Sigma A 70 mm f/2.8 DG Macro
11. Summary
Pros:
- solid casing,
- sensational image quality in the frame centre,
- excellent image quality on the edge of the APS-C sensor,
- very good image quality on the edge of full frame,
- lack of spherical aberration problems,
- negligible longitudinal chromatic aberration,
- very low lateral chromatic aberration,
- zero distortion,
- very good coma correction,
- slight astigmatism,
- low vignetting on the APS-C/DX sensor,
- good performance against bright light.
Cons:
- noticeable vignetting at the maximum relative aperture on full frame,
- slow autofocus.
When it comes to optics, the Sigma A 70 mm f/2.8 DG Macro shows exactly what you expect from any Art line lens. You get a sensational performance up from the maximum relative aperture, almost record-breaking values on stopping down, and very sharp images across the frame even by f/2.8.
Vignetting, the first flaw, mentioned by us, stems from relatively small physical dimensions of the lens. Fortunately it decreases very quickly on stopping down so by f/4.0 it is already not very bothersome.
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The autofocus is a bigger problem. For a reason or two the producer didn’t use a well-known HSM mechanism but they equipped the lens with a completely new motor. It is hardly noiseless but that we would forgive it easily. Its speed is a more important issue as the mechanism moves at snail’s pace. Fortunately its accuracy is good so we have fewer reasons to complain.
As a kind of consolation you can add that macro lenses with 1:1 reproduction ratio often are used in manual mode and here the Sigma provides you with everything you need. You get a big, precise ring with a wide working range and a possibility of manual override even in the autofocus mode.
The Sigma A 70 mm f/2.8 DG Macro was very close to get our ‘Lenstip.com Editor’s Choice’ award (a very popular distinction among Art series instruments, one must add), but this time we thought the lens lacked a bit. Still, even without that award I suppose the new Sigma will manage on the market quite well.
