For quite sometime now I’ve been searching for a lens to do close up shots because my current one, the 24-105mm doesn’t allow me to get so close to the objects but it’s a nice portrait lens for family pictures and a good walk around lens. Well at first I was interested in the Sigma 105mm F2.8 EX DG Macro, then I saw that the Sigma 70mm F.28 EX DG Macro had received the 2007-2008 EISA award for best macro lens and the 2007 TIPA award as well, so I was very inclined to this one. But then I saw the Sigma 50mm F2.8 EX DG Macro, it was more than 100€ cheaper than the 70mm one, so I went to a shop (Niobo) that I found out in a town close to my own and asked the owner if there was really such a big difference. He said that judging by their characteristics and price differences I would be best served with the 50mm one, if the price difference was like 200~250€ than it would be better to invest a bit more in the 70mm, so I stayed with the 50mm one. Of course I chose it based on seeing other people pictures, reading reviews and so on and so on. All I have to say is that I still have a lot to learn with it, but the pictures speak for themselves 
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This is a fixed zoom lens, perhaps one day when I have more money I’ll invest in a bigger one. Unlike Sony, Canon, Nikon, Pentax…whatever brand you may use, the focusing barrel on this one extends (there are some from the previous brands I mentioned that extend as well). Not many people like this feature and they spend a bit more in one that doesn’t extend, well it doesn’t bother me. The max magnification is 1:1 which is great, most likely I won’t be using it.
Here are a couple pictures I took with it. Still have much to learn with it.
The next ones were to test the Aperture with 1:1 magnification.
F2.8
F10
F16
There’s not much difference from F10 to F16 apart from the amount of light, of course the Aperture can go higher, but didn’t try that one. So currently my gears are the Sony AF DT 18-70mm F3.5-5.6 (standard lens), Sony AF 24-105mm F3.5-4.5 and now the Sigma 50mm F2.8 EX DG Macro, and of course the body Sony Alpha 100. Currently thinking about upgrading the body to a Alpha 350 or another one, I’d love the A700 or the A900 but those are way out of my pocket, perhaps with a bit of money saving I could get to those one day.
Nice grab~! Hopefully you’ll master the lens sooner rather than later and be able to take awesome pics with it =)
Never did go around to getting other lenses for myself but seeing posts like these always make me drool and wonder if I should =D~ But it’s great you’re able to expand your equipment man, hope you’re having lots of fun with it!
Hope so too, it’s always fun getting new camera equipments, I would also like to get a good flash but a better body would take priority, since the only thing I don’t like in the one I have is that it’s to noisy at iso 400
nice lens, I actually wanted to get this before I decide to go for the 100mm since it’ll serve me well as a good portrait lens as well. The photos looks nice and sharp
My macro lens extends as well, but it doesn’t bother me, though on occasion when trying to get real closeup as I focus I feel the lens hit the figure.