Nonsense shots, testing capability and nothing else. Right out of the box, at work, no editing/pp except for the final post, which is a crop of the 3rd. The rest are "as is", straight conversion from RAW to JPG.
1st, just a general "what I used to consider as close-up" at that focal length.
Then, as close as I could get on the same Germ-X bottle and achieve an AF lock. WOW!
Then I did a "almost as close as I can get" shot of my computer screen at work, on our lovely forum site.
...with an extreme crop of that picture. Look at those RGB stripes!
All in all, just with the performance test, I'm impressed. The lens is very pleasing to the eye and has a nice feel (not like some of the older Sigma lenses I've handled), and has a very pleasant feel as far as self perception of build quality. It has a nice heft to it, and overbalances the D7100 body a bit when attached, but I think that's just because I'm not used to having a heavier lens on the camera. The heaviest I've used, thus far, was the Nikon 70-300 VR, and this has a bit more heft than that.
The OS does make an audible buzz, which I don't get from the VR on my other Nikon lenses, but it's not overbearing, nor is it hard to get used too, and the AF hunts SLOWLY when it's set to search the full range and your at one of the extremes (far away or very close up), but there's a convenient switch to limit focal distance that speeds that up drastically. Although the switch for AF and Manual focus modes seems to indicate there's no manual focus override in AF mode, an quick test revealed that you can easily tweak the focus as needed, which is important in macro shots. AF to get close, then tweak to capture the exact feature you want. Manual focus is quite easy to manipulate and dial in as well.
Having shot both the Nikkor 105mm VR Macro and the Sigma, I'd say I lean just a tad more toward the overall feel and speed of AF lock when not limited, but it's only just that, a tad. The Sigma is no slouch, is a bit more pleasing to the eye (IMO). At a price that weighed in at a full $330, new, than the Nikkor offering... it is also MUCH more pleasing on the wallet, with just as satisfying performance.
I'll continue to dabble more with shots that are more intentional in nature, but I hope this helps anyone trying to decide between the two offerings.
Now, I can't WAIT to find a subject to test the Raynox DCR-250 on the end of this amazing 105mm Macro!
1st, just a general "what I used to consider as close-up" at that focal length.
Then, as close as I could get on the same Germ-X bottle and achieve an AF lock. WOW!
Then I did a "almost as close as I can get" shot of my computer screen at work, on our lovely forum site.
...with an extreme crop of that picture. Look at those RGB stripes!
All in all, just with the performance test, I'm impressed. The lens is very pleasing to the eye and has a nice feel (not like some of the older Sigma lenses I've handled), and has a very pleasant feel as far as self perception of build quality. It has a nice heft to it, and overbalances the D7100 body a bit when attached, but I think that's just because I'm not used to having a heavier lens on the camera. The heaviest I've used, thus far, was the Nikon 70-300 VR, and this has a bit more heft than that.
The OS does make an audible buzz, which I don't get from the VR on my other Nikon lenses, but it's not overbearing, nor is it hard to get used too, and the AF hunts SLOWLY when it's set to search the full range and your at one of the extremes (far away or very close up), but there's a convenient switch to limit focal distance that speeds that up drastically. Although the switch for AF and Manual focus modes seems to indicate there's no manual focus override in AF mode, an quick test revealed that you can easily tweak the focus as needed, which is important in macro shots. AF to get close, then tweak to capture the exact feature you want. Manual focus is quite easy to manipulate and dial in as well.
Having shot both the Nikkor 105mm VR Macro and the Sigma, I'd say I lean just a tad more toward the overall feel and speed of AF lock when not limited, but it's only just that, a tad. The Sigma is no slouch, is a bit more pleasing to the eye (IMO). At a price that weighed in at a full $330, new, than the Nikkor offering... it is also MUCH more pleasing on the wallet, with just as satisfying performance.
I'll continue to dabble more with shots that are more intentional in nature, but I hope this helps anyone trying to decide between the two offerings.
Now, I can't WAIT to find a subject to test the Raynox DCR-250 on the end of this amazing 105mm Macro!
