One of the biggest challenges with macro photography is working with a limited depth of field or DOF. When I am shooting macro I am always trying to make sure the subject and elements in the frame appear sharp by adjusting the aperture and making sure the important elements in image fall on the plane of focus by adjusting my angle of view. But there is another important element that has a huge effect on DOF that most people don’t even know about, how a different sensor format can and will effect the depth of field in your image. Moving to a smaller sensor format at the same apparent magnification will give you lots more DOF to work with in your macro images.
Lens Guides
Hands-on reviews, technical information, and advice on SIGMA Art, Sports and Contemporary lenses for DSLRs and mirrorless cameras.
The Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art: Another Look at this Amazing Lens
It was just about a year ago that the Sigma 35mm F1.4 DG HSM | Art lens was announced at Photokina 2012 as part of the Sigma Global Vision. And what a year it has been for this amazing wide, fast prime! This lens quickly won the hearts of both technical reviewers and creative photographers around the world for its amazing optical performance even wide open at F1.4, its design and build, and of course, its incredibly competitive street price.
Why the New Lens Mount Conversion Service is Great for Photographers
Many times I’ve been asked on Facebook and elsewhere if it is possible for a photographer to keep their favorite Sigma lens and get a lens mount swap after making the decision to switch from one camera to the next, and now, finally, I can answer them with the answer they (and I) want to hear! As of September 2, 2013, owners of lenses in Sigma’s line of the Sigma Global Vision lenses: Art, Sports, and Contemporary, can now send their lenses in for a mount swap. This is a paid service, and lenses will be shipped to our Aizu, Japan factory for the mount conversion
Sigma 120-300mm F2.8 DG OS HSM | Sports: Hands-On
There’s so much to love about the new Sigma 120-300mm F2.8 DG OS HSM | Sports lens, the third iteration of this unique fast-aperture telephoto zoom lens that pairs the performance of a 300mm F2.8 with the versatility of a constant-aperture zoom for quickly adjusting the composition.
Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM | Art: First Impressions
We’ve just announced the world’s first F1.8 constant aperture zoom lens, the Sigma 18-35mm F1.8 DC HSM | Art lens, and I’ll readily admit, we on the Sigma Corporation of America team have been just as excited about this lens leading up to launch as photographers have been since it was officially announced in the wee hours of April 18th. And now that I’ve spent some time with my hands on a preproduction version of the lens paired with my Sigma SD1, I, truly cannot wait ’til this lens starts shipping and I can share high-resolution end result photos! Today we’re going to focus on what we can talk about–the hand feel, build quality, and such of this brand new lens designed specifically for APS-C DSLRs.
SIGMA Optimization Pro and USB Dock: Screencast Demo
The Sigma USB Dock paired with Sigma Optimization Pro software brings lens customization to an entirely new level. Photographers can now personally update the firmware of Sigma’s new Global Vision lenses and make performance enhancements including multi-zone microfocus adjustments of +/-20 from the factory default settings.
First Look: SIGMA 30mm F1.4 DC HSM | Art
The Sigma 30mm F1.4 DC HSM | Art lens replaces the very popular 30mm EX DC HSM lens as the fast, standard prime designed exclusively for DLSRs with APS-C sensors including the Sigma SD1 Merrill, the Canon EOS Rebel, 60D and 7D and a number of Nikon models including the D7100, D90, and D5100. And based on the updates and upgrades, the 30mm F1.4 Art lens is going to make a lot of photographers very happy.
Sigma DP3 Merrill for Amazing Close-up Details
The Sigma Dp3 Merrill is the newest member of the DP family, and the fourth camera in the Sigma line built around the amazing Merill Generation Foveon Direct Image Sensor. The Dp3 Merrill is fitted with a 50mm F2.8 DP prime lens that equates to 75mm on the APS-C stacked image sensor. And, in a first for the DP lineup, it offers 1:3 macro magnification.
The Sigma DP Merrill Series: Pixel Perfect Times Three
The question for photographers who demand the ultimate in image quality in a compact camera is simple.
Which DP Merrill camera do you choose: The new DP3 Merrill with its 50mm F2.8 Macro lens, the DP2 Merrill with its 30mm F2.8 or the DP1 Merrill with its 19mm F2.8 lens? Each of these luxe compact cameras is the perfect pairing of a fast prime lens, the Merrill Generation X3 Direct Image Sensor, and specially tuned image processing algorithms. And the images, of course, speak for themselves–both with incredible detail and sharpness, and in the big-camera feel to background blur when shooting with shallow depth of field.
Sigma Photo Pro 5.5 Monochrome: First Look, First Photos
Sigma Photo Pro 5.5 is a significant update to the raw processor for X3F Raw files from Sigma’s cameras featuring the unique Foveon X3 Direct Image sensor as there is a completely new, dedicated monochrome processor for raw files from the original Sigma SD1 and all Merrill generation cameras, the SD1M, DP1M, DP2M, and the brand-new DP3M. And it is now available for download.