1:1 macro

no option to have the hood and lens cap on at the same time. I pull out the camera and forget to screw on the hood. Also, the 50mm and macro combination put you very close to the subject.

This is a great lens. It is sharp, clear and the 1:1 macro is amazing. I have used it to photograph people (and tiny baby fingers and toes) and landscapes. I have been very happy with the performance.

Customer Service

None

Similar Products Used:

Tamron 28-200 II; Canon 85mm

Price, quality, sharpness, contrast

None

Great lens. Very sharp and contrasty. No visible color shift. Comparing slides from this lens with my others you can see a noticable difference without magnification.

Customer Service

Haven't needed

Similar Products Used:

Nikon 28-80, Tokina 19-35, Tamron 24-135, Sigma 28-80

price and performace

none seen build seems very good

Was quite surprised at the quality of this lens cannot see any difference vs. Canon macro output. Sharp, good color rendition and excellent contrast. seems very well made supplied with metal threaded lens hood. haven't seen one of those since my Leica days. All in all an excellent performing lens

Customer Service

not used

Similar Products Used:

Canon 100 F2.8 macro

Inexpensive. Solid construction. Lens hood included. Excellent appearance. Crisp, contrasty images; excellent color rendition. The construction feels very durable. The lens has a high quality feel to it.

None observed.

This is an excellent lens. I am very pleased with it. You can see photos I shot with this lens on my web site at http://members.aol.com/jhbanda/index.html. I have used this lens primarily for flowers and other general purpose 50mm (non macro) shots. My 50mm 1.4D is probably a bit more sharp, but it does not have this lens' macro capability.

Customer Service

Not needed.

Similar Products Used:

No other 50mm macro lenses to compare to.

Sharp quality pictures, good contrast & colour rendition. Almost no distortion & flare.

During autofocusing in the macro range (when switch set to full) lens makes rattling sound.

Superb lens for still-life macrography, a 2-mode switch to adjust between full & limit focusing speeds up autofocusing, although autofocusing in the macro range without a tripod is almost useless.
My replacement lens does not have the rattling sound when hunting in the macro range so check the lens before lightening your wallet.
Overall value for money if you need a 50mm prime & relatively fast aperture with a macro bonus.

Customer Service

Went back to them to change the lens when I found a large white dust particle in it even before I even use the lens. They changed it promptly. Good!

Similar Products Used:

Sigma 28-300mm f3.5-6.3; Sigma 28-70mm f2.8 EX.

I have this lens expands my choices. It take escellent portraits
and allows me to explore
closer and closer and find exciting new (little) vistas. Lens is very sharp and has great bokeh because it has more aperture blades than my Canon EF 50mm F1,8 II.

F2.8 is not as good for available light as F1.8.
Autofocus sometimes hunts. Although manual focus is easy to use and
autofocus actually work pretty well up to four inches!

I am very happy with this lens. For fun I shot a picture of a fly from two inches and was amazed at the detail in each wing. Better choice as a standard lens than any cheap zoom.

Customer Service

Ritz version has 5 year guarantee.

Similar Products Used:

None

It's cheap. It's sharp. It's 1:1 without accessories, unlike the Canon 50mm macro. The construction seems solid and the focus ring is nice in the hand.

The AF is really slow and really noisy. It grinds something awful.

This is a nice 50mm 1:1 macro lens. I purchased the Canon mount, and it works fine with my Rebel 2000. The autofocusing motor is awful slow and noisy, but since I bought it for macro use, I tend not to use the AF at all. The short working distance and true 1:1 reproduction ability is useful for what I do with it (close-ups of really small inanimate objects). The construction (other than that focus motor) seems to be solid (it's heavy!) and it came with a metal lens hood. And the Sigma EX finish is just so pretty:) The focus ring is nicely stiff, it doesn't spin half way around at the slightest touch, and it doesn't require massive torque to turn, either.
All in all, a good buy if you need a 50mm macro lens.

Customer Service

none

Similar Products Used:

none

sharp
cheap
macro

none

Though I have 6 lenses but it is the only one I realy use.I am quitely satisfied with the photoes taken by it.

Customer Service

not needed yet

Similar Products Used:

none

-Sharp
-1:1 Macro
-Focus limit
-Cheap
-Metal lens hood

-Lens hood is thread on
-Lens extends when focusing
-50mm is too short for macro

This is a wonderful lens if you are wanting to get into macro photography. It is resonably priced and a joy to use. If you have the money I would sugest a longer focal (180mm or 200mm) length because 50mm is too short. You either scare it away if you are trying to take close-ups of insects or cast a shadow on your subject.

Customer Service

Very slow

Similar Products Used:

Sigma 70-300 Apo 1:2

Good color rendiation. Good contrast and sharp.

Slow autofocus but I don't mind.

Great value for macro work, especially static object. For insect, a longer macro probably is batter. Short focal length macro lens has its own advantage though, it gives a feeling of space rather than a flat picture. If possible, I'd like to use a wide angle macro lens for flowers.

I have 6 other lens, range from 17mm to 400mm. This one is the one that I use most often. And it is really cheap considring its performance.

Customer Service

Used once for upgrade with Elan 7e. I sent them two lenses including thid 50mm macro. This one came back within one week. The other one was sent to Japan and came back in three weeks. Good service.

Similar Products Used:

Canon 50 1.4 USM