The 70mm f2.8 EX DG Macro has been awarded best product 2007-2008 by EISA.
The 70mm lens was judged Best Expert Lens by the TIPA organization, and received the 2007 TIPA award.

This medium telephoto macro lens is ideal for both digital SLR cameras and 35mm film SLR cameras. The 70mm focal length gives an equivalent field of view as our popular 105mm macro lens when used on digital SLR cameras with an APS-C size image sensor.

The design of this lens makes it suitable for taking pictures in all situations from infinity to 1:1 macro, both with natural light conditions or flash.

A Special Low Dispersion (SLD) lens and two high refractive index SLD lenses provide excellent correction for all types of aberrations and produce an exceptional level of optical performance. Sigma’s super multi-layer lens coating reduces flare and ghosting, and helps create a natural color balance.

The floating focus system provides extremely high optical performance from infinity to 1:1 Macro.

A ‘Focus Limiter Switch’ in incorporated on the lens, improving the speed and accuracy of autofocus by limiting the focus range. A screw-in lens hood is included for convenient use of circular polarizing filters.

* Nikon and Pentax mount lens do not have an aperture ring, therefore depending on Camera model some functions may not work.

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Reviews

Sigma AF 70mm f/2.8 EX DG macro review by photozone.de

The Sigma AF 70mm f/2.8 EX DG macro is capable to deliver exceptionally sharp results throughout most of the aperture range. The bokeh (out-of-focus blur) is very smooth and buttery. Typical for macro lenses it also produces a negligible degree of distortions. On an APS-C DSLR vignetting is nothing to worry about. Lateral CAs (color shadows at the image borders) are comparatively high for a fix-focal lens but still fairly low in absolute terms and not really field relevant. The AF performance of the lens isn’t overly impressive – the accuracy is fine but it is both slow and noisy. Other than that the build quality is on a very high level.

Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro review by ephotozine.com

Long enough in its focal length to be useful for many forms of macro photography and virtually the ideal for portraiture (on a cropped sensor) the lens also lends itself to many other short telephoto uses too. Optically it is probably the best of Sigma’s already highly rated macro line-up, coming straight in with razor wide-open images. The lens is also capable of being used on ‘full frame’ sensors and 35mm cameras, so I should think it will find its way into a number of photographers inventories.

In summary, the positive points of the Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro are:

• Excellent optical quality from wide open
• Ideal focal length for cropped cameras
• Sensible focus limiter works at both sides of the mark

The negative points are:

• Extending front element
• No HSM motor means AF is a little whiny