Looking for a new lens. Who has them?

[Markw]

Ive been around here alot lately asking about different products. I will be getting a lens soon (as well as a few other products). I was thinking about the following lenses and was wondering if anyone owned any of them. If you own any of them, could you tell me about your experiences with them? The good and the bad. I know they all cant be judged on the same scale as they are different classes of lens, but Id still like to know what all of you think about them. I really only need to hear about the starred ones, but I thought Id let you know which ones I was looking at. Thanks!

The lenses:
Sigma 150mm Macro*
Sigma 180mm Macro*
Nikon 105mm Macro
Sigma 70-200mm F/2.8*
Nikon 80-200 F/2.8
Sigma 50-500mm *
Sigma 150-500*

Mark

 

[Derrel]

Sigma 180mm f/3.5 EX-HSM APO Macro. What a name! LOng, looks heavy, but "feels" light on most Nikons I have used it on. Good sharpness, especially around f/9.5 where I use it most. Handy for butterflies and bees, allows a narrow angle of view *behind* the subject in close-up photography. Focus is generally fast, but my older sample sometimes hunts for focus,and occasionally, will go on a WILD, ridiculous front-focusing snipe hunt just as the shutter button is pressed. I should probably have it re-chipped by Sigma, to more closely conform to the Nikon F-S protocol. It has full-time manual focusing override with its HSM in-lens AF motor, which is quiet, but tends to micro-hunt quite a bit.

I often use it in manual focusing mode. Its long focal length allows me to shoot flash macros with a manual flash setting of 1/8 power, to get a short flash duration. Lens is sharp at macro ranges, also sharp at Infinity. Bokeh is quite good; bokeh of the newer 150 Sigma looks better to me, from samples I have seen. Working distance is around 18 inches from the film plane for a 1:1 or life-sized image, making this a great lens for close ups where you cannot physically get to small objects/insects. Has a built-in, rotating, removeable tripod collar, which is a HUGE plus for macro use on a tripod. I payed $500 for this lens,used, in 2004.

 

[chip]

I have the Nikon 105mm micro 2.8 VR. I love this lens. Excellent for macro photography and is super sharp. VR works really well. It also works as an excellent portrait lens.

 

[Buckster]

I've also got the Sigma 180mm f/3.5 EX-HSM APO Macro and echo most of what Derrel already said. I bought mine new last year, and I like to use it at f/22 for my macro work to get as much DOF as possible and still have crisp quality. I love it and recommend it without reservation.

 

[Markw]

No one else?

Thanks again!
Mark