Sigma AF 50mm f/2.8 EX Macro

sharp images, interesting focal length, awesome macro capabilities, lousy auto focus I'm an amateur and this is the first lens I've purchased for my Canon 6D. Overall it's definitely a WIN -- like the title says, the images are quite sharp and I really enjoy the macro ability. I find the 50mm focal length to be intriguing; I've only tried it for tight portrait-type shots so far, and it's done a great job with them. Bokeh is gorgeous. My only gripe is the auto focus: it's slow, loud, and, well, bad at focusing. If I had to rely on the auto focus, I'd certainly miss too many shots to even bother with this lens. Luckily, there's a manual focus and I'll probably just use that all the time.

Great for Macro and general use This lens is a wonderful value. It offers a full 1:1 macro image for super close-up photography. It also doubles as a 'normal' 50mm lens, and because of its design and high quality works perfectly as an all-around lens. It is very sharp overall, with good contrast. I am using it on my Sony a7 with an adapter so the auto focus doesn't function, but for macro work, I always use manual focus anyway.

GREAT for beginners with patience and practice! As an amateur photographer, I am going to give this macro lens a great rating, because of its inexpensiveness! Who knew that affordable and quality were two words that could collide into something so, so wonderful? The inventors at Sigma! This lens sells, on average, for $250 or something of the like on eBay. For its price, it definitely does a great, great job! And as Canon lenses are so expensive, this has got to be your best bet for a macro lens! I use this as a general lens and sometimes for shooting for my little portfolio (no intense amount of seriousness or dedication to it as I'm not currently looking into a photographing career), and although it's only been a day, the DoF you get from shooting up-close subjects and the focus/sharpness from live subjects. Magnifique! I did find, however, that the AF is a tad slow, so I use MF (as I always do). But hey! Just because this lens is superb for what it costs doesn't mean you should limit yourself. If your budget is well above the price of this lens, then don't be afraid to go for the gold AND maybe get this as a little lens you keep in your bag at all times. Overall rating: 4.5/5 Pro's: Great bokeh, great DoF's produced, strong sharpness, very light + portable Con's: Slow on AF + fullRead full review