Short Report: Sigma Macro 70mm ƒ/2.8 EX DG

A versatile lens with a fast aperture and popular focal length for D-SLRs

By Rob Sheppard

When we all shot film, one of the favorite focal lengths for a macro lens was 105mm. Sigma’s new 70mm ƒ/2.8 macro lens fits that tradition for digital cameras. All photographers using digital SLRs with small-format, APS-C-sized sensors will find that this lens acts like a 105mm lens with a 35mm camera because of the crop or multiply factor.

I love this size of macro lens. The focal length is long enough to allow some distance between lens and subject—that gives you more of a chance to not spook wary subjects, such as many insects. Another important aspect of focal length and distance-to-subject is light; with short focal lengths, you end up so close to the subject that you can block the light on it. Plus, it can make it difficult to use flash.

I also liked the ƒ/2.8 maximum aperture of the lens. This offers more depth-of-field control, plus it helps with photographing people. I also shoot portraits (for which this lens has an ideal focal length) and low-light people photography, and an ƒ/2.8 lens is a huge advantage over most zoom lenses of this range. Even if you do get a zoom that covers this focal length with that ƒ-stop, this lens is a fraction of the size and weight. That makes it a versatile lens.

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