Sigma 150mm f2.8 APO Macro EX DG HSM

Overview

Super Multi Coating reduces flare and ghosting that tends to occur when using digital SLR cameras.

Super compact and lightweight, large aperture telephoto lens with life-size macro capability.

Winner of American Photo Editor’s Choice 2006 Award.

This large aperture telephoto macro lens enables you to shoot up to 1:1 life size close-ups. Its large F2.8 aperture makes it an ideal lens for digital SLR as well as film SLR cameras. Two Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass elements control various color aberrations and assure high image quality. Super Multi Coating gives superb color performance whilst cutting down flare and ghost. Its compact, yet advanced, construction has an overall length of Length 137mm (5.4in.), maximum diameter of 79.6mm (3.1in.), filter size of É»72mm and weight of 895gr/31.6ounces

«F2.8» large aperture tele-macro lens

Tele Macro lenses have a greater Working distance. It is possible to enjoy Macro photography, even when you are far from subject. This enables you to capture the small animals and insects without disturbing them. Very narrow depth-of-field allows selective focusing and less distracting backgrounds. Large aperture of F2.8 is ideal for sports, action and indoor photography.

It is equipped with two pieces of Special Low Dispersion (SLD) glass elements.

Two SLD glass elements control various color aberrations and assure high and sharp image quality.

Hyper Sonic Motor (HSM) with full time manual focus override.

The HSM models provide ultra quiet high-speed autofocusing as well as full-time manual focus override.

Floating Focusing System produces excellent optical performance.

A floating focusing system moves two different lens groups in the optical system to different positions. This system compensates for astigmatic Aberration and Spherical aberration. Since focusing does not change its overall length, this lens is easy to hold and use.

Super Multi Layer Coating

«Super Multi Layer Coating» of this lens gives superb color performance whilst cutting down flare and ghost caused by reflections from the digital image sensor.

APO Tele-Converter EX (optional)

It is also possible to use this lens with Sigma 1.4x EX and 2x EX APO Tele-Converter. When this lens is used with the 1.4x EX or 2x EX Apo Tele Converters (optional), it becomes a 210mm F4 AF tele-macro lens or a 300mm F5.6 MF tele-macro lens respectively.

Lens Specifications

Generic Lens Specifications

Lens Type: Prime
Lens Special Features: Macro
IS / VR / OS: None
Min Focal length (mm): 150
Max Focal Length (mm): 150
Number of Elements: 16
Element Groups: 12
Max Aperture: 2.8
Minimum Aperture: 22
Diaphragm Blades: 9
Closest Focus Distance (m): 0.38
Maximum Magnification: 1.1
Filter Type: Screw In
Filter Diameter (mm): 72
Diameter at widest (mm): 79
Lens Length (mm): 137
Weight (g): 895

Details

Lens Construction	16 Elements in 12 Groups
Angle of view	16.4 degrees
Number of Diaphragm Blades	9 Blades
Minimum Aperture	F22
Minimum Focusing Distance	38cm/15.0 in.
Maximum Magnification	1:1
Filter Size	Diameter 72mm
Dimensions	Diameter 79.6mm X Length 137mm 3.1 in. X 5.4 in.
Weight	895g/31.6 oz.
Corresponding AF Mounts	SIGMA, CANON, NIKON (D), FOUR THIRDS * Nikon mount of this lens is not equipped with an aperture ring, therefore, depending on the camera model some functions may not work.

Price Tracking

Field of View of this lens

Visualise the Field of View of this lens

Help and Feedback on the FOV tool here

User Lens Reviews

Average user rating from: 9 user(s)


Overall rating (weighted)		4.6
Sharpness		4.6
Build Quality		4.3
AF Speed		4.8
Value for Money		4.6

Add new review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Very Sharp, Wednesday, 22 October 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		4.8
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

I have nothing bad to say about this lens. It's very sharp, fast focusing and tough build. I also like the additional working distance over my 90mm macro lens.

Was this review helpful to you? yes

Report this review

Great macro lens, Tuesday, 23 September 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		4.5
Sharpness		4.0
Build Quality		5.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		4.0

On nikon mount: pretty good working distance (1:1 magnification at shortest distance, magnification decreases as distance increases), needs a tripod to start working with. The autofocus - though you don't really need it in macro - is silent but spends a lot of time searching in low light conditions (no miracles!). Really sharp.

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Great great product, Wednesday, 03 September 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		4.8
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

Great product with excellent quality and crisp framing. The image quality is very high and possibly better than the SIGMA brother that works at 180mm.
Macro photography gets a real improvement through this lens especially when insects are concerned. Actually, the focusing distance is usually more than adequate to keep the photographer rather away from the framed insect so to avoid any disturbances or unwanted interactions.
I love it!Sigma 120-400mm f/4.5-5.6 AF APO DG OS HSM Telephoto Zoom Lens for Nikon Digital SLR Cameras

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

A real gem of a lens, Wednesday, 23 April 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		4.5
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		4.0

I've owned this lens for about 5 months now, and it is exceptional. Sharpness and color rendition are spot on and it is difficult to imagine any improvement (this lens really is tack sharp, it is a Bit sharper than the 600mm IS). The extra 50mm on top of "typical" 100mm macros provides needed working distance with skittish insects. AF is quick (for a macro), silent, and accurate (for a macro). It even doubles as a pretty good tele, except that the focus speed cannot compete with a real tele. All macros are this way since the focus speed is compromised by the need to rack out the optics far enough to focus at 1:1. Does portraits too, though your subjects might find the optics to be a bit too sharp for their liking.

The focus limiter is a thoughtful and useful touch, as is the tripod ring. The build on this lens is excellent and it feels like a tank. Friction on the focus ring is perfectly damped which is especially important for a macro lens. The finish is nice and has held up to some heavy use (which is surprising since the same has NOT occured with the 50-500mm Bigma). No complaints at all with this lens. I recommend this lens over all of the ~100mm competitors due to the extra 50mm of reach, especially if you work with insects.

I have to agree..., Saturday, 09 February 2008


Overall rating (weighted)		4.5
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		4.0

Sigma has hit a home run here. This is a nice macro lens, and also serves well as a short tele lens. Set the limiter and let the fast ad quiet HSM focusing work for you in tele-mode. In close-up/macro mode, the AF is less useful (but can often get you close to where you want to be quickly), then fine tune manually. Images are SUPER sharp, good color, excellent bokeh. Excellent price, and EX fit and finish is superb. Very very highly reccomended.

Sigma 150mm f/2.8 Macro lens, Monday, 14 May 2007


Overall rating (weighted)		4.0
Sharpness		4.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		4.0
Value for Money		4.0

great lens and a great price. it has a nice feel to it. not too heavy and not too light. autofocus is somewhat slow but that is expected from a macro lens. otherwise its a great lens

Sigma gets an A on this one., Tuesday, 27 March 2007


Overall rating (weighted)		4.8
Sharpness		4.0
Build Quality		5.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

I have the Nikon 60 Micro lens and wanted something with more working distance. In the Photozone.de test, it was amazing. Very high Resolution, even at f/2.8. And very low CA's(chromatic abberations). So I bought it and does it deliver that kind of performance? Yes it does! Sharpness and color redention was stunning. And at 1:1(life size on the negative or digital sensor), there's more than 7 inches working distance. Build quality is excellent. It's mostly metal construction. The focus ring has a nice dampened feel to it. The new Sigma rear caps fit tighter and do not come off. But they're a little harder to mount. About autofocus performance, it's fast, but hunted in low light with the Nikon D50 while shooting motocross. But that's a weakness of the camera body, not the lens. On the F100(a high end Nikon film camera), it was lightning fast and dead on. Yes it is a full frame lens, so it can be used on 35mm cameras also. There's a tripod collar and it makes for a well balanced setup when on a tripod. The collar is removable making it easier to do handheld shooting. The maximum aperture of f/2.8 allows more flexibility in low light. The filter thread is 72mm, and filters this big get expensive. It is a good all around telephoto-sports, portraits, landscapes...you name it. Just because it's labeled a macro doesn't mean a lens is good for macro only! It's not cheap, but if you want a solid performer that's great for all occasions, this just may what you're looking for.

AWESOME LENS!, Saturday, 22 April 2006


Overall rating (weighted)		4.3
Sharpness		4.0
Build Quality		4.0
AF Speed		4.0
Value for Money		5.0

This lens is fast and extremely sharp. I am using it on a D200 and it is great. I am deployed in Iraq and this lens is one I can feel comfortable about walking around with. It's built like a tank. It accepts the teleconverters which makes it even better. Buy this lens from 47th St Photo. Best prices.

Excellent Macro despite limitations, Thursday, 27 October 2005


Overall rating (weighted)		5.0
Sharpness		5.0
Build Quality		5.0
AF Speed		5.0
Value for Money		5.0

I had a Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro and it was working quite well for me but I longed for a little more working distance. When Sigma came out with the 150mm f2.8 Macro, I tried researching it but couldn't find much info because it was such a new lens, I found the MTF charts on the Sigma Website and it was amazing. This lens was very close to the performance of the Sigma 180mm macro and Canon's famed 180mm f3.5 L. So I went ahead and bought it. It was a little pricy but I thought I could always return it if I didn't like it.

My first impressions taking the lens out of the box was very positive. It was quite compact for the focal length and was very well made. It balanced quite well on my 20D. I never liked Sigma's EX finish but I could live with it. The EX finish looks cheap to me,particularly the golden ring, and the EX badge, but it's better than Sigma's old design. The only thing I like about the EX finish is that it seems very durable. Even after heavy use there are no marks or scratches on the lens body and every time I wipe the lens body with a damp tissue, it just looks like brand new. The focus ring is nicely ribbed and wide but it didn't have the kind of damping Canon L lenses have, so it felt a little loose. The tripod ring is made of the same material as the lens body itself, but it didn't feel as smooth as the Canon's L like the 70-200 2.8IS and the 300mm f4 IS. One advantage Sigma's tripod rings have over Canon is you don't have to take it off the tripod to remove the lens. You just pull a knob and the ring opens allowing you to remove the lens. This is good if you have it all set on the tripod and want to quickly remove it for some hand held shots.

As far as it's optical performance is concerned, it's an absolute gem. When I review the pictures from this lens, all worries and niggles about price, finish etc dissapear and I'm glad I own it. I compared it against Canon's 135mm F2L which is one of Canon's sharpest lens,and this lens compares very favourably against it. In fact it is just as sharp as the 135mm at comparable apertures. But the 135mm is a stop faster and has faster focussing but that's a whole different story.

In short the lens is everything one can expect out of a macro. Excellent build, very sharp, good colors, excellent bokeh (out of focus areas). What else would one want? The focussing is slow, but it's a macro lens and that's how macro lenses are. The minimum aperture is 22 which may deter some, but I don't shoot slower than 22 anyway because of Diffraction limitations.

This lens is just perfect for it's intended purpose. Needless to say, I sold my Canon 100mm in a jiffy.