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Author Topic: Sigma 150 macro with 2X extender useful as long lens?  (Read 5310 times)

jnmoore

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Sigma 150 macro with 2X extender useful as long lens?
« on: November 18, 2009, 08:11:41 pm »

I moved up to full frame and miss my EF-S 60mm macro. Looking at the new Canon 100mm macro and the Sigma 150mm.

I'm leaning towards the Sigma especially if it can double as 300 with the 2X extender. I realize I may lose auto focus but I can live with that but I'm not sure that this is a good idea with the resulting 5.6(?) aperture? This would not be for sport but for landscapes and the occaisional great blue crane or eagle.

I'd appreciate very much hearing from anyone who has tried this.

John

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Ed Blagden

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Sigma 150 macro with 2X extender useful as long lens?
« Reply #1 on: November 19, 2009, 08:45:51 am »

I can't answer for this exact combo but the following may help:

I sometimes use the Sigma 2x on their 70-200mm f/2.8 EX lens, and the results are generally OK but can be a bit patchy.  The 70-200 is a jolly good lens, almost but not quite as good as Canon's 70-200 2.8L, which is the gold standard for tele-zooms.  Putting their 2x extender on it results in a 140-400mm f/5.6 lens which is still very useable, but with some limitations.  There is some loss of sharpness, but the combo is still adequate for most purposes.  More serious (for me at least) is that the bokeh is not as good, and there is a noticeable loss of contrast in challenging lighting, e.g strong backlighting.

A couple of examples to show what I mean, both taken with the above combo:

[attachment=18038:IMG_2102.jpg]

The above is an example of the combo performing quite well.  You can't really tell from a small JPEG, but I can assure you this one is razor sharp, and the in-focus Goliath Heron just pops out from the similarly coloured and lit background on a 13x19" print.  But you can also see that the bokeh leaves something to be desired.


[attachment=18039:IMG_2893.jpg]

This next image isn't so good, and I wish I had shot it with my prime 300mm f/4.  Although the fur of this handsome young fellow is in critical focus and there is no camera shake (you'll just have to take my word on this) is still looks a tad mushy even after lost of post in Lightroom.  This, I think, is due to the loss of contrast in a horribly backlit situation.  Also, note that the bokeh is downright unpleasant.

[attachment=18040:IMG_2159.jpg]

But then again it doesn't always behave that way in backlighting, and sometimes everything is just fine...  Odd, but I'm not complaining.

As I say, this is not the exact combo you are asking about, but I hope this is of some help.

Ed

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stever

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Sigma 150 macro with 2X extender useful as long lens?
« Reply #2 on: November 19, 2009, 10:22:32 am »

with a full frame camera i believe you will be quite disappointed with a 2x extender on any lens
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jnmoore

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Sigma 150 macro with 2X extender useful as long lens?
« Reply #3 on: November 19, 2009, 01:12:04 pm »


Thanks Ed,

I'm beginning to think I need to have both a macro and a long lens especially since, as you are showing, the IQ suffers quite a lot.

John
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Ed Blagden

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Sigma 150 macro with 2X extender useful as long lens?
« Reply #4 on: November 19, 2009, 01:51:33 pm »

Quote from: jnmoore
Thanks Ed,

I'm beginning to think I need to have both a macro and a long lens especially since, as you are showing, the IQ suffers quite a lot.

John
I dunno, it depends what you want.

The IQ suffers a bit in certain circumstances.  Not a lot in all circumstances.  Basically, an extender tends to accentuate whatever issues there are with the main lens - if the main lens is good glass, then the extended version will be OK, although never as good as the un-extended glass.  The above examples I posted were supposed to show how in certain circumstances the 2x will work fine, and in other circs will yield poor contrast and bokeh.

When it comes to overall sharpness, you are likely to encounter issues to do with your stabilization technique on long lenses well before you hit the technical buffers of the lens combo itself.

It really depends on what you want.  If what you really want is a 150mm lens, and if you may occasionally want to shoot 300mm for fun, then the 150, + a 2x could be a good and inexpensive solution.  If you what you really want is a 300mm lens then the combo will certainly be cheaper than a 300mm f/4 IS but won't be as good.

But don't obsess about equipment - as they say, f8 and be there.

Ed
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jnmoore

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Sigma 150 macro with 2X extender useful as long lens?
« Reply #5 on: November 19, 2009, 10:26:33 pm »

Ed,

Still thinking about what to do. Good long lens are just so expensive but my priority is a macro first so may go with the Sigma 150. May try the 2X and see what I get. Some on this forum don't think the the new 100 canon macro is worth the money and I don't use autofocus for macro shots. I like the added focus distance of the Sigma. Some are recommending the Ziess but when I saw the price I moved on ...

Your shot of the crane is great even if the bokeh is not ideal.

Thanks for your interest and help.

John

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Ed Blagden

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Sigma 150 macro with 2X extender useful as long lens?
« Reply #6 on: November 20, 2009, 02:56:12 am »

Quote from: jnmoore
Ed,

Still thinking about what to do. Good long lens are just so expensive but my priority is a macro first so may go with the Sigma 150. May try the 2X and see what I get. Some on this forum don't think the the new 100 canon macro is worth the money and I don't use autofocus for macro shots. I like the added focus distance of the Sigma. Some are recommending the Ziess but when I saw the price I moved on ...

Your shot of the crane is great even if the bokeh is not ideal.

Thanks for your interest and help.

John

John

You might think about getting a 1.4x extender instead of the 2x - I haven't used the Sigma one personally but the IQ degradation will be much less.  I use the Canon 1.4x on my 300mm f4L (giving me a 420mm 5.6) and honestly I can't see any deterioration in IQ when the extender is on.  This is not to say there is no degradation, and I am sure it is measurable in the lab, but I can't see it.

Since the Sigma 150 2.8 is apparently a very good piece of glass, my guess is that with a 1.4 on it you will end up with a 210mm f/4 which will still give excellent IQ.

If you have kept your old 1.6 crop body you can always use that with your macro / 1.4 combo if you need the extra reach: 210mm on a APS-C sensor is 336mm full frame equivalent, which is long enough for most purposes other than small birds and other wildlife.

Ed

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ejmartin

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Sigma 150 macro with 2X extender useful as long lens?
« Reply #7 on: November 21, 2009, 03:11:25 pm »

If you're interested in telephoto for wildlife I think you will be very disappointed.  Macro lenses are very slow to AF, the 2x will only make it worse.  You would be much better off getting a dedicated 300f4, both in terms of IQ and responsiveness.  And depending on what you want to photograph (eg most birds), 300mm can be too short.
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jnmoore

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Sigma 150 macro with 2X extender useful as long lens?
« Reply #8 on: November 23, 2009, 08:26:43 pm »

Hi,

Yeh, I think you are right. Nothing wrong with trying extenders while I save my dollars but what I need for birds/wildlife is a 4-500 lens. But expensive for decent one.

I found a used Sigma 150 macro at a good price so now have it. Looking forward to some outdoor macro work when the rain here lets up.

My next purchase quest will be to find some light for the macro. I'm not sure if the LED ring macro lights (not flash) are worth the money (fairly cheap but too low output?). The advantage is they are on all the time and help with focusing which can be a challenge for me. The dual flash units are probably very good but add a lot of gear to carry (and aren't cheap).

Cheers,

John
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