VR, for which I measured a maximum magnification of 1.09×, AKA 1.09:1 magnification. You can also see the huge increase in magnification with a 2:1 macro lens like the Laowa.

While lots of lenses with decent close-up capabilities are referred to as macro lenses, there is actually stricter criteria to qualify as one. For a lens to be considered a "true" macro lens, it needs to have at least a 1:1 reproduction ratio, meaning that the subject on the sensor plane is the same as or greater than its size in real life. This is the key to getting those spectacular, frame-filling images of minuscule subjects.

So to stabilise your shot, we recommend two options. First of all, your macro lens or camera body may have image stabilisation built-in. In which case – switch it on! You may also be shooting at very high apertures to capture maximum detail across the frame, meaning if you put your shutter speed up along with a high aperture, you may have to compensate by putting up your ISO. Even with noise reduction in editing, high ISO can lead to degradation in image quality.

This is the world's only zoom true macro lens, but more expensive used than the 105 VR new. It's that good. Use it when you need to reframe moving macro subjects rapidly; otherwise, get the 200mm f/4 AF-D instead. Sigma macro lenses offer quiet, responsive auto focus and mounts for popular brands like Canon, Nikon and Sony. If you won't spring for the Nikon 200mm f/4 AF-D or Canon 180mm f/3.5 L, this Tokina is as good optically as Nikon's or Canon's 100mm and 105mm lenses.

The next two lenses, the Nikon and Tokina, are a step down. Both are comparable in sharpness to one another, but the Tokina has substantially more vignetting and chromatic aberration. I still wouldn’t hesitate to use either. Since lens flare is what the hood is designed to help prevent (in addition to preventing damage), I'll go there next. The Sports line delivers high speed AF in compact telephoto zooms, which are perfect for fast-paced sports, action and wildlife photography. Use a tripod so you can use timer release or remote triggers to activate your shutter. This way, you are not touching the camera directly when taking your images, and it will remove any camera shake issues. The closer you focus, the closer you need to be to your subject, and therefore the less working distance you’ll have. You’ll also get less working distance by attaching accessories like a lens hood to the front of your lens.

to 60mm macro lenses are perfect for capturing product photography. Also, it’s ideal for getting really close to small subjects – for instance, small creatures. When shooting in manual focus on a tripod with macro lenses, another piece of advice is to use focus peaking to ensure you nail focus on your subject. These come in various magnifications D1, D2, D3, D4 and D5. D stands for ‘diopter’ which is the optical term for the strength of the lens. To alter magnification, you change over the lens filters, which is a fiddly way of working, particularly outside. You can mount a 77mm filter such as a circular polarizer to the end of the filter where it is easy to reach. Excellent choice for bargain macro, but still less working room than we'd like for the best perspective.

What can also be seen in the above photo are magnification markings on the extended portion of the lens barrel. If you’ve selected a macro lens with a portrait-type focal length (say 90mm), you will find it works well for shooting portraits. But it’s not just the focal length that lends itself to portraiture. Of the six lenses, the Irix 150mm f/2.8 has the best working distance – not surprising considering its long focal length. However, it’s not ahead by much. The Nikon, Sigma, and Tamron have almost as much working distance as the Irix despite their shorter focal lengths. NIKON Z7 + Sigma 105mm f/2.8 @ 105mm, ISO 180, 1/800, f/7.1 Sharpness – Close Focus If you buy a product through one of our referral links we will earn a commission (without costing you anything). Overall, taking both center and corner sharpness into account, the Tamron 90mm VC f/2.8 is probably the sharpest of these six lenses at macro distances. A close second is the Laowa 100mm f/2.8 2×. The weakest is probably the Tokina, especially considering that it has the most vignetting and chromatic aberration of the lenses here. The Irix and Sigma also have some issues, although at least they’re good in terms of chromatic aberrations and vignetting.