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Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Medium Telephoto Macro Lens for Canon SLR Cameras
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Excellent 2007-12-03
I just love working with this macro lens and my Canon digital SLR XTi. Perfect for my dental, intraoral photography needs.
Excellent macro lens for dentistry 2007-11-25
I have employed my Rebel XT digital SLR into my dental office. I upgraded to the Rebel XTi (10 mpixels) for home. I purchased the Sigma ring flash with a Sigma macro lens for the Canon SLR family. If you look at the Lester Dine website this is basically what they sell for a few hundreds dollars more.

I compared the ring flash and lens with the ones offered by Canon and felt that it was worth saving $300 by purchasing the Sigma combo.

The macro lens/ring flash work well for dental purposes. After a little experimentation I discovered that I get the best images by using the aperature priority setting. All settings are used with ISO 400 speed. I set the aperature at 14-16 for intraoral shots. This gives the best depth of field. I also use the operatory light for intraoral shots. I set the aperature to 6 for full face shots.

I use autofocus but set the ratio to 1:2 to 1:3 for intraoral shots. This keeps the autofocus from "hunting". I frame the shot by moving towards the subject. Once I get close to the image that I like I use the autofocus to get the final focus for the picture.
Like I've wanted! 2007-05-13
This lens was everything what I waited ! Excellent sharpness and contrast, good finishing and a good price
Great lens 2007-05-12
I was looking for a macro lens to shoot detail shots of my knitting for my blog and a friend recommended this lens to me. I'm not a great photographer, but I've been able to get some really spectacular shots with this lens on my Canon Rebel.
Wonderful addition to SLR photography! 2007-01-03
The sigma 105 macro lens is a great way to explore new worlds with macro photography. I am using this lens with my 300D Digital Rebel and the results are fantastic. Now, small areas in my backyard and local parks offer unlimited photo opportunities. I would, however, offer several tips for beginners with macro photography. First, and foremost buy and use a tripod. With many subjects, depth of field is critical and any movement whatsoever will be evident in your images. Second, if your camera can allow it, use mirror lock-up and a remote release to prevent movement. Third, have plenty of patience! Expect to take a lot of images to come up with keepers. No big deal for digital cameras, and don't be afraid to experiment.

Here is a fun project that I have been using with this lens courtesy of my high school photography teacher:
Take a nail and tie a 10 ft. piece of string to it. Then, as you are walking along a trail or path, randomly stick the nail in the ground. You now have a circle with a 10 ft. radius. Challenge yourself to shoot 10, 20, 50 or even 100 images within that radius. It will certainly cause you to look, and more importantly see differently.

This purchase is perhaps the best piece of equipment that has helped my photography.
Worth every penny 2006-05-15
I've been using this lens for about 3 months now on a Canon EOS-350D and the Canon 5D. It has supurb optics. At f2.8, it is sharp. From f3.0 it takes off and stays sharp up to about f14. The focus mechanism is a little different from most other lenses, but actually I've grown to like it. With a push-pull lock at the end of the lens for manual-auto focus, you can put this thing in manual mode two different ways. If you're focusing in, pull the mechanism and you don't have to worry about the camera trying to change focus and you don't have to take your hand off the lens to find the manual button. Really cool actually, just a little different at first. It is light enough that weight has never been an issue, though it does extend out pretty far when focusing. Focus speed is not as fast and there is a little more motor noise, but this too is never an issue as all my close work is manual focus. As a telephoto, it works very well, but the autofocus speed comes into play here. It will hunt in some conditions as a telephoto, but it is pretty accurate.

Save some money and take great SHARP shots with this lens. Highly recommended!
Quirky, but worth it 2005-11-07
When I first started looking for a mid-level macro lens, a few weeks ago, I was naturally drawn first to the Canon 60mm, as I have already have 2 Canon bodies.

But then I started looking around, reading reviews (mostly on Fred Miranda's site), and comparing prices. The more research I did, the more appealing this lens became. And finally, I decided to go with it.

Here's why:
- The price is similar to the Canon 60mm.
- I already own a Sigma EX-series lens (17-35mm), and really like it. I like the matte finish, and the glass is excellent.
- For some reason I cannot fathom, Canon doesn't include lens hoods with any of the mid-range lenses I looked at. Sigma does.
- The greater focal length means I can stay farther from the subject - minimum focus distance is about 30cm (12in). This is almost always a benefit.

This lens isn't perfect, however, and here's a few caveats you may want to consider before making a purchase:
- In low light (ie, most macro photography), this lens likes to hunt. Which can be a slow process considering its length when fully extended. Personally, I don't mind manual focus all that much, so this doesn't bother me.
- This is a not an HSM (Sigma's version of USM) lens. It is motor-driven. This might bother you, but I barely even notice it.
- Switching to/from manual/autofocus mode is a 2 step process. Beside the switch on the side of the barrel, the focus ring requires a push-pull motion which is sometimes a bit tricky. With a little practice, this becomes less and less of an issue - and if you leave it on manual most of the time (as I do), you seldom have to worry about it.
- The lens hood is a screw-in, not a twist- or clip-on model. This is, however, offset by the rather deep recession of the glass in the lens tube. (If you want to use the lens hood and leave it on, a 77mm lens cap will fit it.)

Despite these (in my opinion, very minor) problems, I'm very happy with this lens, and would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a mid-level macro lens