Sigma 180 mm f/2.8 APO Macro EX DG OS HSM review - Image resolution

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Sigma 180 mm f/2.8 APO Macro EX DG OS HSM

2 November 2012

Arkadiusz Olech

4. Image resolution

The resolution test of the Sigma 180 mm f/2.8 APO Macro EX DG OS HSM was based on RAW files from the Nikon D3x reflex camera, developed without sharpening by the dcraw program. Let’s remind you here that in the case of tests performed with the D3x a decency level is situated near 30-31 lpmm and the best fixed-focus lenses can go as high as 45-46 lpmm.

Let’s check how the tested lens fares here. Below there are its results in the frame centre, on the edge of the APS-C/DX sensor and on the edge of full frame.

Sigma 180 mm f/2.8 APO Macro EX DG OS HSM - Image resolution

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Such views we would like to see every time. The Sigma performance is simply beyond reproach. Already at the maximum relative aperture you get a very high MTF50 value, reaching 41 lpmm. On stopping down the aperture to f/4.0 the results increase to an almost record breaking level of 45 lpmm.

On the edge of the frame the situation is equally good. The Sigma 2.8/180 OS on the edge of the APS-C/DX sensor can be sharper than some ‘primes’ in the frame centre. What’s more, the more demanding edge of full frame fares just slightly worse. The image you can get there is of a very high quality even at the maximum relative aperture!

In order to show you how good the Sigma is it would be enough to write that practically at every aperture and across the whole frame the lens is better than the Canon EF 200 mm f/2.8L USM II, so praised and liked by many users. Personally I haven’t tested such a sharp full frame instrument for a long time – let this sentence substitute a summary here!

Photos below show how the centre of our testing chart looks by f/2.8 and f/4.0, registered as JPEG files from the Nikon D3x and saved along RAW files, used for the analysis above.