Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro

Sigma’s older macro lens is competitively priced and adds the bonus of stabilization

£359/$469

Like many modern macro lenses, Sigma’s full-frame compatible 105mm works well as a fast telephoto prime. The f/2.8 aperture enables quick shutter speeds, even under dull lighting, while the fast ring-type ultrasonic AF system is good for tracking action. To speed up AF in tricky conditions, there’s a three-position range limiter, with which you can select just the short or long focus range, either side of 0.45m.

Unlike Sigma’s newer 70mm macro lens, this has fully internal focusing and adds the bonus of image stabilization. It has a four-stop effectiveness in general shooting and comes with static and panning modes but, as it’s a regular, rather than hybrid stabilizer, it’s quite ineffective for close-ups.

Optical highlights include two SLD (Special Low Dispersion) elements to improve sharpness and contrast, while reducing colour fringing, and Sigma’s proprietary Multi-layer

Coatings to minimize ghosting and flare. Typical of thirdparty, rather than own-brand Canon lenses, the Sigma comes with a hood. A hood converter is also supplied for optimizing performance when using an APS-C, rather than full-frame, camera.

Performance

Sharpness is excellent through most of the aperture range and across most of the frame, although corner-sharpness can be lacklustre at those wider apertures. The Sigma also loses out to the Canon 100mm L-series lens for sharpness at very narrow apertures.