“I use this lens for one reason, it’s the best, period. And it has a great working distance, which allows me to be outside of the flower beds. I’m shooting wide open at F2.8 or F4 for razor-thin depth of field for artistry. I’m using on-camera strobe at three stops under for catchlight, usually between 5 and 7:30 under open sky. ”
The impressive Mantis portrait is being featured on our site this month was captured by photographer Robert Lopshire of Frenchtown, NJ with his Sigma 180mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro lens. We asked Rob for some details of how he wrangled this eye-catching close-up of this insect.
I was heading out to my truck to leave and do some errands, I opened the door to climb in and I felt something hit my arm. She landed on me and crawled around for a bit, I gently escorted her to the tailgate of my truck then ran inside to and grab my gear including my Nikon D4, Sigma 180mm, Nikon SB910, and Rogue Flash Bender (hand held , no support). Continue reading Mantis Macro: Behind the Shot with Robert Lopshire
Whether as a gift for your favorite dad, or recent grad, or for yourself before a big summer adventure, there’s great Sigma gear for everyone’s photographic style!
Covering wide to short telephoto, this zoom lens is perfect for switching for wide scenes to closer portraits, at the height of day. And with a faster maximum aperture at all focal lengths than the typical kit lens; it’s also perfect for twilight portraiture and nightscapes. Offered at $399 through June 30th on Instant Savings!
This high zoom ratio lens covers a lot of focal distance without ever having to change lenses, perfect for sandy, mist-sprayed seasides. From wide angle to supertele with a flick of the wrist, it can take in the whole of the beach one instant, and then fill the frame with surfers on the waves, or birds on the rocks. Continue reading Sigma’s Summer Gift Guide: Great Gear for Dads, Grads, and Everyone
The Sigma 180mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro lens is the biggest, longest macro lens in the Sigma lens catalog. This telephoto lens offers true life-sized reproduction with a 1:1 maximum magnification ratio. Incredible sharpness—thanks to its state of the art optical design—Optical Stabilizer, and a three-zone focus limiter make this a serious lens for advanced macro photographers.
The Sigma 180mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro lens.
This is a lens with serious presence. At 3.7 x 8.0 inches and 57.8 ounces, it’s a touch bigger and heavier than the 70-200mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM lens. 19 elements in 14 groups, including three FLD elements, ensure incredible real-world image sharpness as demonstrated in the MTF chart.
The Sigma 180mm F2.8 lens can capture detail at 1:1 magnification at its closest focus distance of 18.5 inches from the focal plane. At this focal length and close-focusing distance, depth of field is incredibly shallow, even when stopped down. This image of a US 25 cent piece featuring Mississippi on the reverse was captured at F/11. A studio strobe with a shoot-through umbrella lit the scene, captured at 1/200 F/11 ISO 100 on a Rebel T3i (288mm effective focal distance on this APS-C camera.)The MTF Chart for the Sigma 180mm F2.8 EX DG OS HSM Macro lens illustrates its exceptional sharpness.
This is a lens for experienced macro photographers who want a longer focal length and greater working distance for specialized applications. And while it is a big and weighty lens, internal focusing and Optical Stabilizer mean, respectively, that the lens barrel remains the same length at all focal distances, and that it can be used in the field without a tripod at slower shutter speeds, both of which are really nice touches.
It’s official. Sigma has just announced the Digital Neo line of lenses for compact interchangeable lens cameras with a worldwide announcement launching as CES 2012 gets underway out in Las Vegas. The relatively small physical size of the 19mm F2.8 EX DN and 30mm F2.8 EX DN notwithstanding, this is big news for us! You can read the full press release here.
Sigma 19mm F2.8 EX DN
As of now, photographers with Olympus and Panasonic Micro Four Thirds cameras and Sony NEX-series cameras have the choice to couple a pair of sharp Sigma F2.8 primes to the go-everywhere cameras. These two prime lenses for Micro Four Thirds and Sony E-Mount cameras have been designed from the start for both still and video capture, which, of course, is what makes this camera category so exciting.
The tele-centric optical design of these lenses is designed specifically for light transmission to digital sensors for edge to edge image quality, and there’s a new AF system designed for the DN lenses for both still and video capture. On Micro Four Thirds cameras with their 2x lens factor, the 19mm F2.8 EX DN translates to a 38mm F2.8, and the 30mm F2.8 EX DN translates to a 60mm F2.8. On Sony E-Mount NEX cameras with a 1.5x lens factor, the 19mm F2.8 equates to a 28.5mm and the 30mm F2.8 equates to a 45mm F2.8. These are two new serious lenses for a class of cameras that I think are great go-everywhere cameras.
