Sigma Art 270101 70mm

The Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro is a sharpness monster for macro and portrait shooters, with bokeh in the 89th percentile and macro performance in the 92nd. Autofocus is slow and noisy, and there's no stabilization, so it's best on a tripod with manual focus. At USD 549 it's a great value; at USD 629, shop around first.

Sharpness is where this lens earns its keep. Our database puts macro performance in the 92nd percentile, and owners back that up, with sharpness wide open being the most mentioned strength. The 13-element design with 3 ED elements keeps chromatic aberration in check, and bokeh lands in the 89th percentile, so backgrounds melt away nicely for portraits. Autofocus sits at the 79th percentile, which sounds fine until you actually use it. The DC motor is accurate when it locks, but it hunts and whines. The focus limiter switch helps, but this is a lens that wants you to grab the focus ring. No stabilization means handheld macro at 1:1 is a shaky proposition, and the 36th percentile ranking there is generous.

Stacked against the competition, this Sigma is a specialist. The Tamron 28-300mm f/4-7.1 is way more versatile but can't touch the Sigma's macro sharpness or bokeh. The Viltrox 85mm f/1.8 gives you more light and shallower depth of field for portraits, but no macro capability at all. The Nikon Z 17-28mm f/2.8 is a completely different animal, a wide zoom for landscapes and events. If you want one lens that does macro and portraits on a Canon EF body, the Sigma is the pick. If you need a general-purpose walkaround, look at the zooms.

Pricing is all over the place right now. US listings range from USD 549 to USD 629 across three vendors, so shop around before you commit. At the low end, this is a lot of optical performance for the money, especially if you're mainly doing macro and portraits. At the high end, you're creeping into territory where newer lenses with stabilization start to look tempting. The CAD 898 listing in Canada is a harder sell. If you can snag it near USD 549, it's a solid deal. At USD 629, think twice.

The Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro is one of those lenses that does one thing so well you forgive its quirks. On a full-frame Canon body it's a true 1:1 macro with a 105mm equivalent field of view on APS-C, which makes it a sneaky good portrait lens too. The optics are the star here, with SLD glass and a floating focus system that keeps things sharp from infinity down to bug-on-a-flower distance.

But this is an older design, and it shows. The autofocus is slow and sounds like a coffee grinder, there's no stabilization, and the screw-on hood is a pain if you use polarizers. Still, for macro shooters who live on a tripod and manual focus, none of that matters much.

Skip this if you need fast, quiet autofocus for events, wildlife, or video. The DC motor will drive you nuts, and there's no stabilization to save you. Also skip it if you shoot on a body with known AF compatibility issues, or if you want a general-purpose walkaround lens. This is a specialist tool, not a do-everything zoom.

Buy this if you shoot macro or portraits on a Canon EF body and don't mind manual focus. The optical quality is genuinely excellent, and the 1:1 magnification opens up a world of tiny subjects. It's also a sneaky good portrait lens with that 105mm equivalent field of view on crop sensors. Just know what you're signing up for: slow AF, no stabilization, and a hood design that will annoy you. For tripod-based macro work, none of that matters. For handheld everything else, it might.