Berk's reviews

Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro

I did a lot of research prior to purchasing this lens. Went to numerous review sites and found that most had very favorable reviews, but there was this constant thread mentioning the fact that Sigma was inconsistent with their product control and to not be surprised if you got a bum one.
Well, I got the bum one!! Right out of the box I noticed that the rear lens cap was not securely fastened. No big deal. I was however impressed with the build quality. Nice and solid, good hood.
Then came the picture taking. My first few prints were so surprisingly poor that I re-checked the lens and its functions, as well as my Nikon D200. Photographed some more, printed them on another printer, same results!! Macro was marginal, which was disappointing because of the reviews. As a normal lens it was very poor. I repeated my re-check of camera and lens because I just couldn't believe the poor results. I even took it over to a friend who is a pro wedding photog, she took some shots, printed them on her printer, and the results were equally as poor at both macro and especially at normal. Shipped back to Amazon that same day!!

Most of the review sites had very favorable responses with only a few negatives, so I am sure that this is a good lens. I guess it is up to the luck of the draw that you get one that was assembled on a good day at Sigma! I have never drifted from the Nikon lens line so maybe this was just bad karma. However, my next macro will be the new Nikon 60mm 2.8 with silent wave technology.