Just got my Sigma 105 macro...

BigAl

Here are a few of Inca lilies.

This was with the kit lens for you to get a feel for the size of the flower (flash mounted on camera).



This was with the Sigma, manual mode (s=1/125s; F13) flash mounted on camera



Flash mounted off camera (also bought an off-camera flash cable).



Cat inspecting the packaging that the lens arrived in:


No PP other than light sharpening. All the pics are full size, just scaled for SM (ie no cropping).

regards
alan

gus

Great lens there BigAl..now get me a shot of a dasi (those giant tailess rats you blokes have)

Gus

Lord Vetinari

Good shots Al, looks like the lens is fine : .

Look forward to some stunning macros from you.

Netgarden

Nice ones Bigal, how close cwill the lens allow you to get? Enjoy!

Lord Vetinari wrote:

Good shots Al, looks like the lens is fine : .

Look forward to some stunning macros from you.

Lord Vetinari

Netgarden wrote:

Nice ones Bigal, how close cwill the lens allow you to get? Enjoy!

I can answer that while I am here- the front of the lens is 4.5" from the subject at min focus distance ie 1:1 macro.
Brian V.

BigAl

Humungus wrote:

Great lens there BigAl..now get me a shot of a dasi (those giant tailess rats you blokes have)

Gus

Thanks Gus. Will probably need your 400mm for the dassie, not this baby!
(BTW1, zoologists believe that on the evolutionary scale of things the closest relative to the dassie is the elephant :uhoh .)
BTW2, for other folks another name for the dassie is Rock Hyrax.)

regards
alan

BigAl

Lord Vetinari wrote:

Good shots Al, looks like the lens is fine : .

Look forward to some stunning macros from you.

Thanks Brian. Just itching to be able to get outside in the daylight. Got a bit bored with taking pictures of beer bubbles last nite!!:D

Horror story: I got err99 several times on autofocusing at macro distances under low light. No problems with manual focusing or focusing at distances over 50cm. :cry

regards
alan

BigAl

Netgarden wrote:

Nice ones Bigal, how close cwill the lens allow you to get? Enjoy!

Thanks Linda. Brian has answered your question!

regards
alan

Lord Vetinari

BigAl wrote:

Thanks Brian. Just itching to be able to get outside in the daylight. Got a bit bored with taking pictures of beer bubbles last nite!!:D

Horror story: I got err99 several times on autofocusing at macro distances under low light. No problems with manual focusing or focusing at distances over 50cm. :cry

regards
alan

Hmm- I never use autofocus on macro shots so I can't really help there.
Brian V.

BigAl

Lord Vetinari wrote:

Hmm- I never use autofocus on macro shots so I can't really help there.
Brian V.

I dunno how I came to be using af, I normally use mf with macros as well. The flower pics above (including the one from the kit lens) were all mf. A colleague is bringing his 300d around later so I can see whether his camera also has this problem.

Lord Vetinari

BigAl wrote:

I dunno how I came to be using af, I normally use mf with macros as well. The flower pics above (including the one from the kit lens) were all mf. A colleague is bringing his 300d around later so I can see whether his camera also has this problem.

Hi Al - just tried using AF on mine in very low light- lens hunted and then sort of stopped, no err99 though. Seemed fine with AF after in good light.
Brian V.

BigAl

Lord Vetinari wrote:

Hi Al - just tried using AF on mine in very low light- lens hunted and then sort of stopped, no err99 though. Seemed fine with AF after in good light.
Brian V.

Thanks for your input and tests Brian. I think I've found what was wrong (or at least I haven't had an err99 today) - you need to shift the focusing ring itself to select A or M (in addition to to switch on the side of the lens). In moving between the two, there is a "stop" in between at which the lens will "work" in either mode. I think this is where I went wrong last nite (says he hopefully :uhoh).

regards
alan