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Sigma 50mm f2.8 EX DG  PDF Print E-mail
Lenses Sigma
User rating
4.6
out of 5
Editor's rating
1.0
out of 5
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Reviewed by:
Editor
Monday, 04 February 2008
Average user rating: 4.6 
27 User reviews
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Lens Summary

Overview

Macro Lens
50mm f/2.8 EX DG

Optimized optical design for digital SLR cameras

Sigma launched first standard 50mm Macro lens in 1990. This was succeeded by the 50mm F2.8 EX Macro in 1998 which proved even more popular with photographers, benefiting from improved build and optical quality.
The advent of digital SLR's requires optimum lens performance and therefore the very latest optical technology has been incorporated in the production of the New Macro 50mm F2.8 EX DG. This ideal standard lens sets the benchmark for digital SLR cameras.

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Macro lenses require a high imaging performance for photographing objects with digital SLR cameras
The new advanced lens design corrects various aberrations. This macro lens is specially coated to get the best Color balance whilst cutting down ghost caused by reflections from the digital image sensor. This lens provides the utmost correction against lateral Chromatic aberration which is a serious problem for digital SLR cameras.

Floating Focusing System
Floating Focusing system that enables this lens to photograph objects precisely in entire focusing range.

Standard 50mm lens for digital SLR cameras
This standard macro lens enables you to enjoy the communication with subject. When viewing through the camera's finder, you are able to move your subject, and make precise adjustment. It has a close Working distance and it is very convenient for taking close-up pictures of a fossil, or other inanimate things for example. This lens would have an equivalent field of view of an 85mm macro lens on a digital SLR camera (when used with the SD10).

Minimum aperture of F45
Although the Depth of field this medium telephoto is shallow, sometimes would be necessary to have greater depth of field, because it is difficult to take a sharp picture of a subject and the background at the maximum aperture. Minimum aperture of F45 (F45 for Sigma, Canon and Konica Minolta mounts) or F32 (F32 for Nikon and Pentax mounts) provides greater depth of field.

A screw-in lens hood
A screw-in hood is included, for convenient use of circular polarizing filters.

Lens Construction
 
10 Elements in 9 Groups
 
46.8 degrees
Number of Diaphragm Blades
 
7 Blades
Minimum Aperture
 
F45
Minimum Focusing Distance
 
18.9cm
Maximum Magnification
 
1:1
Filter Size
 
55mm
Dimensions
 
Diameter 71.4mm X Length 66.5mm
Weight
 
320g
SRP
 
£229.99

50mm f/2.8 EX DG
 
SIGMA
   
CANON
   
NIKON (D)
   
SONY
   
PENTAX

Lens Specifications

Generic Lens Specifications
Lens Type: Prime
Lens Special Features: Macro
IS / VR / OS: None
Min Focal length (mm): 50
Max Focal Length (mm): 50
Number of Elements: 10
Element Groups: 9
Max Aperture: 2.8
Minimum Aperture: 45
Diaphragm Blades: 7
Closest Focus Distance (m): 0.18
Maximum Magnification: 1.1
Filter Diameter (mm): 55
Diameter at widest (mm): 71
Lens Length (mm): 67
Weight (g): 320

Details


 

 

 

 

 

50mm f/2.8 EX DG
Lens Hood
Front and Rear Caps
Instruction Manual
1 Year Warranty Card
2 Year Extended UK Warranty Card

Price Tracking

USA Lens Price History

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Amazon Price US

Amazon Price UK

Editor review :  Sigma 50mm f2.8 EX DG
Overall rating (weighted)
1.0
Sharpness
1.0
Build Quality
1.0
AF Speed
1.0
Value for Money
1.0
Editor following shortly
Why should you care what I think?
My relationship with this item: Editor review
Conclusions at a glance
Would you recommend this Item: Undecided

User Lens Reviews

Average user rating from: 27 user(s)

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

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

great lens, Saturday, 26 June 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
This lens takes some of the best photos I have taken the color & crispness of shots is great both inside & out the detail of macro shots is great there may be a pro with somthing bad to say about this lens but for the money from beginer on up this lens is a must have.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Great Budge Macro Lens, Friday, 18 June 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.3
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
This is a great macro lens if you are on a budget. I was going back and forth between the Canon 50mm 2.5 and the 60mm 2.8. The Canon 50mm didn't have the greatest reviews and I didn't want to spend another $100 for the 60mm which is an EF-S lens. The Sigma is a very sharp lens along with some great colors and smooth silky bokeh. Perfect lens for weddings (rings) and flowers. It will work well for insects as well as long as you don't spook them by getting up-close. The auto-focus tends to take long to find the subject but no different than any other macro lens. It would be nice to be able to manually focus while in AF mode. The lens hood is worthless and annoying. You have to have the lens cap off to attach the hood.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Great blend of performance and value, Friday, 11 June 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
The Sigma's autofocus is nearly useless at 1:1, but many high end, dedicated macro lenses are manual focus only. For doing real close up work, I find manual focus is to be preferred; Autofocus is nothing but an annoying distraction.

I bought this lens to be used both for macro work and as a standard 50mm prime. When used at longer focal lengths the AF is fine. A Bit slower than some of my other lenses but more than adequate. I have not noticed any focusing slip as one other reviewer noted. Perhaps I will with more use, but so far so good.

The images are crisp and detailed edge to edge. Although the least expensive lens I own it may well be the best for image quality!
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Sigma 50mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro, Saturday, 05 June 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
What a great value for the price! I would recommend that those of us on a budget could well afford to have this high quality lens in our bag for this price. I find that I am using it more and more and not just for maco photography. It is sharp and quick to focus. A bit of noise, but that is fine considering the results. It does exactly what I purchased it for. It is well built, sharp and affordable.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Great Purchase, Monday, 26 April 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
I bought this lens for the macro capability, which worked out just fine, but what I soon discovered is that it is a great all around lens! This lens does a great job of portraits and just about anything else. If you want a good macro lens and something to keep on your camera for general purpose this 50mm is a bargain. The only thing that is a little aggravating is the switch you use to go from manual to auto focus, but it is really not a big deal. Hard to beat this one for the money.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

Minor Defect - Amazon has an awesome return/exchan, Friday, 23 April 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
I was very happy with the photos I was getting from this lens. Then I noticed on shots where I minimized the aperature to get a wide depth of field, there was a spot in all the photos. Turns out one of the inner pieces of glass had a small air bubble. This is my third Sigma Lens and the first problem I have ever had.

Fortunately Amazon has an awesome exchange policy and sent me out a replacement lens. I didn't even have to send back the defective lens until after the replacement was received.

Since receiving the replacement lens, I have had absolutely no problems and have really enjoyed using this lens. Most of the recent photos on my blog have been taken with this lens:

[...]
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

A fantastic lens, Tuesday, 13 April 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
I purchased this lens to satisify my need for a macro lens. I was on the cusp of buying the Sony 30mm macro, but jumped on this one the moment I found it. It's a fantastic lens and hasn't been off my camera in a week. The images I captured are amazing. Great light, great DOF, very sharp.

I own several Sigma lenses that I use with my Sony Alpha 300; I haven't been disappointed in any of them. The cost is always $100 less than the Sony equivalent, which is always a good thing.

The only negative is that AF is impossible with this lens, but I prefer the control of MF so it's not that big of a deal.

Enjoy!
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Great, but be careful, Saturday, 03 April 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
This is a great lens for macro (close-up) photography. This is even better than the canon and nikon macro lenses as said by PC Photo Magazine. For the price, the performance is more than great. When using though, be careful as the lens does move to achieve the right ratio and to focus but does not look like its close when looking through the viewfinder. In other words the lens may hit your subject if not careful. Might be a good idea to get a filter. Thats what I did in the first place.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Durable macro lens - good for flowers etc., Sunday, 28 March 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
If you want to get up close flower shots, detailed so you see pollen grains etc. This is a great kens for the price. Works best in bright sunlight. Doesn't gather much light. Get a bigger lens to help with that.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Works For Me, Wednesday, 17 March 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.5
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
4.0
I bought this lens to take macro photos of insects, and stuck it on my Nikon D80 years ago.
It has never let me down.

Mine has great glass--I've never looked at a shot and thought: Oh no, I should have used a better lens.

Plus, since it cost very little (compared to others....), I will NEVER give it up--even though I've since bought fancier lenses by far because I never have to worry about Ooops! bashing it or dropping it when crawling around in the woods or through a marsh. I know I can replace it. And I would!
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Good Resolution but focussing slips, Monday, 22 February 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
3.0
Sharpness
3.0
Build Quality
2.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
3.0
I actually own two of these lenses, I'm pairing them with 5D MKII bodies and doing copy work on a copy stand. The edge to edge sharpness is good, build quality nice, I'm getting my best results at F11. Unfortunately using copy stands the focus slips after a short period which is frustrating. I haven't had the need to use the auto focus but just playing it does seem quite loud. Looking back my have sprung for some Zeiss lenses but overall the sigma is a great value just exactly right for my needs. 3.5 would be my rating if I could go in halves
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Great first macro lens, Thursday, 04 February 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
4.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
This is the first lens i have purchased for my Canon Rebel Xs. It works great and is super easy to use. I love that it comes with a hood. Often the hood isn't included and a flimsy piece of plastic from canon can cost upwards to $20. The only thing i don't like is that the hood can't be on for the lens cap to fit on the lens. you have to unscrew the hood to replace the cap. Not the end of the world though. I have a Sigma 35mm camera and it has rock solid construction. This lens matches that same quality.
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Love it!, Monday, 11 January 2010


Overall rating (weighted)
4.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
4.0
Value for Money
5.0
I have a Canon EOS 30D that I've owned for about 2 years. I've been wanting a macro lens for a while, but have had a hard time justifying the cost... especially since I originally had my eye on Canon's 100mm macro. Then someone suggested this Sigma lens to me, and I noticed that all the reviews were incredible. I was nervous about going with a 3rd party lens, but the price was right and the reviews gave me confidence. And also, I preferred the 50mm focal point vs Canon's 100mm (makes it a more versatile lens, in my opinion).

So then this christmas my dad gave me money to buy the lens, and I've only had it a few days now but I am already in love! This lens is wonderful-- the look and feel are good, and it takes GORGEOUS photos both close-up and otherwise. I've simply been using manual focus for close-up shots, but I've been very surprised at how fast the AF is (with the limitor switch on). It really is almost instantaneous, which is awesome. I think even faster than my other lenses (Canon 50mm f/1,8, Canon 17-85mm).

I borrowed my friend's 100mm macro lens last year, and honestly I don't see a significant quality difference between the two (though I am also not a pro, so may not have a critical enough eye for that sort of thing). Basically, I am VERY happy with this lens, right out of the box. The photos are gorgeous, razor sharp at the focus points, beautiful bokeh elsewhere, colors are very pretty, etc etc etc. This is a great alternative to more expensive macros. I actually wonder if this will replace my "nifty fifty" as my favorite lens... we'll see. ; )
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Good service, Wednesday, 25 November 2009


Overall rating (weighted)
3.8
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
4.0
AF Speed
3.0
Value for Money
3.0
Good service. Didnt hear from vendor regarding order initially however they provided me with tracking details and it made it to me just in time.

Thanks!
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0 of 0 people found the following review helpful

Superb lens for a superb camera, Monday, 17 August 2009


Overall rating (weighted)
5.0
Sharpness
5.0
Build Quality
5.0
AF Speed
5.0
Value for Money
5.0
Not only am I completely satisfied with this lens, but the price was excellent and the shipping the same. I saw the "buy within the next 14 minutes and receive next day" tag and I would have paid just about anything to get it the next day. As it was I think the shipping fee was $21.95 for next day service, and since I know when the UPS guy comes by my street, I made sure I was home at that time. He showed up six minutes early that day.

My next goal is something like a 600 mm or 1200 mm macro lens.
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