Sigma 50mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro

[MadChemist]

I am planning to purchase a Sigma 50mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro lens to use on a Rebel XT (1.6x crop) body. Does anyone have any experience with it? I've read that the working distance is too short for insect work and that the bokeh could be more cluttered due to the wider angle of view compared to, say, a 105mm macro lens. These two complaints don't really bother me that much.

If you've used this lens, what did you think of the image and build quality? More importantly, did you have fun using it?

Photography is simply a hobby for me, so I don't need professional quality. This lens is the only true macro I could find within my budget of $350 CDN, so getting a Canon 100mm, Tamron 90mm or a longer Sigma macro would be out of the question.

I like that the lens comes with a 10-year warranty if I purchase it new (plus, their service centre is only a few minutes away from me).

Thanks in advance.

[badpickev]

i would advise you to take a look at the vivtar series 1 100mm f3.5.

this lens was made by cosina with the following names vivitar, phoenix, cosina, opteka, and a few others. a great lettle lens for the price. i paid $140 for mind. it has a 1:1 macro adapter for it. while the build is a bit on the cheap side ad i really dont do macros. the lens is still sharp when used as a 100 f3.5 lens. it has gotten hard to fine a new copy but if you can find it go for it.

[LordV]

If money is tight what about getting a set of Kenko ext tubes and using them with your 50mm F1.8 - you will get a max of about 1.3:1 like that.

Brian V.

[MadChemist]

@badpickev: I was actually considering that 100mm lens, but I couldn't find it new anywhere. The longer working distance and more manageable background would be a plus, but I'm really hoping for 1:1 macro without an adapter. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

@LordV: I've actually returned my 50mm f/1.8 in order to have enough funds for the 50mm macro (I had it for less than 2 weeks). If I add the cost of the 50mm f/1.8 ($120 CDN) with the cost of the Kenko tubes ($175 CDN), the price is almost the same as getting a dedicated 50mm macro lens that doesn't lose light like with tubes and has better optical and build quality. I should update my signature to reflect that.

[reval8r]

I have the Sigma 50mm macro and the 105mm macro for my Pentax K20D. I really like them both as a macro and a portrait lens. To be honest, I use both of these lens quite a lot, but used very little for macro. They're very good all around lens, sharp images and nice bokeh. Here's an example of the images with the 50mm.